Here is the long awaited story- Evelyn was born Dec 7th. It took me a year to write my first dd's, so this isn't bad!!! This is long...
Evelyn Gracie's Birth Story
I awoke to a contraction shortly after waking at 2:51am. I had a deep pelvic throb that was markedly different than those I had been experiencing for weeks. I had a few more that were about 10 minutes apart and decided to get up and move around to see if this was really it. I spent a few minutes at the computer and made myself some tea and granola. I had a few contractions that I started to moan through a little or breathe through, so I knew this was really it. I let them come for an hour more or so and called Erin (my friend and doula). I told her this was really it but to take her time as everything was going pretty steady and slow here.
I decided to let Mike and Kensi sleep for a while as I prepared some other things for the day and cleaned a little. I jumped in bed with my family around 5am and whispered to Mike, “So, are you ready to have a baby today?” I told him what had been happening as he started to wake up. I went back to whatever activities I was doing (cleaning? Preparing “my nest”? I’m not sure). A little while later I heard Kensi’s voice so I went back in the bedroom. I asked Mike if we should tell her what was happening and he said he already had. I told her that we would be having the baby’s birthday today and that she was going to be a big sister very soon.
I continued to labor nicely, having contractions every 7-10 minutes. They didn’t change in duration or intensity, and I had nice breaks in between them (I think they were actually 30 seconds average in duration the entire labor until transition, when I had cramps in between the contractions, making it feel as I never had a break- anyway, 30 second contractions are very very merciful and pretty easy). Mike got Kensi and himself some breakfast and he started putting the labor tub up. Kensi’s job was to hold the hose, a job that she took very seriously. We also have pictures of her holding her ears while Mike blew the pool up with the air compressor which was very loud.
Once Erin arrived at 6am, my contractions were 5-7 minutes apart. I was basically moaning and rocking to get through them, while closing my eyes and trying to space out. I knew that having Kensi here was making me unable to progress in my labor- I was afraid of scaring her (earlier while I was in bed with them, I had a contraction and moaned through it, and she covered her head with a blankie until it was over). So I requested that Kensi be taken to my friend Laura’s house so that I could get down to business.
I said a tearful goodbye to Kensi- I knew this would be the last time I would see her as my only child, my little girl. I put myself back together so that I could handle the next contraction well- and labor began to pick up.
A lot of what happened next is a blur. I just focused on getting through each contraction, one by one, and it seemed to make the time go very fast. I remember ordering Erin around like crazy- it went like this, “Press here. Don’t touch me. Stand by me. Let me lean on you. Leave me alone and shut the door. Leave the door open. Just stand there and look at me and make sure I don’t pass out. Get me some water. More water. Tea, please?” I also remember asking for Mike a lot…and he’d ask what to do and I’d say, “I don’t know, just stand here with me.”
I know that I got in and out of the shower while Erin sprayed water on my back. I remember that Mike got out his reflexology books and tried to help me by using pressure points with combs pressed in my hands. I remember having “my nest”- lots of blankets and pillows-moved from the living room in front of my Christmas tree into the kids’ room by the labor tub. I remember laboring on my hands and knees next to the labor tub while Mike rubbed the soles of my feet with reflexology balls. I tried to check my cervix but still couldn’t reach it. Erin called the midwife at 9am to tell her that my contractions were increasing to 4-5 minutes apart and that it was probably time for her to head up. I was starting to feel done with labor.
I remember getting into the labor tub, and after having my first contraction there, asking when the midwife would arrive because I felt I was getting close. I think that was around 10am. I remember getting out of the tub because I was so so hot- even after Mike and Erin opened the windows on a freezing day. After I got out of the tub, I finally had some orange-tinted toilet paper when I wiped- show!
After I gave up on the labor tub, I stuck to the shower. My midwife arrived and after a few contractions I got out of the bathroom for a quick cervical check (my only one)- I was a good 7-8cm and the baby was pretty low! Good progress.
I got back in the shower and labored there with Erin spraying my lower back and me swaying and moaning through the contractions. Finally I felt so much pressure that I thought I would pop. I asked Erin to ask my midwife to break my bag of waters- something that I didn’t want originally but I felt so much pressure I couldn’t stand it. I was asked to wait until her assistant arrived- I figured it was a nice way to say no for the meantime. It worked. I asked her to rupture it at 12:00pm and at 12:15 I sat down on the toilet, pushed a gentle push and pop! Pop! Pop! And a slight gush- my forebag had broken and I felt wonderful.
