Here's our birth story!
Wednesday night I was pretty disappointed that all my prodromal labor seemed to be getting me nowhere. The next morning was my 41 week appointment and I was discouraged at the probability that we were going to elect to have my membranes stripped. DH (TJ) and I decided to DTD one last time to see if that would help ripen anything before my appointment. I went to bed at 11pm, discouraged that it hadn't done much. At 1am I woke with some serious cramping and figured it was something that was not agreeing with my stomach. I continued to wake up through the night with strong cramping- but did not associate them as contractions. At 5am I finally got up to get into the shower because they were getting extremely uncomfortable.
As I was getting out of the shower I realized I'd had five cramps while I was in the shower- maybe I should start timing them. I went to the bathroom and saw some bloody show. I text my mom and signed onto MDC to alert a close group of friends (MMF!) and started timing. The cramps began to have very noticeable peaks and rythyms and were about five minutes apart.
I called my midwife to let her know I could TELL this was it... but that I was probably going to have a ways ahead of me. She said to call her back when things got a little more intense or if anything new happened.
My doula came and the babysitter for the kids. TJ and I worked through the contractions and MAJOR back labor/burning. I felt so great in between and just hung out with people. We played cards and laughed and talked (I love using the Bradley Method!) and around 3pm I was having to break a lot from playing Skip-Bo to work through the contractions. I asked if we could put it away and just focus on working through them. The contractions were double peaking and about two minutes apart at that point. My doula got concerned because things obviously took a turn for the MUCH quicker. She called my midwife and said it was definetely time to head out.
It was snowing very hard outside and the freeways were covered in ice through the passes... so my midwife had a definite challenge ahead of her. (I however thought it was very romantic!
)
A half hour later I started getting very nauseous. Internally I knew I was progressed WAY too far at that point and started to prepare things. I handed my doula my birth kit with all its supplies and gave her the shower curtain to put under the sheet on my bed. I turned the heat up in the house and gave blankets, washcloths and baby clothes to my birth team. (Which at that time consisted of my mom, babysitter, doula, and TJ.) I then excused myself to our bedroom and worked through the contractions there. At 4pm I started feeling kind of pushy and my doula kept applying warm compresses to my perineum. We were trying to hold out for my midwife to get there as she was still stuck in traffic in the snow storm. At 4:30 my doula told me to go ahead and bear down as I felt like I wanted. She helped guide me to ease Jasmine out... and
Jasmine Rayne Ducette entered the world at 4:42 pm.
She latched on in the first ten minutes and actively nursed for a half hour. My midwife arrived shortly after she started nursing and immediately after I passed my placenta.
Everything went wonderfully, no tears! I certainly wasn't expecting a sort of UC in the middle of a snowstorm- but it was such a beautiful experience! And I am so excited to have a girl!!! Pics to follow....
Wednesday night I was pretty disappointed that all my prodromal labor seemed to be getting me nowhere. The next morning was my 41 week appointment and I was discouraged at the probability that we were going to elect to have my membranes stripped. DH (TJ) and I decided to DTD one last time to see if that would help ripen anything before my appointment. I went to bed at 11pm, discouraged that it hadn't done much. At 1am I woke with some serious cramping and figured it was something that was not agreeing with my stomach. I continued to wake up through the night with strong cramping- but did not associate them as contractions. At 5am I finally got up to get into the shower because they were getting extremely uncomfortable.
As I was getting out of the shower I realized I'd had five cramps while I was in the shower- maybe I should start timing them. I went to the bathroom and saw some bloody show. I text my mom and signed onto MDC to alert a close group of friends (MMF!) and started timing. The cramps began to have very noticeable peaks and rythyms and were about five minutes apart.
I called my midwife to let her know I could TELL this was it... but that I was probably going to have a ways ahead of me. She said to call her back when things got a little more intense or if anything new happened.
My doula came and the babysitter for the kids. TJ and I worked through the contractions and MAJOR back labor/burning. I felt so great in between and just hung out with people. We played cards and laughed and talked (I love using the Bradley Method!) and around 3pm I was having to break a lot from playing Skip-Bo to work through the contractions. I asked if we could put it away and just focus on working through them. The contractions were double peaking and about two minutes apart at that point. My doula got concerned because things obviously took a turn for the MUCH quicker. She called my midwife and said it was definetely time to head out.
It was snowing very hard outside and the freeways were covered in ice through the passes... so my midwife had a definite challenge ahead of her. (I however thought it was very romantic!
)A half hour later I started getting very nauseous. Internally I knew I was progressed WAY too far at that point and started to prepare things. I handed my doula my birth kit with all its supplies and gave her the shower curtain to put under the sheet on my bed. I turned the heat up in the house and gave blankets, washcloths and baby clothes to my birth team. (Which at that time consisted of my mom, babysitter, doula, and TJ.) I then excused myself to our bedroom and worked through the contractions there. At 4pm I started feeling kind of pushy and my doula kept applying warm compresses to my perineum. We were trying to hold out for my midwife to get there as she was still stuck in traffic in the snow storm. At 4:30 my doula told me to go ahead and bear down as I felt like I wanted. She helped guide me to ease Jasmine out... and
Jasmine Rayne Ducette entered the world at 4:42 pm.
She latched on in the first ten minutes and actively nursed for a half hour. My midwife arrived shortly after she started nursing and immediately after I passed my placenta.
Everything went wonderfully, no tears! I certainly wasn't expecting a sort of UC in the middle of a snowstorm- but it was such a beautiful experience!
And I am so excited to have a girl!!! Pics to follow....
: A snowstorm baby. 
