My homebirth birth story

flowerchild77 · March 2011

On Thursday, March 3, I woke up from taking a nap with Adalyn around 3pm and noticed regular contractions. Timed a few and noticed they were coming about every 3 minutes and lasting for a minute. Didn?t think anything of them having had patterned contractions before and much wishful thinking all week. I was really touchy that afternoon. Anything that could possibly annoy me did. Finally around 7 pm, I scooped up Adalyn and we went to Barnes and Noble to get some space. Driving through contractions was strange, doable, but strange. They definitely weren?t regular Braxton Hicks type things. We only stayed at Barnes and Noble about an hour before we both were ready to head home. My contractions stayed regular throughout the trip and didn?t slow in frequency and lessen in intensity. Around 9 pm, I texted my midwife, Heidi, to let her know I had been having regular contractions all afternoon that weren?t stopping. I could still talk and walk through them and was pretty upbeat. Even did dishes through them. Around midnight, I tried to lay down and get some sleep. Realised sleep wasn?t going to happen and started thinking this could be it. I got up and put in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and just lay on the couch. I didn?t want to move througth them or really talk through them anymore- around 2:45ish I woke up Michael to come keep me company and squeeze my hips together to relieve some pressure. I felt my contractions all in my back and thighs. About 3am, Heidi got to the house, followed shortly by Emmy (other midwife). Got checked at 4, was 4 cm, 70-80% effaced and -1 station. Around 5, I decided to eat some applesauce which was going very slowly. My midwives left to go get some coffee and sit in the car to give me some space. I went and laid down some, didn?t want the TV on. Between 7-8, my 2 friends, Melanie and Robyn whom I had invited to the birth arrived. I was still doing great, pretty happy about everything, excited today was the day. Got checked again at 8:15 and was 5 cm, 80% effaced, and a -1 station. Around 9:52 I got in the birth tub. It didn?t make the contractions painless, but it took away the pressure which made them feel so much better. I just laid over the side of the tub while Adalyn ran her toy tractor along the edge. After a while, my midwives recommended I get out so not to slow things down. I went and got in my bed and laid over a pillow, on my hands and knees, with a heated rice sack on my lower back. That rice sack felt so great, just like it did with my first labor. I called Michael in there to squeeze my hips together during contractions and Adalyn joined us with a book. It was so great to be able to keep her close during my labor. Even though I wasn?t caring for her that day, I was conforted knowing she was there. Shortly after this I went to the bathroom and noticed some bloody show when I wiped. A good sign! Around 11:45 I got in the shower. Instead of standing in the shower, I put the plug in the bottom and laid on my side while the water hit on me like it was raining. I must?ve fallen asleep because I woke up with my face half underwater some time later and the water starting to cool. A sad, sad sign telling me to get out? Well of course I migrate back to the bed to my hands and knees over a pillow with my rice sock.

That was so comfy. Melanie suggested I get up some and move around to get things to pick up, so I walked around a bit before settling in the living room leaning over the yoga ball. Contractions were definitely picking up in intensity and I was having to work through them more. During a contractions Id roll the ball forward some and come up onto my knees and rock on the ball some and in between I would sit back down onto my feet and just lean on the ball. I wanted to get back in the tub. So at 1:45, Heidi checked me. 9.5 cm, 100% effaced, 0 station, and a BULGING bag of water. So we?re just waiting on my water to break for me to push. I get in the tub and wait for my water to break. Contractions got VERY intense during this. I could reach in and feel my water bag about 2-3 inches in and his head right behind it. It was so neat to feel that- the water bag was surprisingly strong, despite my attempts to poke at it with my nail? His little head just right behind it, being a tease. I couldn?t stay in one position, I kept moving from squatting, to ?walking? along the side of the tub while laying down during contractions. I even tried pushing a little to try to get my water to break. At 2:51 my water broke with a very obvious POP followed by a warm gush. With the next contraction I had to PUSH. Michael gets his hands washed and gets them ready to catch. I kept changing positions. In a hands and knees squat, at 3:16, he crowned. Unlike Adalyn?s head, whose came and went for a while before finally crowning, Quinn?s came to a full crown in one contractions. That sudden stretch was majorly intense. Even more so when he stayed at a full crown and I had to wait for the next contraction to get his head out. (I saw the video after, in the position I was in, his head was out and he was looking around at everyone, blinking his eyes underwater. WAY cool. ) Cord was around his neck once, but loose and came undone easily. My midwives got me up in a high squat to birth the rest of his body. Heidi reached in and rotated his shoulders slightly so he?d come easier. I expected his body to just slip out once the shoulders were out but nope- I had to work some more! One push got him born to his waist and another made his birth time 3:19pm on March 4, 2011. I lifted my leg over his cord which still attached us, took him to my chest and sat down to marvel at this little baby I just worked so hard to bring forth.