November 18th. I had two or three really intense contractions but they stopped. All last week I had a feeling that Monday would be the day. Well, I was somewhat right. The next morning around 6:45 am Mark was leaving for work when my contractions started again. I didn’t start timing them because I didn’t want to get my hopes up. After about an hour and a half I called my husband and told him I was having regular contractions…he was already on his way home because he knew I had one before he left for work. They started getting closer together but I wasn’t going to start heading to the hospital until they were 8 minutes apart because we live so far from the hospital (these were my midwives orders).
After we made our way to Roswell I stopped by my doctor’s office and got checked. I was only 3 cm dilated. She said to go to the park and walk around for a few hours and then go to the hospital. About 3 and half hours of hanging around the park and what not I went to the hospital. They didn’t have any rooms available so they stuck me in an overflow room. The nurse checked me and said I was only 4 cm.
Very sad!
By this point, it had been 12 hours. They gave me the choice if I wanted to check in I could or I could leave and come back later. I decided to stay only because I wanted to get in a hot shower to help ease the pain. They brought me to a postpartum room and said that this could be my room after labor too. So we moved in! I got comfortable and they monitored the heart rate whatnot for a little bit.
My midwife arrived and started looking for a room for me to labor in. While she was waiting she knitted me a pair of booties it was so cute! I finally got a room and moved into it and tried another shower. I had originally planned on having a water-birth but both of the rooms that had the tubes were still being used. This one had a smaller tub that I could use but I had to wait till my water broke to find out if I could. It took forever to get to 9 cm. By then my water still hadn’t broke! I had a bulging bag of water but it just didn’t want to break! My midwife asked if I wanted to break it and all I said was “will it speed things along?” Yes “then break that bad boy!” I had merconium in my water so I couldn’t have the baby in the water because they have to suction her asap as she comes out.
I really started going fast then. I was so exhausted at this point that I was falling asleep between contractions which wasn’t much time some were 3 minutes apart some were 45 seconds apart. I almost had to be put on an IV because I was getting dehydrated. I started forcing myself to drink more water even though I was gagging every so many contractions.
I was almost to 10cm but one side of my cervix was being stubborn. I flipped sides and after a few contraction, she started to make her way down. I was begging to push to help get her down faster. After my midwife informed me that I wasn’t ready because I hadn’t said the “F” word yet I labored a little longer. After screaming the “F” word I could here her at the nurses station going “She’s ready!” My midwife gave me the ok and my body just slowed down it seemed. My contractions were giving me more of a break and when they came I began to push. I was still really out of it because I had been awake so long that my pushing wasn’t really the right way. So I started yelling at myself in my mind to focus and concentrate and I bared down.
After one intense push, her head was crowning. I had just been at +1 so my midwife still thought I had a lot of pushing left. The only person that was in the room were the RN on duty and my midwife plus my husband of course. My midwife only had one glove on and she realized that she was coming right then! The RN threw my husband my leg and ran to get a glove for her other hand. She screamed for the team I was still pushing through all of this and her head came out. My midwife made me stop pushing because no one was in there to help. STOP YEAH RIGHT!!! They started to suction her mouth so there wasn’t any merconium and I got the urge to push more. So I did! She came flying out of me at 6:01am with only my midwife to catch her. she was thrown on my stomach which was still in my own night gown because they forgot to change me.
As the team was coming in they waited for the cord to stop pulsing and Mark cut it. As she was laying on me I couldn’t believe how fast she just came out from pushing so I was in complete shock. I couldn’t believe that I did it. Drug free, needle free and no interventions what so ever. It was so empowering. They took her away and started to clean her up and she began to cry. As they were cleaning her Mark went to touch and talk to her and take pictures.
While he did that, I birthed the placenta…which isn’t a good feeling I might add. Having something slowly sliding out of me! Yuck! Since they weren’t ready for her to come flying out of me I made quite a mess on the bed. They had to change it really fast and give me a gown. So I had to stand up and that was almost impossible. My midwife held me in her arms and dressed me as the bed was being made.
They brought me my crying daughter and instantly as she reached me she stopped crying. She stopped for my husband too but she was in there for a while because of the mess so she had started again. The flood of OMG I did this…we did this came over me and my husband and I just stared at her and cried. Everyone left and I didn’t even notice. I forgot about the last 24hours and was completely delirious from the lack of sleep and the fact that she was finally here! I was the happiest woman in the world at the moment.
Unfortunately, no one filled me in on the fact that I was going to be gushing blood afterwards. Those are things that people should tell you so you don’t freak out! My midwife was in such shock because not only did I push her out in one push I didn’t tear anything. She said I was super woman! Which I had said to her and my husband once during my transition phase!
I’m so happy that she is here. My world seems so much more complete! 24 hours of labor and I don’t really remember much of it because after they put her in my arms everything went flying out the window. All the pain and the shakes and wanting to throw up, gone when she hit my arms all bundled up.
So far I’m making a great recovery. My husband has been home with me and making me meals and cleaning. He is awesome. We fight about who can hold her now.
Well, I need to go because I have a rooting child that plans to tear my nipple off if she doesn’t get fed soon.
Thanks, ladies for all the support and kind words.
