Every Woman Has the Birth She Needs

See these shoes? These Nikes with their bright orange swoosh?  They started walking the halls of Exempla Lutheran Hospital at 8:10AM on Tuesday morning.  They walked from the car to the Labor & Delivery Floor, then they walked up and down the halls of said hospital, rode on the hospital elevator to the top floor and walked down all the flights of stairs to the bottom and did that again and again. These Nike's rock almost as much as their owner.

 

See this girl, this is my girl. And Mr. Idaho's girl. I have first dibs though. Neener neener.   Meet the owner of the Nike's with the bright orange swoosh.  This is before the nurse ruptured her membranes to bring on labor for a baby that was 10 days overdue.

She even did her hair and makeup--because, as she put it, "I knew Mom would be taking pictures for her blog."  I haveta admit, I did the same thing, only I forgot to be in any pictures. I looked fabli-ous, though, really. 

When the Admitting Nurse asked Dani, on a pain scale of 1-10, when would you like to receive pain medication, Dani replied, "ten".

  

After her membranes had been ruptured for 2 hours, the Midwife said they would have to start talking about pitocin. Dani said "No thanks. I just need more time."  So she walked, and she squatted, and she sat on the birth ball, and she walked some more. And then she took a warm bath that helped kick her into labor.

She is 7 cm dilated and still on her feet.  But things were getting more intense, so we put her back into the jacuzzi...where she stayed until she was 9 cm dilated. Then she had to get out. And THAT was miserable.  She was comfortable, and coping wonderfully, but this hospital doesn't do water births, so she had to get out. We got her onto the bed, where she kneeled on the edge to help the baby come down easier than on her back. Which, btw, she hated being on her back.  By midnight, she was exhausted.  We all were.

Now this is where my Mother heart is raw and tender. My prayers were constantly for her to have strength to finish this on her own terms. At one point, she said, "I can't do this. I can't do this."  The baby was taking a long time coming down, even after she was fully dilated. Dani continued her breathing rhythm, with Mr. Idaho applying counter-pressure on her hips, and Diana and me at her side, breathing with her, all of us in chorus, praising her efforts and strength.

"You can do this! you ARE doing this! you're amazing Dani!

We're right here. We're so proud of you. Almost done, almost done."

Rubbing her shoulders and arms, applying cool compresses on her neck, and warm compresses on her perineum for her comfort.

All of our actions/thoughts were for her comfort and support.

When she had been pushing about 30-45 minutes, she was in an upright position, leaning back on the bed--she was so tired, and again said,

"I can't do this."

Diana and I were at her feet, rubbing her legs constantly, and I said, "Dani, listen to me, I want you to say: "I CAN DO THIS. Now, say it with me, I can do this. I can do this"--she joined me, and that became her mantra thru several more waves of contractions as she brought the baby down.  Even with tears, she continued,"I can do this, I can do this..." and we all in chorus echoed her words back to her, "You can do this, You can do this!"

Mr. Idaho's eyes were teary, as he became one with his wife. He praised her, loved on her, held her, and was at her side and in her ear whispering every good and kind thing in his heart. When she cried, he cried. Her anguish was his. Her relief was his relief.  She leaned on him and he welcomed every bit of it. The bond that was forged in those hours will carry them thru many other trials, I do believe. He continually expressed his love for her and reassured her that she was 'doing great' and in the process of giving her strength, I do believe he increased his own.

I was in awe of my daughter, clearly, this was a large baby, and we knew that going into labor---we suspected between 8-9 pounds.  Which is alot for Dani's 5'5" frame. We gave her honey stix for energy and the midwife gave her oxygen for renewed energy--which totally helped!

When the baby's head finally crowned, Diana, who had been a quiet supporter, spoke up, "Dani, I can see the baby's head-- you're almost done!"

Dani said, "They've been saying that for hours!"

Diana, knowing her sister so well, said, "They lied. I'm not lying. You're almost done!"

And with just a few more strong, focused pushes,

 

Garrett Theodore Bradley came into this world.

