Hi Everyone,
My name is Carol and this is about the birth of our third child (second dd). It was my first natural birth after 2 drugged, induced and long hospital births, one in Pa and one in Ontario, Canada.
First, I am sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt that our Good Lord was the one who put the idea of homebirth in my head to begin with. I'm not even sure WHY I decided to look into it, but we did and I was hell bent on getting it. I went to get the blood work done with our family phisician and told him that I wanted a refferal to see a midwife. He told me that I didn't need a referal, and then tried REALLY hard to talk me out of it at all. He told me that my HCG levels were low and that I was probably in the process of miscarrying anyway. I have never come so close to hating someone as I did that man. I got all worried and weepy and then after three awful days went in for more bloodwork only to find out that everything was doubling the way it should.
We started by seeing some midwives in Scarborough, ON where we were living, but becuase of my dh's job moving we had to leave them and go to some midwives halfway though in our new town. They were SO wonderful! Things progressed uneventfully through the rest of the pregnancy and right on up to a couple days before my due date. They did a sweep of my membranes and we hoped it would start something. My dh worked 12 hour shifts, we didn't know anyone where we lived and my parents were in the States nearly 6 hours away! Dh was about to go on days off and I REALLY didn't want to go into labor with him working, so, I had read the EPO was good to get labor going and so I bought a bottle of capsules and put one up by my cervix. I woke up at 5am the day before our dd was due and couldn't go back to sleep (very unusual for me since the 2 and 4 year olds were still sleeping). I thought I MIGHT be having contractions, but brushed it off as wishful thinking. Dh was working a night shift (9pm to 9am) and I figured it would be too good to be true that he might actually be able to be on days off for this! I TRIED really hard to go back to sleep, but I couldn't, so I got up and fussed about a bit till the other two woke up. We went downstairs just before 7am and I started feeding them and then the pain got alot worse REALLY quick. I had no pain in the front, all in the back, just like with the other two, except that the pain had NO regularity to it. I called dh at work and told him I needed him to come home now and he told me he couldn't, there was no one to relive him and he couldn't just leave (he's a meterologist). I got irritated. I called my parents and they started on their way but figured this was going to take a while and so didn't hurry. I called the midwives and they told me to try and take a bath and when my pains were steady, 5 mins apart for an hour or more or when my water broke to call them back. So, I took their advise, and decided to run a bath. The problem was that my pains were so bad I could hardly stand, I had to stop and moan through all of them and it hurt SO BAD to move! Our 4yo ds was so wonderful. When the 2yo escaped to upstairs (where the tub was), he ran after her and put the gate in front of the stairs so that she wouldn't try coming down again. I called dh AGAIN and told him that I wasn't asking, that he NEEDED to come home, again, he told me he couldn't. I was past mad. It took me 20 mins to get myself upstairs. I ran some bath water in our small tub, got in and then the 2yo decided to get in with me! I didn't take her out though, I figured at least if she was in with me than I knew where she was and what she was doing. It was nearly 9am when I couldn't take it anymore and got out of the tub (the 4yo took that as a sign he could get in). I sat on the toilet next to the tub (the only place I could find ANY reliefe) and stayed there. I kept praying that God would send someone and take me to the hospital NOW so I could get lots of drugs so that the pain would go away (TRANSITION!!), I didn't realize that though, my contractions were still not regular and unbeknowns to me, my water broke in the tub!! Midwives have STILL not been called back and by now dh was on his way home. I kept feeling like I needed to push, but in my mind I wasn't allowed to, my water hadn't broke (that I had known of), my congtracions weren't regular and I couldn't have called anyone even if I wanted to.
