10 days late.

Being that it was my first baby, I was expecting a late delivery. But 10 days?

Since I was having my baby at home, I wasn’t worried about being past my due date, but I had it in my mind that anything over 14 days may be an issue. Our midwives were not concerned, as my fluid levels and vitals were strong. The day before I went into labor our midwives said “if you don’t go into labor tonight, we will come over and stir some things up.” Hmmm… I didn’t know how I felt about THAT!

I had taken maternity leave about a week before my due date and to be perfectly honest, I really wasn’t in a hurry for baby to come. I enjoyed sleeping in, nesting, going to yoga, taking long walks, and hitting up our local co-op grocery for fresh supplies for dinner. Meanwhile in my body not much was happening.

Every day past my due date, I would mentally scan my physique. Was that a cramp? Did I feel a trickle? I scoured my underwear for signs of my mucous plug (I know, I know, but honest). Not much was happening.



the day before I gave birth

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The midwives had me on all kinds of homeopathic labor inducing supplements: homeopathic blue and black cohosh, aconitum napellus, evening primrose. Not much was happening.

The night before I gave birth, I went to bed early as usual and woke up a few hours later with cramps. This happened a couple nights before so I tried not to get too excited. I woke up again around 4am. I still had cramps. Oh. This was different.  The cramps were not more intense, but I took it as a good sign. It was hard to go back to bed because I was optimistic labor was starting, but I did manage to drift off. Missus Scooter and I awoke around 8am.  Cramps. Score!

I jumped out of bed, got in the shower, shaved my legs and scrubbed up real good. When I got out, I put on makeup, brushed my hair and chose an outfit for the day. Missus Scooter laid in bed eyeing me suspiciously. I had just spent the last two weeks in yoga pants and a pony tail.

We made a big breakfast. I wanted it all. Eggs, bacon, toast, fruit, OJ. As we ate, I was sort of levitating. I was talking fast and smiling foolishly. Cramps were persistent and growing. Contractions became uncomfortable. I kept saying “something’s happening, something’s happening!”

By the end of breakfast I stopped smiling. Things felt strong. We didn’t call the midwives because we knew they attended a birth the night before and were sleeping, and we didn’t know if this was a false start. We called our two friends Jess and Ann who were going to attend the birth but told them they were only on standby. This was just the beginning… we didn’t want to be over anxious.

It was about 11am and Missus Scooter decided to run a couple of errands, and while she was gone I straightened the house but the contractions started to make me pause and close my eyes. By the time she got back (about 30 minutes), I was on my hands and knees in the living room. Bewildered, she called the midwives. They asked to speak to me. I couldn’t talk through the contractions so they said they would be there within the hour. After all this time with not much happening, all of a sudden it seemed like we bought the express pass at Disneyland.

It’s kind of funny. One of the allures of having the baby at home was our vision of having a cozy fire, eating popcorn and sandwiches and watching 80’s movies while I labored. Missus Scooter and I expected a long, drawn out process. We would play some cards with friends. I would nap on the couch. We were kind of looking forward to it.

Hah!

I got into our bath tub and was very unsettled. I wanted to be on all fours and in the porcelain tub this was quite uncomfortable. I stayed there for less than a half hour. Back on the living room floor, I set up post on my hands and knees. I banged my head rhythmically against the couch cushions during each contraction.

The midwives arrived around 1pm and I was only vaguely aware of their presence. They quietly assessed the situation, spoke with Missus Scooter, and started to bring supplies in. The amazing thing about these women is they are so skilled at what they do, they already knew where I was in my labor just by looking at me and watching me through a couple of contractions. I wanted to be checked. Even though they tried to tell me there was no need for a physical exam and I was doing perfect, I needed to know where I was. It was desperately important to me. So they did an internal check and told me I was dilated to 4cm. They were very pleased with this but I was deeply disappointed. 4cm? It was the first (and only) time I thought maybe I couldn’t do this natural hippie home birth after all.

Around 2pm I asked to get in the birthing tub. The midwives had already begun to prepare the wide and deep tub they had placed in our nursery. They hooked up a hose to our bathroom shower faucet to fill the tub. When I submerged myself in that warm water, covering my swollen belly, I cried with relief. My legs had begun to cramp from being on my hands and knees and my hips ached horribly. A change of position and the buoyancy the water provided was exactly what I needed.

About an hour later something changed. I knew I had been in transition. It was very very quiet and I was in a dream state. Missus Scooter, the two midwives, and our friends Jess and Ann were gathered quietly around the tub. I opened my eyes, lifted my head and told Missus Scooter the dog needed to go outside to pee. She looked baffled but we later learned from the midwives this type of awareness and focus is normal as women come out of transition.

The pressure changed. It was time to push. I was so scared. I read stories about how women really liked the feeling of pushing because they were finally in control. I was not one of them. All of a sudden I wanted to reverse things. I did not want to push. I was scared out of my mind. One of my midwives looked at me square in the eye and said “You are going to do this. You are ready and you’re going to push your baby out. You’re GOING to do this.” She was so calm and so sure and I believed her.

I pushed through three sets of contractions. It wasn’t pretty. I felt out of control and like I wasn’t doing it right. I was making a lot of noise. I remember thinking if I was making this much noise, I probably wasn’t channeling my energy where it needed to be. But I couldn’t help it. There is no “training” for pushing, and no way to prepare yourself for how it really feels. I just remember I wanted to do it as hard and fast as I could.

The last push I really committed. I made a noise Missus Scooter later called a cross between Chewbacca and a wild banshee. I felt the head and shoulders come out and it was a blissful relief. Marlene, one of our midwives, said “reach down and catch your baby.” At 4:08pm, I reached down into the water and did just that.

I brought her to my chest and held her there while we just looked at each other

Our midwives told us the first moments are such an impressionable time for baby, and so we asked that everyone be quiet and still. We stayed like that for a very long time. There was no rush to do anything. Our midwives were so supportive of not moving us along, but rather allowing me to dictate the next steps.

Missus Scooter and I did not know the sex of our baby throughout my pregnancy and it wasn’t until about a half hour had passed that we thought to check!! After we found out she was a girl, I was ready to get out of the tub.

I very carefully handed off our baby girl to Missus Scooter and I made my way out of the tub and straight into our bed. Missus Scooter and Baby O joined me in the bedroom, as did the rest of the crew, including the dog. I breastfed her and we all excitedly chatted about the miracle that just occurred.

I was very hungry so Jess brought me a huge plate of Thai food and Oreos. Around 7:30pm, the midwives performed an exam on me and administered two stitches. Then they performed Baby O’s exam on our bed. It was fascinating and gentle and loving. She was 8 lbs 8 oz.

During the exam, the midwives took care to show us the placenta and explain the anatomy of it to us. They explained why it is called the tree of life and explained how they check to see if there may have been any issues with me or baby in utero. The midwives left our house around 11pm.

Every time I think back to the day my daughter was born… the day we became mothers… the day we became a family of three… I am overwhelmed by the love I experienced and gave that day but also with the strength I experienced and gave that day. It is a moment that has forever changed my life and one that I will never ever forget.

Home Birth Stories part 1 of 4

1. My Birth Story: a baby at home by Mrs. Scooter
2. Kristin's Home Water Birth by Kristin @ Paleo Plus One
3. My Home Birth Story by Ms. Fairy Wings
4. The Four Hour Labor by Mrs. Popcorn