25 hour un-medicated birth..Woot woot

Jonahs Birth Story

On Wednesday September 26^th I woke up at 1am feeling like I needed to throw up.  I got out of bed and went downstairs so I wouldn?t wake up Jake.  After throwing up a few times I laid down on the couch and started to get menstrual like cramps about every 15-20min or so.  At this point I thought to myself ?maybe ill go into labor soon? not thinking it was the real thing.  At 3am I woke up and wanted back in my comfy bed so I went back to bed.  By this time the pains were 10-15min apart and I was pretty sure this was the first part of what was going to be real labor, so I rested the best way I could till morning.  Jake woke up a 7am and started his morning as usual.  I called him over to me and told him that ?I think we are going to celebrate a birthday today!? He looked at me puzzled and said ?Whos?? I laughed and said ?Jonahs? he looked in shock and just said ?You really think so?? I thought it would just take a few minutes for it to sink in but he kept getting ready for work like nothing was happening.  He drank his coffee while I worked through 5-10 minute apart contractions on the couch.  He got up to take a shower and I asked if he was going to call into work and he said he didn?t know; how long did I think I had left?  I said I probably wouldn?t have him till at least 9pm that night, going off the average 20hour first time labor.  He asked if I wanted to go to his parents and I said ?NO? I wanted to stay home as long as possible and I needed his help to get through the contractions.  I think maybe I was too calm about it because he went upstairs to take a shower.  While he was in the shower I took matters into me own hands and called his manager; he didn't answer but he called back as Jake came down from his shower (in his work cloths lol).  He answered the phone and said ?what?s up?? and his manager Shawn just replayed ?what?s up? so I had to tell Jake I already called him.  Finally he told him I was having contractions and he wouldn't be in that day. 

We worked through my contractions together on the couch for a few hours.  I would switch from the ball, back to the couch, and on my yoga mats trying to find a comfy position.  Jake counted how far apart the surges were and how long and told me when it was over.  After a while I told him don?t tell me anymore because I might not ?feel? how long they really were.  So last I knew they were 3-5min apart and 1-2min long.  By this point people were calling to see how I was, it was like they somehow knew I was in labor.  My friend Joanna called and insisted I call the midwife and get checked out.  My greatest fear was going to the hospital too early so I resisted but than finally called to see when they wanted me to come in.  I was excited on the phone with the nurse and thought she would tell me to wait since I sounded so good.  The midwife said not to rush but that I needed to head on over soon since I had been in labor 12hours already and I was GBS positive and needed antibiotics.  So I took a shower which intensified the contractions but I was happy because I felt like things were really moving now.  I tried to eat some oatmeal and yogurt after the shower but I just couldn?t eat very much but I knew that was a good sign too.  Before we left Jake told me that he wouldn?t think less of me if I got the epidural, but not to wait till it was too late if I wanted one.  I said we would just see how it goes and left for the hospital.  

The ride to the hospital wasn?t as bad as I thought it would be and I was feeling pretty good when we got there.  All I wanted was to get in my room and get comfortable in my birthing place.  The nurse went though her million and one questions and weighed me before taking me to the labor room.  Once there I was happy because I knew I was where I was going to be while giving birth to my baby.  I changed into my gown and started working through my surges on the birthing ball.  Jake was rubbing my back through them and I felt very content in my space.  Soft music was playing from the TV in the room and I was moaning from deep within my belly, a trick I learned in yoga.  The deep rhythmic moan did wonders for me and I know that was how I was going to make it through it. One of the midwifes from the practice came in to check me and I was 5cm and 90% effaced. I was so happy because I knew I hadn?t gotten there too early and I was in active labor.  My in laws showed up before I got checked and I wanted to get into the tub.  Gayle my mother in law helped me though each surge by splashing water on me and keeping me warm.  I thought the contractions were slowing so I wanted out and I had the strongest surge yet when I got out!  Once out of the tub I got back in the bed; I was surprised at how comfortable I was laying down, I thought I would want to keep moving.  The midwife that was there wasn?t the one I really wanted to be there for the birth of my baby but I wasn't focusing in on that.  She said that she got off at 8pm and I should have my baby by than but if not than (my favorite midwife) Erin would be there after that.  She shouldn?t of said that because Jonah wanted to wait for Erin. ;-)

At 9pm I had not been checked again so I had no idea where I was at.  I was laboring in the tub again when Erin walked in the door.  I was elated that she was there and would be one to birth my baby with me.  She looked just as excited to see me and we started working together through each surge.  With the shift change of the midwifes so did the nurses and I got Kellie, a dream nurse for natural labor. She was so soft spoken and rubbed my legs so softly during surges.  I had no idea at this point how long my contractions were or how far apart.  I just worked through each one and didn?t focus on the next one.  They just kept telling me how great I was doing and that I was going to birth this baby just the way I wanted. At one point they asked Jake was I a runner because my heart rate was so calm; he told them no but I did yoga. No one ever suggested pain meds or anything and I never felt like I needed them.  I felt in complete control and could talk in between them and at points sleep too.  It was amazing how intense the pressure was the entire time.  I felt him coming down and the power of my body pushing him down is something I cant describe in words.  

