This story is a few days coming, but I've been relaxing in bed with my new daughter!
The quickies:
Labor began at 11:50 pm on April 1st and ended at 12:10 (I think) on April 2nd.
A baby girl
7 lbs 2 oz
19 inches long
Her first name is Calla, but we haven't decided on a middle name yet.
The Long version:
I fell asleep watching a movie on Sunday night and woke up after only an hour or so with cramps that I thought just meant a bathroom trip. So, I went to the bathroom across my house so I wouldn't wake up my husband. While in there, I noticed that the cramps were way intense and so I started watching my watch and they were coming about every other minute and lasting at least a minute. After only about five minutes, I realized that this must be the "beginnings" of my labor. I also had bloody show, for the first time. Well, the surges were really intense and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to move off the toilet. My body started feeling pushy-that "oh my god, I can't stop this" pushing feeling and I knew I needed to get across the house to my husband. It was a long journey and I started calling for DH as soon as I got out of the door, but my calls were really weak and I couldn't waste any energy on them. It took every ounce just too keep moving. I made it to my bedroom door and finally woke him up and he jumped out of bed and grabbed me. At this time, only about 10 minutes had gone by since I'd rolled out of bed.
DH asked me what was wrong and I told him it was time and I remember saying that it was all happening too fast. It hadn't really occured to me to say that until after I had, but once I said it, I knew it was true. DH told me he was going to put me on the bed, but I told him to take me to the toilet. He asked me if my water had broken and I said no, I was bleeding.
I was barely capable of walking, so DH brought me to the toilet and sat me down. I was only down for a moment when the semi-truck-urge-to-push came over me again and my body gave a big push, my water broke, I felt the head pass through my cervix and I (must have) said, "It's coming!" DH picked me up off the toilet and swiveled me around and put me on the floor, up against the bathtub. The baby was descending the entire time that I was moving from one spot to the other.
The second I was down, the head crowned and DH was there to catch. After she crowned, I was desperate to get her out and my body kept pushing, but she didn't slip out immediately so I said "Pull!" DH gave a gentle pull and I pushed at the same time and out she slipped. RELIEF!
I was in total shock, but DH was in charge. He pulled up my shirt and put the baby skin-to-skin on me and started covering us up with whatever was nearby. I'm pretty fuzzy at this point, just in awe that this has happened, but I remember just holding my wet little baby and DH running around grabbing towels and blankets and hats. He made a little cave for us there on the floor and I was shivering so bad I thought my teeth would rattle out.
I'm so proud of my DH, even though he must have been terrified. He knew that we needed to suction her nose and mouth, so he went on a search for a bulb and then did that.
Then the phone calls began..........Oh, my poor DH. He must have placed 50 phone calls that night, just trying to get a hold of anyone. It took a good several minutes to get through to my MW. For some reason, her fax kept picking up the phone. He finally got through to her and she went over the baby with us and the cord and talked DH through tying and cutting the cord. That was quite an ordeal between the two of us. I kept trying to help, but was just getting in the way. I remember DH being concerned about the floss being mint flavored.
:
Well, DH was still trying to call to get a woman, any woman over to help. My mw called her assistant and another lady to come and help, but it took an hour for them to arrive. DH was frantically calling my mother, because I was supposed to have the baby at her house and my birth kit was there, plus, well, she's the mom, yanno? I guess he left her about 15 messages. At least that many on my sister's phones. He even called a good friend and I heard the message he left her, "Um....Bean? Are you there? Can you please just pick up?.......I need a woman here......? Please???" Poor guy.
Anyway, everything was just perfect and fine. Calla is perfect.We named her after the lily. My torpedo birth didn't result in any tears and I feel great, all things considered.
I still haven't seen my MW, as she's been waiting on another baby, but I might see her today as that baby was born last night. Her assistant has been doing our postpartum care.
It was really a great birth and I'm so proud of my husband. There were only about 10 minutes between me realizing I was in labor and having a baby on my chest. DH only got about 5 minutes from waking and then catching his baby. I honestly think that since we already had homebirths and were planning another that it helped us deal with this shocker.
ETA- My 3 year old, Mason watched the whole thing. I didn't know it at the time. He'd been sleeping in my bed and woke up when I woke up my husband. I didn't learn that he'd seen it until after the mw assistant showed up and Mason was telling her, "My daddy pulled that baby right out of my mommy's tummy!" It was so cute. I asked him if he had seen it and he said yes.
I'll let you guys know when we decided on a middle name.
Congrats to all the new mamas that have had their babies since I've been gone and I'll be thinking of all you mamas still waiting!
