Natural Birth Story

So, I went with a mid-wife for this pregnancy. I had a bit of long and arduous birth and recovery with DS #1 and I was looking for something different. Danielle came very highly recommended, so we tried it out and I loved her.
DH was a big skeptic about the whole mid-wife thing from the get-go. He didn't think they were safe, etc. But I assured him as Danielle had assured me that she has delivered thousands of babies and just like a doctor both mother and baby safety is the number one priority.

So, I went in Wednesday for my 40.5 week appointment. The baby was still really high, not even in the pelvis, and was barely 1 cm dilated. So she set the induction date for the following Wednesday and told me to come in Friday for the NST/Ultrasound. I was really nervous about getting induced with such a high baby. It just seemed like a recipe for failed induction turn c-section. But I was letting fate run it's course I suppose.
I arrived at the hospital Friday morning for the testing, and baby checked out well. Danielle popped in during the heartbeat monitoring and felt the baby again, still really high and still posterior (head down just facing the wrong way). She told me to find a staircase and take the stairs 2 at a time up and sort of run down them in a very safe way.
I went back to work (in a hotel) and did 2 20-minute sessions taking stairs 2-up and running down them. (It was actually a really good workout I was thinking I should do when I go back to work). Then on Saturday I pulled out the breast pump as it's supposed to help induce labor. It caused some mild contractions for about an hour that then stopped.
Sunday morning I told my husband he had to love me. Yes, that way. And lost my MP directly after. (sorry TMI)  A few hours later I started having some mild contractions but thought nothing of them (as I'd been having them on and off for a week or so). Around 4 or 5pm I noticed them happening a little more consistently, but still not painful enough for me to stop walking or talking.  Around 7pm they were getting just a little more intense. I would slow down a little during them, and they were definitely noticeable. I decided to start timing them, and doing my hands & knees cat/cows to help turn the baby. Timing them they were about 6-7 minutes apart and lasting almost a minute. I decided to text my sister to see if she was available that night in case this continued (I was very skeptical). I then texted my mid-wife (Danielle) and told her I was having consistent contractions. She said 'Excellent! let me know when they get stronger'. So my sister came over to stay the night just in case we had to leave as DS #1 was already in bed. At 9pm I decided to try and go to bed. I was tired and figured if this baby was going to come the next day I should get as much sleep as possible. I went to bed but couldn't sleep through the contractions. Around 10-10:30 I noticed them getting a bit stronger. By 11pm I had to get up on my hands and knees and breathe through them. DH was getting very anxious, so I text Danielle and said they are getting stronger. She asked if I thought I needed to head to the hospital. I said I think I had time but was nervous as the hospital is 30 minutes away. She said to just take it 30 minutes at a time, and trust that I'll be able to tell when it's time. So, at midnight I texted her and said we were going to start packing up and head in. They were getting stronger and more intense, and some were coming 3 minutes apart. DH immediately jumped up and had the truck warming up, his bag packed, etc., in minutes. I pulled a few things together and we got in the truck to head in. Contractions in the car were sucky. They were coming consistently 3 minutes apart now, and sitting in a car seat was the least comfortable place/position I could imagine being in.
We got to the hospital and a nurse walked us up to L&D.  I had to stop a few times for a contractions on the way up.  We got to labor & delivery and Danielle was there sitting behind the desk. She got up, gave me a hug and walked me into the room with the nurse.  She said to get changed and I'll be back in second to check you. I was so nervous she was going to check me and tell me I was at a 2 or something. I would've been depressed. She checked me and i was at a 6! Woo-hoo!! So the nurse started to check me in by asking me the million questions. She put the bed up so I was on my knees leaning against the back of the bed to get through the contractions. She also went and drew me a bath so I could get into the bathtub after the questions and monitoring was done. (Danielle wanted to see a 20 minute strip of the baby's heart before letting me go off the monitors). So after about 30 minutes (there were a lot of contraction pauses in there) Danielle came in and said 'okay lets get these monitors off, baby looks great'. So she took of the monitors and DH and I headed into the bathroom. I got into the tub and laid down. The warm water felt wonderful, but didn't quite take all the pain away like I was hoping. Had some contractions...but I was having a hard time finding a really comfortable position in the tub. Danielle came in to check on me and suggested laying on my side as it would help turn the baby and take some pressure of my back. (did I mention I was having ... I would say mild back labor as i've heard horror stories). So after a certain amount of time...maybe 45 minutes, they started to get really intense. Like, I started moaning through them. I never wanted to be that person, moaning and being all weird and dramatic, but