My midwife begged me to get off the toilet since I told her that I couldn’t promise her that I could stand up when the baby was crowning. So, she set up the birth stool in my bedroom instead. That didn’t work for me though, since I felt it was too low to the ground. I tried hands and knees for one or two, but didn’t like feeling so vulnerable or something- so I sat face to face with Mike and was on my knees that way which I liked very much. It meant a lot for me to be that close to him while I pushed. I think I blew out his ear drum during one contraction- I was making some nice loud pushing/grunting sounds.
Finally after an hour and fifteen minutes of pushing, my midwife suggested- gasp- that I get on my back with my legs up and curl around the baby to push her out. She really thought that looking at my shape (belly was hanging down past my pubic bone) that getting the baby down past the bone was going to take a different position. So that’s the position that worked.
I LOVED pushing. It felt so so so good to me and I think I’m addicted to it. I curled around the baby and pushed her crown out, while I felt stinging and burning, and then nothing at all. My baby’s head was hanging out of me- and I couldn’t feel a thing. The baby had a tight cord- so the midwife had me not push while she reduced it. I pushed the rest of the baby out with one flop- again not feeling any pain or burning. The rest of my amniotic fluid came out with her- she came out with a huge gush! She was born at 1:41pm.
The midwife placed her on my chest. The first thing on my mind was if it was a girl or a boy. I couldn’t see, so I went ahead and felt. At first I felt the umbilical cord and I thought it might be a boy. Then I felt underneath it and felt a little labia! Kensi was right all along- we had a baby girl!!!
I had a large separation gush that the midwife was spooked by. I then pushed my placenta out and the bleeding slowed remarkably. Everything was still perfect. I cut her cord.
My friend Heather, who helped out our family as a “family doula”, filling the gap when needed, brought Kensi back to see the baby within minutes of her being born. Kensi’s eyes just popped with wonder when I showed her her new sister. She went to get a little bear to give to her, and spent a long while hanging out with Heather after that- she didn’t want to be in the room with us and the baby with everything going on.
Evelyn weighed in at 8lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long. I had torn in the same places that I did with Kensi’s birth and I received 5 stitches. But I got to nurse Evelyn for a long time and get a shower and eat before we even started on the repair, which was nice not to have to worry about it right away.
I loved everything about my labor and birth. I loved being at home, I loved my birth support people, and I really loved pushing. It was truly a perfect experience and I wouldn’t change any of it for anything.
Evelyn Gracie's Birth Story
I awoke to a contraction shortly after waking at 2:51am. I had a deep pelvic throb that was markedly different than those I had been experiencing for weeks. I had a few more that were about 10 minutes apart and decided to get up and move around to see if this was really it. I spent a few minutes at the computer and made myself some tea and granola. I had a few contractions that I started to moan through a little or breathe through, so I knew this was really it. I let them come for an hour more or so and called Erin (my friend and doula). I told her this was really it but to take her time as everything was going pretty steady and slow here.
I decided to let Mike and Kensi sleep for a while as I prepared some other things for the day and cleaned a little. I jumped in bed with my family around 5am and whispered to Mike, “So, are you ready to have a baby today?” I told him what had been happening as he started to wake up. I went back to whatever activities I was doing (cleaning? Preparing “my nest”? I’m not sure). A little while later I heard Kensi’s voice so I went back in the bedroom. I asked Mike if we should tell her what was happening and he said he already had. I told her that we would be having the baby’s birthday today and that she was going to be a big sister very soon.
I continued to labor nicely, having contractions every 7-10 minutes. They didn’t change in duration or intensity, and I had nice breaks in between them (I think they were actually 30 seconds average in duration the entire labor until transition, when I had cramps in between the contractions, making it feel as I never had a break- anyway, 30 second contractions are very very merciful and pretty easy). Mike got Kensi and himself some breakfast and he started putting the labor tub up. Kensi’s job was to hold the hose, a job that she took very seriously. We also have pictures of her holding her ears while Mike blew the pool up with the air compressor which was very loud.
Once Erin arrived at 6am, my contractions were 5-7 minutes apart. I was basically moaning and rocking to get through them, while closing my eyes and trying to space out. I knew that having Kensi here was making me unable to progress in my labor- I was afraid of scaring her (earlier while I was in bed with them, I had a contraction and moaned through it, and she covered her head with a blankie until it was over). So I requested that Kensi be taken to my friend Laura’s house so that I could get down to business.
I said a tearful goodbye to Kensi- I knew this would be the last time I would see her as my only child, my little girl. I put myself back together so that I could handle the next contraction well- and labor began to pick up.
