Francis (Frank) Samuel is here! and birth story

PansyPants · April 2013

I had baby boy on Sunday at 8:20 pm, he arrived 9lbs 6 3/4oz, 20.5 inches.

On Friday I had timetable contractions from 2pm until 4am but never closer than 10 minutes and always a felt like a mild period cramp. Then they just stopped and I felt very discouraged. I was certain that I would be pregnant forever.

Saturday passed as though nothing had happened and then Sunday morning at 11:30 I was playing with DS1 and started noticing some cramps but figured the would stop. I put DS1 down for a nap and sent DH to get lunch. By the time he came home I was convinced it was staying and was having mild contractions every 2-3 minutes. We called my MIL to come over and all hung out outside until 3pm when I took a shower.

The contractions slowed during my shower but right after they accelerated to the point where I was moaning through them them and they were coming every 2 minutes. I let my doula know I was in labor at 4:30 and then had a few more contractions and called my doctor. It took him only a couple minutes to call back but by then I couldn't answer the phone and my husband talk to the doctor and said we were heading to the hospital.

We arrived around 6pm and by then the contractions were 30 seconds apart and lasting a little over a minute. They did my 20 minute monitoring and checked me (I was at 6cm, 90% effaced) then I got straight into the tub where I stayed until quarter of 8 when I got concerned that I hadn't seem my doctor.

My doula went to confirm he was there and he came in and asked me to get out of the tub for a check. I was told that I was 8-9 cm and he was going to change and be back. Within a few contractions I felt my stomach start involuntarily pushing and then I felt the baby press his legs up and move his head down. I looked around and only saw my husband and doula so I shouted "I'm having the baby!" To which they loving agreed. I didn't have the time to explain that I meant I was having a baby RIGHT NOW not that I was going to have one.

I suddenly realized I wasn't able to communicate and would need to just do it whether anyone was ready so I flipped on hands and knees for the next contraction and pushed. I heard my doctor come in and say he was going to check and see if I was ready to push so I said "you don't need to check, I'm doing this whether I'm ready or not" I pushed again as and my water broke, pushed again and felt him crown, then a third and he was out.

Shockingly, I didn't tear even though he was 9lbs 6oz and we had a fast birth. He went skin-to-skin and started nursing within 20 minutes and didn't stop for over an hour. His love of nursing hasn't stopped since and because of it my milk is already in on day two.

Overall an easy birth and so far a wonderful baby.