Yay!!!!!!!! It happened!!! I did it!
Iona Grace was born at 6:35 PM on Sunday December 10th
8lbs 5oz
Here is our story!!!
I was so scared of being overdue…not for the baby…but for the fact that I did NOT want a drug induced induction. On Friday when I saw the midwife, she offered to do an internal exam and do a stretch and sweep, and so I consented. The next morning, I had a HUGE proper show of brownish mucous….there was no mistaking it. I also started to get minor period type cramps, but I wasn’t getting too excited. That evening Jon, my mom and I all went out for a meal and when we came back, I started to get these period type cramps again, and I noticed they were 5 minutes apart. Again, I wasn’t that excited as they were not that painful. By the time I went to bed, they were starting to hurt and I wasn’t able to talk through them very easily, so we decided to ring the labour ward just to see what they thought. (mostly for Jon’s sake as he was the one who was worried I’d give birth in the bathroom) They said it sounded like very early labour and to just try and get some rest. So I popped on the TENS machine and tried to sleep through the night. Full on sleep didn’t happen but I rested as well as I could and continued to get contractions. I turned up the TENS machine a few times as well, but I wasn’t really that convinced it was doing anything. So morning came and I just felt very heavy and weighty…..I can’t describe it really. I was struggling to walk around and stuff. I continued to have contractions and managed to take a shower and do my hair. I then I went on the couch and my mom rubbed my feet with essential oils and I tried my best to rest. I was feeling very tired. When Jon came downstairs I started to cry, I was so scared that I was only like1 centimetre dilated and I was just feeling overly exhausted. At that point he was like “it’s time to go” and I didn’t argue, even though I was convinced they were going to send us home.
When we got there, I was examined by the midwife who had done my stretch and sweep and she said “what was it you were afraid of??? That you weren’t that far along?? You’re between 7 and 8 Centimetres!” She told me I had done well to stay at home that long, and then took me into the delivery room. The next bit of good news was that the birthing pool was free!! I had wanted water birth so bad, so I decided to take advantage of it. The pool felt wonderful and I continued to labour in it without any other assistance. However, four hours later when they checked me, I had only dilated one more centimetre! I was also starting to feel more tired, and had just began to use the gas and air. I decided to go ahead and have my water’s broken. I was ok with this as I was between 8-9 centimetres and really almost there. It’s not like some of the stories I’ve heard of women having them broken at like 2-3 centimetres. After my water’s broke the contractions became more painful as the water actually acts like a cushion to the pain. I got back in the pool and I had the gas and air as well. I was starting to really get tired, and I was unsure about how far I was progressing and weather or not I needed to push. The midwife was excellent and she told me to just listen to my body. It was hard though because I was getting so tired and out of it I didn’t even know when I was having a contraction. I did start to push and I found it really hard in the water, but I didn’t have the motivation to get out because I was so tired if that makes sense…anyway, I pushed for a really long time, and the midwife knew that I did not want any more interventions so she kept checking the baby’s heart, and since it was fine, she continued to allow me to push. At one point I switched positions in the water (I had been on my back) and I found that helped a lot, but then my temperature started to go up and they told me to get out of the pool. I was absolutely fine with that at this point because I knew it wasn’t happening in there. The other midwife who had come in to help catch directed me towards the bed, but as soon as I took two steps out of the pool I knew I could do it right then and there. They said “oooh she’s going to do it right here” and they laid down the sheets and I started to squat and bear down, my legs BURNED but I knew I could do it there. Within five minutes she came out, and I delivered her on my feet, looking down at her coming out. It was the most incredible feeling of relief and elation all at once! They had to clamp her chord straight away because it was obvious she had done a poo inside me right before she was born (possible due to my temperature going up) Anyway, I had opted for a natural third stage (without the drugs) so I went to lay on the bed and wait for the placenta to come. They handed her to me after having to give her a once over (due to the meconium coming out) and she didn’t latch on by layed on my chest and wriggled away…she was SO alert. The placenta came about 35 minutes later and then it was time to get inspected down there!! There was only one tiny tear and some bruising so NO STITCHES!! yay. I’ll just say at one point I had two midwives, a Dr. and his student all looking at me….and I was totally not bothered! It was really funny.
Anyway….the first night was rough as she hardly fed and didn’t settle at all, but I’ve fallen in love with her incredibly each day and I’m absolutely amazed and so very thankful for such a wonderful safe and natural delivery!!! Also my husband has just been in like…total awe since it’s happened and says he will NEVER think of women as the weaker sex after seeing what he saw. He’s absolutely besotted and it’s so special!
Breastfeeding is going pretty good…..not sure I have it totally down yet…just waiting for the real milk to come in and giving it the best shot I can. The midwife came over today to give me some advice and stuff so that was good.
Anyway….Thanks for reading my story if you’ve gotten this far!!!
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...y/HPIM0971.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...y/HPIM0978.jpg
Me in the birthing pool!http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...y/HPIM0969.jpg
Iona Grace was born at 6:35 PM on Sunday December 10th
8lbs 5oz
Here is our story!!!
