candiland
06-10-2003, 07:37 AM
On December 8, 1999, I gave birth to Kali Dawn in the comfort of my own home.
My labor started on December 6, only I didn't realize I was actually in labor. I had experienced so many Braxton-Hicks contractions leading up to my labor that I just figured it was a big tease! I experienced a lot of mild cramping all day long, and they continued throughout the night. I knew from the Bradley classes I had attended that it could go on like that for a week or more, so I tried to ignore it and go about my normal activities. On December 7 the contractions were still coming regularly, so at around 5:00pm, I decided I should call my midwife just to let her know "something" might be happening. She assured me that it was probably nothing, that I could go on like this for a week or more, but to call her if anything changed. My husband and I decided to finish up our Christmas shopping. By the time I started driving us to the mall, the contractions were very strong and regular. They didn't really bother me, though; my husband kept me laughing so my mind was elsewhere. When we arrived, we ate pizza topped with spicy red peppers and strolled the mall for a couple of hours until I had to sit down with the force of each contraction. I remember leaving the mall and gazing up the starry sky as another contraction swept over me; "We're having this baby tonight," I said confidently. Hubby kept me laughing so hard the whole ride home I couldn't tell if it was the contractions or the laughter that made my stomach hurt.
When we got home, I laid on the sofa and watched some television. Suddenly I had a tremendous contraction engulf my body. I called my husband downstairs and he put on the song "Dark Star" as surge after surge swept my body; I was making the most primitive of sounds as I moaned loudly through every one. He called his mother and the midwife as I hobbled into the bathroom; I had a tremendous feeling overcome me like I had to have a bowel movement, and as soon as I sat down, I got sick in our trashcan. I thought to myself over and over again, "What if I'm only two centimeters? What in the h*ll am I going to do?"
When everyone arrived, my husband helped me into our bed. The midwife checked my dilatation and announced that I could start pushing! I was overjoyed, because I felt like I had to push so badly that I was almost in tears. I pushed for about three and a half hours in all sorts of positions: squatting, on the birthing stool, on the toilet, and when I did not make good progress in the upright positions, the midwife suggested I lie down in bed. Amazingly enough, it allowed Kali to descend the birth canal a little bit easier, and at 2:52 am, with my midwife, husband, and mother-in-law as witness, I gave birth to Kali Dawn. All eight pounds, three ounces of her. The moon was shining down through the bedroom window just like I had visualized it for months; I gazed up at the stars as her head emerged.
Technically my labor was 36 hours long, but it wasn't uncomfortable until the very end. I am due with #2 in May, and I am overjoyed at the thought of giving birth again. I may not "get a medal" for going natural, but for me, it was the most satisfying and empowering experience of my entire life. I wouldn't change it for anything in this world!
SKYLAR JUPITER
I birthed Skylar Jupiter at home on May 15, 2002, using the same midwife.
I was still nursing Kali at 20 months when I got pregnant with him, but still hadn't had a postpartum menses. We figured he was due in May sometime, but never had an exact due date.
For a couple of weeks, I experienced prodromal labor. Contractions would start and become more and more frequent for hours, then stop altogether. Finally, at 4 am. on the 15th, they came on quite strongly every ten minutes or so. Because the midwife hadn't arrived until I was pushing last time, she wanted me to give her a heads-up so it wouldn't happen again. I called her later that morning, and gave her the go-ahead to do prenatals in the neighboring state of Virginia.
My husband went and picked up his mom so she could be present with Kali at the birth. I spent the day scrubbing, cleaning, and puttering around as the contractions gained in intensity and frequency. Finally, around dinnertime, I told Karen that she should come over. The contractions were happening every two to three minutes.
She came and asked if I wanted to be checked; I said yes, and I was elated to find myself 7 centimeters! She told us to sterilize her instruments and take a walk, and to wake her up from her nap if we needed her. My hubby and I walked around and around the neighborhood; every time a contraction came on, I'd walk really, really fast and it would lessen the pain.
A little while later, we went home and I paced a path through our house as my hubby watched Animal Planet. We were both laughing as I heaved my huge body back and forth, back and forth, as fast as it would possibly carry me. Every time I'd walk past my MIL and daughter, my daughter would say, "oooh, mommy's going to have the baby!" I drank tons of Gatorade throughout my walk.
I wondered if getting in my bathtub was a good idea. I got in, and it was a very bad idea. The minute I stopped moving I felt utterly, totally trapped. Yet, since I was in the throes of transition, I felt unable to move to get out of the tub! I finally insisted that I was feeling really pushy... my hubby went and got the midwife and she told me to give little grunty pushes until the urge hit me full force. I got out of the tub and did what so many of my doula clients did... I wrapped my arms around his neck and dangled, slow dancing through the contractions.
I finally semi-reclined on my bed; the midwife checked the baby's heartrate and it was fine. I was pushing with everything I had; 20 minutes later, Skylar was crowning.
He came out blue and floppy. While he laid on my chest, the midwife continually checked his heartones while performing mouth-to-mouth as I held an oxygen tube under his nose. I talked to him, crooned to him, told his little body that everything was okay, that he was home, that there was no reason to be scared. He gradually started to pinken up and nurse.
Then I started to hemmorhage pretty badly. My midwife gave me Arnica tablets, Methargin tablets, a shot of Pitocin... and she swept clots out from behind my cervix. I nursed the babe the whole time while she massaged my uterus. It gradually ceased.
We thought the name Skye was perfect for this 9#4oz. boy who came out Sky Blue!
He was born on May 15, 2002. We celebrated his first birthday last month. He is the happiest, chunkiest little man in the world... I thank God that my birth was non-interventitive and we both turned out totally untraumatized.
