A Surprisingly Sane Blog

It finally happened: I gave birth Thursday night!

The quick stats:
It’s a GIRL!
April Lynn
Born 8-28-08
At 8:12 pm
8 pounds 12 oz
20.5 inches long
10/10 Apgar

And here’s the longer version:

Some background info: Wednesday night- I get mad at James and decide to sleep on the couch like a grump.  I’m tossing and turning for two hours, finally fall asleep, and wake up a few times with uncomfortable contractions.

That takes us to Thursday morning.

Julie lets me sleep until almost 10 am.  What a relief.  I was expecting her to wake me up at 8:00.  I wake up with some cramping and a few contractions and decide to check my cervix after my shower to see what’s going on.  The baby’s head feels low, and my cervix is pretty open.  Not sure what to think about it all because that really means nothing about when labor will actually begin.

I send James an IM letting him know what’s going on, but things die down so I tell him not to worry about coming home.

The day goes on, contractions cease to about one every half hour, nothing unusual for me.  I’m thinking it’s possible I’ll be going into labor, but true to my negative state of mind, I’m not feeling optimistic about this.

3:30 pm- Contractions are light but start coming regularly- about every 7 minutes.  Still normal for me, so I think it’s not actually labor.

3:50 pm- I have a contraction that makes me think… hm… maybe I should tell James to come home *just in case*.  I send him an IM telling him to come home.  (James tells me later he was in a meeting, stands up and “whoops” loudly, and tells the guys on his team his wife is in labor and that he’s going home).

4:00 pm- James calls on his way home, totally excited.  I tell him it’s probably not actually labor, I’m just trying to be on the safe side.  He convinces me to call Lisa and let her know things are happening.

4:10 pm- I call Lisa and tell her, “I think I might possibly be in very early first stage labor.”  But then I warn her it could very likely not be.  She asks a bunch of questions, tells me she thinks I’m in labor, and says to call her the second anything changes.

(side note- at this point things are so easy and normal feeling that I’m still doubting I’m actually in labor.)

4:25 pm- James gets home.  I’m up and about doing just fine.  Contractions coming every 3-4 minutes.  Stopping to sit and relax or stand and do the “mother dance” during contractions, but they’re easy and peaking at 45 seconds- really nothing to get excited about.

4:30 pm- We set up our bed in case this really is labor and I decide to birth there.  Julie helps us out, totally excited because she knows something big is going on.

4:55 pm- Contractions are still coming every 3-4 minutes apart, still peaking at about 45 seconds and lasting not much more than a minute.  They’re becoming more intense, but still totally easy.  It dawns on me that I really probably am in labor.  Things are still ridiculously easy, contractions are a piece of cake and I can talk through them.  But everything’s picking up.

Still around that time, James calls my mom to come pick up Julie.  He tries to convince me that it’s time to call Lisa.  I tell him no, if this really is labor we’re still in really early stages and it’s going to be several hours.

5:05 pm- I tell James it’s time to call Lisa.

5:10-ish pm- My mom and sister come to pick up Julie, drop off a table for Lisa to set up the emergency equipment, and ask if we’re hungry.  James and I are both starving, so they go pick us up some Subway sandwiches and drop them off for us.

5:25pm- I gobble up half Subway turkey sandwich with veggies and lots of pickles in 5 minutes flat.  Screw the Lysteria scare.  Then I retreat to the couch.

5:40 pm- James finishes setting up the kiddy pool tub in the living room.

5:45 pm- It starts raining!  I am REALLY excited about this because I find rain very soothing.

6:10 pm- Lisa arrives.  James helps her unload her car.

6:15 pm- Lisa does an internal exam.  I’m totally thinking I’m at 3cm and have 10 hours of hard, active labor ahead of me, and I’m honestly still questioning whether or not I’m actually in labor.

She says, “You’re 5, no a good 6cm…”.  I can’t believe I’m hearing this.  At that, I have another mild contraction while her fingers are in there and she announces- “No wait- you just stretched to 7″. OH MY GOSH- I am NOT expecting to hear that!!

It suddenly dawns on me that I am actually in active labor.  Yes, it takes me this long.

I labor in the living room while Lisa sets up the emergency station and James sets up a futon mattress next to the tub in the living room that I will move to after the birth.

