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Natural Birth
sheislisamarie
member
My very fast natural water birth story! -- very long, sorry in advance :)
sheislisamarie
member
Our son’s birth came swiftly and suddenly on Wednesday, March 19, 2014. I was 38 weeks + 4 days pregnant. His “due date” was March 29, but I had been gently asking him all week to join us for the weekend as the forecast was showing some nice spring sun, a welcome change from the typical Seattle rain. I had seen the midwives on Tuesday who had offered to check me - the verdict was 0 dilation, but complete effacement and baby at station -1. The midwives were quite happy with that result and gave me the go ahead to try a few natural labor starters if I wanted to. I also decided to stop by their clinic the following day (Wednesday) to grab some labor tea that was good at getting labor going on its own. I…never got to drink the tea.
On Tuesday night (March 18th), I had a few contractions that were actually kind of painful and woke me up around 1 a.m.. I stayed awake through them for a few hours, but they were very irregular and were never less than 15-20 minutes apart. So once they ended at about 4 a.m., I knew that wasn’t it and just went back to bed. When I woke up Wednesday morning, I only had maybe one contraction during the morning, but it was enough to stop me in my tracks. But again, it was the only one of it’s kind and it went away without any follow-up contractions. So I went about my day running all the last minute errands I was hoping to get done before labor. I ran to the bank, got my haircut, and began making cookies for a church group I was going to that evening at 7 p.m.. I thought it would be wise to not try drinking the tea ahead of this group in case it were to really get things going, so I saved it for that evening. Not only did I not drink the tea, but I also missed the church group meeting.
I was done making cookies and freezing some dough for post-labor treats at about 5:05 p.m., and decided that my husband and I should take a bit of a nap just in case labor were to start that night. No more than 5-10 minutes after we laid down, I got a cramp. It was pretty rough, but I thought it was just another little guy like it was earlier in the day. A few minutes later, I got another. And another. AND another. Okay, these are contractions. But wait, they’re coming much closer than they were overnight, so I asked my husband to help me time them. They were immediately lasting longer than a minute and were about 5 minutes apart, some much shorter than 5 minutes apart. I had learned about the 5-1-1 rule in birth class, but thought this was surely a fluke. This is my first child! So after we achieved the 5-1-1 goal in just over an hour, we phoned the doula and the midwives. Both parties were a bit apprehensive about having me come in, especially as I was not able to be admitted to the birth center until I was dilated to 4cm. We called everybody at about 6:30 p.m., and were told to wait it out and come into the birth center at 8:20 p.m. once their appointments were over so they could check me.
Contractions were very strong from the start, so I laid down and tried breathing through them. I began shaking when they hit, and was startled at that. It’d been 9 months since I’d had a period. I suffered with endometriosis - I thought I’d be stronger than this and wouldn’t be such a wimp so early on! Soon they got too painful to just breathe through, so I decided to get into our tub at about 7:30 p.m.. They got very, very intense in the tub. The way I remember them at this point was like a whole body “knocking” sensation. Some of the contractions came one on top of another one with no break in between. That was rough.
Knowing we’d have to get to the birth center by 8:20 p.m., I got out of the tub at 8 p.m. and tried to get dressed. I couldn’t. My poor husband who had been rushing around packing the car up had to stop what he was doing and help me dress. I’d walk a few steps between contractions and then basically collapse onto the nearest surface to get through them. He somehow got me dressed and I decided I had to make a mad dash downstairs to get to the car. The next 30 minutes were hell. I made it down the stairs and couldn’t make it out the door, so I took a breather by leaning on a chair in the living room. Everything at this point was a race against a contraction. I got my act together and barreled toward the car with a trash can in hand (I was quite nauseous) as another contraction hit. As we headed to the birth center, I had at least 5 contractions in a 20-minute period. Later I learned I had transitioned in the car.
When I got to the birth center, the doula was waiting for me outside and could see I was in awful shape. It took about 2 contractions for me to get out of the car, shuffle quickly up the ramp and into the midwives’ room where I got on the table to be checked and had more contractions. It’s now 8:35 p.m. and the student midwife checked me. I WAS DILATED TO 9CM. Everybody was incredibly surprised, but the midwives knew time was running out so they ran upstairs (yes, I had more stairs in my future) to get the tub ready. It was a race to get it filled before the pushing sensation began.
I suffered through some incredibly awful contractions before I was able to get the strength to shuffle out of the exam room, run upstairs and basically dive head-first into the tub. I had originally wanted to preserve modesty during labor and even bought a birthing gown, but as soon as I hit the room I tore off every article of clothing and threw myself into the tub even though there were maybe a few inches of water in it. I nearly slid into the splits while getting in as I was in such a hurry, but I didn’t hurt myself. I was in the water - SUCCESS! But here came the final really big contractions. And then my water broke. Relief, but also so much pain. I called my husband to join me in the tub as I couldn’t support myself sitting up any longer.
I got a bit of a break before the pushing sensation came, maybe a few minutes at best. And though it did come and was intense, I found it to be peaceful. I was relaxed back onto my husband, eyes closed, right hand to my brow and breathing through the pushes as best I could. I began getting vocal with a few of them toward the end which startled me, but I knew we were making progress. Before I knew it I could feel the “ring of fire” sensation and the midwives prompted me to reach down and feel my baby crowning to which I huffed out, “NO, THANK YOU” while still working through the pushes. I think no more than 5-7 pushes later our little man was safely born into the water and placed on my chest. It was an amazing sensation! He gave us a little cry, then it was just my husband and I and our son as a new family in the water. It was OVER. I DID IT! He was born at 9:29 p.m., not even an hour after we arrived at the birth center and barely 4 hours since the first contraction hit.
The placenta birth was a bit less graceful as the cord slightly ripped and I hemorrhaged after it was passed, but a quick pitocin shot got me back in order immediately. We spent about an hour in the room by ourselves after I was checked out so we could spend some time being a family. We sang our son a lullaby that we sang to him in utero, and then were on our way home by 12:45 a.m.
I was told I was only allowed to have home births from here on out as the speed of them wouldn’t allow me enough time to make another car ride. We barely made it there in time with this little guy, and I did a great job laboring through transition on my own. It was tough, but I did it! And it must not have been so bad because I left the birth center in the backseat with my son saying, “I could definitely do that again.” 
Here’s wishing all of you ladies with upcoming births a safe and swift labor!
3 early losses in 2013, but so thankful that our first baby boy is due 3/29/14! 
Maximilian Hunt
Born 3/19/14 // 7lbs 7oz // 20.25in
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Re: My very fast natural water birth story! -- very long, sorry in advance :)
It reminds me a lot of my first birth. Just over for hours and super intense from the start. I'm pregnant again and we are planning a home birth because I'm afraid if we go anywhere I will have the baby in the car!
BFP #1 ended in MMC. Discovered Oct 2005 @10w5d, baby stopped growing around 6w. D&C.
BFP#2 Nov 2005. Baby's heart stopped @ 8w3d. D&C Jan 2006. Trisomy 18
BFP#3 Nov 2006. My "miracle baby" DD born 7/25/07
BFP #4 11/6/12. EDD 7/16/13~my birthday! No sac found @ 5w1d, betas not increasing. Natural m/c started 11/20/12.
BFP#5 11/9/13. EDD 7/21/14 Our beautiful rainbow born on his due date!!
Engaged 10/2/1202
BFP (a lil quicker than expected) 12/7/2012
Married to my best friend 12/24/2012
Beautiful baby girl arrived 8/15/2013
BFP #2 3/13/2016