Elias’ Birth (first homebirth experience)
I was due May 5. This happened to be my sister’s wedding day and I was one of the bridesmaids. My dress had been exchanged for a larger one and then let out. I looked huge in it!
I hoped I would go early or late but as the day grew closer I prayed for a later date. After all, my sister’s wedding! I had to be there! She would be moving after the wedding across the country.
The day grew even closer and I was so tired of being pregnant, so tired of not sleeping; the heartburn, leg pain, etc, that I didn’t care if I went into labor at her wedding.
May 5th, wedding day! I t was a beautiful day. I was prompted to dance at the reception to encourage labor. I ate spicy foods and drank some champagne. That night I was sore and had heartburn!
May 6, that night I took a fleet suppository and asked my dh for a bit of help.
On May 7 at 2:00 a.m., I was awoken with contraction. I didn’t think much of it because it had happened so often and then the contractions would peter out. This time they didn’t peter out. I kept going back and forth whether to call the mw. At 6:00 I woke Jeff and told him I didn’t think he would be going to work. Then I went potty and noticed the toilet paper was stained with blood.
I called Pam my mw. She answered the phone on the first ring and knew it was me. I guess so, who else would be calling so early and be two days late! I told her I was 5 minutes apart since 2:00 this morning. She told me she was on her way and called her assistant to come over too.
Jeff helped me clean up and set up a bit. We took off the screens from the windows to let in more light. I cleaned the bathroom again. He then went to work to get things settled over there and to tell them he wouldn’t be in.
At 7:00 Pam showed up. She was wearing scrubs, which surprised me. She explained if I have a uniform to wear at births, I will always have something to wear when I need to go. She set up right away in the bedroom and even made up my bed.
My mom showed up soon after
. (Originally I wasn’t going to have mom here. She was at my first son’s birth (she just showed up) and I was embarrassed on how much of me was exposed to her. I didn’t have the heart or energy to ask her to leave then.)
At this birth I didn’t want to burden her with watching the kids as I labored. She kept asking and I figured she really wants to be here, I almost lost her to a heart attack. Let her come. So I did.
Jeff returned and started blowing up the pool using our air compressor hooked up to the car.
Meanwhile, Allison (the assistant) showed up with her nursling and 12 yr old daughter (to watch the nursling).
During this time I was walking around breathing through contractions, and wishing we and listened to some rally good advice about setting up the pool beforehand.
The contractions were getting more painful and I really wanted the pool. I decided to get in the tub until it was ready. Pam made fun of my ghetto swim outfit. A black sports bra and a pair of Jeff’s swimming shorts. I did look getto.
As I lay in the tub I was getting angry that we hadn’t done a test run, because it turned out even though we had bought what was recommended it didn’t fit our bathroom faucets!. So the pool was dragged to the kitchen. The kitchen table was moved out and there was the pool under the chandelier. Well, the do hickeys didn’t’ work with the kitchen faucet either. Jeff was able to hold it to the facet while the water piped into the pool. At last!
Let me say, I love water. If I am stressed I take a shower. If I don’t feel well, I take a bath. With my last son’s birth I was in the hospital’s shower with plenty of warm water beating on my back. It helped me so much during contractions that I was convinced a homebirth was for me next time around.
I floated in the pool each time I had a contraction. It really helped. Meanwhile, as I sat in the pool, mom made breakfast for everybody. It was funny actually, me sitting in the pool chatting when I could, and mom a few feet away scrambling up eggs. My two boys thought it was so funny to have a pool in the house and were throwing bits of their cheese sticks in the water and giggling their heads off. I really didn’t’ mind. I wasn’t going to birth in the pool.
The contractions were slowing down, so I decided to leave the pool and walk around. Jeff drained the pool (which worked quite well with those pipes).
I put on my night gown over my wet bra and changed into clean underwear. The contractions started to pick up. I would kneel and lean each time one would come. Pam or Allison would apply pressure to my hips and place their thumbs to the tailbone. This felt good. I was checked, I was at a 6. The contractions started to hurt even more and brought tears to my eyes. They were coming closer. My mom would pat my hands and tell me to breathe. Someone would apply pressure to my hips and tailbone.
At 10:30 I felt the urge to push. I was whisked to my bedroom and was checked I was at an 8. Pam said I still had some cervix that needed to be dissolved. With the next contraction I kneeled on my bed and leaned against the headboard while she put her hand in to help the last bit of cervix dissolve. This was painful.
I started to push the baby was stuck behind my anterior lip. I tried pushing on my side, then finally on my back. The back proved to work and the baby was able to get out from under the lip.
