The birth of Grace
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On the morning of Tuesday, Jan 25th my sleep kept being interrupted every 15-20 minutes by cramping and a mild back ache. I had been experiencing similar symptoms for the past week and a half along with my regular Braxton hicks so I didn’t think much of it, except the fact that they seemed to be on a pattern. Around 9:00am I got up to relieve my bladder and noticed the rest of my mucus plug which I had been losing for the past couple of weeks and some bloody show. Whoa, that was different; I didn’t have any bloody show with Noah until I was 5cm dilated. I had a feeling this was it.
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It was Aaron’s day off, so I woke him up by whispering in his ear, “So, you feel like having a baby today?” Hi eyes flew openJ. I told him I was 99% sure that I was going into labor and asked him to help me straighten the house. I have never seen him help me clean so willingly and diligently (too bad I can’t “go into labor” every day). Aaron washed the leftover dishes in the sink while I got my “labor-aid” ready (apple juice and coconut water), got my after-delivery-meal (chicken pot pie) out of the freezer to start thawing, and started making Grace’s chocolate birthday cake all while having mild irregular contractions. Then we had breakfast with Noah for the last time as a family of three.
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I texted Melody (one of my midwives) to let her know that I thought I was in labor. She told me if I felt comfortable, to go ahead and come in for my regular weekly appointment that was scheduled for 2:00pm that afternoon. She also made sure I had an adjustment scheduled with my chiropractor (who works out of the Birthing Center on Tuesdays) which I did.
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At 11:00am Noah went down for his nap and I got in the bath, shaved my legs, then did my hair and make up just in case this was false labor. I didn’t want to go all day looking like I had just crawled out of bed. Meanwhile my contractions really tapered off, I didn’t have a single one while in the bath. By the time we needed to leave for the birth center Noah was still asleep so we asked Aaron’s sister (who is also our next door neighbor) to come over and let him finish his nap and watch him until we got home (I thought I would be coming home, then going BACK out to the birth center if this was labor). We put my bag in the car just in case, but left the food (not sure what my thinking was behind thatJ). I called my mom to let her know what was going on since she would be watching Noah and bringing him up to the birth center once the baby arrived.
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On the 45 min car ride out to the birth center I listened to my Hypnobabies Birthing Day Affirmations track which really helped me get in the zone. My contractions picked up a little, but only by becoming time-able again (about every five minutes), they were still VERY mild.
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When we arrived at the birth center (a big beautiful house that looks like a bed and breakfast) and I waddled in the door, Melody took one look at me and said obviously disappointed, “Awwww, you’re too happy!” which gave me a laugh, she cracks me up. My appointment went like it normally did, blood pressure check, pulse check, weight check, urine check, chit chatting and joking around with my midwives and their students. Then we went upstairs to do a fundal measurement, listen to Grace’s heart beat and do a pelvic exam. I had been having weekly pelvic exams to determine the position of the Grace’s head; she had been asynclitic and posterior. I was 4.5 cm dilated and 70% effaced (yay!), but her head was asynclitic again, so here’s where Dr. Kristen (my chiropractor) came in. Dr. Kristen adjusted my pelvis and sacrum, and then worked on repositioning Grace’s head for a smoother delivery. We had to pause quite a few times to let me have a contraction, they were definitely picking up, but still so mild I feel weird calling them contractions. After my adjustment Melody checked me again to make sure baby’s head was good (which it was) and proclaimed that I had popped open to a full 5 cm dilated if not more and very stretchy. This was DEFINITELY it!
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We decided that since I was so far along (while in labor with Noah, I went VERY fast once I got to 6 cm) and it takes 45 min to drive out there, it was best for me to stay at the birth center while Aaron went home to get the food we left and pick up Noah and drop him off at my mom’s house.
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While my midwives finished up their regular appointments I decided I wanted to be alone so I went to the birthing cottage in the back yard to focus and prepare my mind for what was coming. I listened to my Hypnobabies Easy First Stage track while pacing back and forth, sitting on the birthing ball and looking out into the yard. I was very nervous since my labor with Noah was very long, painful, and at times scary, but I kept telling myself that I could do this, this was a new birth, Noah’s birth was in the past, and I kept reminding myself to focus on right now. Then I started getting excited because I was going to meet my baby today (hopefully)!
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One thing that kept bothering me though was Noah’s sleep schedule; he has a very established schedule and doesn’t go down well for anyone but me. 8:00pm is his bedtime and I kept thinking over and over that I wanted to have this baby by 8:00pm, but it was already 3:30pm and I still wasn’t having very strong regular contractions (one can dream right?).
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At a little after 4:00 pm Melody came out to the birth cottage (usually only used if there is another birth going on in the main house) and told me that all of the appointments were done and if I wanted to I could come into the main house. Once I got settled into the room where I would be giving birth I noticed my contractions becoming substantial enough that I needed to concentrate through them, but in between I was still able to make chit chat with the girls and was generally in a good mood, although I was anxious for Aaron to get back.
