I finally wrote my birth story. It turned out really long.
Madison Haillee Van Haveren
July 12th, 2005
5:13 pm
7 lbs.
19 & ½ inches
My water broke at 3 am on Sunday night. I didn’t know it was going to be a constant gush so I was surprised when it just wouldn’t stop. Since we didn’t know how long it would be from that point on, we ran around the house putting down plastic and setting up all the birth stuff on the kitchen table. I did some last minute nesting (cleaned the microwave. hahaha) and called the midwife. She said to try to get some rest since I would probably be in labor within 12 to 24 hours. We tried to go back to bed but my adrenaline was pumping like crazy so I couldn’t fall asleep until around 5:30 am. I had a few minor cramps, but nothing I couldn’t handle. We got up around 9 and finished setting the apartment up. I was getting really mellow contractions but I didn’t think I was in labor since it didn’t really hurt.
We spent Monday trying to get things going. We went for a few walks and I swung on a swing for a while. I didn’t know if I was just stalled or if I couldn’t fully let my body take over, so I tried to focus on going into labor that night. Nothing happened. I really didn’t want to go to the hospital to be induced. We knew we should try to get decent rest since Tuesday would probably be the day.
I woke up on Tuesday at 5 am with horrible stomach pains. I knew this was it. I started timing the contractions around 5:30….every 20 minutes, then every 10, then eventually every 5. I ate some breakfast and tried to relax. My midwife came by around 10 and checked me. I was only 2 centimeters dilated. She said that was really good for a first time mom who had only been in labor for 4-5 hours, but I was kind of disappointed in my progress. I was thinking ‘It hurts this much now and I’m only 2 cm?!’ She gave me some suggestions about positions and hung around for a while to see how I was handling the contractions. She said to try to focus on 1 centimeter every 4 hours. I didn’t think I would last that long. After a while, she left and said she would be back in a couple hours.
Around noon, things were getting pretty rough. I couldn’t focus on anything else anymore. I knew I had to keep up my energy so I tried to eat and keep drinking, but I couldn’t keep anything down. I needed someone constantly fanning me. I tried to change positions every 20 minutes or so. I felt like I had to constantly go to the bathroom, so I spent a lot of time in there. Contractions on the toilet HURT but I was told they were the really effective, so I tried to stay there as long as I could. I wanted to get in the tub so bad but I knew the longer I waited, the better it would feel when I finally did get in.
My other midwife came over around 2:30. By then, I wanted to run away from everything. She checked me and I was 4 cm dilated. Again, I was disappointed in my progress. It was getting hard to breathe and moan through contractions. My legs were shaking involuntarily and my whole body would tense up when I could feel one coming on. I was so happy to be getting breaks in between (contractions were 1-3 minutes apart and STRONG by then) but I was practically hallucinating from delirium during the breaks. By 3:30, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I HAD to get in the tub. It felt soooooooo good to let the water swallow me in but contractions in the tub made me way too hot and I had to get out after a while. I told Chad I didn’t know how much longer I could do this. My midwife suggested I try sitting on the birth stool to really move me along. That was probably the most painful part of the entire labor. After another hour or so of moving around trying different positions, I got back in the tub. I told my midwife I felt like I needed to push, so she checked me and I was 8 cm. Finally the end was in sight. My body was involuntarily pushing during the last couple contractions in the tub and I knew I needed to get out.
I got out and sat on the couch with a bunch of pillows behind my back so I was right up on the edge. My midwife checked me again and told me I could start pushing when I needed to. Just then, the other midwife and their assistant came and everyone got ready. Pushing, while extremely painful, was incredibly liberating. It felt so good to finally be active rather than passive in this whole process. It took 2 or 3 pushes until crowning. During one push, I screamed so loud in Chad’s ear that he had to turn away. I apologized and he said “Don’t worry, I have 2 ears”, which made me feel better. I didn’t think I would want to see her coming out, but during the next contraction, Chad held out a mirror for me. I could see her hair and feel her head in between my legs. After that, I was motivated to get her head out in the next 2 pushes and I didn’t let myself down. After that, I gave one big push and her body slid right out. My midwife caught her and put her up on my belly.
She was completely covered in vernix and started clearing out her lungs right away. It took me about 5 minutes to realize I should check to see if I had a boy or a girl. Chad looked to find out, turned to me, and said “Madison” with a big smile. I was so overcome with emotion as I held her that I started to cry. After about 10 minutes, they told me I still needed to deliver the placenta. I gave one big push and it plopped out so fast they hardly had time to catch it. An hour went by (which seemed like 10 minutes) and Chad cut the cord so Madison and I could take our herb bath to start the healing process. My midwives told me I needed to eat something and go to the bathroom before we were all done. They did the newborn exam (She got an 8 and a 9 on her apgar test) and checked me to see how I was doing (I had a minor tear).
Labor, in entirety, lasted 12 hours (which included 31 minutes of pushing). It was the most painful, empowering, and beautiful thing I have ever done. I never realized how much I could love a single person. The euphoria I feel from holding her and watching her sleep is indescribable.
and so you don't have to search for the pictures link:
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/cheese...jedi/my_photos
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