breech birth
Hi Jenn,
Here is my breech birth story. Best wishes! Are you planning on a vaginal birth? Let me know if I can support you in any way.
Sarah
Saturday August 28 2004, I had been having strong braxton hicks but fairly inconsistent all day (and the whole week before!). At 5:00 pm I called our midwife Melody to let her know how my day had been going. She advised me to insert some evening primrose oil vaginally and lay down for 90 minutes. Melody also told me that she was coming (4.5 hour drive). I was so uncertain about that. I told her that I was worried that she would come down and be here for days before the baby came. She reassured me that if that happened (and it did) that it was fine and that she felt she needed to leave then. During the time I was lying down I had 3 contractions 30 minutes apart they were really strong and I knew they were the start of true labor. When I got up Duztin had fed the kids so we decided to go for a long walk, it ended up being 3 miles! It felt so good to be out, the evening was mild and the kids were so cute. We went on my favorite trail along a small river it was so peaceful the kids were thrilled with the cows, rabbits, bats and lizards. When we got home my sisters were there waiting for us and 30 minutes later Melody and her assistant Jan arrived. It was exciting getting everyone settled in, showing the "birth room", watching Melody set things up. All this time though my contractions were 30-60 minutes apart, although they were very strong and required my total concentration and support from Duztin. I was up and down all night trying to get contractions closer together alternated with resting. I had my first exam at 8:30 Sunday morning and I was 3cm and 50% effaced. Melody gave me homeopathic Caulophyllum 200c and Gelsemium 200c. I was still contracting 30-60 minutes apart. I had another check at 3:30pm and I was 4.5 cm. Even though my contractions were spaced so far apart they were working. A total of 7 contractions dilated me from 3 to 4.5cm. My water broke a little after 4:00pm. The fluid was clear with flecks of vernix in it. 11:00pm Sunday Melody checks and I am 7 cm. I feel a mental boost that I am progressing even though my contractions are still so far apart. I got in a really hot shower around 2am Monday. It was wonderful. While in the shower I had such a strong sense of despair/frustration I closed my eyes and leaned back on Duztin and let the water flow over my belly. As I did this a clear picture of my baby smiling came to my mind with the impression that she was coming just be patient a little more. Duztin and I went for a walk at 5am Monday around the neighborhood. It was so nice to be out with him. I was able to have a good cry/release of emotions over labor taking so long. We live 3 blocks from the women's hospital and while we were out walking we saw 3 couples going in the maternity entrance. It felt so nice to know that I was going home to have my baby! After our walk I quit dwelling on me and got caught up on laundry and some housework. My younger sister had to go home and get her children so her husband could go to work. So we had my four children, my older sisters two, my younger sisters three and our midwifes 3mo baby. To top it all off my friend that was going to come be support for my children was out of town. I never felt worried about the kids, I didn't even notice them. I had bought a movie and they all watched that or played in our yard during labor. My 8yo and my older sisters 10yo really helped out a lot, organizing games, baking a "birth" day cake etc. My sisters would go upstairs every 5-10 minutes to check on all the kiddos. Finally at 1:30pm Monday I had an hours worth of contractions that were 10 minutes apart and then back to nothing!! They started at 4:00 again very strong. My back was really starting to hurt. Back labor with a breech baby is worse than the back labor I had with my 3 posterior babies. In hindsight I am grateful that the contractions were spaced so far apart as it gave me time to physically recover between them. I started feeling a lot of pressure so Melody checked and the baby's bum was through the cervix. I was only 8 cm so she had me get in a knee chest position to finish dilating. After 20 minutes of that I was finally a very stretchy 10+. Once I stood up my contractions started coming 5 minutes apart and even stronger. Every contraction started with me saying "my back" and someone would put a hot pack on and push as hard as they could. Finally at 5:50pm Monday I started feeling pushy! I sat on the birth stool with Duztin behind holding the hot pack on my back. I could feel the baby moving down and was able to feel her soft little bottom. It was so encouraging. She finally descended enough that I couldn't withstand the urge to push. I pushed her out to her umbilicus in one push. During that push the pressure was intense from her legs and feet pushing against me. When her feet came out it released some of the pressure. I could then feel her arms moving and trying to come so I pushed again and I could feel each arm as they came out. The pressure was so intense from her head, I gave one last strong push and out she came. Birth happened so quickly. From "rumping" to delivery of the head was 52 seconds. The pressure release when her head was born was very intense. It took me a few seconds to catch my breath. On the video Naomi and I are both breathing the same way, short quick breaths. She was immediately handed up to me and wrapped in the blanket I had made for her. She was so pink. Her apgars were 10/10. She was so amazing. She just looked into my eyes and had such a pleased expression on her face. Five minutes after she was born the placenta came. Duztin clamped and cut the cord and we moved onto the bed. Within 15 minutes she was nursing. I was curious about the placenta as I wanted to know if Melody could see where the placental separation that had happened at 20 weeks had occured. On examination of the placenta there were two spots one the size of my thumbnail near the cord that was scarred and hard and one cotyledon was completely scarred on the edge of the placenta. Other than those two places the placenta was perfect.
Naomi Pa'chavi
6lb. 3oz. 20.5 in.
Frank Breech at home
30 August 2004
6:17 pm