6:40 pm- The tub is all filled up with warm water.  Lisa is boiling herbs on the stove.  And our thunderstorm picks up with heavy rain and lightning- it’s beautiful!

6:45 pm- Jen, our RN, arrives wet from the storm.  I’m happy to see her.

I decide to take a potty break- the first of many during the next hour.

6:50 pm- After having a contraction in the bathroom, I decide it’s time to get into the tub.  I strip off my shirt and get in wearing a white nursing/sports bra.  I wonder for a second how many women are weird enough to be more comfortable wearing something to hold the girls up while laboring in the water.  I’m a total weirdo.  But then again, I’m doing a homebirth, so I guess that’s no big surprise.

Somewhere around the time I get into the tub I start moaning a little with my contractions.  I hear James talking to Lisa and Jen and they’re quietly saying something about how well I’m handling things.  I’m thinking it’s going to be several hours before hard labor hits- this is way too easy compared to my last labor.

7:25 pm- Labor contractions suddenly become more intense.  I’m pretty sure it’s only going to get a million times worse than this and I’m going to be screaming for someone to kill me in a few hours.  But for now, I’m doing really well with each contraction.  I’m still in the tub, and I’m rocking gently with each contraction.  James is right there with me, applying counter-pressure and talking me through each one.  And snapping an occasional picture.  He’s the best husband ever.

7:35 pm- I have a *really* hard contraction.  I’m on all fours and Lisa comes over to gently tell me that I’m doing great and that the rocking and movement I’m doing is exactly what my baby needs to move down.  James tells me after the contraction that I burped a little partway through it- this is a physical sign that the end of transition is coming, but I’m doubting that I’m anywhere near end.  I’m positive this is going to take all night.

7:45 pm- I get up to go pee and have a contraction in the bathroom that makes me feel like I have to poop.  I don’t push, but when I come out of the bathroom I tell Lisa because I know it’s a sign.  She tells me to go ahead and push a little on the toilet in between contractions to see if there is poop in there that needs to come out…

…then she says… “But pay attention because you may need to name the poop when it comes out.” I think I might die laughing for a minute- we’re all cracking up.  It’s not poop, so I realize that I may need to push soon.  I can’t believe this- it’s all happening so fast.

7:50 pm- Back in the water, I have a contraction that makes me grunt the whole way through and Lisa says, “That’s sounding awful pushy to me- are you pushing?”  I tell her I’m trying not to and she decides to check me.  I am 9.5cm and I am struggling not to push.

7:54 pm- I am on all fours and Lisa tells me to push just a little with the contraction to see if she can push the tiny bit of cervix over the baby’s head so that I will be complete.  The contraction is crazy intense with her fingers up there and I am trying with all my might to *just push a little*.  I feel a pop! and Lisa says my water has just broken… she and Jen note that the fluid is clear.  James tells me later he saw the gush pop out in the water- pretty cool.

James gets into the tub with me to help me into a more comfortable floating/squatting pushing.  He’s warm and strong behind me in the tub and I’m filled with an overwhelming sense of how much I love him for all of his support.

After the pop, the sensation to push becomes almost unbearable.  The next contraction I am still not complete, so Lisa comes at me again to help push the one side of the lip of the cervix that is being stubborn.  I’m moaning “NO NO NO!” as she’s coming at me during the contraction.  As I’m *trying* to recover from that contraction, Lisa tells me with a sense of satisfaction that my cervix is complete and it’s time to push.

I’m thinking I’d rather be somewhere else, anywhere but in the process of pushing my baby out.  Hawaii on the beach relaxing, maybe.

A minute later, I am pushing hard followed by more pushing and grunting.  In between contractions I am saying something about how it hurts and I think Lisa asks if I needed to change positions or if I was okay… and I crack a joke about how I am “just whining”.  Lisa tells me to feel where my baby’s head is to keep me going strong.  I feel my baby’s head about an inch up and it feels smushy and wrinkly.  I feel hair on my baby’s head.

Suddenly, the pushing is overwhelming.  The storm is still going on.  Thunder cracks.  My eyes are closed. From a distance I hear James, Lisa, and Jen all telling me not to push, just to breathe.  I hear someone yelling out loudly and open my eyes momentarily to see the mirror Jen is holding.  A  few centimeter-diameter circle of black hair is peaking out of me.  I’m giving birth to a hairy alien.  The contraction doesn’t stop and from a distance I hear everyone telling me to talk- I find my voice and start saying, “Okay okay okay…” I don’t know what to say, then I’m saying, “It hurts so bad…” and they’re all telling me to keep telling them about how much it hurts.

