I will try to keep this short...
Started having bloody show Sunday AM. Husband went shopping in L.A. for the morning and I stayed home with DD and picked up the house and made cookies. No contractions. Monday I will still having bloody mucus, we stayed home and cleaned house. That night I got a strong urge to polish our kitchen sink. I knew I could NOT have a baby with spotty stainless steel (btw, if you're in the market for a new sink don't get stainless.) So I cleaned it up nicely and immediately contractions started.
My husband and DD went to bed (we cosleep) around 10 and I stayed up, in and our of the shower/bath and walking around in the living room and kitchen. Contractions were really painful but doable. They were about every 5-6 minutes apart. Around 2 or 3 I threw up everywhere so I was positive I was in labor. I got into the shower and vomited again (this is my reaction to debilitating pain.) Husband and DD were still in bed but I woke my husband up to call midwife around 4 AM and let her know I was in labor. We agreed that she would come at 5 AM. She actually showed up around 5:45.
I was pretty miserable at that point, laying on the couch and complaining a lot. My contractions were still only 5 or 6 minutes apart but very strong. She checked me at 6:15 AM and I was only 4.5 cms. Great. I was pissed. MW wanted me to get up and walk around to get things moving, because she could see how tired and miserable I was, but I just could not move. I dozed between contractions. About 30 minutes later I felt a lot of pressure and she cheked me again. 7.5 cms! I went to the bathroom to pee. I labored in there, squatting, for a couple more contractions which were really, really intense. She checked me at around 7:15 and I was at 9.5 cms. Still, my contractions were only 5 minutes apart.
I never had a traditional "transition." My contractions never got very close together. They just got harder. I stayed in the bathroom and I went from 4.5 to 10 cms in about 90 minutes. At 7:45 she said I could push. I refused. It hurt too badly and I didn't have a strong urge. I was scared of the pain, I was screaming through contractions. I said I didn't want the baby and I was not going to push (but I did.) When he crowned I pushed like hell and screamed for the midwife to "Just get him the hell out of me!!" She said, "I am going to help you get this baby out, but not in a way that will wreck your body! Stop pushing so hard for a minute!" Then he was out and it was all good.
I didn't want to push the placenta out because, frankly, I was scared and just did not want to do any more pushing. I was relieved when it didn't hurt at all.
The funny thing is that my daughter was born 2 days before her due date, and weighed 6 lbs 11 oz. This baby was a full week before his and weighed 8 lbs 2 oz! And my uterus measured "behind" the whole last 6 weeks of my pregnancy too - it never got above 35 cms. I even had to have an ultrasound at 37 weeks just to check size and make sure he was doing okay.
I was scared to have a son. But I adore him. I love him. I am so glad I had a boy
I thought I'd feel prouder of myself or more self righteous about having a natural home birth - I don't. Having done it both ways I don't blame anyone for wanting an epidural, although I would recommend home birth for anyone who was interested. I am not sure which way I'd do it if we have a third child, but I am really glad I had both experiences. The best part about my home birth was that I was never separated from my daughter - she went to my mom's for a couple of hours and came home to a new brother
Started having bloody show Sunday AM. Husband went shopping in L.A. for the morning and I stayed home with DD and picked up the house and made cookies. No contractions. Monday I will still having bloody mucus, we stayed home and cleaned house. That night I got a strong urge to polish our kitchen sink. I knew I could NOT have a baby with spotty stainless steel (btw, if you're in the market for a new sink don't get stainless.) So I cleaned it up nicely and immediately contractions started.
My husband and DD went to bed (we cosleep) around 10 and I stayed up, in and our of the shower/bath and walking around in the living room and kitchen. Contractions were really painful but doable. They were about every 5-6 minutes apart. Around 2 or 3 I threw up everywhere so I was positive I was in labor. I got into the shower and vomited again (this is my reaction to debilitating pain.) Husband and DD were still in bed but I woke my husband up to call midwife around 4 AM and let her know I was in labor. We agreed that she would come at 5 AM. She actually showed up around 5:45.
I was pretty miserable at that point, laying on the couch and complaining a lot. My contractions were still only 5 or 6 minutes apart but very strong. She checked me at 6:15 AM and I was only 4.5 cms. Great. I was pissed. MW wanted me to get up and walk around to get things moving, because she could see how tired and miserable I was, but I just could not move. I dozed between contractions. About 30 minutes later I felt a lot of pressure and she cheked me again. 7.5 cms! I went to the bathroom to pee. I labored in there, squatting, for a couple more contractions which were really, really intense. She checked me at around 7:15 and I was at 9.5 cms. Still, my contractions were only 5 minutes apart.
I never had a traditional "transition." My contractions never got very close together. They just got harder. I stayed in the bathroom and I went from 4.5 to 10 cms in about 90 minutes. At 7:45 she said I could push. I refused. It hurt too badly and I didn't have a strong urge. I was scared of the pain, I was screaming through contractions. I said I didn't want the baby and I was not going to push (but I did.) When he crowned I pushed like hell and screamed for the midwife to "Just get him the hell out of me!!" She said, "I am going to help you get this baby out, but not in a way that will wreck your body! Stop pushing so hard for a minute!" Then he was out and it was all good.
I didn't want to push the placenta out because, frankly, I was scared and just did not want to do any more pushing. I was relieved when it didn't hurt at all.
The funny thing is that my daughter was born 2 days before her due date, and weighed 6 lbs 11 oz. This baby was a full week before his and weighed 8 lbs 2 oz! And my uterus measured "behind" the whole last 6 weeks of my pregnancy too - it never got above 35 cms. I even had to have an ultrasound at 37 weeks just to check size and make sure he was doing okay.
I was scared to have a son. But I adore him. I love him. I am so glad I had a boy
I thought I'd feel prouder of myself or more self righteous about having a natural home birth - I don't. Having done it both ways I don't blame anyone for wanting an epidural, although I would recommend home birth for anyone who was interested. I am not sure which way I'd do it if we have a third child, but I am really glad I had both experiences. The best part about my home birth was that I was never separated from my daughter - she went to my mom's for a couple of hours and came home to a new brother 
being 7 days overdue so far is making me kinda anxious about everything...
