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Queer and Pregnant: April, May, and June

35K views 755 replies 47 participants last post by  seraf 
#1 ·
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Welcome queer and pregnant folks!
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This is the list for April, May, and June.
If you want to be added, just post in bold with your due date. Also, if you have recently had your babe(s), please chime in with the name and birth date in bold. If your information is not correct or has changed, please also post in bold so that I can get it corrected!!

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Pregnant
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July 2011

pigirl, EDD July 21
MizYellow, EDD July 25
AmyPDX, EDD July/Aug?

JesseW, EDD July 26

August 2011
AmandaHope, EDD August 3

Kredmon, EDD August 6

Crunchybug, EDD August 8

October 2011

Cakahy, EDD October 1

Starling&Diesel, EDD October 6

julietea8, EDD October 12

Escher, EDD October 27

November 2011

DAWNMP1, EDD November 1

seraf, EDD November 8

Albafan15, EDD November 11

AprilGlynn, EDD November 12

December 2011

2ezforyou, EDD December 1

Indigo and DP, EDD December 31

January 2012

KellySF, EDD January 3

Want2BeMumX2, EDD January 8

February 2012

CrystalPerez, EDD February 3

March

AmyFemme and DP, EDD March 10

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Graduates
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Cejae: Emmerson and Parker, born 5/22/11

Painefaria: Keegan, born 5/23/11

Imogenlily: Soloman Dov, born 5/3/11

2HappyMamas: baby (name?), born 4/16/11

bttrflygypsy: Elliot Graham, born 4/15/11

LibraryLady: Alice Meredith, born 4/8/11

wehrli & jenmostoften: Silas Scott, born 4/4/11

gumshoegirl007: Addison Alexis Réal, born 03/24/11

Beastie: Esther, born 3/13/11

Burg: Reed Kylie, born 02/05/11

korey: Baby girl T, born 01/30/11

Coco99: Chloe and Charlie, born 01/30/11

abeecharmer: Violet and Felicity, born 01/10/11

mtnlisa: Josie Anne, born 12/18/10

Kimlyn32: Kacey Elaine, born 12/13/10

erthe_mama & fsonj: Vida, born 11/23/10

Monarchgrrl: Sophia Elizabeth, born 11/2/10

quasar & smartycat: Charles Jeffery, born 10/29/10

Mistral: Olivia Grace, born 10/18/10
Lyndzies: Cadence James, born 10/15/10
FTMPapa: Elise Ember Soliel, born 10/3/10
megan_sacha: Zivia Littlewood, born 8/23/10
mpkgoddess: Catherine Margaret (Cate), born 8/18/10
Osker & H: daughter, born 8/11/10
jjnoho: Sam, born 7/8/10
Megincl & Ktcl: Wylie Grace, born 7/4/10
ksdoulamama: Grace Elizabeth, born 5/17/10
pleasantlyfurious: Leo Sebastian, born 5/16/10
kelly: Asa Brent, born 4/29/10
wishin'&hopin': Henry, born 4/10
Indigoscot: son, born 1/24/10
kjm: Kale, born 1/12/10
Carmen358: Skylar, born 12/30/09
Kelmendi: Simon, born 12/23/09
babyfatty: Henry Earl, born 12/9/09
Beth: Hazel, born 11/19/09
Scalpel: Nathan Fisher & Maxwell Edward, born 11/3/09
Denny_Zoo29: Dekaylee May Katherine Bond, born 10/29/2009.
Jodybird511: Asher, born 10/9/09
Wazzmum: Tate, born 9/15/09
Raene & River: Cedar, born 8/30/09
DM630: Amelia, born 8/14/09
ninefirefly: daughter, born 7/31/09
Serenekitten: Asher, born 7/21/2009
QTRANDI: Rudy, born 7/7/2009
JennM1021: Alexander, born 6/29/2009
Lexbeach & Lena: Leo, born 6/26/2009
Heart-N-Bones: Ella Grace, born 4/22/2009
Quasar & Smartycat: Raymond Joseph, born 4/5/2009
Pranava: Zion, born 3/24/2009
Giggleblue: "A", born 3/16/2009
Pigirl: Baby, born 1/30/2009
Starling and Diesel: Esme, born 1/30/2009
2happymamas: Colette (Coco), born 1/5/2009
Simcon: "G", born 12/28/2008
MujerMamaMismo: Sebastian Felix, born 12/21/2008
Tigermiep & M: Anders Xavier, born 12/11/2008
JenInMpls & Jo: E.W., born 10/24/2008
Becca: Phoebe Joy, born 10/9/2008
Scalpel & Darcie: Alexis Jean, born 8/29/2008
Venustx: Levi, Sage, and Jillian, born 8/12/2008
AngelaM: Ocean Rae, born 8/10/2008
mamimapster: Jocheved (Julia) Hadassah Bat Sara V' Miriam, born 7/15/2008
kk_davey: Grier, born 7/7/2008
MollyKenzie: Lucy & Edie, born 6/18/2008
rightkindofme: Shanna Francesca, born 5/24/2008
TheGirls: Alexandra Kathryn Stay, born on 5/12/2008
thismama: Zelda, born 5/6/2008
mamastotwo: son & daughter, born 5/2/2008
msjodi: Delaney Cait, born 5/1/2008
Jentina & Sarah: Ellis Thomas, born 2/20/2008
NZmumof2 & Leah: Florence, born 1/23/2008

