Homebirth of Baby Samantha

[MnMtm]

Let me start out by saying that my labor with Guy (DS) was 31 hours, so even hoping for a faster labor, I was planning on at least 18 hours. I was at work Saturday, which is my regular day to work a double shift. At 8 o'clock, 14 hours into my shift, I started getting contractions. I remembered my contractions with Guy being more painful, though, so I wasn't sure if these were just Braxton-Hicks contractions that felt a little more intense because I'd been on my feet so long, or if it was actual labor. So, I continued working. By then time I was giving report to the night nurse at around 10:30pm, I was pretty sure it was real labor, as the contractions had been coming every 10 minutes for the last 2 hours. I drove home, which is luckily 5 minutes away, and told Glen (DH) I thought I was in labor, but I wasn't sure, so I was going to see if the contractions went away when I laid down, and try to get some sleep. I ate a snack, and went to bed. Over the next hour, the contractions were stronger, and coming more frequently. I texted out midwife to let her know that I was in early labor, but told her not worry about coming over yet, and that we would call as things picked up and we needed her. She texted back, "Okay..but please call." I sent Glen to get our birthing tub, which was still in storage from Guy's birth, and I took a shower. I had a dozen more contrations in the shower, and I remember thinking, "Either I've been in the shower for a long time, or else these contractions are getting really close togther." Glen got back around 1:30am and asked me if I thought he should get the birthing pool set-up, or try to get some sleep. I told him to try to get some sleep  because things were still early, and he may not have a chance to later. He laid down by me in bed for alittle while, but couldn't sleep, so he got up and went downstairs and started getting things ready. Around 2:30am, I called him back upstiars to help me to the bathroom, because I was feeling a little unsteady. Once on the toilet, I told him, "I think you need to call Chris," (our midwife,) and he said, "Are you sure?" I said, "Well, let me think." Things were feeling more intense, but I was still worried it was "just" early labor. At that point, however, my water broke, and I started feeling like I needed to push. "Yeah, you need to call Chris. My water just broke," I told Glen. He called her, and told her what was going on. "Sh*#. Glen, you're going to be delivering a baby. I'm on my way." She later apologized for the expletive. Glen finished getting the tub inflated, and started putting water in it. Then he came upstairs to help me get downstairs. I tried to get into the birthing pool, but the water was too hot, so I stepped back out. Immediately after that I felt the absolutely overwhelming urge to push. In fact, overwhelming doesn't even really describe how intense the sensation was to push. Glen was frantically trying to cool down the water by putting ice in it. I squatted down on my robe and told Glen, "The baby's coming!" He then switched from getting ice to putting chux pads from the birthing kit all under and around me. I'm not sure when in all this he called Chris back, or if she'd been on the phone the whole time, but I know she was on the phone with him over the next three pushes, which is all it took for our baby to be born, right into Daddy's waiting arms. She was born at 2:57am. After this, I climbed into the birthing tub, and just held our little girl and waited for Chris to arrive. Chris arrived and helped with the delivery of the placenta, and did her newborn assessments, and made sure we were doing alright. We were all doing wonderfully, so she went home, we went to bed. Guy woke up and was delighted to see his new baby sister in our bed. He exclaimed, "My baby come out!" and spent the next few hours wanting to hold her, and talking about her little ears, and elbows, and fingers, which he counted. It was a perfect experience, and we are all doing very well. 

[sharita]

Amazing story!  Congrats!

[cinderella08]

Awesome story!  Way to go mama - good job!