that was me. It was all I could do. Then....it got intense. With each contraction my body was pushing and tightening and convulsing. I kept thinking 'Wow, this could be a great scene for an exorcism movie'. But I was really surprised how painless I felt when the contraction stopped. I was not expecting it to be such an intense change in pain versus relaxation. So anyway, after a few of these exorcist/uncontrollable pushing/sloshing in the tub contractions...well the last one I felt something coming out. I screamed to DH 'Call the Nurse!! He's coming out!!!!' So DH grabbed the emergency cable in the bathroom and pulled it. Just then I felt to see what was coming out and then there was a pressure pop. It must've just been my water. But none the less 4 people ran in...oopsy. So I said 'I'm sorry I'm sorry It was just my water breaking. I'm sorry I thought the baby was coming out' Just then Danielle walked in and I started having another contraction. After it was done she said 'okay, let's get her on the bed it's time to push'. The other nurse asked 'do you want to check her?' and danielle said 'no, she's grunting it's time to push'. So out of the bathroom to the bed I walked. I laid on my side for a bit and pushed. (this was about 2:45am). I kept pushing myself against the edge of the bed and Danielle was nervous I was going to fall off and kept asking me to slide over. To which I would just push myself back again. funny. After about 10 minutes in this position I said I needed something else. This wasn't working. So she asked the nurse to grab a birthing stool. I was expecting an actual stool, something like a kids training toilet or something. But really, it was like....two metal bars about a foot of the ground?. Not sure how to explain it, but I looked at it with a big question mark on my face. Like 'how am I supposed to sit on that?'. She put towels on either side for padding and told me to straddle it and rest my legs on the bars. I finally got into the correct position and yelled that I needed something behind me to lean on. So in swoops the husband. He sat behind me and basically held me up. So with each contraction I pushed. When I was pushing there was no pain, it was crazy weird. Then after each contraction was like a euphoric relaxation. Then when the contraction would start I would get anxiety until I started pushing again. A weird cycle. I was yelling random things throughout this whole process like 'I can't do this' to which Danielle would calmly reply 'Lizzie, yes you can. You're doing it'. Then after a contraction I would be hyperventilating and she would calmly say 'Lizzie focus. Slow down your breathing. Slow deep breaths'. And I would slow it down and feel so much better. Other things I yelled were 'I hate the monitoring' (the nurse kept holding the monitor on my stomach and it was driving me crazy) or 'Can't you just rip the baby out?' and I yelled at DH probably every time he moved...poor hubby.
So anyway, she mentioned that it was a little tougher because the baby was still backwards and needed to turn, but not to worry he had plenty of room to turn I just needed to keep pushing. I was thinking it was going to take forever, especially since he was not facing the right way. But then the nurse said 'oh wow, look at all that hair!' and I felt so much better. Yes, they could see him. We're getting closer. So I kept pushing, and as he got lower I realized I was totally pushing in the wrong place. Where the baby was was definitely not where I was focusing my pushing efforts. So once I changed that he really started moving. Then right when I was all excited he was coming out she told me I had to not push him all the way but sit and let him stretch everything out. I knew it was for the best, but holy hannah montana that was so uncomfortable. I explained it to DH like if you were having a super large bowel movement, and you right at that place where it's going to just be done but then you just have to stop and sit there in that super uncomfortable position. But I listened. And she was 'ironing' me as well to help prevent tearing. But seriously, her fingers felt like sandpaper...I wanted to yell at her but I knew it was for the best. So after a few more contractions I pushed him out. Danielle said 'Lizzie look at me' and I moaned 'no no i can't' she said 'open your eyes reach down and grab your baby' and looked down and there he was. I grabbed him and pulled his soaking wet noodly little body onto my chest. I couldn't believe he was really there.
I was a little nervous as he was really fresh out of the womb and didn't have a lot of color. But after a few seconds he pinked right up. Then I stood up and took a few steps back on the bed. (yes, cord still intact and connected into the womb. i know, gross). I laid on the bed and DH and I adored our new little boy. Then the nurse said 'I have him born at 3:11am'. I thought to myself, holy crap, we've only been here for 2 hours. Crazyness.
So, overall, yes, the natural drug free labor is an insane idea. But in comparison to the last birthing experience it was so much better. A shorter more intense experience, but so much better then the long drawn out labor and aftermath and recovery of the last one. In the midst of it I was thinking 'i will never do this again, this is absolutely insane'. But now that a day and half have gone by...the memory is a bit more distant and I seem to focus more on all the good parts. So...who knows. But for this labor and this kid, I think it was the right choice.

Congrats if you read this whole thing. hope you enjoyed it.  J