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Recovering from Losses, to Rejoin Us Soon
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RainbowValleyMama

baby.fatty

CrystalPerez

Jen
Snoopy13 (JD)
Lemurmommies
Miss Scarlett
Astropeep and FozzieBear
Milletpuff

Lisedea

kgulbransen

Fivegrandbaby

[NOTE: Any EDDs over a month old without a birth announcement will be deleted.]
 
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#102 ·
Christy ... that all sounds very reassuring! I was wondering if it was a benign cyst that had ruptured? The no cramping is a great signal that all is well. Still, what a stressful time for you and your partner. I'm thinking of you and sending you all kinds of sticky, healthy baby vibes!
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Seraf ... I loved your EC post! I started out ECing with dd, but found that I do not have the personality (attentive) required. I am generally a space cadet with my head in the clouds, and to add to that I don't like messes. I was hoping to maybe try it again this time, but alas, I'm still lacking in the catch-the-cues category. Loved your pictures too!

Library ... All very exciting! Be sure to get LOTS of rest and stay well hydrated and nourished in the days to come. You never know when you'll be in for the big trip and need to ready! I'm so excited for you! I will, however, have a hard time calling your child anything but Aspidistra!

AmandaHope, that would scare me too. How about some Rescue Remedy to help with the worries? Very reassuring that it's brown and not persistent. How are things now?
 
#103 ·
Christy, I am so glad you got good news! I have been hoping and waiting and worrying about you. Can you get your betas locally and they just fax the results to your doc? Or do you have to drive drive drive?

AmandaHope, *hugs* kicking is super reassuring! I made my flats out of old flannel sheets from the thrift store(less fraying if you snip the edge and rip than if you cut), but I was going to tell Library that I think an old t shirt with the sleeves, neck and shoulders cut off, then cut up both sides would make perfectly respectable newborn flats if she felt like her newborn stuff is too bulky.

Escher, I for one am still thrilled that you're still pregnant. I would come down and show you how to EC your new babe (I don't know where you live, I just think you're east of the Mississippi, which means we're practically neighbors) but we're due too close together. Skype! If you have any troubles just let me know. Also, loads of people use G-diaper covers with flats or prefolds. It doesn't sound bad to me at all, tho g-diapers were much less sophisticated when my kids were small. I am going to make some wool and fleece pull up covers for car rides (because I'm cheap and don't like to buy stuff).

MizYellow, we are going to the zoo the 29th Wanna come? I have a guest on my pass and Lennon is only 2, right (or can pass)?
 
#104 ·
Library: Ooooh contractions! Can't be too long now (right?!) How are you feeling today? Laborey?

Christy- Whew, glad everything looks good. Positive thoughts continuing to head your way. Take it easy the next couple of days, eat a lot and lay on the couch!

Seraf: Cute pics!! I love the pink hair! The zoo sounds good, I usually work Fridays but as of now that one looks pretty clear, remind me that monday k? Lennon will still be 2 but barely :( :(

Speaking of my kid almost turning 3, I don't know if it is the pregnancy or what but I am STRUGGLING with this birthday. I don't want him to grow up. He is so sweet and wonderful and wants his mama all the time. I don't want him to start dodging my kisses around his friends, ignoring me to listen to his music, slamming doors. Leaving home! How do you mama's with older kids deal? Does it get easier? This pregnancy is filled with overwhelming emotions. I am typically a pretty stoic person so this is new for me. Sorry for being emo

Escher: I think it is great taht you have decided that NT scan is not for you, either way it doesn't really change much. Congrats on 11 weeks!! That baby is baking away in there!
 
