Atticus Carver arrived on 10/19/07 - his due date. He was 8 lb, 2 oz and born at home. Here is a brief birth story:
Labor started at 5:30am after weeks of pre-labor signs. It was quite manageable and steady throughout the morning. At around 1:00pm I nursed my toddler down for a nap and that really got things going. Luckily she stayed asleep when I pulled her off the boob and left the room. I took a shower and immediately after my water broke on the bathroom floor. We called the midwives at that point. At close to 2pm labor was getting intense and I was getting heated and nauseous. I labored on the birth ball for awhile with a glass of water and puke bucket in front of me. I was there when the midwife and apprentice arrived. I was having pain go through my hips and legs during contractions and had a hard time getting relief from changing positions, although I was trying different things - hands and knees, standing/leaning, etc. We moved me to the bedroom so I could labor there and soon I had to use the bathroom. When I sat down to pee and poop (This was about my fourth poop of the day - the body really knows what it's doing to make room for that baby!) I had a contraction that was bulging my perineum and pushing pee and poop out of me. My midwives were on the other side of the door, but by my vocalizations they knew it was pushing time. They helped me back to bed and I tried a few different laboring positions, but couldn't get any relief from the pain. They checked the baby's heartbeat between a few contractions and then I had another one that was bulging my perineum. No one was quite ready so I put my hand down there and supported my own perineum while the midwife scrambled to get gloves on and the apprentice was going from bag to bag gathering supplies. I had one more reprieve and asked for a suggestion for another labor position to try for pain management. They suggested having DH hold my leg up while I labored on my left side. During the next contraction pain was shooting through my hips and leg and I told them to put my leg down, but they ignored me - they needed room to catch the baby. I felt the ring of fire and the baby's head (my hand was still down there), then as his head was emerging I yelled DD1's name. My mom brought her in to the room just after his head came out. They got to see his body born and everything after. He was born at about 3:45pm - a ten-hour labor. I was so pleased that DD saw the birth because we had prepared her for it and she was looking forward to it. She has been playing "midwife" since then and is doing fairly well adjusting to big sisterhood. I was glad my mom got to see it too. She had both of her children by planned c-section so has never experienced labor or natural childbirth. Everything post-partum has been going well and we are so glad because last time it didn't. We are enjoying getting to know this little guy!
Labor started at 5:30am after weeks of pre-labor signs. It was quite manageable and steady throughout the morning. At around 1:00pm I nursed my toddler down for a nap and that really got things going. Luckily she stayed asleep when I pulled her off the boob and left the room. I took a shower and immediately after my water broke on the bathroom floor. We called the midwives at that point. At close to 2pm labor was getting intense and I was getting heated and nauseous. I labored on the birth ball for awhile with a glass of water and puke bucket in front of me. I was there when the midwife and apprentice arrived. I was having pain go through my hips and legs during contractions and had a hard time getting relief from changing positions, although I was trying different things - hands and knees, standing/leaning, etc. We moved me to the bedroom so I could labor there and soon I had to use the bathroom. When I sat down to pee and poop (This was about my fourth poop of the day - the body really knows what it's doing to make room for that baby!) I had a contraction that was bulging my perineum and pushing pee and poop out of me. My midwives were on the other side of the door, but by my vocalizations they knew it was pushing time. They helped me back to bed and I tried a few different laboring positions, but couldn't get any relief from the pain. They checked the baby's heartbeat between a few contractions and then I had another one that was bulging my perineum. No one was quite ready so I put my hand down there and supported my own perineum while the midwife scrambled to get gloves on and the apprentice was going from bag to bag gathering supplies. I had one more reprieve and asked for a suggestion for another labor position to try for pain management. They suggested having DH hold my leg up while I labored on my left side. During the next contraction pain was shooting through my hips and leg and I told them to put my leg down, but they ignored me - they needed room to catch the baby. I felt the ring of fire and the baby's head (my hand was still down there), then as his head was emerging I yelled DD1's name. My mom brought her in to the room just after his head came out. They got to see his body born and everything after. He was born at about 3:45pm - a ten-hour labor. I was so pleased that DD saw the birth because we had prepared her for it and she was looking forward to it. She has been playing "midwife" since then and is doing fairly well adjusting to big sisterhood. I was glad my mom got to see it too. She had both of her children by planned c-section so has never experienced labor or natural childbirth. Everything post-partum has been going well and we are so glad because last time it didn't. We are enjoying getting to know this little guy!
:Congratulations!
