XP: Our home water birth (PIP)

folkfemme · June 2011

Samuel Grey was born June 7th at 4:10 am. He is 8lbs, 3oz and 20 inches of pure heaven! Our birth was fast and amazing. It happened so quickly that I am still trying to wrap my head around it. I'll try my best to keep this quick before Sam needs to nurse again.

On Monday evening my midwife came over to check my blood pressure as it was too high the past 2 days. I was scared that my bp may lead to an induction and mess with our plans of a home birth. Amazingly enough, my bp had dropped down to within normal limits so we were spared that fate. At 7 pm she checked me (first ever internal exam) to find that I was 3 cm and 85% effaced. We were pretty shocked at that, but I wasn't feeling anything at that point.

At around midnight, we were laying in bed talking about how perfect tonight would be to have him. (There was a thunderstorm raging outside, and I have always wished to birth my babies in front of a big open window with a storm raging.... I'm crazy like that.) Out of nowhere, my water broke. I went to the bathroom and sat on the toilet while it leaked out of me for about 15 minutes. I felt a lot of pressure and didn't leave the toilet for almost 1 hour.

During that hour, my husband set up the birthing pool, my sister (who is also my doula) and my midwife arrived. When I was checked at 1 am I was at 5 cm and very thin! My contractions were exactly 2 minutes apart and 1 minute long. I birthed on my birthing ball until 2am, when I was 7cm and decided to get into the pool. The water felt so amazing as my contractions picked up. My husband got in the pool with me and applied pressure to my back as I labored. At 3 am I was 8.5cm and just had a lip of my cervix left. They somehow convinced me to try sitting on the toilet at 9 cm to see if that would bring the baby down even more. I don't really remember this, but it apparently worked.

I got back into the tub at 5 minutes to 4am. At 4 am I felt the urge to push. I leaned back against my husband and felt for my baby. His head was right there. I could feel his hair! (so much hair!) He was born at 4:10. I don't remember much of this part, except for the burning. In my video you can hear me screaming "I'm burning!" It was intense & magical. Someone set up the mirror for us so we could see his head as he crowned. It was amazing. I could hear my husband weeping at the sight of our son, and it encouraged me to bring our son into the world as fast as I could. When he was out, I reached down into the water and pulled him onto my chest where he stayed for the next 10 minutes as we marveled over his every little feature. We discovered he has his dad's lips, my hair, big feet, and long slender fingers. I delivered the after birth during that time. Then I began to get really cold and shaky. DH got out of the tub and dried off. They passed Sam to him and put me in a hot shower.

It's funny - I wasn't in a rush to get out of the shower, I was so shocked, proud and cold that I just sat there with the hot water pouring over me, marveling over what had just happened. I remember reaching down and feeling my empty tummy and feeling a sudden rush of emotion. I got out of the shower, my midwife toweled me off in warm towels from the dryer. I remember walking out of the bathroom and seeing DH and Sam laying together skin to skin, which made me so happy. I laid on the bed while my MW checked me and stitched me up. (Only 1 stitch! I thought for sure I was completely torn.)

Then, my sister helped me into a clean nighty and wrapped myself, my husband and our beautiful new baby in a warm quilt, shut out the lights and left us to fall in love with our son. They cleaned up the birthing pool and returned our bedroom to normal as we lay there drinking him in. When we were ready, the midwife weighed him and took his measurements. (8 lbs 3 oz, and 20 inches long!) He got his Vitamin K shot and was handed back to us. Someone brought me an english muffin with peanut butter and a large glass of milk. (My two very favorite things.) He latched on right away and we all fell asleep together as the sun came up.

We woke up a few hours later, alone, gloriously happy and so in love with each other, ourselves and our son. It was everything we had ever hoped it would be and more. We haven't left our bedroom much in the hours since he arrived. Family and friends have flowed in, leaving us flowers, food and drowning in love. I am healing wonderfully and Sam is amazing in every single way.