My labor started on December 6, only I didn't realize I was actually in labor. I had experienced so many Braxton-Hicks contractions leading up to my labor that I just figured it was a big tease! I experienced a lot of mild cramping all day long, and they continued throughout the night. I knew from the Bradley classes I had attended that it could go on like that for a week or more, so I tried to ignore it and go about my normal activities. On December 7 the contractions were still coming regularly, so at around 5:00pm, I decided I should call my midwife just to let her know "something" might be happening. She assured me that it was probably nothing, that I could go on like this for a week or more, but to call her if anything changed. My husband and I decided to finish up our Christmas shopping. By the time I started driving us to the mall, the contractions were very strong and regular. They didn't really bother me, though; my husband kept me laughing so my mind was elsewhere. When we arrived, we ate pizza topped with spicy red peppers and strolled the mall for a couple of hours until I had to sit down with the force of each contraction. I remember leaving the mall and gazing up the starry sky as another contraction swept over me; "We're having this baby tonight," I said confidently. Hubby kept me laughing so hard the whole ride home I couldn't tell if it was the contractions or the laughter that made my stomach hurt.
When we got home, I laid on the sofa and watched some television. Suddenly I had a tremendous contraction engulf my body. I called my husband downstairs and he put on the song "Dark Star" as surge after surge swept my body; I was making the most primitive of sounds as I moaned loudly through every one. He called his mother and the midwife as I hobbled into the bathroom; I had a tremendous feeling overcome me like I had to have a bowel movement, and as soon as I sat down, I got sick in our trashcan. I thought to myself over and over again, "What if I'm only two centimeters? What in the h*ll am I going to do?"
When everyone arrived, my husband helped me into our bed. The midwife checked my dilatation and announced that I could start pushing! I was overjoyed, because I felt like I had to push so badly that I was almost in tears. I pushed for about three and a half hours in all sorts of positions: squatting, on the birthing stool, on the toilet, and when I did not make good progress in the upright positions, the midwife suggested I lie down in bed. Amazingly enough, it allowed Kali to descend the birth canal a little bit easier, and at 2:52 am, with my midwife, husband, and mother-in-law as witness, I gave birth to Kali Dawn. All eight pounds, three ounces of her. The moon was shining down through the bedroom window just like I had visualized it for months; I gazed up at the stars as her head emerged.
Technically my labor was 36 hours long, but it wasn't uncomfortable until the very end. I am due with #2 in May, and I am overjoyed at the thought of giving birth again. I may not "get a medal" for going natural, but for me, it was the most satisfying and empowering experience of my entire life. I wouldn't change it for anything in this world!
SKYLAR JUPITER
I birthed Skylar Jupiter at home on May 15, 2002, using the same midwife.
I was still nursing Kali at 20 months when I got pregnant with him, but still hadn't had a postpartum menses. We figured he was due in May sometime, but never had an exact due date.
For a couple of weeks, I experienced prodromal labor. Contractions would start and become more and more frequent for hours, then stop altogether. Finally, at 4 am. on the 15th, they came on quite strongly every ten minutes or so. Because the midwife hadn't arrived until I was pushing last time, she wanted me to give her a heads-up so it wouldn't happen again. I called her later that morning, and gave her the go-ahead to do prenatals in the neighboring state of Virginia.
My husband went and picked up his mom so she could be present with Kali at the birth. I spent the day scrubbing, cleaning, and puttering around as the contractions gained in intensity and frequency. Finally, around dinnertime, I told Karen that she should come over. The contractions were happening every two to three minutes.
She came and asked if I wanted to be checked; I said yes, and I was elated to find myself 7 centimeters! She told us to sterilize her instruments and take a walk, and to wake her up from her nap if we needed her. My hubby and I walked around and around the neighborhood; every time a contraction came on, I'd walk really, really fast and it would lessen the pain.
A little while later, we went home and I paced a path through our house as my hubby watched Animal Planet. We were both laughing as I heaved my huge body back and forth, back and forth, as fast as it would possibly carry me. Every time I'd walk past my MIL and daughter, my daughter would say, "oooh, mommy's going to have the baby!" I drank tons of Gatorade throughout my walk.
I wondered if getting in my bathtub was a good idea. I got in, and it was a very bad idea. The minute I stopped moving I felt utterly, totally trapped. Yet, since I was in the throes of transition, I felt unable to move to get out of the tub! I finally insisted that I was feeling really pushy... my hubby went and got the midwife and she told me to give little grunty pushes until the urge hit me full force. I got out of the tub and did what so many of my doula clients did... I wrapped my arms around his neck and dangled, slow dancing through the contractions.
I finally semi-reclined on my bed; the midwife checked the baby's heartrate and it was fine. I was pushing with everything I had; 20 minutes later, Skylar was crowning.
He came out blue and floppy. While he laid on my chest, the midwife continually checked his heartones while performing mouth-to-mouth as I held an oxygen tube under his nose. I talked to him, crooned to him, told his little body that everything was okay, that he was home, that there was no reason to be scared. He gradually started to pinken up and nurse.
Then I started to hemmorhage pretty badly. My midwife gave me Arnica tablets, Methargin tablets, a shot of Pitocin... and she swept clots out from behind my cervix. I nursed the babe the whole time while she massaged my uterus. It gradually ceased.
We thought the name Skye was perfect for this 9#4oz. boy who came out Sky Blue!
He was born on May 15, 2002. We celebrated his first birthday last month. He is the happiest, chunkiest little man in the world... I thank God that my birth was non-interventitive and we both turned out totally untraumatized.