Phew! I finally have a minute to do this!
Daniel Shane Aquila was born at 3:41am on Friday, June 6th at a small local hospital. I was admitted on Thursday evening after a couple of days of leaking amniotic fluid without progressing into active labour. I was kind of stuck in early labour, which would have been fine if it weren't for the risk of infection that ruptured membranes can pose.
So -- you guessed it -- they started me on pitocin and penicillin and everything went fairly rapidly from there. I felt I had no wise choice but to go ahead with the pitocin and antibiotics, so I chose to see them as a blessing and let go of my concern.
My own contractions were moved up significantly by the pitocin and the whole active labour/delivery lasted about 8 hours. No epidural or other interventions, and no problems with that pesky low-lying placenta or worisome single umbilcal artery cord. As the doctor said later, I could have given birth in a field.
The lovely thing was that the hospital staff basically left us alone. It was pretty much me, my partner Johanne, and our amazing doula, Rivka Cymbalist. We created our own atmosphere and brought that baby into the world the way I needed to, not the way the hospital or doctors might usually see. In fact I would have birthed the babe with just Johanne and Rivka in the room had the nurse not walked in a realized I was only minutes from the birth. She was hysterical: "Stop pushing right now!!" As if, lady. You try holding a train in place!
So he was born as I crouched on the bed, and I pulled him from myself and they left us alone to bond and breastfeed and marvel. And then we went home a few hours later so we could be with our three-year-old as well.
Daniel is perfect and I am so grateful and blessed.
I so look forward to reading other birth posts when I have a minute (which seems like never, with a 3-year old competing with the newborn).
May we all have happy endings.
Daniel Shane Aquila was born at 3:41am on Friday, June 6th at a small local hospital. I was admitted on Thursday evening after a couple of days of leaking amniotic fluid without progressing into active labour. I was kind of stuck in early labour, which would have been fine if it weren't for the risk of infection that ruptured membranes can pose.
So -- you guessed it -- they started me on pitocin and penicillin and everything went fairly rapidly from there. I felt I had no wise choice but to go ahead with the pitocin and antibiotics, so I chose to see them as a blessing and let go of my concern.
My own contractions were moved up significantly by the pitocin and the whole active labour/delivery lasted about 8 hours. No epidural or other interventions, and no problems with that pesky low-lying placenta or worisome single umbilcal artery cord. As the doctor said later, I could have given birth in a field.
The lovely thing was that the hospital staff basically left us alone. It was pretty much me, my partner Johanne, and our amazing doula, Rivka Cymbalist. We created our own atmosphere and brought that baby into the world the way I needed to, not the way the hospital or doctors might usually see. In fact I would have birthed the babe with just Johanne and Rivka in the room had the nurse not walked in a realized I was only minutes from the birth. She was hysterical: "Stop pushing right now!!" As if, lady. You try holding a train in place!
So he was born as I crouched on the bed, and I pulled him from myself and they left us alone to bond and breastfeed and marvel. And then we went home a few hours later so we could be with our three-year-old as well.
Daniel is perfect and I am so grateful and blessed.
I so look forward to reading other birth posts when I have a minute (which seems like never, with a 3-year old competing with the newborn).
May we all have happy endings.
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