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unmedicated birth story
I usually only post on my local board, but I was looking through some of the other baby boards and saw this one. After reading some of the great stories, I thought that my story could possibly be helpful to other moms hoping to have a natural labor and delivery. So here is the story I emailed my friends after our baby was born, on October 21.
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Allison (Alli) was due on November 1, so I ended up having her about 1.5 weeks early. We had a pretty fun-filled Monday. Jeff had the day off from work, so we got to spend all day together, which was awesome. Jack had his mother's morning out program (or "class," as he calls it) and while he was there, Jeff picked up some things from Home Depot and I worked out at the gym. Then, Jeff and I met for a little Panera date, before picking Jack up from his class. We finished eating early, so we decided to walk along the trail outside of the gym, where Jack's class is held. Jack took a nap in the afternoon and when he woke up, we decided to head up to the nature center. Jack and I try to go there every Monday, because it's free on that day and because it's a wonderful place! This Monday was a particularly beautiful fall day, so we walked along some trails, played in the leaves, fed the fish and ducks, and had so much fun. We came home for a spaghetti and meatball dinner and, while Jeff was putting Jack to bed, I started having contractions (around 8pm). I'm not sure what brought on the contractions. It could be the old wives tale of lots of walking or it could be the wildly fun and active Xavier reunion weekend we had just had or it could just be that Alli was ready to enter the world. Whatever the case may be, the contractions started off with a bang! They were so intense and gripping right off the bat. However, they were not very time able. So, I kept doubting that I was really in labor. They would be spaced about 5 minutes apart for a while, then 10, then 8, then 15, then 6, etc.... They also varied in how long they lasted, anywhere from 30 seconds to 70 seconds. Of course, I was hoping that this was the real deal, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I was so sure that I would know when I was in labor this time around and since I was so uncertain, I kind of assumed that it was either false labor or just really really early labor.
Well, as the night went on, Jeff helped me through the contractions and we tried to get some sleep in between the contractions. However, I only managed to sleep about an hour or two, because I kept getting woken up by the intensity! Jeff was not scheduled to work until 1pm on Tuesday, so he and Jack slept in that day, while I started my on-call work shift at 7am. Around that time, my contractions started to become more consistent and I began thinking that this was the real deal. At 9, I decided to call my midwives to see what they thought and they suggested that I come in for a labor check. So, we called my mom, who was our Jack watcher for the big day, and asked if she could meet us at the office. We also called my work to let them know that I may be in labor and that I would have to pass on the rest of my on-call shift. I was scheduled to be on-call from 7am-11am. Of course, they were excited for us and it was no problem for the rest of the shift to be covered by someone else. My babies like to come when I'm working - I was actually working at the hospital the day Jack was born!
When we arrived at the office, I was seen right away by one of the midwives. She checked me and said, "Well, sweetheart..." and I immediately asked, "Oh no, am I not even dilated?" Her reply: "You're 9 centimeters!" Apparently, I had been doing a lot more work during the night than I realized. So, of course, I was sort of shocked. Jeff was panicked, thinking that we wouldn't make it to the hospital on time (the hospital is right across the street from the office) and my mom was still not there. Anyhow, we make it to the hospital in plenty plenty plenty of time, my mom arrives two minutes later, we say our goodbyes, and then Jeff and I go to the birthing center where we are greeted by nurses, who are eagerly expecting us. This is all around 11am.
From there, I knew that most of the work was done, but I also knew that it wasn't going to be smooth sailing, because I still had to get through the toughest parts of labor: transition and pushing! I started having some anxiety, remembering how intense my labor and delivery was with Jack. This time around, though, I was much more relaxed and able to breathe more smoothly through the contractions. This helped me tremendously! Jeff was also the best coach ever. My midwife even suggested that he become a doula :-) ! Of course, Jeff was like, "what's that?" and when he relayed the message to someone else later in the day, he said that the midwife had suggested that he become a "duvet." But, yeah, he was so reassuring and encouraging and he helped me keep my breathing under control and helped me to not freak out!! Second time around, I felt a little more in control of my labor and I was more willing and eager to try different positions to get comfortable. My midwife was also very upbeat and encouraging and our nurse was real calming. I had a great labor team!
I won't lie, though, it was still extremely intense and there were times when I thought "how on earth can I do this??" But we did it and around 2:15pm, I was ready to push. Even though the pushing stage means that the end is in sight, I still think that pushing is VERY hard work! But.. the reward for all that work is amazing!! Alli was born at 2:33 and was immediately placed on my chest, screaming and wriggling her tiny, wrinkly body. I was so relieved that labor was over, so happy to be holding my sweet baby and Jeff was just overwhelmed with emotion, crying and crying tears of joy! It was an incredible moment.
Of course, we think she's a beauty. She has a real round face, red hair, a tiny button nose, and dark brown eyes. She's a peanut compared to Jack, weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces. She's nursing pretty well and like most babies, she slept all day yesterday and was up all night. That trend is continuing today, too... We decided to stay just one night in the hospital, so we're home now. So far, Jack seems to be adjusting pretty well to baby Alli. He's given her a few little smooches and waves. My mom said that, during his nap today, she could hear him talking about her on the monitor. Without any prompting, he also prayed for her tonight during his bedtime prayers. So, hopefully, these are signs that he'll be continue to be pretty sweet with her. Overall, I'm sure it's going to be a difficult transition. I'm just hopeful that we'll be able to enjoy this chaotic and wonderful time!
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