A lot of what happened next is a blur. I just focused on getting through each contraction, one by one, and it seemed to make the time go very fast. I remember ordering Erin around like crazy- it went like this, “Press here. Don’t touch me. Stand by me. Let me lean on you. Leave me alone and shut the door. Leave the door open. Just stand there and look at me and make sure I don’t pass out. Get me some water. More water. Tea, please?” I also remember asking for Mike a lot…and he’d ask what to do and I’d say, “I don’t know, just stand here with me.”
I know that I got in and out of the shower while Erin sprayed water on my back. I remember that Mike got out his reflexology books and tried to help me by using pressure points with combs pressed in my hands. I remember having “my nest”- lots of blankets and pillows-moved from the living room in front of my Christmas tree into the kids’ room by the labor tub. I remember laboring on my hands and knees next to the labor tub while Mike rubbed the soles of my feet with reflexology balls. I tried to check my cervix but still couldn’t reach it. Erin called the midwife at 9am to tell her that my contractions were increasing to 4-5 minutes apart and that it was probably time for her to head up. I was starting to feel done with labor.
I remember getting into the labor tub, and after having my first contraction there, asking when the midwife would arrive because I felt I was getting close. I think that was around 10am. I remember getting out of the tub because I was so so hot- even after Mike and Erin opened the windows on a freezing day. After I got out of the tub, I finally had some orange-tinted toilet paper when I wiped- show!
After I gave up on the labor tub, I stuck to the shower. My midwife arrived and after a few contractions I got out of the bathroom for a quick cervical check (my only one)- I was a good 7-8cm and the baby was pretty low! Good progress.
I got back in the shower and labored there with Erin spraying my lower back and me swaying and moaning through the contractions. Finally I felt so much pressure that I thought I would pop. I asked Erin to ask my midwife to break my bag of waters- something that I didn’t want originally but I felt so much pressure I couldn’t stand it. I was asked to wait until her assistant arrived- I figured it was a nice way to say no for the meantime. It worked. I asked her to rupture it at 12:00pm and at 12:15 I sat down on the toilet, pushed a gentle push and pop! Pop! Pop! And a slight gush- my forebag had broken and I felt wonderful.
My midwife begged me to get off the toilet since I told her that I couldn’t promise her that I could stand up when the baby was crowning. So, she set up the birth stool in my bedroom instead. That didn’t work for me though, since I felt it was too low to the ground. I tried hands and knees for one or two, but didn’t like feeling so vulnerable or something- so I sat face to face with Mike and was on my knees that way which I liked very much. It meant a lot for me to be that close to him while I pushed. I think I blew out his ear drum during one contraction- I was making some nice loud pushing/grunting sounds.
Finally after an hour and fifteen minutes of pushing, my midwife suggested- gasp- that I get on my back with my legs up and curl around the baby to push her out. She really thought that looking at my shape (belly was hanging down past my pubic bone) that getting the baby down past the bone was going to take a different position. So that’s the position that worked.
I LOVED pushing. It felt so so so good to me and I think I’m addicted to it. I curled around the baby and pushed her crown out, while I felt stinging and burning, and then nothing at all. My baby’s head was hanging out of me- and I couldn’t feel a thing. The baby had a tight cord- so the midwife had me not push while she reduced it. I pushed the rest of the baby out with one flop- again not feeling any pain or burning. The rest of my amniotic fluid came out with her- she came out with a huge gush! She was born at 1:41pm.
The midwife placed her on my chest. The first thing on my mind was if it was a girl or a boy. I couldn’t see, so I went ahead and felt. At first I felt the umbilical cord and I thought it might be a boy. Then I felt underneath it and felt a little labia! Kensi was right all along- we had a baby girl!!!
I had a large separation gush that the midwife was spooked by. I then pushed my placenta out and the bleeding slowed remarkably. Everything was still perfect. I cut her cord.
My friend Heather, who helped out our family as a “family doula”, filling the gap when needed, brought Kensi back to see the baby within minutes of her being born. Kensi’s eyes just popped with wonder when I showed her her new sister. She went to get a little bear to give to her, and spent a long while hanging out with Heather after that- she didn’t want to be in the room with us and the baby with everything going on.
Evelyn weighed in at 8lbs 14 oz and 20 inches long. I had torn in the same places that I did with Kensi’s birth and I received 5 stitches. But I got to nurse Evelyn for a long time and get a shower and eat before we even started on the repair, which was nice not to have to worry about it right away.
I loved everything about my labor and birth. I loved being at home, I loved my birth support people, and I really loved pushing. It was truly a perfect experience and I wouldn’t change any of it for anything.