Ten Pounds, 8 ounces.

Twenty-one and a quarter inches long!

 See this girl. She's not a girl anymore. She is an Amazing, Strong Mother.

There's a Midwife Mantra that says, "Every woman has the birth she needs."

I love witnessing women give birth--it is such an empowering experience...

 it was humbling and emotional and I am left in complete awe of my daughter's strength and determination.   Dani needed to have this baby on her own terms, and she did indeed have the birth she needed.  I have never been to a birth where the baby weighed over 10 and half pounds!  I don't even know anyone who has...Dani earns the Prize. A gold star. She wins!

What a grand day!  

The baby, the Golden Child, is the picture of Perfection--a clone of his beaming father and the pillar of pride for his beautiful Mother.  Of course, I have plans on loving the dickens outta him for all of eternity!

I'm still processing this birth, so I may have left off other details and may come back and add more as I feel, and some of this may be jittery and disconnected.  But here it is.  My real life in my House.

post dated add-ons:  From the time the midwife ruptured membranes 'til the onset of real labor: 6 hours.  From the time of onset of labor 'til the birth 9 1/2 hours.  

Advice for Fathers

Advice for Men: How to Love Your Wife During Post-Partum

In God's Own Way and Time

As January winds down,
I have been looking forward
to a particular client's birth.
Mama J. and Papa J.
have been preparing for
their birth experience
with diligence and purpose.
They took all the classes,
read all the books,
watched all the movies.
Mama J. has been meticulous in her
prenatal care
from Day One.

It has been a complete joy
getting to know her
care for her
and plan for her homebirth!
So when I got the call this afternoon,
I was excited!

The Midwife called
said Mama J was in early labor
but be ready to go.

I got my gear together,
and got my house in order
so that upon my leaving
things would get done--
like dinner and homework.

Finally, just before dinner time,
The Midwife called
"time to go."
Hug and kiss the yahoos
and I'm on my way.


Mama J and Papa J are preparing to
go into their own ministry...
and their birth plan was,
and I quote
"to rely on the Word."
Being raised Baptist,
I know what this means--
singing
the songs of my youth,
praying,
and reading scriptures.
So on the way to their home,
I try to remember some hymns--
"Jesus Loves the Little Children"
"Jesus Loves Me"
"Amazing Grace"
"I stand all Amazed"--
I sing them all on my way
down I-25...
some verses are harder to remember
than others,
and I figure I can hum the ones I don't know,
in case we actually sing--
and then I wonder how awkward
it will be if I sing off-key
or forget the words entirely!


I decide it's not worth
worrying about.


When I arrive,
Emily is already there.
Mama J is in the labor pool--
she hears me come in
and looks over her shoulder
with a smile.
I love this woman.
She is gonna be a great mom.

Papa J. is sitting next to the pool
reading
praying
smiling
praising.
They're working together
perfectly.

So Emily and I
continue to set up what we can
until the Midwife arrives
and then
we get the rest of the stuff outta her car.

Contraction waves are coming
two minutes apart.
Mama J is smiling between them.
Breathing thru the waves
as they come
and able to smile
in between.
She's doing great!

The Midwife, Emily and I
step out of the bedroom
and give Mama and Papa
some time alone.

We're not out long when
we hear Mama's voice change--
it's not the controlled breathing
we're used to,
so we go in and breathe with her
to help her get into a rhythm.

We do this for a few hours.
Mama and Papa continually
vocalize their prayers...
sometimes Papa hums a tune
I do not recognize
but Mama does
and that's all that matters.

A few more hours of this
and Mama is getting tired.
We decide to get her out of the
labor pool
and stand her up in the shower.
She's hesitant at first
but standing up will use
gravity better,
and will speed dilation.

Mama J ends up really liking
the shower...
she has several more waves in there
and her water breaks.
That's when things changed...
there's meconium in the water.
Alot.
and it's thick and dark.
We continue to listen to
the baby's heart tones...
which aren't awful
but not good either.

