The interesting, surreal, unexpected memories of birth...

[hislittlelambs]

Thought maybe this could help us pass some waiting time...

So...upon reflecting on my ds's HB (almost 2 years ago, wowee!) I remembered something that was so surreal at the time and took me completely by surprise, yet was also super duper cool...

I remember being in the birth pool, about 15 minutes after birth...we'd had our bonding/greeting time and DH just got out and toweled off, and took babe so i could get out (the water was cooling and I wanted to birth the placenta onland)...I remember sitting there, waiting for a towel and looking around the pool...and low and behold ds's completely intact (except for the little hole in one end where he had been born through it) water bag comes floating by! (he was born in the caul, at least his head was, then as he came out i think he came right out of the caul at the same time) anyway...it was completely intact and full of water just under the surface of the pool, floating by. strangest sight i had ever seen, i guess because it was so unexpected....

but also the coolest thing i had ever seen! It gave me a real idea of how it must have looked within me, the size and everything, since it was full of water from the pool itself....just missing a baby inside it. i almost took a picture of it, except it was such a clear color it was almost hard to make out against the cloudy water of the pool, so i decided not to mess with it (plus i was ready to see my new prize again!) now i kind of wish i had at least TRIED to get a picture of it.

(keep in mind, my 2 births previous were hospital births, where i never even knew i had an option to look at my own placenta, so getting to see an intact waterbag also full of water was really surreal to me)

There was also laughter during transition...something i never would have expected was possible.

What about you guys...in your most recent births, or in ones passed...what are some of your most unexpected, surreal memories?

[ambotchka]

Wow, that is awesome. I saw the caul and placenta at my last birth, which was in a Naval hospital. They asked if I wanted to see it and I was like, "uh, sure," and the midwife said, "see? your baby girl was in here." She stretched it open and it was really cool. Then she showed me the placenta. Also very cool.

But nothing beats your story!

[Patchfire]

Ds's head was born for a good three minutes before the rest of his body. During that time, he started crying. Meanwhile, he was still kicking me. It was so very strange, to have physical evidence of him both still part of me and also not a part of me! Talk about your liminal states.

[snowgirl]

Surreal is how I would explain DD's birth. Her whole body came out in one push(no push, head, push again, body). And it felt so weird to be holding her. Then, bf'ing a few minutes later. It was a wild ride!!! I instantly become a mother. I remember looking down at my belly when getting out of the tub and it was deflated. So, very cool!

[chisub]

Wow, how cool!

Patchfire-I'm hoping for a waterbirth, but that kind of scares me that he was crying before being born. I think I know the answer to this already, but if they are in water does that "trick" them into not taking those first breaths quite yet?

[Patchfire]

Originally Posted by chisub

Wow, how cool!

Patchfire-I'm hoping for a waterbirth, but that kind of scares me that he was crying before being born. I think I know the answer to this already, but if they are in water does that "trick" them into not taking those first breaths quite yet?

Yeah, basically as long as they aren't hit by the air or water that is WAY outside their comfort range, it doesn't trigger the breathing reflex to start. That said, I have seen some water birth videos where they waited a long time (30-60 seconds) to bring the baby up after the entire baby was born, which makes me personally uncomfortable. If I had been in the water (instead of above it), I doubt I would have waited for another contraction to push the body out.

[OkiMom]

The most surreal part of DD's birth was actually about 2 hours afterwards, I finally got into the maternity ward and they brought DD into the room behind me. I looked over and saw it and realized that I was a mother.. For some reason it hadn't hit me until then that I had just given birth.

[two bricks shy]

I remember after DD was born and the enternity it seemed to take while the NICU folks were suctioning meconium they FINALLY brought her to me. She, the docs, and DH were in an alcove where they worked and I was trying to climb off to be with her while trying to birth the placenta.

DH and I started talking to her as they were holding her up coming towards us.
I remember saying "Hey Big Girl"
She looked right at us and smiled the biggest baby smile you've ever seen.

No one will ever convince me that was just "gas."

and now I'm all bawling again (but good happy tears).

[hislittlelambs]

i ditto what Patchfire says. Our midwife is very handsoff for waterbirth as she puts it "no one really knows exactly what triggers the breathing reflex except for some sort of outside stimulation...so I don't usually give perineal support, or touch the head at all as it emerges in the pool just in precaution to not stimulate the child..." it was awesome with ds. i had felt like the pool was MY space anyway, so to not have her hands down there feeling for a cord or putting pressure on the head at all was really nice by me! it also gave dh the full chance he needed to catch baby all himself. (something he hungered for with dd#2, but the OB laughed at his request to "help" catch)

Patchfire- ic an't even imagine how surreal that must have been, having him both in and dependant on you still, yet out and breathing his own air! and the kicking!! gosh that is something i hope to not experience, kicking from within during labor!!! UGH!

2 bricks shy- your story completely brought tears to my eyes! how compeltely sweet!!!

[buckysprplmonkey]

DD#1: She was a 37 weeker who had some temp control issues at first so the shuttled her off to the nursery just a minute or two after I got to hold her. Then I didn't see her for 6 hours or something ridiculous like that. That day was just bizarre, then all the sudden, they wheeled in the tiny bed and it all sunk in.

DD#2: In preparing for Bradley birth (after the first birth, there was no way I was going near a hospital if I didn't have to), I remember we heard about the funny things women say sometimes in transition and thinking I'd never say anything that goofy. Then I hit transition and was trying to talk my husband into taking me home, I didn't want to do it anymore, lol. And part of me was saying, "hey, stupid, it's a little late now." but I genuinely wanted to leave the birth center and go home and forget about having another baby, lol.

DS: The whole pregnancy was surreal with him, ha ha. The delivery, especially so because I thought the hospital food just hadn't agreed with me at dinner, then half an hour later, they are telling me his foot's out and we're having the baby NOW. The most surreal thing though actually happened Saturday. I went back to work after four months off and it was as if four months of my life had just been sucked into some strange black hole and I was suddenly back at "normal," only with one more child. I don't even know how to describe it.