#105 ·
Hope things are better now, AmandaHope, and that you can have the beautiful trip to Seattle . . . your trip is taking you to some of my favorite places. Hope you can get any rest you need while traveling.

Seref: thanks for sharing the EC information. I've never considered it but it makes a lot of sense.

So glad to hear things are looking good, Christy! An experience like that takes a lot of deep breathing and the ability to keep calm. My midwife invited me to swing by the other day because I hadn't "felt" pregnant for a few days. Felt just like the MC did--empty breasts, empty belly--but I think it was the just the transition from first to second tri and a hormone dip. Her little heart is still pumping away in there.

Gumshoe: super.gorgeous.photo.shoot. Wow.

Escher: Congrats on making a decision that works for you. Not easy to weed through it all.

MizYellow: I have no idea what it feels like to watch them grow since this is babe 1, but I can imagine it being a huge emotional tug.

Nothing much going on here. Just enjoying the beginning of the 2nd tri. We're starting to share the news widely... and it's fun. Not many annoying "how'd you do that" questions yet.... other than from my boss, which is totally inappropriate but, unfortunately, completely expected.
 
#108 ·
Julie - I am totally with you on the diapers/EC.

And Seraf, thanks a ton for the EC info as well as picts!

I feel a little stupid as I had NO idea about EC, and knew very little about cloth diapers. A co-worker of mine and her husband did cloths with their son, and I remember thinking, "hmmm," but I never inquired as to why. Since the topic came up here, I have been googling, researching, checked things out on diapers.com, etc. It's much like the whole midwife idea for me. That's also something I never really thought about until the ladies on here brought it up. I have to admit that I am a little embarrassed that I haven't educated myself on the benefits before now.
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Wehrli - How are you feeling momma? How is Silas doing? And the Mrs?

Library - Go, go, goooooo! Sending lots of positive vibes, thoughts, and hugs your way! Can't wait to hear about little Aspi. April 8th!!! Xoxoxo.

AFM - I am feeling ALOT better today than I was this time yesterday. Thank you for all the positive thoughts. It was indeed quite a scare for me. Now I am nervous about going back to Target. I hope I don't have a negative fear. Ha! I refuse to go to the 'other' superstore - Wal-Mart.
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#111 ·
Go LibraryLady go!! Happy labouring to you. May you also be quick and efficient.
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Photos from Wehrli. Yay!!! Can't wait to see them.

Thinking about you Christy. Grow little baby grow.

More of an update from me later. Hopefully will wrap up writing my birth story today. And, maybe I'll even get a good latch!
 
#112 ·
Library! So exciting! Keep us updated as you are able!

AH, thanks for asking about me - between teaching my last class, advising week and senior theses and well, being exhausted, I haven't had much time for keeping up here. Just 1.5 more weeks until I'm FREE!! More importantly, how is the spotting?

2EZ, I had crazy bleeding from a subchorionic hematoma in the first trimester, so I totally understand the fear around bleeding. It sounds like all is normal though? I'm so glad. Huge sigh of relief.

AFM, I'm writing from the hospital lab. Ugh. Last week my numbers came back slightly elevated from the GD screening test, so today I get the joy of doing the fasting, three hour exam. I'm 1.5 hours in right now and it SUCKS! I guess I'm more annoyed that prepregnancy I was one of the healthiest people I knew. Seriously, I ate a head of kale a day as my morning snack, worked out 1-2 hours a day 5 days a week. And my major problem (since I was 12) was LOW blood sugar. I've eaten complex carbs and six small meals a day for 14 years at this point. So I'm kind of flabbergasted right now. My only risk factor is the twin thing. Ugh. I realize that most people who fail the intial screen pass the second test. *But* my blood sugar level after fasting was 119, which is lower than diebetic, but higher than 100, which is where is should be after fasting. Urgh.

1.5 more weeks and I'll be back on a daily basis. I swear. :).
 