The Midwife checks Mama J to see
how dilated she is now...
almost 6 cm
but the baby is high...
so the Midwife makes the decision
to transport
Mama to the hospital
which,
according to my GPS
was 375 yards away.
That's right,
it's across the street!

So we help Mama get dressed
and the Midwife goes with Mama and Papa
over to the hospital.

Emily and I
clean up
pack up
and head over to the hospital.
By the time we get there,
the baby is born!
And he is perfect!
His heart tones did dip down considerably
but his apgar scores were 8 and 9.

Mama J is renewed!
She is a little trembly
because of the adrenalin-rush,
because once they got to the hospital
she was 8 cm dilated
and went to 10 in just minutes!
Then once she was at 10cm
she just pushed that baby right out!

It all happened so quickly.
One could wonder
if we'd just stayed at home
how things woulda turned out--
obviously, things were fine;
but we didn't know
couldn't have known
how this little boy was going
to tolerate
the delivery.
And it's our policy
that it's better to be safe than sorry.

Mama and Papa both agreed
the right decision was made.
Tho their preparation
and faith
was abundant,
they accept that the events of their
birth
was according to God's will.

There's a life lesson there
that I think will benefit this couple
as they continue to grow their
ministry---
after all we can do,
we have to trust in God's will
even when we are unsure what that
might be.

Faith is believing in that which is unseen
which is true.

After a round of hugs and kisses,
Emily, the Midwife and I
headed down the long empty
corridors of the hospital,
feeling grateful to have been part
of the experience.
It didn't go as planned,
and still our hearts are filled
with gratitude
for a safe and healthy birth.
God does hear and answer prayers--
what more could we ask for?

I sang my favorite hymns all the way
home
while a full moon
lit the pathway home.

Little Man

It's 2:40am Friday morning.
Those "love hormones" are still goin strong
after a birth late last night.

The Midwife called around 8pm
to give me a heads-up
that sweet Mama S. was in labor.
It could be awhile tho
cuz this is her first baby.

So I got my doula bag together,
put on my scrubs
and lay in my bed with my eyes resting...
first births are usually pretty long
so I knew I'd better get a little rest
for the long night ahead.

The only problem was
my entire family was still very much
awake.
Nana and Daisie were downstairs
singing primary songs
The Caboose was in her room watching
"Spice Girls" circa 1998,
and Boofus was on the pc playing
some kind of game.
Mr W was watching "Burn Notice" in our room.

So I laid there
eyes shut
but not really resting.
Just after 9pm
the Midwife calls back,
"It's time to go!"
So I throw on my shoes
and am out the door and down the road.
I listen to "Delilah" on the way--
sucha cheesy show...
"I think I loved you before I knew you"
was playing.
I thought of this young couple
who are about to meet the newest love
of their lives...
then the "Titanic" song by Celine Dion
came on...
I don't know the name of it,
but I know the words--
so I sang them at the top of my lungs
zipping down I-25 South!

When I arrived,
sweet Mama S. is laboring on her bed,
very quietly
in the middle of a contraction wave.
I stand outside of the room
until it's over...
then I poke my head in,
smile and greet her,
"Hello, Beautiful."
She smiles back
with  a wink.
She is doing great.
Just breathing thru each wave.
The Midwife hasn't checked her yet,
and we both go out to the car
to get all of our supplies.

By the second trip in,
I got out my "cheat sheet" for the set-up,
and had just barely started the process
when I hear pure delight coming from
the bedroom,
it's the Midwife--
"You're Complete!"
Mama S. is dilated to ten already!
Oh boy! I moved as fast as I could
to get things set-up!
This was gonna go by super quick!

First thing,
get the instruments boiling.
Second,
get the baby blankets, hat, etc. on the heating pad
and crank it up!
Third,
set up the O2 tanks
and all the birth supplies...
I was seriously hauling my bahooey!

Emily arrived just in time
to get briefed by the Midwife,
slap on some gloves
and helped Mama S. sit up on the
birth stool.

