Luke was born in the hospital, due to a placenta previa that had resolved enough for vaginal birth but not enough for home birth.
Monday around 7 pm, I had some pink mixed with cervical mucus. Finally, bloody show! So I texted my Mom, emailed my doula, and let my sister know. I didn't tell DH yet because he was with all our friends, and I didn't want to get everyone all excited if it turned into nothing. I started having some low back aches and I just felt really uncomfortable in my lower pelvis. It wasn't anything I could clearly call contractions.
At 4:15 am, I woke with a painful back ache. It happened again 5 minutes later ... labor is starting for sure. I really wanted to let everyone sleep as long as possible, assuming labor really got going that morning. I called Mom around 4:45 or so, because I figured out that even if I wasn't going to have a baby that day, I just really wanted her to be with me. I called my sister and then woke up DH around 5:15. It felt really good to be in the shower with hot water on my back. I spent some time on hands and knees in the shower, and I think during this Luke flipped around to anterior. Contractions were alternating a really long, hard one and a really short, easy one. DH called our midwife for the first time while I was in the shower, and she told him she would meet us at the hospital.
We finally started heading for the car around 6:30. There was one contraction when the baby moved deeper into my pelvis, and it felt like he locked into my cervix.
We got into a triage room, and our CNM pronounced me at 7-8 cm dilated and 0 station. She also confirmed the baby was head down. I think I went through transition shortly after this. My water may have been leaking shortly before this, the midwife did a test strip that seemed positive to her for amniotic fluid.
We got to a labor room, and I got on bed for the mandatory 20 minutes of monitoring. I think my water broke around this time. I was also pretty gone in my own world. I remember snatches of things that happened, people in and out. My sister, DH, our doula, and our nurse and midwife were there. They kept the lights low for me.
The nurse MAY have just gotten the monitors on me, when the baby moved down, and I knew he was coming NOW. My back arched and my body pushed.
Pushing is an amazing thing. As a contraction came on, I felt dread, I knew it was going to hurt. But then the pushing felt kind of good, it was doing what it was supposed to do. I was surprised we were already pushing. This was moving so fast... I needed a break, to stop pushing for a second. So I did. I had a few minutes' break and caught my breath. Then the contractions started again, and I was able to stay with them. I breathed and pushed, and his head slowly started to make its way out. Soon I realized this was just about it and Luke's head was born. The midwife had me slow down so she could move the cord, then asked if DH wanted to help catch. So DH helped bring his second son into the world! I think that is awesome.
I was so surprised he was here already - 7:39 am. After a few minutes I gave him a chance to nurse if he wanted to. He latched pretty well, and a few minutes after that I thought I might could push the placenta out. The midwife was already trying to stitch me, but the placenta came out anyway. That problem-causing placenta... After this they clamped the cord and DH cut it. 8 lb 9 oz, and 20 inches long, 13 inch head.
Luke was so cute and pudgy! He started nursing every two hours. The nurse couldn't get a good iv started, and I have a huge bruise still on the back of my hand.
Everything happened so perfectly, from our perspective. I didn't have to labor in the hospital. Our midwife was there for the birth, and she still made her clinic hours on time! Our nurse was phenomenal. She was friendly and personable, but also respectful of our space and understood we might not want certain things that are standard in the hospital. The placenta did not cause any problems, no hemorrhage, and I was able to get it out quickly.
This was either a super fast labor, at 3.5 hours from first contraction to birth, or 12 hours from show to birth, or 2 weeks from spotting and mild contracting to birth. Personally, I go with 3.5 hours from when I KNEW labor was probably starting to birth.
I am very proud of how I handled labor. As soon as contractions started, I remembered what labor feels like, and I didn't particularly look forward to it. But I never felt out of control. In fact, I felt very in control and powerful. While contractions weren't any fun, I remembered to relax my body, to let it do what it needed to do. I moaned when I needed to, breathed when I needed to. I thought I did a great job pushing - my body pushed hard by itself, but I felt like I also was able to direct the pushing in an effective way.