I lost track of time at this point so I don?t know what time Erin told me to I was 9.5 cm and had just a little lip of cervix left.  I thought I would try the tub one more time and hopefully the lip would move. Once I got out I sat on the toilet and got Erin to check again and it had not budged.  We decided she would manually move it around the baby?s head during the next surge.  She made me move forward with my head against hers as she pushed against it.  This was the most ?pain? I felt the whole time but she got it moved after quite a few contractions.  By this time I was sleeping in between contractions because it had been a long day.  Jake had to catch my head a few times as I feel asleep on the toilet.  Once we knew I was at 10cm we went back to the bed and she broke my water. It had his poop in it and I was worried he was stressed but Erin said he was just a boy and thats what they like to do!

I was grunting through the contraction getting ready mentally to birth my baby.  I had read the Hypnobirthing book and meditated to the CD often during that last month of pregnancy.  Ironically the only chapter I didn?t get to was the last one on ?Breathing you baby down?.  After having Jonah I know there is no such thing as breathing a baby down.  I pushed with all my might for 2.5 hours before he glided out.   During that time Erin poured olive oil inside me and did parental massage.  I just kept saying ?OH the pressure Erin? and she would laugh and say ?well you wanted me to bring out the oil?lol  At one point during pushing I looked at her and said ?you said this was going to be fun? and she laughed again and said ?I didn?t say it was going to be fun for you honey?.  That made me smile and laugh a bit.  After each pushing contraction I would fall back on the bed and go to sleep instantly.  When I would wake up with the next contraction I would think ?dame Im still here? and push again.  I never thought un medicated pushing would take so long but it just felt like it was never going to end.  I said like a million times ?he?s never coming out? and Erin said ?oh yes he is and he?s coming out this way don?t worry?.  I would see a little of his head and than it would go back in.  His heart looked great on the monitor; it was like he didn?t even know he was being born. 

Finally we saw more hair and his head was staying in place.  After hours of pushing I looked at my butt in the mirror and freaked because I thought I was going to push it right out by the way it looked.  Erin grabbed a warm cloth and put it over me so I couldn?t see it.  I could only get the right kind of push to move him down with a deep growl so I just let it out.  She told me the reach down and push my skin around his head so I did.  Next thing I knew we could see the whole crown of his head.  He came out with his hand on his face so that was one reason it was so hard to get him out.  His head popped out and she sucked him out really good and unwrapped the umbilical cord once from his neck.  After that he just shot out of me and they called a time of 2:16am on September 27th.  He didn?t give a good cry at first so she had to cut his cord and hand him off so I didn?t get to do delayed cord cutting like I wanted.  It took less tha a min for him to give us a good cry and they gave him right back to me.  I finally had me baby in my arms and it felt euphoric!

I told Jonah he was so worth the wait and all that we went through to get him.  I thanked Jake and his mom for making him possible.  It was the most amazing moment of my life and I will never forget it.   Looking down at his son that was finally here in the world Jake looked so happy. Little Jonah Stone Ryan, 7pounds 9ounces, 21inchs of perfection.  As I sit here typing this with my little 10day old Jonah in my lap happy and healthy, breast feeding like a champ; I still can?t believe this is my life!

After delivery I had to deliver the placenta.  I asked Erin could we wait and she said it was the only thing with a time limit.  So I said ok lets do it!  As it came out she asked Jake if he wanted to see it and than looked at it and said ?Wow gnarly? because it had come out in 2 pieces.  I knew what that meant and I asked did it all come out and she said she thought so.  She was feeling my uterus and it didn?t feel right so she left to get the OBGYN.  As soon as she left I said I felt like I was in a fish bowl.  Jake said all the color left my face and when Erin and Dr Marracini came in I had lost like a liter of blood on the floor.  A piece was still inside me and I was hemorrhaging.    Erin told Jake to take the baby as they tried to flush my IV to give me fluids.  The IV wouldn?t flush so they had to take it out leaving them with no way to give me fluid or blood.  Nurse Kellie tried to get another IV but my veins just kept collapsing.  Dr. Marracini reached inside my uterus and pulled the piece of placenta out and my uterus started to contract.  She asked if I had ever had uterine surgery and I said yes a septum removal in 2010. The placenta adhered to the scar and thats why it stuck.  They were pushing on my belly to get the uterus to contract so hard and I was just moaning away.  Finally Kellie got a vain and the bleeding stopped.  A huge irony is that Dr. Marracini removed my first ectopic pregnancy and I had held a grudge against her for so long because of my personal pain.  Here she saved my life again so I have to forgive her and love her for what she has done for me.  I am here because of her and her small hands. 

So that?s it!  The story of my amazing 25hour un medicated labor and the birth of my beautiful baby boy.  He was worth every moment and I wouldn?t change a thing about my birth.  I was present in every moment of my birthing time and walked away with a fully intact perineum.  It was the best 25hours of my life and truthfully I can?t wait to do it again.  For now though Im just going to enjoy my little Jonah, all bran new and perfect in every way.

Thanks for reading

Sarah