Papa R. was at Mama S.'s side
and gently encouraged her along.
Mama S. gave a spontaneous push!
YES! her body is doing great work!
She hums thru most of the waves...
occasionally she looks up to me,
and I nod my head and smile
give her the "thumbs up" signal,
and she goes back to focusing
and listening to her
body.
The Midwife and Emily
cheer and direct Mama S.'s pushes.
We want her to push effectively
so she doesn't waste alot of effort.

Just a few pushes
and we see the baby's head...
one more push
and the head--
along with the entire rest of the body
comes sliding out!
Time: 10:31!
We were there just 45 minutes!
Amazing! for a first-time Mom!

Cheering and laughter
fill the small room!
A son is born!
While waiting for the placenta to deliver,
we swaddle the baby and Mama holds her son
with support.
We tuck warmed blankets all around him
and once the placenta is delivered,
Mama lays down on the bed,
and Papa R. holds little man
skin to skin
for warmth.
Papa R. is glowing.
Positively glowing.
Beaming.
It is a privilege to watch.

The rest of our time is spent getting
Mama to drink, eat,
bathe, rest, nurse
drink some more.
Taking pictures of the new family.
Doing the newborn exam
and packing up to go.
Mama is spent.
She needs a long nap.
Papa's got little man in his arms--
few fathers melt into their sons
like this man.
His heart is offered to this new child
fully, completely.
Mama S. watches Papa dress little man,
and smiles,
"It's okay, you won't break him."
Papa takes his place on the bed
next to Mama.
Her head meets Papa's head
and they lean onto one another
with little man
between them.
Now, that is a picture!

Mama expresses her gratitude
to each of us
several times.

In my mind,
it's me who is the grateful one.
I am grateful that I got to be there
and feel all that endless love
permeating the room
and every fiber of my being!
It is as close to getting "high"
that I will ever know...
and I am completely addicted to it.

On the way home,
Black Eyed Peas song comes on...
"Tonight's gonna be a Good Night"...
oh yeah it was!!!

January Waterbirth

The call came at 6am.
I was in the car at 6:15am.
Arrived at Mama K.'s house 6:50am.

I begin to unload the car
and begin the set-up
while the Midwife checks out Mama K.

I bring in the birthing stool,
O2 tanks and birth kit,
just as the Midwife is kneeling over
Mama K. who is laboring on her hands and knees
in her room.
She is quiet and focused
with her younger sister, Kate
is loving on her
with warm hands.

I leave to set up the rest
--place the instruments in boiling water on the stove;
lay baby blankets, baby hats, a tiny diaper and socks
on a heating pad and turn it on;
pour witch hazel on the pads for later
and tuck them in the freezer;
get out the towels
hand cloths
a bowl of ice water
for cool compresses
which will feel so good to Mama K.
once she really starts working.
Because, you know,
Labor is hard work.

By the time I get back in the room,
Mama K. is in the labor pool.
There is soft classical music playing.
Papa N. is there,
Sister Kate,
Granma,
and Mama K.'s 4 and 2 year old sons
are there too.
She is composed,
focused,
she looks so comfortable
I wonder if she's really in labor?

The Midwife says she'll check her cervix
after the next contraction wave...
which is only every ten minutes.
She checks her once
then twice...
Mama's dilated to 9cm and is stretchy!
Could it be?
She doesn't look like a woman in transition!
She is resting between contractions,
smiling
completely relaxed...

Papa N. is supporting Mama while she changes positions
to a supported squat...
she likes this position
and tries a few pushes.
At first, she is unsure if she's pushing
correctly
but soon learns how to push with her body
and makes each contraction count for progress.

"Dig Deep!", says Emily, the other assistant.
"That's right!", says The Midwife.
"Push that baby out!", says Papa.

Sister Kate changes the cool compresses
between contractions,
whispering sisterly love
in Mama K.'s ear.
Everyone needs a sister like Kate.

Mama changes positions to hands and knees--
she's not sure she wants to try that at first,
but then discovers it's easier to push that way
and really likes it...
she's making progress quickly.

