8:46 am. I was getting breakfast ready for my toddler and I when contractions started. They were coming every (5 or 10) minutes and lasting approximately 30 seconds each. My husband had already left for work. It was the only Saturday he was required to work and we had joked before he left that today would probably be “the day”. I was 2 days past my due date.
10am. I texted my husband to let him know I had been having contractions for over an hour now. He asked me if I wanted him to head back home from his work (45 minutes away) but I suggested we should wait and I would keep him updated. He reminded me to message our midwife and so I did. I made some labor-aid to keep myself hydrated.
Around 11 am I got a phone call from our midwife and she was excited about the news She said she had never had a baby born on her birthday! I didn’t even know it was her birthday! She suggested I eat as much as I can as long as I feel like eating and to take a nap when my toddler does. She said she would call me again to see if things were changing and we would go from there. I gave my son a bath and kept drinking labor-aid.
12:25 PM. I felt it would be wise to ask my husband to come home for lunch because I had no idea how fast things would change. Contractions started to be more consistent (around every 5 minutes each and slightly more intense).
1:11pm: My midwife called to see how I was doing. I told her things hadn’t changed much and that my husband was on his way home now. She suggested I take a nap if I can and she told me she was going to hang out at the birth house and would check on me in a little while. She wanted to make sure she was in town in case things changed quickly. She also told me that since I had Pitocin with my first birth, I may underestimate how far along I was in labor.
My husband got home around 1:45 PM. Toddler and I were in the middle of our lunch. I had a big plate of Thanksgiving leftovers!
Hubby helped toddler take a nap while I got some chicken in the crockpot and headed upstairs to take a shower.
3:11 PM. Right after I got out of the shower, My midwife called while I was listening to my Hypnobabies Birthing Day Affirmations. She asked how things were going and I told her that I had just taken a shower and that the contractions were definitely increasing in intensity and lasting between 30-45 seconds. She sounded excited and ready to go She told me she would like to stop by for a visit and maybe check my cervix to see how far along I had progressed if I was ok with that. I hadn’t had any cervical checks so far but I agreed that it would be useful to have an idea of how close I was to deliver this baby
While toddler was napping, I laid down and tried to sleep without success while listening to my Hypno affirmations. An intense contraction made me get up and use my birthing ball instead. I started taking regular trips to the bathroom. I snacked on sweet potato chips and a honey stick and more labor aid!
4:25 PM. My midwife and one of her assistants got to our place and quietly made it upstairs as toddler was still napping. They found me on the birthing ball, took my vital signs and checked on Oliver’s heart rate. We were both doing wonderful. My midwife asked me if I wanted my cervix checked (I hadn’t had any checks this pregnancy) and I thought, ‘Sure… Let’s find out if I am anywhere close to having this baby’, so I said yes. I had a contraction in the middle of the cervical check making it very uncomfortable even though my midwife was gentle. We found out I was almost 5 cm dilated, 60% effaced and -1 station.
My midwife suggested I continue to drink and eat while I can, and maybe rest a little. She and her assistant would go to grab some dinner and then come back to check on me and I would call her if I needed anything in the meantime.
I had been texting my doula to keep her updated on how things were going. She asked me if I wanted her there yet and I wasn’t sure what to tell her because I didn’t want to call her too soon. I felt like 7 PM was probably a good time to get her here.
5:17 PM. I called my mom to tell her about my midwife’s visit and she was surprised that things were moving quickly. She said she was on her way.
5:49 PM. I called my midwife to tell her that I had some bleeding going on and contractions were lasting a minute each and every 5-7 minutes. She said she and her assistant would be on her way. I told her to finish her dinner because I was still doing good.
I was changing into more “birth friendly” clothes when my mom arrived and found me half dressed, leaning on the wall mid contraction. She helped me finish getting dressed and then we headed downstairs to make another pitcher of labor-aid.
Hubby and toddler got back home from the store followed shortly by my midwife and her assistant. We told Toddler it was our midwife’s birthday and he offered to sing “Happy Birthday” to her, which he did in English and Spanish
At this point it was probably around 6:30 PM. We all headed upstairs to my room to get my vital signs and baby’s heart tones again. We talked about my wishes for this birth while working through contractions, which had become strong enough that they required my full attention.
7 PM. My doula joined the party and we talked some more about what was coming ahead. She showed my husband how to squeeze my hips, which felt heavenly during contractions!
