Beth
07-17-2003, 12:00 AM
When I was about 38 weeks my dad and sister and brother came from CO to visit. They brought with them one of my mom's labor pools that she rents to clients. They left after a few days and my mom came around the time I was due March 30th. I was due on April 2nd. Well April 2nd, a Monday, came and went. I was anxious to get this baby here while my mom was in town, but my midwife didn't want to use any artificial means of starting labor. She said my first labor had been very intense b/c we used Evening Primrose Oil on my cervix.
On Friday I felt like I had a few contractions. They were about 15 minutes apart for awhile. Mom checked me and I was about 3-4 cm dialated. We went to IHOP for dinner to get the strawberry crepes I was craving. We called my midwife to tell her that I maybe starting labor. During dinner the contractions stopped. Mom filled the labor pool when we got home anyway, just in case.
Saturday and Sunday came and went. Sunday night I told my mom that we were going to use the EPO anyway. She placed about 2 capsules worth on my cervix just before I went to bed. I woke up Monday morning, NOTHING!!!:confused:
We were expecting the local furniture store to deliver new couches that we had ordered. I called them around 8:45am to see when to expect them. I was told they were on their way. I was sitting at the kitchen table when I had my first contraction about 9:05. I thought- okay that was a contraction! I got up to put a load of laundry in the machine. About 5 minutes later another contraction!! They weren't painful but I could definitely feel them. They kept coming every 5 minutes, but I didn't want to get dh and Mom excited yet. When the furniture arrived it was 9:30. The contractions were consistantly 5 minutes apart. I was in a hurry to get the mover guys out of my house so I could tell Mom and dh that I was in labor. They got excited. Moments after I told them my midwife called to see if anything was happening. I hadn't talked to her since Friday night. She said she gets an adrenaline rush just before most of her clients start. She had that rush so thought she should call. I told her that I had been having contractions every 5 minutes for almost an hour. She said to call her when we wanted her to get on her way.
Mom checked me and dh called SIL to watch dd#1 who was 20 months at the time. Dh and I drove over to SIL's house to drop off dd#1 and while we were there the contractions were strong enough that I had to sit through them. So at about 10:45a we said good-bye and were on our way back home. Mom had made some food when we got back. I called my sister in CA to talk to her. I remember she was very chatty and I just wanted to get off the phone so I could concentrate on my contractions. I ate a dinner roll with turkey and cheese around noon. It was very good as I felt sooo hungry by this time. As soon as I was done I wanted to go lay down in bed. Dh and I had planned for and practice Hypnobirthing. We relaxed on the bed for quite awhile. I didn't feel like the Hypnobirthing was working. I didn't get hypnotized as I had before when we practiced. I was frustrated and told dh to forget it. I felt like I was losing it with every contraction. Mom tried a foot massage but it didn't calm me like it had with my first labor.
At one point, time gets blurry around this time, I started transition. I threw up the dinner roll and had to sit on the toilet for quite awhile. All this time dh and Mom were saying how I was doing soooo well. I wanted to scream to them, that I wasn't. I was just about to go crazy, the contractions hurt sooooo bad. Mom said that it seemed that I was in transition cause of the nausea and diarrhea, but that my contractions were only 15 to 20 second long and about 2 minutes apart. She thought that labor would be a bit longer still b/c my contractions had to get longer. Cathy, my midwife, called again just before 1pm. Mom said I was still in bed. Cathy said to call when we needed her. I was so nice to have my mom there to take care of the details so dh and I could try to labor together.
I hung my arms over dh's shoulders while he squatted in front of the toilet. Mom checked me when I got off the toilet to get back in bed. I was a 6 so she called my midwife and said she start on her way. That was 1pm (Mom kept a detailed time chart; AWESOME!) Cathy, my midwife, got there about 1:45pm with her assistant Jezel. She came in to see me and ask how I was doing. I didn't know. Another sign of me in transition, I cannot decide on anything, even how I am feeling!!:p She asked if I wanted to get in the pool. I didn't know:) I undressed to my sports bra and got in the pool about 2 pm. Dh got on his swimming trunks and got in with me. I was just about dialated to this point. I remember smiling at him and laughing b/c he was soooo hot in the pool but I felt great. The pool masked a couple of contractions which was very nice. After about 30 minutes in the pool I was fully dialated and Cathy asked if I wanted her to break the water bag. I still didn't know. So she reached in popped it. I started to push. Cathy turned to Jezel and my mom and asked who was going to catch this baby. Mom said she wanted to. Cathy said, "Well, you'd better get in there b/c here she comes!" Mom didn't think it was going to be that fast but she reached down into the water and pulled out baby Meg at about 2:43pm. (She didn't pull her out of me, I pushed her out in about 3 pushes, but she pulled her out of the water) She place Meg on my chest and I tried to nurse. Meg wasn't really interested in nursing. She was tired. Cathy's other assistant Tara suggested dh and I get out of the pool so they could monitor my bleeding. We were both more than happy to get out of the pool that was quickly filling with blood. Meg and I laid out on some plastic covered in towels for a minute. Then when I realize Meg was going to sleep I wanted to get to bed. We moved to my bed where Cathy and Mom weighed and measured Meg. Meg was soooo calm through it all. I don't remember her crying. She wimpered just enough for us to know she was doing well.
Meg has been a wonderful baby. She started smiling when she was 2 days old and hasn't quit. She is now 2 yos.