Jeff lay across the bed holding my hand. Allison was holding my other hand and Pam was in front. I would have 10 minute or 5 minute breaks before I would feel to push. Which I am so glad, I was so tired from being up for so long.
I would pant; beg for God’s mercy, tell Jeff no more kids, ask for help, and if Allison left my side I would call out, “AL-LI-Son”!
At one time my legs shot straight out and Jeff had to hold one back, the other leg pushed against Pam. She told me to move it. I wanted to but I couldn’t my body was on automatic, I was bearing down. Allison had to use her elbow to pin my thigh down while she pulled my foot off of Pam.
(My husband later told me, he didn’t know I was that strong!)
They had to remind me to breathe as when I pushed I would stop. Pam yelled at me to breathe for the baby. That did it, and I breathed. I had a long contraction and one mighty long push and Elias was born and screamed one mighty scream.
(Later they told me when I stopped breathing during pushing that the baby’s heart beat was going down. How scary!).
It was so neat that Elias’ brother got to meet him 15 minutes after he was born. Jeff weighed him at 8lbs 15 ox and he measured 21 inches long, with a 14 ½ cm head. Ouch!
He had a head of dark hair and looked like David when he was first born.
Grandma got to come in and see him right away. Meanwhile, Pam and Allison bustled about with me and the baby. Pam was worried because after I pushed the placenta I was still bleeding quite heavily. I was given shepherd’s purse and a shot of pitocin. She looked at my placenta for something missing. She told me to pray, I told her to tell Jeff to pray. I knew the bleeding would stop. I was not concerned. I was redressed and told pee. I couldn’t remember how! They tried to put a catheter in but I was so swollen that they couldn’t insert it (this all was done to stop the bleeding). I asked to be put in a warm shower so I could pee. The warm water helped and I was able to pee. The bleeding stopped. While Pam and Allison cleaned up, cleaned me, checked the baby (who was nursing like pro), my mom brought milkshakes in. I really think my mom got a kick out of the whole homebirth!
Things I love about my homebirth; my mom being there (which is funny because I didn’t want her there before), having my other kids meet their brother just 15 minutes after he was born, not having to worry if they would try to give him shots or take him away for long periods of time for tests, and best of all that we were home when it was all done.
I definitely will always have my babies at home.
I was due May 5. This happened to be my sister’s wedding day and I was one of the bridesmaids. My dress had been exchanged for a larger one and then let out. I looked huge in it!
I hoped I would go early or late but as the day grew closer I prayed for a later date. After all, my sister’s wedding! I had to be there! She would be moving after the wedding across the country.
The day grew even closer and I was so tired of being pregnant, so tired of not sleeping; the heartburn, leg pain, etc, that I didn’t care if I went into labor at her wedding.
May 5th, wedding day! I t was a beautiful day. I was prompted to dance at the reception to encourage labor. I ate spicy foods and drank some champagne. That night I was sore and had heartburn!
May 6, that night I took a fleet suppository and asked my dh for a bit of help.
On May 7 at 2:00 a.m., I was awoken with contraction. I didn’t think much of it because it had happened so often and then the contractions would peter out. This time they didn’t peter out. I kept going back and forth whether to call the mw. At 6:00 I woke Jeff and told him I didn’t think he would be going to work. Then I went potty and noticed the toilet paper was stained with blood.
I called Pam my mw. She answered the phone on the first ring and knew it was me. I guess so, who else would be calling so early and be two days late! I told her I was 5 minutes apart since 2:00 this morning. She told me she was on her way and called her assistant to come over too.
Jeff helped me clean up and set up a bit. We took off the screens from the windows to let in more light. I cleaned the bathroom again. He then went to work to get things settled over there and to tell them he wouldn’t be in.
At 7:00 Pam showed up. She was wearing scrubs, which surprised me. She explained if I have a uniform to wear at births, I will always have something to wear when I need to go. She set up right away in the bedroom and even made up my bed.
My mom showed up soon after
. (Originally I wasn’t going to have mom here. She was at my first son’s birth (she just showed up) and I was embarrassed on how much of me was exposed to her. I didn’t have the heart or energy to ask her to leave then.)
At this birth I didn’t want to burden her with watching the kids as I labored. She kept asking and I figured she really wants to be here, I almost lost her to a heart attack. Let her come. So I did.
Jeff returned and started blowing up the pool using our air compressor hooked up to the car.
Meanwhile, Allison (the assistant) showed up with her nursling and 12 yr old daughter (to watch the nursling).
