Friday 9/3 was my due date. I was completely grouchy and upset all day long, and very tired. I did not know why I felt so crabby, because the day before I felt fantastic and happy - very peaceful. I guess my mood should have been a warning sign!
DH and I went to bed at about 9pm, but stayed up and had some fun. Effective fun, as it turned out. I remember waking up at 11:45 and sleeping fitfully for another hour. At 12:45, I decided my backache was too annoying, and so I was going to roll around on my balance ball. I had been getting strong BH and backaches for weeks, and I did not have any feeling of openness or bloody show like I did with my first, so I thought baby was just in a bad position.
I sat on my ball for only a few minutes, but my contractions got painful. I went to the bathroom and had more intense contractions and a tiny bit of blood, so I woke up DH and told him I thought it was baby day. We went back downstairs and I asked him to inflate the pool, and I called the midwife. Even while I was on the phone with her, the contractions were getting distracting. She told me to drink water and lay down and rest, and things should slow down. They didn't! I really wanted to get into the pool, because the contractions were so fast and hard.
I kept going to the bathroom because I felt like I really needed to poop. Part of me knew that I was feeling the baby move down, but I could not believe it because it was happening so fast. For a while I was fighting the contractions, trying to slow down. Then I stopped fighting it. I started making lower, more chanting vocalizations, and in the few moments between contractions I would shout "I can do this, I did before!" DH called the midwife again, and timed my contractions - one minute long, one minute apart. Then I felt a pop as my water broke.
A few minutes after that, I remember screaming at the top of my lungs for my husband. I was saying "I'm scared!" and I was terrified. DH held my hands and told me to ride the waves, but there were no waves like there was with my first. I told him "this feels like transition!" but I was convinced that it was just awful back labor and I was in for a miserable long time. But no, I was right - it was transition!
It passed and I felt a strong urge to push, and told DH. His response: "don't push!" He left the room to check on the pool, and I pushed. I felt the baby drop way down, and put my hands between my legs. I could feel him bulging, ready to come out. I was a bit shocked, but calm, and I realized that I was going to have him in the bathroom with just DH. The next urge to push came, but I did not call for DH because I did not want him to say "stop". The baby started to crown. I thought it would take a few pushes like it did with my first, but I opened up smoothly and I helped ease his head out in one long, controlled, easy push. It was completely painless. I didn;t even feel like I was doing anything, just unfolding and letting the baby come.
I said to DH "He's here!" and he replied, "no, he's not", so I yelled "catch him!" DH flew into the room and saw the baby's head out, and had me stand up a bit so he could be under him. Waiting for the next contraction, the baby turned into position, smooth and beautiful, and with one more easy push he was born into my and DH's hands at just a bit before 2 am on 9/4, after an hour of labor. It was amazing. It felt so perfect and peaceful. We wrapped the baby up in a towel - he was fine, breathing and looking around. A very calm baby. Then we moved to the couch waited for everyone else to arrive.
It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to birth my baby with only my husband's support, and to have such an easy time. The labor was intense and painful because it was so fast, but that was also a blessing. It was over before I knew it. The delivery was like a dream. It felt so good to push him out, and it was so gentle. It was one of the most beautiful, joyful moments of my life.
DH and I went to bed at about 9pm, but stayed up and had some fun. Effective fun, as it turned out. I remember waking up at 11:45 and sleeping fitfully for another hour. At 12:45, I decided my backache was too annoying, and so I was going to roll around on my balance ball. I had been getting strong BH and backaches for weeks, and I did not have any feeling of openness or bloody show like I did with my first, so I thought baby was just in a bad position.
I sat on my ball for only a few minutes, but my contractions got painful. I went to the bathroom and had more intense contractions and a tiny bit of blood, so I woke up DH and told him I thought it was baby day. We went back downstairs and I asked him to inflate the pool, and I called the midwife. Even while I was on the phone with her, the contractions were getting distracting. She told me to drink water and lay down and rest, and things should slow down. They didn't! I really wanted to get into the pool, because the contractions were so fast and hard.
I kept going to the bathroom because I felt like I really needed to poop. Part of me knew that I was feeling the baby move down, but I could not believe it because it was happening so fast. For a while I was fighting the contractions, trying to slow down. Then I stopped fighting it. I started making lower, more chanting vocalizations, and in the few moments between contractions I would shout "I can do this, I did before!" DH called the midwife again, and timed my contractions - one minute long, one minute apart. Then I felt a pop as my water broke.
A few minutes after that, I remember screaming at the top of my lungs for my husband. I was saying "I'm scared!" and I was terrified. DH held my hands and told me to ride the waves, but there were no waves like there was with my first. I told him "this feels like transition!" but I was convinced that it was just awful back labor and I was in for a miserable long time. But no, I was right - it was transition!
It passed and I felt a strong urge to push, and told DH. His response: "don't push!" He left the room to check on the pool, and I pushed. I felt the baby drop way down, and put my hands between my legs. I could feel him bulging, ready to come out. I was a bit shocked, but calm, and I realized that I was going to have him in the bathroom with just DH. The next urge to push came, but I did not call for DH because I did not want him to say "stop". The baby started to crown. I thought it would take a few pushes like it did with my first, but I opened up smoothly and I helped ease his head out in one long, controlled, easy push. It was completely painless. I didn;t even feel like I was doing anything, just unfolding and letting the baby come.
I said to DH "He's here!" and he replied, "no, he's not", so I yelled "catch him!" DH flew into the room and saw the baby's head out, and had me stand up a bit so he could be under him. Waiting for the next contraction, the baby turned into position, smooth and beautiful, and with one more easy push he was born into my and DH's hands at just a bit before 2 am on 9/4, after an hour of labor. It was amazing. It felt so perfect and peaceful. We wrapped the baby up in a towel - he was fine, breathing and looking around. A very calm baby. Then we moved to the couch waited for everyone else to arrive.
It was the most wonderful feeling in the world to birth my baby with only my husband's support, and to have such an easy time. The labor was intense and painful because it was so fast, but that was also a blessing. It was over before I knew it. The delivery was like a dream. It felt so good to push him out, and it was so gentle. It was one of the most beautiful, joyful moments of my life.
