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| So, I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to tell that I was really in labor, since I have been having regular contractions for months, it seems like. But, today, I just know. These contractions feel different. Low, crampy, painful, even though they are further apart and seem shorter than the other ones. They woke me up all last night, and I stayed in bed doing my best to sleep through them. This morning, I checked my cervix and WOAH, big change. I am going to go visit my midwife after breakfast, (I have to drive across state lines to her clinic, so I'm supposed to go sooner rather than later) but I am +95% sure I am having the baby today. I'll update later.  |
I sat at the computer, messed around for about an hour, then called my midwife. The sun was shining, I was calm, felt good. I said "Good morning! What a beautiful day to have a baby."
I explained that I was having contractions, but they were about 7 min or more apart, I could talk and walk during them, but I was starting to feel cervical change. I told her I was just giving her a heads up, and It would probably be a while. Since I live in a non-midwife-friendly state, and she is across the state line, about 35 min away, she asked me to head in sooner rather than later. She told me that If I got to 5 or 6 and my water broke, I may go fast, and the car ride would suck then. She would encourage me to go out and have fun if I still had a way to go, she just wanted me to hang out a bit closer to the clinic.I told her I would get my family up and feed them breakfast and head in. We always take forever to get ready, and my 3yo was still in bed, so it took us a while. As my husband was packing some food to bring and clothes for himself and our DD, I was sitting on the couch mentioning to my dad (who we ended up inviting, and was in town until the next day) that maybe I wasn't in labor because these contractions didn't seem to be doing much. If I hadn't checked my own cervix, I might have changed my mind at that point, but since these contractions were doing something, I figured I'd at least go and get checked out. The MWs had not given me an internal exam a single time in the whole pregnancy. We were going to stop at Costco and get a rotisserie chicken on the way. It was 11:35 by the time we stopped (yes, 3 hours after I had talked to the MW, we are chronically late). The midwife called while we were waiting to ask if I was on my way yet. I told her we'd be there shortly, but things were still nice and easy. My husband had been timing during the drive, and ctrx were still coming 7-8 min apart. He popped back out to say the chikens were not cooked yet, so we just got in the car to go.
It was a beautiful day, and on the ride, my DD started singing "Oh mister sun, sun, mister golden sun, please shine down on meeee!" I sang along with her, and giggled to my husband, "Oh the contractions are easier when I sing through them"
I was telling my husband I was counting on 3 cm, and anything else would be a bonus, because I was pretty sure I was at least 4cm when I checked myslef, but since I am not experienced with that, I didn't want to get my hopes up.We got to the MW's a few minutes later, around noon. The MW checked me, and her eyes got wide and she said "noooo, you are way to comfortable" and asked me to put my fists under my hips so she could feel more easily. She told me I was eight, and my bag was bulging. I had a contraction while she was checking me, and we were still just chatting through it.
We went outside, and the sun was shining, the bird were singing, and the daffodils were in bloom. My husband and DD jumped on their big trampoline for a bit. It was perfect and beautiful, and we were all laughing and smiling. We headed back inside so I could pee after a little while. I started feeling a little nauseus and a little sleepy, so I stayed in, and did a little swaying labor dance with my husband during the contractions. Soon, I felt like lying down, and tried that, but didn't really want to stay lying down during the contractions, so I knelt next to the bed with my head on the bed. My Husband sat on the bed and I would put my face down in his lap and pull on him a bit during the ctrx. The ctrx were starting to get more intense and closer, and I was feeling like I was gonna throw up around 2pm. I reached in and could feel her bag right inside at that point. My MW asked me to climb up on the bed if I started feeling pushy because she couldn't easily get behind me to catch on the floor where I was. I didn't quite feel pushy yet, but I realized that soon, I would not be able to climb up on my own, so I got on the bed, still on my hands and knees, sideways across the bad, and propped up my upper body with some pillows. My husband stood in front of me and I grabbed behind his knees to brace myself. I almost pulled him over LOL.
All of a sudden, something took over. It no longer felt like contractions were coming and going, but like one huge contacion. My body was pushing, seemingly randomly. It was like being caught in a tornado, I felt like all I could do was hold on (to my hubby, my lats were sore the next day LOL). I think I growled like a pirate "ARRRGGGGGGGG." If I had been able to talk, I was thinking of asking the MWs if they broke the water would it be easier? But I wasn't getting a break to catch my breath and say anything. There was a lot of pressure, then her head was out. I took a breath, we worked her body out, and she went PLOP on the bed behind me. It seemed like 5 minutes before I could turn over and have them hand her to me, but on the video it is less than 30 seconds.
Ziva was born with totally intact membranes. The midwives struggled to break her bag after her head was out. The pics and video are wild. I love the ones with a blue orb bulging out of me.
I was a bit in shock. With my older DD, I transitioned, then had a pushing stage. My body pushed on its own, but when I added my force, it gave me some semblance of control over the process. I also had distinct contractions with DD1, but with Ziva, it was like one huge contraction for the last 20 min or so, and my body was just pushing incredibly forcefully and mostly randomly. I had almost no control over the process, and it felt like I transitioned though pushing.
I keep overhearing my husband using the phrases "perfect labor" and "perfect birth." I think this was very healing for him after our first traumatic emergency induction in a hospital.
Ziva Rose
B 3/19 at 2:34pm (40 wks 6 days)
7lbs 2oz (not tiny after all!!!!)
Congratulations! What a lovely birth story.