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Around 5:30 Aaron finally arrived and that’s when things really started to pick up. My Hypnobabies Easy First Stage Track was playing softly in the background while I sat on the birthing ball next to Aaron holding his hand. Each contraction I had I would close my eyes and circle my hips on the ball while telling myself “open open open” and visualizing all my birthing muscles going limp, lose, and completely relaxing. In between each contraction Aaron would have me drink a few sips of my “labor-aid” to keep me hydrated and energized, and he would tell me how great I was doing.Â
                                     Concentrating and relaxing through a contraction
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I was so in my zone that I’m not really sure in what order exactly things happened; I labored on the birthing ball for a while then decided I wanted to walk around and “hula hoop” my hips during contractions. Contractions were coming stronger and closer and were making relaxing more difficult, but I just kept visualizing my cervix as a soft golden ring opening for my baby. I kept telling myself with each contraction, “this is good, this is supposed to be happening, this is bringing me closer to meeting my baby.” I also made sure to keep my face (mouth especially), shoulders, and hands relaxed.
           Swaying my hips through contractions.
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As I went into transition Grace’s heart rate began to decelerate during contractions so Melody and Rosemary (a student midwife) had me breath oxygen and lay on my left side on the bed while monitoring her. Around 7:00pm Melody checked my progress, she didn’t tell me what my dilation was, but just told me that I was making great progress (I told myself I was 8cm so I wouldn’t get discouraged, I was actually only at a 6.5). I knew I was in transition because I had the shakes, you would have though I was freezing because my teeth were chattering and I was shaking like crazy, it was actually making me laugh. The interesting part was that every time I would have a wave of shakes, Grace’s heart rate would jump up. Our bodies really are amazing aren’t they?!
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It was getting very difficult to stay relaxed especially while lying down, but my wonderful awesome amazing husband kept giving me my Hypnobabies cues, pressing firmly on my forehead and telling me softly to relax and release while Rosemary massaged my hips and gave me reassuring pats and touches. I would look over at Melody who was timing and recording Grace’s heart rate and she would look at me with a big smile tell me I was doing great. Even though transition was physically very difficult, I felt so supported and surrounded by love that it made the time very special, and is actually my favorite memory I have of my labor.
          Aaron giving me my Hypnobabies cues.
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I’m guessing it was around 7:45 when I was allowed to get off the bed and into whatever position was most comfortable for me since Grace’s heart rate had been fine for a while. I really wanted to stand up and walk around. My contractions were very intense and I was feeling a LOT of pressure and pain in my cervix, and noticed that it was slightly more bearable if I pushed ever so gently. Melody told me to just go with what my body was telling me to do. Then out of nowhere my body started pushing without me. That’s when I started to freak out. I had only really been in labor for almost 4 hours, there was NO WAY I was dilated enough, it hadn’t been painful enough for long enough and I knew that if I let myself push that I would end up in the hospital with a swollen cervix! I kept saying, “I don’t want my cervix to swell, I’m not dilated enough!!!” in between the involuntary pushes while gripping the bedrail at the end of the bed. Melody quickly checked me while I was standing there and told me that I only had a small lip and was so stretchy that if I pushed it would move out of the way. Then she told me if I wanted to I could reach inside and feel her head coming, so I did (very cool and weird), I couldn’t believe she was almost here!
                                                                   Feeling "pushy"
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                                                              Trying not to push.
       My body taking over and pushing without me!
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Pushing Noah out, he had been so low in my pelvis for so long that I went numb in that area and didn’t feel anything, no ring of fire, and I could barely even feel my contractions to know when to push. This experience was TOTALLY different. My body was pushing my baby out for me without my help and it’s a good thing too because it hurt worse than anything else had up to that point. I know if I had to consciously push her out it would not have happened. I felt the ring of fire literally down to my toes! After my first really hard push my water broke. At some point I started to squat down instinctually and then asked for the birthing stool (I was still on the floor, not on the bed). I also remember requesting someone to protect my perineum (it’s funny the things that pop into your head while pushing a baby out). I think once I actually got on to the birthing stool I pushed once and her head was out (she was already crying!). I paused to catch my breath and at 8:04pm pushed her the rest of the way out!
                                                                 Insticnts taking over.
                                                 Head out, pausing to take a breath!
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I helped pull her up into my arms while crying, “My baby my baby! I can’t believe she’s here, and its 8:00!” I looked around the room at all the smiling faces around me in shock that I had just had my baby when I only started having real contractions four hours earlier. Grace came out perfectly pink, crying, with a thick head of long black hair, and got all 10s on her Apgar score!
                               "My baby!"
                                                             "I can't believe she's here!"
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I moved to the bed and immediately nursed her, she latched on right away and has been an awesome breastfeeder ever since. We immediately called my mom who was just about to put Noah to bed, but brought him up to meet his new little sister instead. Then Aaron called his family to let them know that Grace was here and I got to enjoy homemade chicken pot pie and chocolate birthday cake while waiting for family to arrive!
                                                         Texting friends and family.
                         Already so in love.
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My entire pregnancy with Grace I made a point to regularly visualize her birth the exact way I wanted it to be in great detail. It could not have gone any better or any closer to what I had envisioned. I feel so incredibly blessed to have had the amazing positive experience of giving birth to my sweet daughter surrounded by the love and support of my wonderful husband and incredible birth team!
                                                              My amazing birth team!
                                                               My beautiful little girl.
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Edited to add pictures.
Edited by amay - 2/16/11 at 4:00pm
 Congrats on your amazing birth and enjoy your beautiful daughter