I was so scared of being overdue…not for the baby…but for the fact that I did NOT want a drug induced induction. On Friday when I saw the midwife, she offered to do an internal exam and do a stretch and sweep, and so I consented. The next morning, I had a HUGE proper show of brownish mucous….there was no mistaking it. I also started to get minor period type cramps, but I wasn’t getting too excited. That evening Jon, my mom and I all went out for a meal and when we came back, I started to get these period type cramps again, and I noticed they were 5 minutes apart. Again, I wasn’t that excited as they were not that painful. By the time I went to bed, they were starting to hurt and I wasn’t able to talk through them very easily, so we decided to ring the labour ward just to see what they thought. (mostly for Jon’s sake as he was the one who was worried I’d give birth in the bathroom) They said it sounded like very early labour and to just try and get some rest. So I popped on the TENS machine and tried to sleep through the night. Full on sleep didn’t happen but I rested as well as I could and continued to get contractions. I turned up the TENS machine a few times as well, but I wasn’t really that convinced it was doing anything. So morning came and I just felt very heavy and weighty…..I can’t describe it really. I was struggling to walk around and stuff. I continued to have contractions and managed to take a shower and do my hair. I then I went on the couch and my mom rubbed my feet with essential oils and I tried my best to rest. I was feeling very tired. When Jon came downstairs I started to cry, I was so scared that I was only like1 centimetre dilated and I was just feeling overly exhausted. At that point he was like “it’s time to go” and I didn’t argue, even though I was convinced they were going to send us home.
When we got there, I was examined by the midwife who had done my stretch and sweep and she said “what was it you were afraid of??? That you weren’t that far along?? You’re between 7 and 8 Centimetres!” She told me I had done well to stay at home that long, and then took me into the delivery room. The next bit of good news was that the birthing pool was free!! I had wanted water birth so bad, so I decided to take advantage of it. The pool felt wonderful and I continued to labour in it without any other assistance. However, four hours later when they checked me, I had only dilated one more centimetre! I was also starting to feel more tired, and had just began to use the gas and air. I decided to go ahead and have my water’s broken. I was ok with this as I was between 8-9 centimetres and really almost there. It’s not like some of the stories I’ve heard of women having them broken at like 2-3 centimetres. After my water’s broke the contractions became more painful as the water actually acts like a cushion to the pain. I got back in the pool and I had the gas and air as well. I was starting to really get tired, and I was unsure about how far I was progressing and weather or not I needed to push. The midwife was excellent and she told me to just listen to my body. It was hard though because I was getting so tired and out of it I didn’t even know when I was having a contraction. I did start to push and I found it really hard in the water, but I didn’t have the motivation to get out because I was so tired if that makes sense…anyway, I pushed for a really long time, and the midwife knew that I did not want any more interventions so she kept checking the baby’s heart, and since it was fine, she continued to allow me to push. At one point I switched positions in the water (I had been on my back) and I found that helped a lot, but then my temperature started to go up and they told me to get out of the pool. I was absolutely fine with that at this point because I knew it wasn’t happening in there. The other midwife who had come in to help catch directed me towards the bed, but as soon as I took two steps out of the pool I knew I could do it right then and there. They said “oooh she’s going to do it right here” and they laid down the sheets and I started to squat and bear down, my legs BURNED but I knew I could do it there. Within five minutes she came out, and I delivered her on my feet, looking down at her coming out. It was the most incredible feeling of relief and elation all at once! They had to clamp her chord straight away because it was obvious she had done a poo inside me right before she was born (possible due to my temperature going up) Anyway, I had opted for a natural third stage (without the drugs) so I went to lay on the bed and wait for the placenta to come. They handed her to me after having to give her a once over (due to the meconium coming out) and she didn’t latch on by layed on my chest and wriggled away…she was SO alert. The placenta came about 35 minutes later and then it was time to get inspected down there!! There was only one tiny tear and some bruising so NO STITCHES!! yay. I’ll just say at one point I had two midwives, a Dr. and his student all looking at me….and I was totally not bothered! It was really funny.
Anyway….the first night was rough as she hardly fed and didn’t settle at all, but I’ve fallen in love with her incredibly each day and I’m absolutely amazed and so very thankful for such a wonderful safe and natural delivery!!! Also my husband has just been in like…total awe since it’s happened and says he will NEVER think of women as the weaker sex after seeing what he saw. He’s absolutely besotted and it’s so special!
Breastfeeding is going pretty good…..not sure I have it totally down yet…just waiting for the real milk to come in and giving it the best shot I can. The midwife came over today to give me some advice and stuff so that was good.
Anyway….Thanks for reading my story if you’ve gotten this far!!!
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...y/HPIM0971.jpg
http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...y/HPIM0978.jpg
Me in the birthing pool!http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m...y/HPIM0969.jpg
!!!!
Congratulations!! 