My awesome birth team headed downstairs to hang out with my family. I decided I would try to rest and snack a little while I could. My husband helped me use the restroom (again!) and then went downstairs to get toddler’s late dinner ready. My mom kept me company and we laid in bed and chatted for a little bit.
I had to get up to go to the bathroom, yet again, and the second I stood up, I had a strong contraction followed shortly by another one. I asked my mom to let our midwife know and they all headed back upstairs to check on me. It was probably around 8:30 PM and my midwife asked if I would like to be checked. I declined because I was very uncomfortable at this point. I agreed to try the tub and see if my contractions felt any better. My midwife warned me that they could go either way; slow down or speed up. I had a couple of contractions while I sat on the birth ball waiting for the tub to be filled and my husband held my hands through them. I needed his hands to be high on his chest as I felt the need to pull down on them. I got really frustrated if his hands were low.
I got in the tub and it didn’t feel right. I felt constrained and sitting was awkward and uncomfortable even though my doula helped me set up towels to make it easier. I had 3 intense contractions probably only a minute apart and I wanted out of the tub because I needed to use the toilet (or so I thought).
My doula and my husband helped me out of the tub and sit on the toilet. I started shaking and wasn’t sure if it was that I was in transition or the fact that I had just gotten out of a warm tub. I was half in denial haha… Then I turned to my doula and said, “I feel like pushing”. My doula relayed my words to my midwife and I could hear everyone hustling in the bedroom asking me if I wanted to have baby in bed or on the floor. I said on the floor and so they hurried and set up everything for a delivery on my bedroom’s carpeted floor.
I had a couple of contractions on the toilet before being lifted and helped to walk back into my bedroom. They helped me out of the tie dyed dress I was wearing in the tub and into my favorite night shirt.
I was offered the birth ball to lean on and I didn’t feel comfortable as I felt I needed to pull on something. Some pillows were set up for me to lean on while being on my hands and knees. Suddenly the urge to push was strong and my body started pushing instinctively. My midwife hadn’t noticed a head yet so she advised me not too push too early. I said, “I am not pushiiiiing”, while pushing haha… But I wasn’t doing it on purpose At that point my midwife saw the head and realized it was really my body and “not me” lol.
After pushing a few more times with an intact bag of waters, my midwife asked if I would like her to break it since it was right there and it only needed to be pinched or I also had the option of baby being born in the caul. Since I could feel a lot of pressure, I thought it would probably be easier to get rid of it and help my baby join us faster.
My midwife easily pinched and broke my bag of waters and then I pushed a few more times on hands and knees. Since not much progress was made, my midwife suggested we changed positions. She asked me if I’d like to try to lie on my side in bed. If there was something I was sure about was that I did not want to be in bed or laying down. In fact, on my last trimester I constantly pictured myself delivering in a squat position, so I told her that I would like to try to squat. As soon as the next contraction was over my midwife, my doula and my husband helped me into a squat. I felt instant relief as well as a new surge of energy!
Pushed once, pushed twice and head started to come out (ring of fire!). At that point I remembered to relax and “breathe my baby out” to protect my perineum, so I did. One more involuntary push and body was out (10:37 PM). My midwife scooped him onto my belly and I fell in love with my slippery, warm baby He came out crying, announcing his entrance to the world
A few minutes, another push and my placenta was out. We waited for the cord to stop pulsating and then it was clamped. My husband cut the cord.
I got in bed and they brought Oliver to me for some skin to skin. He nursed both sides and we snuggled in bed for an hour. My husband got his shirt off for some skin to skin with Oliver and they snuggled for a few minutes before Oliver decided it was time to poop!… Meconium all over daddy!
After everyone was clean, my midwife examined, weighed and measured Oliver: 7 lbs 2 oz and 21 inches long (post meconium haha).
I dressed Oliver into some newborn jammies and we were left to be We were all on cloud 9! I still can’t believe we did it! I did it! I got my healing birth and nobody can take that away! I can always go back to that memory and feel that happiness over and over again. Though I was physically sore (no tearing though, yay!), there was no emotional pain. My home birth healed my heart from the first experience I had with birth. I had been in hell and now I knew heaven So eternally grateful to experience it on Earth
Oh, and I don’t know if I looked like a goddess (reference to Ina May’s quote), but I sure felt like a goddess because I was treated like one by my awesome birth team. Love them forever.