On Saturday morning we all got up around 8. I was having some period type cramps off and on once I got up and I was hoping that there would be a baby born sometime this weekend. They were sporadic and only mildly uncomfortable so we went out and ran some last minute errands all morning. All the walking around didn't really do anything to increase the contractions that was going on, but it also didn't decrease them either. We got home around 12 and just relaxed around the house watching TV.
They started to pick up in intensity around 1, where I was starting to move through them a bit, but they weren't bad at all and they were still pretty far apart, maybe 3-5 an hour. It went on like this for the next couple hours, anywhere from 4-6 contractions an hour, but not lasting very long and still very irregular. I also had a bit of bloody show starting then. Around 3 I decided to jump in the shower, mainly so I could wash my hair and shave my legs, which I decided was important to do at that moment, lol. I just sat in the shower for the next 45 minutes letting the water run over me. I filled up the bathtub too, which wasn't really comfortable to sit in but the water did feel nice. The contractions did start to pick up a bit when I was in there but were still managable. Once I got out just before 4 I noticed they were starting to happen 5-6 minutes apart and I was having to breathe and concentrate through them. They were less than 30 seconds long and I still didn't think I was very far along. I was in active labor with DS1 for 18 hours and and at that point I really only considered myself in active labor for 3 hours. I thought I had a ways to go and that a baby wouldn't be born until Sunday sometime.
At 5 DH and DS left to go pick something up to eat for dinner, and that's when they all of a sudden the contractions got pretty bad. They were still only around 30 seconds long, but they were happening much more frequently and I was having to vocalize through them. I was wishing that I didn't send DH out for food because I was all alone and pretty miserable. I got up and was laboring on the toilet which was a little more comfortable when DH got home around 5:45. I was having some back labor at that point so whenever a contraction hit he would come and put pressure on my lower back for me. It felt good at the time but he must have been putting a lot of pressure on it, because my lower back was sore for quite a few days afterwards. At 6 I had DH call the midwife to let them know what was going on. I didn't really want to call yet, because contractions had only just picked up and I was afraid that they would tell me to stay at home for a bit longer, but we had a 45 minute drive to get to the birth center and I was feeling like we needed to leave pretty quickly. I was not looking forward to that car ride. The midwife wanted to talk to me and was telling me to hop in the shower to see if that did anything to change the contractions. Luckily I had a contraction in the middle of that conversation and she was able to hear me- she told DH that we better leave to come down there. DH loaded up our bags and DS into the car and we left for the birth center. I had the seat reclined all the way back in the car and I started to get this urge that I had to poop during a contraction. I tried to hold it in but really had no control over it. Halfway down there my water broke- it was the weirdest sensation hearing and feeling the pop when the sac broke. Since I was practically flat on my back I only felt a little fluid. Luckily I had thought to grab a blanket to put on my seat so it stayed dry. The urge to push only got worse once my water broke. I still thought at the time that I only really needed to poop, which was probably a good thing because I wasn't freaking out thinking that I was pushing out a baby in the car. We were going to leave DS with friends that lived close to the birth center but DH drove straight to the center without dropping him off so he could get me there quickly. As soon as I stood up when we got there I could feel the rest of my water drickle out. The midwives met us at the door and helped me get to the room where they were still filling the birth tub. As soon as I got there I sat on the toilet so I could finally go to the bathroom and all of a sudden felt the head ready to come out. They helped me into the tub and DH jumped in with me. One push was all it took for the head to come out, and with the next contraction I was able to deliver the baby into DH's hands. At that point we had only been at the birth center for 5 minutes. Samuel was born at 7:37pm. We relaxed in the tub with the baby until I delivered the placenta, and then they helped us all to the bed. I only had one little tear that they needed to stitch up. DS1 was sleeping during the birth but woke up shortly after and was able to see his new little brother. We could have stayed at the birth center for up to 12 hours but we decided to leave after 6 hours, so we got home around 3am.
This labor was so different than the labor I had with DS1- my contractions never really seemed to be consistent, and I have no idea when I hit transition. Everything happened much quicker this time around. I had an epidural with DS1 so the pushing sensation felt much different. I think that is why I had no idea that the urge to push in the car was actually baby. If the midwife had told us to stay at home longer and labor in the shower, the baby would have been born at home for sure, and if we had hit any sort of traffic (very normal in San Diego!), it would have been born in the car. Everything seemed to fall into place at the end. I still wish I could have experienced what it was like to labor in the birthing tub, but I am glad that I was able to have my water birth, and very glad it was med free! I felt a lot different afterwards and my recovery was a lot quicker. DS2 has been nursing like a champ all week. DH was pretty hesitant about using midwives this time, but the whole experience converted him- he has been telling everyone all week how great it was.
If we have another I can probably convince him to have a homebirth.
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