I heard dh come in the door about 10 after 9 and (he had gotten to leave a little early) and I yelled to him to get upstairs NOW!!!!! He ran upstairs and asked me what I wanted him to do. I told him to take the kids out of the tub and get them dressed. He got as far as getting a diaper on the 2yo and then heard me screaming to him to come back in. "Something's wrong!" I screamed at him. "My insides are coming out or something!" I was sure there was some awful thing going wrong, I had fought as long as I could the urge to push becuase I was SURE it wasn't time, but out something was coming and I was no where near convinced it was a baby. I was still sitting on the toilet and dh told me to stand up. "My God Carol, it's a head!" he yelled. "Are you sure?!" I asked "Yes," he said, "There's hair on it!". He told me to stand up more and caught her as she came out. He handed her to me and I just stared at her in unbeliefe. "So," he said, "When will the midwives be here?". I smiled. "After you call them." I told him. I explained why I hadn't called them back yet and he just stared at me. He called them and told them to come on over, that they baby had been born. They told him how to deliver the placenta should it come out before they got there (and it did) and we walked into bed and layed down and she started nursing like a pro. 45 mins later they arrived, sewed up where I had torn along my epi scar and looked our newest addition over. She was 8lbs 8oz and was 20" long. She was wonderful. I got my shower, they cleaned up all the mess, made the bed up and left a couple hours later. Dh called our family in the States and when my sister called my mom and dad who were on their way up it took a while for them to realize that the baby had actually been born! Only 2 hours of active labor!
The reason I say that it had to have been from God as far as the homebirth went was becuase had we not been planning it and researching it, we wouldn't have made it to the hospital anyway and I would have birthed her at home with no idea what to expect.
Right now I am 25 weeks along with our 4 child (I'm told it's another girl) and plan on another homebirth. It was so wonderful the first time, at least this time I'll have more of an idea what to expect. My active labor phases have been cut in half every birth I've had, so, the midwives have been warned and will come the MOMENT I call this time. We're due in March (our first winter baby) and I'm hoping for no snow.
I hope you enjoyed reading about Caleigh Annika's birth. I know it was long, but I had to tell. She was born Aug. 26th, 2006. She was born the day before her edd. She was also posterior, just like the other two.
Have a wonderful day!
Carol
My name is Carol and this is about the birth of our third child (second dd). It was my first natural birth after 2 drugged, induced and long hospital births, one in Pa and one in Ontario, Canada.
First, I am sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt that our Good Lord was the one who put the idea of homebirth in my head to begin with. I'm not even sure WHY I decided to look into it, but we did and I was hell bent on getting it. I went to get the blood work done with our family phisician and told him that I wanted a refferal to see a midwife. He told me that I didn't need a referal, and then tried REALLY hard to talk me out of it at all. He told me that my HCG levels were low and that I was probably in the process of miscarrying anyway. I have never come so close to hating someone as I did that man. I got all worried and weepy and then after three awful days went in for more bloodwork only to find out that everything was doubling the way it should.
We started by seeing some midwives in Scarborough, ON where we were living, but becuase of my dh's job moving we had to leave them and go to some midwives halfway though in our new town. They were SO wonderful! Things progressed uneventfully through the rest of the pregnancy and right on up to a couple days before my due date. They did a sweep of my membranes and we hoped it would start something. My dh worked 12 hour shifts, we didn't know anyone where we lived and my parents were in the States nearly 6 hours away! Dh was about to go on days off and I REALLY didn't want to go into labor with him working, so, I had read the EPO was good to get labor going and so I bought a bottle of capsules and put one up by my cervix. I woke up at 5am the day before our dd was due and couldn't go back to sleep (very unusual for me since the 2 and 4 year olds were still sleeping). I thought I MIGHT be having contractions, but brushed it off as wishful thinking. Dh was working a night shift (9pm to 9am) and I figured it would be too good to be true that he might actually be able to be on days off for this! I TRIED really hard to go back to sleep, but I couldn't, so I got up and fussed about a bit till the other two woke up. We went downstairs just before 7am