Soon we can see the head crown
thru the water
and one more push
the head is out!
9:17AM--
one more wave
and there is another son
in the family!
9:19am
little 7 lb. J. is born!

Hugs, tears,
smiles all around...
the room is filled with love and joy.

Mama stays in the pool with baby
until the placenta is delivered 10 minutes later.

Then we help Mama to the bathroom
then to her bed with clean dry clothes
and dryer-warmed covers...
she melts into the bed
with a serene smile on her lips.

Granma brings in the older brothers
who smile and greet their new comrade.
I can just see these boys growing up together
and all the fun and trouble they will have!

The rest of our time in the home is spent
caring for mom
watching her body recover
and warming the baby skin-to-skin with Papa--
as well as
leaving no trace that a baby was born
in that home.

Papa says
Granma says
Sister Kate says

"Wow, this was great!"

We pack up and head home.
Just as we're pulling out of their driveway
a coyote runs across the street
right in front of us.
The sky is gray and white,
I notice snow clouds.
By the time I am home
it is a storm of snow.
Time to settle in for that little family.
There's nowhere they need to go
anyway...
the home fires are warm this night.

An Alaskan Homebirth

Eagle's Birth Story

I have a lot of thoughts and feelings that I want to put with this story, but it's taking me a while to get them all into words, and since the story part is actually fairly short, I decided to go ahead and post the facts and then I'll post the thoughtful part later on.

There is a standard which suggests that if mama has contractions that are one minute long, 5 minutes apart, and continue at that rate for an hour, then she is in active labor and should go to the hospital (or call the midwife). In the two weeks prior to Eagle's birth I achieved that status at least four different times, always in the evening. On each occasion, I thought hey, maybe this is finally it...but since the contractions never got closer together or more intense (and in fact always slowed when I laid down for bed, if not when I was snuggling in the kids) then I knew it was not really labor. After three days in a row of it however I did call my midwife just to let her know what was going on. I told her I felt a bit silly calling, because I knew this was not it, but I thought she should know that I was contracting a lot, and regularly. She said that probably my body was warming up, and that as soon as the baby's head engaged I would have a fairly fast labor. She encouraged me to do things that would help him engage (ie--drop down and put pressure on my cervix).

I spent two days doing belly lifts/hip tucks and hip circles (both on and off the ball) trying to get him to descend, but so far as I know he hadn't engaged when I went to bed on Wednesday (my due date). He may have started to engage though, because over the course of the evening I had a half dozen contractions that seemed different from the many previous ones. I can't explain how, they just seemed different... I had a gut feeling that I'd probably wake up in the middle of the night in labor, but since I'd had that feeling on several nights in the prior two weeks I didn't bother to say anything to Hubby, and just went to bed as normal.

Bear woke up around 3, so I got up to comfort him for a few minutes, and as I got back in my own bed I had a really uncomfortable contraction. Then 10 minutes later another--the kind where you think gosh, laying down is terrible, I have to move. 10 minutes later I had a third so I got out of bed to lean on the bathroom counter and do hip circles, and the contractions promptly switched to being 5 minutes apart. After all the false starts I decided to wait another 40 minutes to make sure they kept on consistently before I woke Hubby, but I knew they were going to.



Shortly after 4am I woke Hubby. I told him I was in labor and that I needed him to put up the pool. He didn't know yet that I'd been up for over an hour, and later admitted that he wondered if it was another false start and was very tempted to roll over and go back to sleep. But he got up and started puttering around. I felt terribly impatient at this point and started working on the pool myself--we had inflated it to about 80% two weeks prior so it was quick and easy to finish the job. I think my impatience in getting the pool out helped Hubby realize that I was not at all iffy on whether this was the real thing, and he quickly stepped in to get it done for me. As he was working on the pool he informed me that he was going to have to run in to his classroom briefly, as he'd been working on some things the afternoon before and would need to put them away if a substitute was coming in that day. (After two weeks of figuring that any day could be the day, I guess he had reached the "she's gonna be pregnant forever" state of mind too!) He said he would probably only be gone about 20 minutes, so as soon as he finished inflating the pool I told him to hurry and go because I knew I'd need him soon. We called the midwife to let her know that this was it, and she said to call her back as soon as anything changed and she would come right over. So Hubby left, and I took a shower, lit some candles, and started filling the pool.

