I finally had my baby! This one was only 11 days late. 
The short version:
She was born at home on Wednesday morning at 10:40, 6 pounds 13 ounces, and 19.75 inches long- so much smaller than my last baby!
The long version:
I started having contractions on Monday night, but they weren't too bad or too close together. I spent Tuesday getting everything ready. It was a really nice experience. My favorite part was taking out all of my annoying maternity clothes and getting them washed, folded, and ready to donate.
I was only 3cm by Tuesday evening. My midwife said she thought my baby was coming soon, but I told her the baby wasn't coming until Wednesday. She asked if I was sure I didn't want her to stay, and I said I was sure we had plenty of time.
My contractions didn't get to 5 min apart and intense until 5am on Wednesday. I called my midwife around 6am, and she came over to find me at a stretchy 7cm.
The midwife was intermittently checking Z's heartbeat with a doppler, and it was decelerating a bit during contractions when I laid on my side (which is how I was most comfortable).
We tried a few other positions, and her heartrate stayed good when I was vertical, so I spent most of the last few hours of my labor standing up, with my arms around my husband's neck.
Z was born with a strong shout on a birthing stool set up at the foot of my bed, and DD got to cut the cord.
This baby wasn't just crying, it was a battle cry!
DD was so excited to have a sister instead of a brother!!
Just like when DD was born, my water didn't break until the birth, after her head emerged, and just before her shoulders came all the way out.
When the midwife was getting the cord ready to cut, she found that it was no longer attached to the placenta! Zelda's feet got caught in it when I was holding her after the birth (before delivering the placenta, but after the cord finished pulsing and started to shrivel up) and she kicked her feet and broke it off!
I was still on the birthing stool, and there was a bowl under me to catch the placenta. My midwife told me to "push really hard" and when I did, it flew out of me at an angle, missed the bowl, missed the chux pads, and landed with a splat on the floor!
We all just laughed, and I said "well, you told me to push really hard!"
Good thing I don't have carpet!
My family doctor is going to get a kick out of my medical records; my midwife actually wrote "projectile" in the section for notes on my placenta!!
My midwife did a perineal massage, which was really uncomfortable at the time, but it seems to have made a huge difference. I can't believe how much less raw my girlparts feel after giving birth this time.
Oh, and I drank a tea that was recommended to me to reduce postpardum bleeding, and I have only been spotting since Friday. I only had significant bleeding for 2 days!
..now if only I could get my nipples to stop bleeding..
The short version:
She was born at home on Wednesday morning at 10:40, 6 pounds 13 ounces, and 19.75 inches long- so much smaller than my last baby!
The long version:
I started having contractions on Monday night, but they weren't too bad or too close together. I spent Tuesday getting everything ready. It was a really nice experience. My favorite part was taking out all of my annoying maternity clothes and getting them washed, folded, and ready to donate.
I was only 3cm by Tuesday evening. My midwife said she thought my baby was coming soon, but I told her the baby wasn't coming until Wednesday. She asked if I was sure I didn't want her to stay, and I said I was sure we had plenty of time.
My contractions didn't get to 5 min apart and intense until 5am on Wednesday. I called my midwife around 6am, and she came over to find me at a stretchy 7cm.
The midwife was intermittently checking Z's heartbeat with a doppler, and it was decelerating a bit during contractions when I laid on my side (which is how I was most comfortable).
We tried a few other positions, and her heartrate stayed good when I was vertical, so I spent most of the last few hours of my labor standing up, with my arms around my husband's neck.
Z was born with a strong shout on a birthing stool set up at the foot of my bed, and DD got to cut the cord.
This baby wasn't just crying, it was a battle cry!
DD was so excited to have a sister instead of a brother!!
Just like when DD was born, my water didn't break until the birth, after her head emerged, and just before her shoulders came all the way out.
When the midwife was getting the cord ready to cut, she found that it was no longer attached to the placenta! Zelda's feet got caught in it when I was holding her after the birth (before delivering the placenta, but after the cord finished pulsing and started to shrivel up) and she kicked her feet and broke it off!
I was still on the birthing stool, and there was a bowl under me to catch the placenta. My midwife told me to "push really hard" and when I did, it flew out of me at an angle, missed the bowl, missed the chux pads, and landed with a splat on the floor!
We all just laughed, and I said "well, you told me to push really hard!"
Good thing I don't have carpet!
My family doctor is going to get a kick out of my medical records; my midwife actually wrote "projectile" in the section for notes on my placenta!!
My midwife did a perineal massage, which was really uncomfortable at the time, but it seems to have made a huge difference. I can't believe how much less raw my girlparts feel after giving birth this time.
Oh, and I drank a tea that was recommended to me to reduce postpardum bleeding, and I have only been spotting since Friday. I only had significant bleeding for 2 days!
..now if only I could get my nipples to stop bleeding..
congratulations
at the projectile placenta!