and I started feeding them and then the pain got alot worse REALLY quick. I had no pain in the front, all in the back, just like with the other two, except that the pain had NO regularity to it. I called dh at work and told him I needed him to come home now and he told me he couldn't, there was no one to relive him and he couldn't just leave (he's a meterologist). I got irritated. I called my parents and they started on their way but figured this was going to take a while and so didn't hurry. I called the midwives and they told me to try and take a bath and when my pains were steady, 5 mins apart for an hour or more or when my water broke to call them back. So, I took their advise, and decided to run a bath. The problem was that my pains were so bad I could hardly stand, I had to stop and moan through all of them and it hurt SO BAD to move! Our 4yo ds was so wonderful. When the 2yo escaped to upstairs (where the tub was), he ran after her and put the gate in front of the stairs so that she wouldn't try coming down again. I called dh AGAIN and told him that I wasn't asking, that he NEEDED to come home, again, he told me he couldn't. I was past mad. It took me 20 mins to get myself upstairs. I ran some bath water in our small tub, got in and then the 2yo decided to get in with me! I didn't take her out though, I figured at least if she was in with me than I knew where she was and what she was doing. It was nearly 9am when I couldn't take it anymore and got out of the tub (the 4yo took that as a sign he could get in). I sat on the toilet next to the tub (the only place I could find ANY reliefe) and stayed there. I kept praying that God would send someone and take me to the hospital NOW so I could get lots of drugs so that the pain would go away (TRANSITION!!), I didn't realize that though, my contractions were still not regular and unbeknowns to me, my water broke in the tub!! Midwives have STILL not been called back and by now dh was on his way home. I kept feeling like I needed to push, but in my mind I wasn't allowed to, my water hadn't broke (that I had known of), my congtracions weren't regular and I couldn't have called anyone even if I wanted to.
I heard dh come in the door about 10 after 9 and (he had gotten to leave a little early) and I yelled to him to get upstairs NOW!!!!! He ran upstairs and asked me what I wanted him to do. I told him to take the kids out of the tub and get them dressed. He got as far as getting a diaper on the 2yo and then heard me screaming to him to come back in. "Something's wrong!" I screamed at him. "My insides are coming out or something!" I was sure there was some awful thing going wrong, I had fought as long as I could the urge to push becuase I was SURE it wasn't time, but out something was coming and I was no where near convinced it was a baby. I was still sitting on the toilet and dh told me to stand up. "My God Carol, it's a head!" he yelled. "Are you sure?!" I asked "Yes," he said, "There's hair on it!". He told me to stand up more and caught her as she came out. He handed her to me and I just stared at her in unbeliefe. "So," he said, "When will the midwives be here?". I smiled. "After you call them." I told him. I explained why I hadn't called them back yet and he just stared at me. He called them and told them to come on over, that they baby had been born. They told him how to deliver the placenta should it come out before they got there (and it did) and we walked into bed and layed down and she started nursing like a pro. 45 mins later they arrived, sewed up where I had torn along my epi scar and looked our newest addition over. She was 8lbs 8oz and was 20" long. She was wonderful. I got my shower, they cleaned up all the mess, made the bed up and left a couple hours later. Dh called our family in the States and when my sister called my mom and dad who were on their way up it took a while for them to realize that the baby had actually been born! Only 2 hours of active labor!
The reason I say that it had to have been from God as far as the homebirth went was becuase had we not been planning it and researching it, we wouldn't have made it to the hospital anyway and I would have birthed her at home with no idea what to expect.
Right now I am 25 weeks along with our 4 child (I'm told it's another girl) and plan on another homebirth. It was so wonderful the first time, at least this time I'll have more of an idea what to expect. My active labor phases have been cut in half every birth I've had, so, the midwives have been warned and will come the MOMENT I call this time. We're due in March (our first winter baby) and I'm hoping for no snow.
I hope you enjoyed reading about Caleigh Annika's birth. I know it was long, but I had to tell. She was born Aug. 26th, 2006. She was born the day before her edd. She was also posterior, just like the other two.
Have a wonderful day!
Carol
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