I have had to work through some issues concerning my labor with Meg. It was much more difficult than I expected it would be. But I just finished reading Ina May Gaskin's newest book and I feel I am ready for my upcoming labor in December.
On Friday I felt like I had a few contractions. They were about 15 minutes apart for awhile. Mom checked me and I was about 3-4 cm dialated. We went to IHOP for dinner to get the strawberry crepes I was craving. We called my midwife to tell her that I maybe starting labor. During dinner the contractions stopped. Mom filled the labor pool when we got home anyway, just in case.
Saturday and Sunday came and went. Sunday night I told my mom that we were going to use the EPO anyway. She placed about 2 capsules worth on my cervix just before I went to bed. I woke up Monday morning, NOTHING!!!:confused:
We were expecting the local furniture store to deliver new couches that we had ordered. I called them around 8:45am to see when to expect them. I was told they were on their way. I was sitting at the kitchen table when I had my first contraction about 9:05. I thought- okay that was a contraction! I got up to put a load of laundry in the machine. About 5 minutes later another contraction!! They weren't painful but I could definitely feel them. They kept coming every 5 minutes, but I didn't want to get dh and Mom excited yet. When the furniture arrived it was 9:30. The contractions were consistantly 5 minutes apart. I was in a hurry to get the mover guys out of my house so I could tell Mom and dh that I was in labor. They got excited. Moments after I told them my midwife called to see if anything was happening. I hadn't talked to her since Friday night. She said she gets an adrenaline rush just before most of her clients start. She had that rush so thought she should call. I told her that I had been having contractions every 5 minutes for almost an hour. She said to call her when we wanted her to get on her way.
Mom checked me and dh called SIL to watch dd#1 who was 20 months at the time. Dh and I drove over to SIL's house to drop off dd#1 and while we were there the contractions were strong enough that I had to sit through them. So at about 10:45a we said good-bye and were on our way back home. Mom had made some food when we got back. I called my sister in CA to talk to her. I remember she was very chatty and I just wanted to get off the phone so I could concentrate on my contractions. I ate a dinner roll with turkey and cheese around noon. It was very good as I felt sooo hungry by this time. As soon as I was done I wanted to go lay down in bed. Dh and I had planned for and practice Hypnobirthing. We relaxed on the bed for quite awhile. I didn't feel like the Hypnobirthing was working. I didn't get hypnotized as I had before when we practiced. I was frustrated and told dh to forget it. I felt like I was losing it with every contraction. Mom tried a foot massage but it didn't calm me like it had with my first labor.
At one point, time gets blurry around this time, I started transition. I threw up the dinner roll and had to sit on the toilet for quite awhile. All this time dh and Mom were saying how I was doing soooo well. I wanted to scream to them, that I wasn't. I was just about to go crazy, the contractions hurt sooooo bad. Mom said that it seemed that I was in transition cause of the nausea and diarrhea, but that my contractions were only 15 to 20 second long and about 2 minutes apart. She thought that labor would be a bit longer still b/c my contractions had to get longer. Cathy, my midwife, called again just before 1pm. Mom said I was still in bed. Cathy said to call when we needed her. I was so nice to have my mom there to take care of the details so dh and I could try to labor together.
I hung my arms over dh's shoulders while he squatted in front of the toilet. Mom checked me when I got off the toilet to get back in bed. I was a 6 so she called my midwife and said she start on her way. That was 1pm (Mom kept a detailed time chart; AWESOME!) Cathy, my midwife, got there about 1:45pm with her assistant Jezel. She came in to see me and ask how I was doing. I didn't know. Another sign of me in transition, I cannot decide on anything, even how I am feeling!!:p She asked if I wanted to get in the pool. I didn't know:) I undressed to my sports bra and got in the pool about 2 pm. Dh got on his swimming trunks and got in with me. I was just about dialated to this point. I remember smiling at him and laughing b/c he was soooo hot in the pool but I felt great. The pool masked a couple of contractions which was very nice. After about 30 minutes in the pool I was fully dialated and Cathy asked if I wanted her to break the water bag. I still didn't know. So she reached in popped it. I started to push. Cathy turned to Jezel and my mom and asked who was going to catch this baby. Mom said she wanted to. Cathy said, "Well, you'd better get in there b/c here she comes!" Mom didn't think it was going to be that fast but she reached down into the water and pulled out baby Meg at about 2:43pm. (She didn't pull her out of me, I pushed her out in about 3 pushes, but she pulled her out of the water) She place Meg on my chest and I tried to nurse. Meg wasn't really interested in nursing. She was tired. Cathy's other assistant Tara suggested dh and I get out of the pool so they could monitor my bleeding. We were both more than happy to get out of the pool that was quickly filling with blood. Meg and I laid out on some plastic covered in towels for a minute. Then when I realize Meg was going to sleep I wanted to get to bed. We moved to my bed where Cathy and Mom weighed and measured Meg. Meg was soooo calm through it all. I don't remember her crying. She wimpered just enough for us to know she was doing well.
Meg has been a wonderful baby. She started smiling when she was 2 days old and hasn't quit. She is now 2 yos.
I have had to work through some issues concerning my labor with Meg. It was much more difficult than I expected it would be. But I just finished reading Ina May Gaskin's newest book and I feel I am ready for my upcoming labor in December.