#113 ·
Here's something to tide you all over until Wehrli posts her photos and LibraryLady announces the birth of her baby. This is the long awaited (well, perhaps by only me) birth story of Addison. It only took me two weeks to get it together because there's no longer my schedule, just the newborn's schedule
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Here is baby Addison's birth story. I've x-posted in both my DDC and in the birth stories section. I'll just cut and paste for your easy reference. Sorry for any photo repeats!

Baby Addison was born at home on March 24, 2011 at 3:30 am after a 7.5 hour long labour. At 39 weeks, she weighed 6lbs 11oz and was 19.5 inches long.

My EDD was April 1, and as this was my first pregnancy, I fully expected to go late. I planned to start my year-long maternity leave on March 18, to be followed by a glorious two-week vacation, and then begin the countdown to the baby's arrival sometime after April 1. I was in no rush to meet the little one who had been kicking me with delightful glee for months. As this was to be my only pregnancy - we already have two children via adoption and baby would make three - I really wanted to enjoy every last second of it.

During my final week of work, I began to get the feeling that the baby might make an early appearance. Each day I was thankful that labour hadn't started yet. I made it to my maternity leave and then started my vacation with a long list of tasks to complete before the baby arrived. These were very important things like having my mother come to visit, getting my haircut and the house cleaned, and having one last pre-natal massage. Then some early labour signs appeared.

On Monday evening around 8:00 pm (3/21), I began to experience my first contractions that weren't Braxton Hicks. I could feel them start in my back and wrap around to my belly. Or vice versa. They were mild, irregular and I easily went to bed. I had a few around 4:00 am that stirred me from a deep to light sleep, but by the time I woke up in the morning, they had fizzled out.

Tuesday (3/22) was an uneventful day on the labour front. My biggest concern was that the baby had suddenly become significantly less active, and if I had of been doing kick counts, it would have taken me hours to count 10 fetal movements. I shared this with my midwife at my regularly scheduled appointment that day and she elected to send me for an ultrasound for Thursday so we could check in on the baby. She also assured me that at this stage of pregnancy experiencing only 12 fetal movements over a period of 24 hours was normal.

That evening, again, I began to experience some irregular contractions that started around 7:00 or 8:00 pm. Only these were different and I wasn't prepared for them at all. They weren't painful, per say, but they did make me feel incredibly nauseous. Given my huge aversion to puking, I hoped this wasn't what labour was going to feel like. I was utterly unprepared to deal with these sensations and I hoped that they would peter out overnight so I could spend some time mentally preparing myself and finding some new coping mechanisms the following day.

At 10:00 pm I went to the bathroom and when I wiped the mucous-like discharge had a tinge of pink blood to it. Was this bloody show??? I ran to the bedroom to share the news with my wife, and then we both panicked. The change in contraction type, loosening of bowels, less active baby and now bloody show indicated early labour to us. This baby wasn't due for another week, and we weren't really expecting her for two or more weeks. We totally weren't prepared for her to make an early appearance. We both wanted more time. Only we now were both sure that we'd meet our daughter by Friday.

I woke up on Wednesday morning (3/23) and the contractions had again disappeared. I went about my jam-packed day feeling fantastic and was hopeful that the baby would wait another week to make her appearance.

That evening my wife was out with her coworkers celebrating the baby and this would be the last time for quite some time that she would be able to have a girls' night out. She'd been looking forward to it for weeks.

I should have predicted this, like clockwork, the contractions started up again around 7:00 pm. Only these felt different. They felt like textbook contractions. I picked up my copy of the Birth Partner and flipped to the section on comfort measures. I hadn't actually had a moment to mentally review how I'd cope with the labour, so I spent some time re-reading that section and remembering all of the things I'd do and put in place.

The contractions seemed somewhat regular so at 7:40 pm I started timing them. I was sitting in bed reading and I tried out some of my relaxation and breathing techniques. These early contractions were easy to work through and this gave me the time I so desperately needed to get grounded and focused.

After about an hour I looked at contractionmaster read out and I realized that there was a pattern. My contractions were 7 to 8 minutes apart and were lasting 30 to 45 seconds long. I wasn't quite sure yet if this was labour, and a labour that was going to stick, but if it was I thought that I would have plenty of time as this was my first. I re-inflated the birth tub and installed the liner and then tucked my kids into bed for the night.

