Sunday morning 2:00 am - Contractions start, they're consistent, but mild
Sunday morning 7:00 am - Lily wakes up, contractions stop. We spent the day getting ready in case baby decided to make an appearance soon, went grocery shopping etc.
Sunday evening - Lily goes to bed, contractions become more consistent, but I'm only woken up a few times by them.
Monday morning 7:00 am - Lily wakes up, contractions become more spaced out, but continue getting stronger
Monday 3:00 pm - My mom comes to take Lily to the park, and labor really starts, contractions are regular and I can no longer sit through them.
I spent the next couple hours cleaning up around the house, making sure I ate a few snacks, made dinner for everyone, stopping to do hip circles during contractions. By the time I had finished making dinner (around 6:00 pm) I no longer had an appetite for it. I ate a banana and peanut butter in my room instead. Sitting was uncomfortable, but I was also tired off standing, so I opted to labor backwards on the toilet for a while. Occasionally moving to do duck walks in the shower (in case my water broke lol). Around 6:30 Zach asked me when my mom and Lily should leave for the hotel (ASAP!) apparently Lily really liked the dinner I had made and was chowing down plateful after plateful. At some point Zach set up the bed and the tub, I'm not sure when... by this time I needed him with me. I called the midwives at 7:00 and they arrived around 7:20.
The atmosphere was perfect, it was dark outside, dim lighting inside, the Christmas lights were on and the fire was going. Our two midwives, Beth and Laurel, came, as well as their midwife in training, Alyssa. I was so happy to see them and couldn't have asked for a better team. Beth checked me (WAY less uncomfortable than getting checked at the hospital) and good news! I was already at 6 cm, over halfway there! They checked my blood pressure and the baby's heartbeat, set up their things, and started filling up the tub.
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
I laid on the bed for a little bit, because it was surprisingly comfortable (laying down during Lily's birth was horrible). But I didn't want to get too comfortable so I started walking around again.
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
Finally the tub was ready! It was much warmer than I thought it would be, but being in the water felt wonderful. It was so much easier to stretch and move with the water there to support me. I had been waiting to get in the tub and once I did I honestly got a little bored, maybe a better word is impatient. I just wanted the baby to be here, I didn't want to wait anymore! I was worried that the water might slow things down, but my contractions kept coming strong. The thing that was most different from my first birth is that this time there were actual breaks in between contractions. Hallelujah! The first time they were right on top of each other for hours and hours. This time not only were there breaks, but I felt like I could even control them a little, like if I needed a break all I had to do was not move, and when I wanted to get things going again I just needed to be active.
I also discovered two amazing pain relief methods this time around (at least for me). One thing was eye contact, which I remembered reading in Ina May's book (and thinking it was weird). But at one point I had caught Zach's eyes across the room and just stared him down, and IT HELPED SO MUCH! So I told him to get closer and I needed to make eye contact (poor guy probably thought I was crazy, but he went along with it no questions asked). It felt like I was actually transferring some of the pain to him. It kept me grounded, and when I wasn't looking at him is was like I was spinning out of control floating in space or drowning in a pool (it was a weird sensation).
The other thing that really helped was something I learned from my Grandpa. When he stubs his toe or something he says "that feels good, that feels great, that feels wonderful". Well stubbing your toe hurts, but I really liked this idea for labor, because it is something great, my body is doing what it needs to do, it's a good thing! Last time in labor I thought it, but this time I started saying it out loud during particularly painful contractions. "This is such an interesting feeling!" "This is not painful, this feels good, this is so GOOD!". It was amazing how it went from feeling painful to just powerful.
After maybe an hour and a half in the tub I felt like maybe I needed to be pushing. So I tested it out, it felt productive, but I didn't say anything because I thought it couldn't already be time. So I was "secretly" pushing for a little bit, still trying to decide. My giveaway was that when I tried not pushing the contractions seemed weaker, and when I pushed in to them they were stronger and longer (kind of similar to my first birth, but also kind of not).
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
Eventually Beth came in and said if we didn't want the baby born in the tub I should get to the bed because he was probably coming soon. Turns out they knew I was pushing the whole time, they just don't freak out about it (I thought they'd want to check me to make sure I was all the way dilated yada yada, it was nice that they just trusted me instead).
I thought that getting out of the tub and getting to the bed was going to be really difficult, but it was surprisingly easy. And as soon as I got to the bed my water broke (of course), but everything was protected (it's just now occuring to me that I narrowly missed our carpet). I laid on my side and pushed, I was a little confused at what was taking so long, I knew he was going to be smaller than Lily, turns out he was, but his head was the same size. Laurel sat next to me and was very encouraging, just told me how things were progressing down there ("you're stretching beautifully" "This is the biggest part" etc). And Beth was wonderful at helping me stretch and not tear (a night and day difference from the Dr. last time). After 15-20 minutes of pushing he was out! At 10:02 PM, a little less than three hours after the midwives got there.
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
After ten minutes or so the placenta was delivered (and placed in my kitchen bowl, and set next to me lol). His cord wasn't clamped or cut until over an hour later. Laurel did the newborn exam right there next to me, measured and weighed him. 7 pounds, 6 ounces (exactly a pound lighter than Lily), 20 1/4 inches long, and a 14 inch head. I am so thankful for such an amazing birth experience, and being able to recover in the comfort of my own home. Our midwives were amazing, and I just couldn't ask for anything more.
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
 |
| ©Erin Overton Photography |
No comments:
Post a Comment