The quickies:
Labor began at 11:50 pm on April 1st and ended at 12:10 (I think) on April 2nd.
A baby girl
7 lbs 2 oz
19 inches long
Her first name is Calla, but we haven't decided on a middle name yet.
The Long version:
I fell asleep watching a movie on Sunday night and woke up after only an hour or so with cramps that I thought just meant a bathroom trip. So, I went to the bathroom across my house so I wouldn't wake up my husband. While in there, I noticed that the cramps were way intense and so I started watching my watch and they were coming about every other minute and lasting at least a minute. After only about five minutes, I realized that this must be the "beginnings" of my labor. I also had bloody show, for the first time. Well, the surges were really intense and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to move off the toilet. My body started feeling pushy-that "oh my god, I can't stop this" pushing feeling and I knew I needed to get across the house to my husband. It was a long journey and I started calling for DH as soon as I got out of the door, but my calls were really weak and I couldn't waste any energy on them. It took every ounce just too keep moving. I made it to my bedroom door and finally woke him up and he jumped out of bed and grabbed me. At this time, only about 10 minutes had gone by since I'd rolled out of bed.
DH asked me what was wrong and I told him it was time and I remember saying that it was all happening too fast. It hadn't really occured to me to say that until after I had, but once I said it, I knew it was true. DH told me he was going to put me on the bed, but I told him to take me to the toilet. He asked me if my water had broken and I said no, I was bleeding.
I was barely capable of walking, so DH brought me to the toilet and sat me down. I was only down for a moment when the semi-truck-urge-to-push came over me again and my body gave a big push, my water broke, I felt the head pass through my cervix and I (must have) said, "It's coming!" DH picked me up off the toilet and swiveled me around and put me on the floor, up against the bathtub. The baby was descending the entire time that I was moving from one spot to the other.
The second I was down, the head crowned and DH was there to catch. After she crowned, I was desperate to get her out and my body kept pushing, but she didn't slip out immediately so I said "Pull!" DH gave a gentle pull and I pushed at the same time and out she slipped. RELIEF!
I was in total shock, but DH was in charge. He pulled up my shirt and put the baby skin-to-skin on me and started covering us up with whatever was nearby. I'm pretty fuzzy at this point, just in awe that this has happened, but I remember just holding my wet little baby and DH running around grabbing towels and blankets and hats. He made a little cave for us there on the floor and I was shivering so bad I thought my teeth would rattle out.
I'm so proud of my DH, even though he must have been terrified. He knew that we needed to suction her nose and mouth, so he went on a search for a bulb and then did that.
Then the phone calls began..........Oh, my poor DH. He must have placed 50 phone calls that night, just trying to get a hold of anyone. It took a good several minutes to get through to my MW. For some reason, her fax kept picking up the phone. He finally got through to her and she went over the baby with us and the cord and talked DH through tying and cutting the cord. That was quite an ordeal between the two of us. I kept trying to help, but was just getting in the way. I remember DH being concerned about the floss being mint flavored.
:Well, DH was still trying to call to get a woman, any woman over to help. My mw called her assistant and another lady to come and help, but it took an hour for them to arrive. DH was frantically calling my mother, because I was supposed to have the baby at her house and my birth kit was there, plus, well, she's the mom, yanno? I guess he left her about 15 messages. At least that many on my sister's phones. He even called a good friend and I heard the message he left her, "Um....Bean? Are you there? Can you please just pick up?.......I need a woman here......? Please???" Poor guy.
Anyway, everything was just perfect and fine. Calla is perfect.We named her after the lily. My torpedo birth didn't result in any tears and I feel great, all things considered.
I still haven't seen my MW, as she's been waiting on another baby, but I might see her today as that baby was born last night. Her assistant has been doing our postpartum care.
It was really a great birth and I'm so proud of my husband. There were only about 10 minutes between me realizing I was in labor and having a baby on my chest. DH only got about 5 minutes from waking and then catching his baby. I honestly think that since we already had homebirths and were planning another that it helped us deal with this shocker.
ETA- My 3 year old, Mason watched the whole thing. I didn't know it at the time. He'd been sleeping in my bed and woke up when I woke up my husband. I didn't learn that he'd seen it until after the mw assistant showed up and Mason was telling her, "My daddy pulled that baby right out of my mommy's tummy!" It was so cute. I asked him if he had seen it and he said yes.
I'll let you guys know when we decided on a middle name.
Congrats to all the new mamas that have had their babies since I've been gone and I'll be thinking of all you mamas still waiting!
what a fantastic birth story 
: way to go mama and dh 
baby Calla! my head is
Follow Mothering