While he was gone my contractions continued to be 5 minutes apart. After a little while, needing to convince myself that I was making progress, I decided to do an internal check on myself. I had tried this several times throughout the pregnancy, and especially during the final weeks. During pregnancy the cervix is very high and also tipped to the back, so I was never able to reach it very well (I was familiar with what it felt like when I'm not pregnant because I check it regularly as part of my fertility awareness, but pregnancy is a whole different ballgame!) I had discussed with my midwife how I couldn't feel it, and she said that the height combined with the softness of it in those late weeks was probably why. This time when I reached in though I could clearly feel it: I guessed I was around 3cm dilated and I could feel the sack of waters bulging. The sack is the coolest thing to feel--sortof slippery and slimy but also obviously very strong. I couldn't feel the baby's head behind it, just the squishy edge of the sack, but I knew he must be right there since I was dilating.

I started really focusing myself into the labor. The body can (and will) do the work of birthing pretty much on its own, if mama will just relax and let it do so; on the other hand, if mama will work with her body (as opposed to merely stepping aside for it) then the whole process can be all the more effective and efficient. Ina May Gaskin talks about "integrating" contractions so that you can move forward and into the next level. Birthing From Within teaches a similar notion when it encourages the mother to go into the center of each contraction. So as I leaned against the counter and circled my hips I repeated words like "down" and "center" and "deeper." In the prior couple of weeks I had mentally stumbled upon the image of a drop or stream of water coming down onto a pool and the waves of ripples radiating out from it--so I took that image (with the downward and outward motion) and replayed it in my head over and over.

As soon as Hubby got home (around 5am) my contractions became noticeably more intense. I really think my body was just waiting for him to get home before it allowed labor to progress. I was needing to concentrate enough that I couldn't time them myself anymore, but Hubby said they were still 5 minutes apart. They were stronger though, so we called the midwife. Since my water had not broken, I'd had no bloody show, and they were still 5 minutes apart, she said she'd be over soon but we all understood that she wasn't rushing. Hubby got a quick shower and I got into the pool.

Wow!

I had planned to labor in the water with Bear (although at the hospital they'd have me get out for the actual delivery), but labor had been so long that by the time we got to the hospital I was too tired to do anything but lay on the bed. This time I had had a nap the prior afternoon, plus gotten half a night's sleep prior to waking up in active labor--I was awake enough that I was far more conscious of everything that was going on (I was falling asleep between contractions at the end of Bear's labor). I also had enough energy this time to be upright and moving around, which I believe helped labor progress rapidly...although I think this would have been a faster and more intense labor regardless. In any case, warm water felt fantastic on my hard-working middle and back. I sat down in the water between contractions, but during them I still needed to be up and moving, so I knelt up and leaned on the edge of the pool and continued my hip circles...the only problem was that this brought my hips out of the water (right when I wanted it most!). So Hubby got a saucepan and poured water over my lower back during contractions. I have to say, now that I have labored with water, I cannot fathom wanting to labor without it! I started vocalizing through the contractions--keeping a loose throat can help keep a loose bottom, so a low "ahhhh" while contracting can be helpful--and it simply came naturally.