During this time I was walking around breathing through contractions, and wishing we and listened to some rally good advice about setting up the pool beforehand.
The contractions were getting more painful and I really wanted the pool. I decided to get in the tub until it was ready. Pam made fun of my ghetto swim outfit. A black sports bra and a pair of Jeff’s swimming shorts. I did look getto.
As I lay in the tub I was getting angry that we hadn’t done a test run, because it turned out even though we had bought what was recommended it didn’t fit our bathroom faucets!. So the pool was dragged to the kitchen. The kitchen table was moved out and there was the pool under the chandelier. Well, the do hickeys didn’t’ work with the kitchen faucet either. Jeff was able to hold it to the facet while the water piped into the pool. At last!
Let me say, I love water. If I am stressed I take a shower. If I don’t feel well, I take a bath. With my last son’s birth I was in the hospital’s shower with plenty of warm water beating on my back. It helped me so much during contractions that I was convinced a homebirth was for me next time around.
I floated in the pool each time I had a contraction. It really helped. Meanwhile, as I sat in the pool, mom made breakfast for everybody. It was funny actually, me sitting in the pool chatting when I could, and mom a few feet away scrambling up eggs. My two boys thought it was so funny to have a pool in the house and were throwing bits of their cheese sticks in the water and giggling their heads off. I really didn’t’ mind. I wasn’t going to birth in the pool.
The contractions were slowing down, so I decided to leave the pool and walk around. Jeff drained the pool (which worked quite well with those pipes).
I put on my night gown over my wet bra and changed into clean underwear. The contractions started to pick up. I would kneel and lean each time one would come. Pam or Allison would apply pressure to my hips and place their thumbs to the tailbone. This felt good. I was checked, I was at a 6. The contractions started to hurt even more and brought tears to my eyes. They were coming closer. My mom would pat my hands and tell me to breathe. Someone would apply pressure to my hips and tailbone.
At 10:30 I felt the urge to push. I was whisked to my bedroom and was checked I was at an 8. Pam said I still had some cervix that needed to be dissolved. With the next contraction I kneeled on my bed and leaned against the headboard while she put her hand in to help the last bit of cervix dissolve. This was painful.
I started to push the baby was stuck behind my anterior lip. I tried pushing on my side, then finally on my back. The back proved to work and the baby was able to get out from under the lip.
Jeff lay across the bed holding my hand. Allison was holding my other hand and Pam was in front. I would have 10 minute or 5 minute breaks before I would feel to push. Which I am so glad, I was so tired from being up for so long.
I would pant; beg for God’s mercy, tell Jeff no more kids, ask for help, and if Allison left my side I would call out, “AL-LI-Son”!
At one time my legs shot straight out and Jeff had to hold one back, the other leg pushed against Pam. She told me to move it. I wanted to but I couldn’t my body was on automatic, I was bearing down. Allison had to use her elbow to pin my thigh down while she pulled my foot off of Pam.
(My husband later told me, he didn’t know I was that strong!)
They had to remind me to breathe as when I pushed I would stop. Pam yelled at me to breathe for the baby. That did it, and I breathed. I had a long contraction and one mighty long push and Elias was born and screamed one mighty scream.
(Later they told me when I stopped breathing during pushing that the baby’s heart beat was going down. How scary!).
It was so neat that Elias’ brother got to meet him 15 minutes after he was born. Jeff weighed him at 8lbs 15 ox and he measured 21 inches long, with a 14 ½ cm head. Ouch!
He had a head of dark hair and looked like David when he was first born.
Grandma got to come in and see him right away. Meanwhile, Pam and Allison bustled about with me and the baby. Pam was worried because after I pushed the placenta I was still bleeding quite heavily. I was given shepherd’s purse and a shot of pitocin. She looked at my placenta for something missing. She told me to pray, I told her to tell Jeff to pray. I knew the bleeding would stop. I was not concerned. I was redressed and told pee. I couldn’t remember how! They tried to put a catheter in but I was so swollen that they couldn’t insert it (this all was done to stop the bleeding). I asked to be put in a warm shower so I could pee. The warm water helped and I was able to pee. The bleeding stopped. While Pam and Allison cleaned up, cleaned me, checked the baby (who was nursing like pro), my mom brought milkshakes in. I really think my mom got a kick out of the whole homebirth!
Things I love about my homebirth; my mom being there (which is funny because I didn’t want her there before), having my other kids meet their brother just 15 minutes after he was born, not having to worry if they would try to give him shots or take him away for long periods of time for tests, and best of all that we were home when it was all done.
I definitely will always have my babies at home.
).