I am no longer on this earth.  I am nothing but an animal.  I feel burning down south so intense that I’m positive I’m tearing completely in half.  The mirror shows no blood, so I know it’s the ring of fire and not me splitting in two.  I hear someone yelling again and I wonder who it is.  The mirror says a whole little dark head has emerged from my body.  Lisa tells me not to push because she needs to check for a cord.  There’s no cord.  In the distance I hear someone yelling again.  I feel James behind me helping me hold my legs back and I hear people telling me not to push, just to breathe.  Crazy warrior animal woman takes over again.

I realize the yelling is coming from me.

8:12 pm- My body is pushing for me, I have no control.  I’m a million miles away.  And then suddenly, Lisa says, “Grab your baby!” Animalistic instincs subside.

I reach down and pull my baby to my belly with Lisa’s help.  It’s warm and very pink and cries immediately.  No baby snot suction needed because it’s airways sound completely clear.  I’m relieved.  I can’t believe how fast and easy it all was in comparison to Julie’s birth.

After a minute of pure awe, James asks if it’s a boy or girl.  I’m suddenly back in my body and very much aware.  I check between my baby’s legs and proudly announce, “It’s a girl!!!”.  At this point, I probably could have given birth to a donkey and would have been thrilled to announce it- I am just so glad to have my baby breathing in my arms.

Lisa says it’s a really short umbilical cord and waits a few minutes before it stops pulsing to clamp it.  James reaches around from behind me to cut the cord, then I hand my baby to Jen to wrap up and James gets out of the water.  After a minute of relaxing, I get out of the water and get onto the futon mat on the floor next to the tub.  Lisa asks how I’m feeling and I’m surprised to find I actually feel pretty good.  I lay down on the mat and she massages my uterus from my abdomen while I groan and whine about how it hurts.

It’s time to birth the placenta- I’m surprised to realize that I’m still contracting because it doesn’t hurt, and the thing just blobs out.  It’s a relief to have it out.  Lisa checks for tears and announces I am tear-free!  I am soooooo relieved to hear this.  I tell everyone I can’t believe what a piece of cake this birth was in comparison to my first.  Lisa laughs and tells me, “Well, it’s your second birth!”.

Then Lisa and Jen step outside for a little while to give us some time as a family.  James joins me on the mat and hands me our little girl.  We already had a first name picked out, but I give him my idea for a middle name- Lynn- and he says, “April Lynn- I like that”.  It’s decided.

I hold April close to me and kiss her and feel the overwhelming sense of motherly love that I didn’t have instinctively with my first birth.  I kiss her and tell her, “I’m not mad at you anymore little one,” thinking of the days before when I was angry that I was still pregnant.  She is rooting around and I am amazed by how much she looks like Julie at birth.  James and I are hugging and taking pictures, and I decide to latch her onto my breast and let her nurse.  She latches like a barracuda.

After awhile, Lisa and Jen came back in and helped me move to the bedroom to help with breastfeeding, do a newborn checkup, and to check my vitals.  April Lynn is 8 pounds 12 oz, 20.5 inches long, has a 14-inch head circumference, and  scores a 10/10 on her Apgar test.

I get to see the placenta before it’s double-bagged and stuck in the freezer.  Turns out, it’s a totally wacky, although healthy, double-lobed placenta.  Jen says she’s never seen anything like it.  The umbilical cord is stuck smack in the middle of the two lobes.  I’m fascinated by it but mildly surprised when they tell me it’s going to be in my freezer.  I wasn’t expecting to keep my leftover placenta, so I ask what I should do with.  They tell us to bury it.  James and I decide we’ll dig a hole and plant a tree over it in the backyard.

A little after 10:00, Lisa and Jen leave.  We are left with our precious new baby in our arms.

And I am so proud of what we’ve done together.  My homebirth- beautiful, peaceful, and absolutely the best experience I could have asked for.

Current Mood: Happy

Tags: Homebirth

This entry was posted on Sunday, August 31st, 2008 at 6:27 pm and is filed under Photos, Pregnancy and Birth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.