Midwife A arrived sometime around 6am I think--I was far enough into laborland that I had no concept of time. I had recently checked myself again and estimated that I was around 5cm dilated--still with the bulging waters. Bear had recently wakened and Hubby put on a movie for him. A had me get out of the pool between a couple of contractions so that she could check my vitals and dilation. I knew I was in serious labor because I didn't feel the need to grab a towel or sarong when I got out (I'm normally a very modest person, and had those things on hand because I'd expected to want them). Modesty is one of those things that just goes out the window in labor, which is good because it would be terribly inconvenient if it didn't! I was pleasantly surprised when she reached in and said "you're about 8cm dilated" (she later told me I'd been "a stretchy 8"). I got back into the water for a contraction while she called her associate midwife K (who had a 90 min drive) and got her doppler ready, and then I sat on the birth ball so that A could listen to the baby's heartrate through a couple of contractions. During the first one his heartrate dropped dramatically, but during the second it stayed steady. Contractions can be stressful for the baby, though not usually dangerously so, but she needed to listen through a couple more to determine which result had been the anomaly. The next three contractions--two with Hubby holding under my arms (suspending me), and especially the one laying on the bed--were awful. Contractions are intense anyway, but without the mediating effect of the warm water they were harder to integrate. (Did I really spend an entire labor on a bed last time? Yikes!) Baby's heartrate was stable through the subsequent contractions, so I got back into the pool.

Getting back in the water felt glorious, and was just in time...the next few contractions were stronger and I was getting louder at the peaks. I wasn't focusing myself into them anymore, just trying to stay on top of them and let my body work. I remember thinking that this was awfully hard and I'd rather just stay pregnant, and even that I totally understood why epidurals are popular...and then it hit me that those kinds of thoughts are a sign of being in transition, and that it meant I was in the home stretch! (I don't recall having any of those sorts of thoughts during Bear's labor--presumably because I was too tired to have thoughts that conscious.) Between contractions I stretched out, laying my head on the side of the pool and letting my body float out behind me. (A commented "now that's a woman in labor!" so we took a picture, but I cropped it for the blog...I'm open but not quite that open!)

I guess I woke Wolf at this point--though 7 would have been his normal wake up time anyway--he joined Bear watching the movie. I started feeling pushy. I wasn't sure if it was my body pushing or my mind wanting to push, but I told A because I figured she'd want to check me again to make sure I was fully dilated. That's what they'd done in the hospital after all. But A just said "do what your body wants to do; don't do anything that hurts." What perfect advice for labor! I don't know if the timing was coincidental or if her "giving permission" freed me, but with the next contraction I was definitely pushing, and I was getting louder too. A asked if my water had broken yet, and it hadn't, but within a couple more contractions it did. If feeling the bulging sack with my finger was weird, feeling the sack break spontaneously was really strange! (Bear's water was broken by the OB.) It was something akin to blowing a bubble gum bubble and having it pop all over your face...except of course it wasn't on my face. I really thought there was an audible pop, but I guess in the midst of labor sensory perception is garbled because Hubby and A both said it didn't make noise.

The older boys' movie got over and they came in. Wolf sat back but Bear came right over, put his hand on mine, and started vocalizing with me.

Within another contraction or two I knew things were getting close so I turned over and leaned back against the side of the pool rather than staying on my knees leaning forward. I know a lot of women deliver on their knees or hands and knees, but I wanted to be able to look down and see what was happening. In retrospect this was pointless because I couldn't see around my belly, but at the time it seemed terribly important. I reached in and for the first time felt my baby's head: all soft and wrinkly and covered with hair! The mind definitely doesn't function normally in labor, because I had the momentary thought "he doesn't have a skull" (because I could only feel the soft wrinkles of his scalp). Fortunately the work of pushing distracted me before I had a chance to linger on that notion!