Monday around 7 pm, I had some pink mixed with cervical mucus. Finally, bloody show! So I texted my Mom, emailed my doula, and let my sister know. I didn't tell DH yet because he was with all our friends, and I didn't want to get everyone all excited if it turned into nothing. I started having some low back aches and I just felt really uncomfortable in my lower pelvis. It wasn't anything I could clearly call contractions.
At 4:15 am, I woke with a painful back ache. It happened again 5 minutes later ... labor is starting for sure. I really wanted to let everyone sleep as long as possible, assuming labor really got going that morning. I called Mom around 4:45 or so, because I figured out that even if I wasn't going to have a baby that day, I just really wanted her to be with me. I called my sister and then woke up DH around 5:15. It felt really good to be in the shower with hot water on my back. I spent some time on hands and knees in the shower, and I think during this Luke flipped around to anterior. Contractions were alternating a really long, hard one and a really short, easy one. DH called our midwife for the first time while I was in the shower, and she told him she would meet us at the hospital.
We finally started heading for the car around 6:30. There was one contraction when the baby moved deeper into my pelvis, and it felt like he locked into my cervix.
We got into a triage room, and our CNM pronounced me at 7-8 cm dilated and 0 station. She also confirmed the baby was head down. I think I went through transition shortly after this. My water may have been leaking shortly before this, the midwife did a test strip that seemed positive to her for amniotic fluid.
We got to a labor room, and I got on bed for the mandatory 20 minutes of monitoring. I think my water broke around this time. I was also pretty gone in my own world. I remember snatches of things that happened, people in and out. My sister, DH, our doula, and our nurse and midwife were there. They kept the lights low for me.
The nurse MAY have just gotten the monitors on me, when the baby moved down, and I knew he was coming NOW. My back arched and my body pushed.
Pushing is an amazing thing. As a contraction came on, I felt dread, I knew it was going to hurt. But then the pushing felt kind of good, it was doing what it was supposed to do. I was surprised we were already pushing. This was moving so fast... I needed a break, to stop pushing for a second. So I did. I had a few minutes' break and caught my breath. Then the contractions started again, and I was able to stay with them. I breathed and pushed, and his head slowly started to make its way out. Soon I realized this was just about it and Luke's head was born. The midwife had me slow down so she could move the cord, then asked if DH wanted to help catch. So DH helped bring his second son into the world! I think that is awesome.
I was so surprised he was here already - 7:39 am. After a few minutes I gave him a chance to nurse if he wanted to. He latched pretty well, and a few minutes after that I thought I might could push the placenta out. The midwife was already trying to stitch me, but the placenta came out anyway. That problem-causing placenta... After this they clamped the cord and DH cut it. 8 lb 9 oz, and 20 inches long, 13 inch head.
Luke was so cute and pudgy! He started nursing every two hours. The nurse couldn't get a good iv started, and I have a huge bruise still on the back of my hand.
Everything happened so perfectly, from our perspective. I didn't have to labor in the hospital. Our midwife was there for the birth, and she still made her clinic hours on time! Our nurse was phenomenal. She was friendly and personable, but also respectful of our space and understood we might not want certain things that are standard in the hospital. The placenta did not cause any problems, no hemorrhage, and I was able to get it out quickly.
This was either a super fast labor, at 3.5 hours from first contraction to birth, or 12 hours from show to birth, or 2 weeks from spotting and mild contracting to birth. Personally, I go with 3.5 hours from when I KNEW labor was probably starting to birth.
I am very proud of how I handled labor. As soon as contractions started, I remembered what labor feels like, and I didn't particularly look forward to it. But I never felt out of control. In fact, I felt very in control and powerful. While contractions weren't any fun, I remembered to relax my body, to let it do what it needed to do. I moaned when I needed to, breathed when I needed to. I thought I did a great job pushing - my body pushed hard by itself, but I felt like I also was able to direct the pushing in an effective way.
