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LOOOONG homebirth story (XP from April 2013)

love4blove4b member
in Natural Birth

I?ve been a bit of a lurker on these boards, but reading all the birth stories has helped me so much throughout my pregnancy that I thought I?d post mine.

 

My due date was April 13th; and based on my family history, the length of my cycle, and the fact that this was my first, I was expecting to go at least two weeks past due.

 

On the night of April 4th, I went to a friend?s birthday dinner and remarked that I had a huge burst of energy and felt great. Looking back, I think that was the first sign of things to come.  

 

I woke up to pee at 4:30AM on April 5th and when I got back in bed, I noticed that there was a bit of wetness. I was pretty sure I peed myself because as I?d walked back to the bathroom I noticed a little liquid running down my leg. I still wasn?t sure if it was pee or amniotic fluid, so I put a pad in and waited. Roughly ten minutes later I started having what felt like menstrual cramps. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn?t, so I timed them and found that they were almost exactly ten minutes apart. I bummed around online and figured I should let my husband sleep as long as possible. He works from home, so I was figuring I?d wake him around ten, but a telemarketer beat me to it at 7:30AM. It was on.

 

By 8AM, the contractions had intensified to the point that lying in bed was really uncomfortable, so I started walking around the house. Squatting helped get me through a few of them, as did leaning forward on the kitchen island. By 10AM, they had gotten seriously uncomfortable and I started using some low moans and deep breathing. My main goal was to keep my mouth and body as relaxed as possible.

 

On a side note, my husband had an important business call with the head of a major professional athletic association that he absolutely had to take. Apparently my moaning had gotten a little loud and the guy asked if everything was alright, to which my husband replied, ?Oh yeah, it?s just Brooklyn.? And the guy goes, ?Oh yeah, of course.? Ha!

 

So by 11:30AM I found a relatively comfortable place sitting on the arm of our sofa and then standing through the contractions and leaning slightly forward against the wall as my husband pressed and massaged my back. By 1:30PM, this wasn?t working anymore so I moved to the shower. The hot water felt great and I tried a few different positions that seemed to help me cope. At around 2:30PM, I got out and sat on the toilet. I labored there for about an hour, before I told my husband we should probably call the doula. I was expecting a long labor and was thinking that if I had twelve more hours of this, I needed some more coping techniques.

 

The doula got to our house around 4PM and asked if she could watch me go through a contraction. She did, and said that what I was doing was great and that she wouldn?t change a thing. Criminey. It was really comforting though, just having her there. I continued on the toilet for another half-hour before she suggested inflating/filling the birth tub. I thought it was way too soon, but she was pretty sure I was further along than I thought. I got in the tub around 5:15PM and it was wonderful. Here?s where time goes a little wonky as I dove headfirst into the potent hormonal cocktail known as laborland.

 

Here?s what I know: It got dark and I didn?t want any lights on; the midwife and her assistant got to our house around 7:30PM and I was already pushing; I pushed in the tub while kneeling, laying back, squatting and using my husband and our doula?s arms for traction; at one point I was self-conscious that I might poop in the tub and I didn?t want that holding me back, so I chanted ?Poop in the tub and it?s OK!? (and, no, in the end I didn?t poop); I also hadn?t called my mom yet and I had it in my head that she might be mad, since she wasn?t planning on flying out until April 11th, so I had my husband call her and ask if she was mad that she wasn?t there ? she wasn?t; my midwife had me reach back and feel the baby?s head as it was crowning, to which I replied ?Holy f***! There?s a f****** head coming out!? Charming; I was absolutely sure that I was going to tear up towards my clit and at one point just said to myself, ?Well, f*** it, goodbye vagina!?; I pushed my daughter out while I was on all fours, in a tub in our dining room, surrounded by people who loved me.

 

At 11:32PM April 5th our little girl was born. The midwife put her on my back and she felt so heavy. She was crying from the moment she came out. I flipped over and held her against my chest and couldn?t get over what had just happened. It was so beautiful and surreal. I delivered the placenta, which was a breeze, handed my baby to my husband and climbed out of the tub. I was bleeding more than my midwife liked, so we got me to the bed and she massaged my uterus while her assistant was getting a big honkin? shot of Pitocin ready, just in case. After less than a minute of massage, my uterus contracted and the bleeding slowed down to normal.

 

Meanwhile, our daughter had fallen asleep in her dad?s arms. I held her and nursed while my midwife sewed up a small perineal tear with two stiches. The midwife waited for almost an hour while I nursed, before doing the vitamin K shot, PKU test and doing the weights and measures. Little girl was 7lbs 14oz and 21.3 inches of gorgeousness.

 

So far, life with my little love has been great. She?s an excellent nursling and gained 4oz her first week and grew almost half an inch! She?s a great sleeper, and overall she?s really calm and quiet.

 

For the moms out there who haven?t done this yet, some things that really helped me get through labor were concentrating on staying relaxed. Moaning really helped, as did chants like ?low and loose? and ?open?, deep breaths and relaxing my jaw and lips. Also, mentally I concentrated on getting to the breaks. I figured I could get through anything for a minute or two, as long as I had that break at the end. It was important to spend the time in-between contractions relaxing rather than dreading the next contraction. Overall, I came away with a feeling that labor is really doable and that every mom, no matter how or where she delivers, is an absolute hero. Women are much, much stronger than anyone lets on. We can do this. Ladies, we rock.

Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker


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