Interestingly, once I turned around I no longer felt contractions nor a physical urge to push. I had a huge mental urge to push, but nothing physical. However I could feel the baby's head coming down so I had no hesitation about pushing like crazy. I'd had a feeling for some time that this baby would be bigger than the last one, so I had mentally geared myself up for a 9 pound baby. As I felt his head begin to enter my birth canal I had the thought that it was impossibly big and would never fit, but there's not really any way but down and out at that point, so I pushed anyway and remarkably enough he slid on down without much trouble at all. Of course sliding down the canal is one thing, actually getting out is another. I don't recall the classic "ring of fire" as he crowned, but I was aware of many hands being there--Hubby was in the pool with me catching the baby, the midwife's hands were supporting my perineum, and I realized that I had reached down to support myself in the front as well. Being part of my own 'catching team' was something I don't think I ever would have done in a hospital, but it came instinctively and I think it helped me not tear. His head came out, but then he stopped at the shoulders. I was pushing but he wasn't budging. Hubby moved aside and A started working the baby back and forth to get him out. My mind started racing with thoughts of shoulder dystocia and I just knew that she was about to tell me to turn over (it's easier to get sd babies out if mama is on hands and knees) and I was just sure she was going to have to break his clavicle to get him out (that's the official procedure if the baby won't come unstuck). All within the moment I was already beginning to mourn my baby's broken shoulder...but A never asked me to flip over. I felt pulling and stretching that made delivering the head feel like birthing a pillow (A later told me that she had her hands "in there with him" to get him free), and then suddenly she was done and Hubby was handing me the baby and A was putting a towel around the little one.



The first moments after birth are so precious, just staring into the eyes of my new little one and realizing the blessing of being part of a miracle.

I hadn't been able to see it, but Eagle had a nuchal hand (his hand was by his face as he was born, so although his head measurement was 36cm, the addition of his hand made it 38cm--15 inches). Hubby and A were discussing the nuchal hand when I felt a uterine twinge and knew it was time to deliver the placenta. I started to hand Eagle off to someone when I realized we hadn't cut his cord so he was still attached to me. I pulled back the towel to expose the cord and discovered that it had broken on its own! I had never heard of such a thing (and I have read a lot of birth stories). A said that it happens occasionally, but is very rare. She clamped it to make sure he did not lose any blood through it, and then turned to help me with the placenta. Delivering the placenta is easy--it doesn't have any bones. ☺

An unmedicated birth is followed by a rush of adrenalin, so I climbed out of the pool and took a quick shower. While I was showering midwife K arrived. Both A and K commented that I seemed very lively for someone who had given birth just minutes before...I wasn't trying to be lively or anything else, I just felt fantastic and ecstatic (and very glad to have the baby on the outside!). I climbed into my bed (how wonderful to be able to get right into my own bed!) and tried to get Eagle to nurse. He wasn't interested for a while, in spite of Bear telling him that nurn was good and he should try it. Wolf cut the umbilical cord (closer to his navel, as the break was several inches down). After we'd all had a chance to cuddle the baby a bit A examined me. She said that between the nuchal hand, the big head, and the stuck shoulder she'd expected to have a big sewing job, but somehow I had no tearing at all. I don't know if it was being in water, being well-supported, being relaxed, my prenatal diet, or something else, but A pronounced that I had "a beautiful vagina" and after double-checking that there was not even a skidmark, she tucked me back into bed with my baby.

B C Brighton

Born on November 12, 2009 at 8:03am

8lbs even, 20.75inches long, 36cm (14.5in) head (Bear was 7lb1oz, 19.5in, but his head was the same size!).

This labor was shorter but more intense than my last one. I was more conscious of everything, but also more in control. I do not have regrets over my choices nor the events of my first birth; in fact Bear was not even an hour old when I told Hubby "I could do that again!" (a sentiment I did not feel for a couple of days this time). However if I could choose one labor & birth to repeat in the future, it would definitely be Eagle's.

*Thanks to MommyB for offering to share her sweet homebirth story!http://brightonwoman.blogspot.com/2009/11/eagles-birth-story.html

Birth Story Giveaway!

Does reading about others' birth stories remind you of yours?
Was it tender and sweet? Were there comical moments? I'd love to hear them!


The Giveaway: A Miracle Blanket

How to Enter:
1-Submit your own birth story and allow it to be shared on COLORADO HOMEBIRTH STORIES.*
2- Birth must've taken place at home, or in a birthing center, or ALL natural/unmedicated at a hospital.

 
Deadline: February 14th, 2010

Winner will be chosen randomly.

* You may certainly change names/dates for privacy.