I sat in bed for a while longer debating whether or not to update my wife. She'd been checking in with me all day, and I really wanted for her to have an awesome, unencumbered time with her colleagues. I didn't want to be the partner who interrupted a night of frivolity with a false labour scare. Something told me to check in with her. In my attempt to be casual, I fired her off an email around 9:15 pm that simply read in the subject line, "What time are you coming home?" She quickly responded, "11-12. Is that okay? Do you need me sooner?" I wrote back, "I'm okay. We have contractions. Just don't have too much to drink, okay?"

I sat back in bed again to read and time my contractions. Over the next hour they alternated between being 5 to 7 minutes apart and 1m to 1m30s in duration. I was still coping just fine and wasn't quite sure yet if this was the real deal. I put on my PJs and started to get ready for bed. I knew that exhaustion would likely be the reason I would have to transfer from home to the hospital and that rest was vital at this time for making sure I could keep to my birth plan.

My wife rushed in the front door at 9:45 pm. We began, or rather I sat there, as I watched her begin the busy work of tidying up the house. What I remember most is that I had just bought a bunch of used baby toys from someone earlier in the day and I had dumped them on the living room floor. It looked like baby crap had barfed everywhere.

The mess was driving me nuts, so in between contractions, we sorted it into keep and toss piles. I was getting annoyed because my darling wife was more engrossed in playing with the toys and figuring out how they worked then quickly deciding which ones we should keep. My contractions were increasing in intensity and it was getting for difficult to focus. During one contraction she picked up this toy that launched into the alphabet song and she couldn't turn it off. I remember being short with her and growling that she shut the damn toy up. She couldn't get it to stop and "z" couldn't get there fast enough!

At this point, we went back upstairs and I sat on the birthing ball while my wife continued to organize and declutter. The birthing ball felt so good and with each contraction I could actually feel my cervix opening. In between contractions, we chatted easily. At one point I felt that my PJ bottoms were all wet so I stood up to look at them. It turns out, what I had earlier thought was bloody show wasn't. *This* was bloody show. With this sign, we finally decided that this must be the real deal and we began preparations for home birth. She worked on the bedroom and setting up our bed, while I began to fill the tub.

The contractions kept on rhythmically coming and at 11:00 pm she thought I was 4-1-1. I told her she was nuts as I had been having contractions for less than 3 hours and I didn't think that I'd been having contractions 4 minutes apart for an hour. We knew we'd have to call our doula and midwife that night, but we both weren't sure if it was the right time.

My wife decided to call our doula who was skeptical that I was in active labour. She told my wife to call the midwife and get back to her. My wife was pissed as our doula was supposed to be our support system and come when we needed her. My wife then paged our midwife.

During this time, I was still filling the birthing tub as the tap attachment was being a royal pain in my ass. The system we had rigged was finicky and the adapter kept on slipping off the sink faucet. As my contractions came closer and stronger, I was getting pissed off. I began to sway and moan through the contractions.

My midwife called back at 11:45 pm and I could hear my wife talking to her in the background as I still fiddled with the hose and worked through the contractions.

The midwife on call that night was my second midwife and we had had a conversation at every visit about when would be a good time to call. I kept on asking at my appointments, "Are you sure you only want me to call when I'm 4-1-1?" And she kept on re-iterating, "Yes." I thought she'd want to know earlier so that she could manage her life and she says there was nothing worse than having a false pager call (that always came at 11:00 pm) which would result in her spending the night waiting for the real page and not getting any sleep.

In this context, I heard my wife somewhat unsure and with hesitation, say that she thought I was 4-1-1. My midwife also said she thought that would be a little quick, and asked to speak with me. My wife tried to hand me the phone just as a contraction hit and I swatted her away as I swayed and moaned through it. Upon hearing me, the midwife said, "Oh, she sounds active. I'll just come and check on her to be sure."

With the birth tub filling up, I returned to the birthing ball and laboured there for the next hour. I was hot and sweaty and started to have the shakes. At 12:00 pm my midwife arrived and she was soon followed by the doula 5 minutes later. The midwife asked to check me. I was 4cms dilated, 80% effaced and the baby was at station -1.

At 1:00 am, I finally slipped into the tub and laboured there for the next hour. The water lessened the intensity of the contractions and allowed me to rest in between them. I did find the tub a bit awkward to labour in. I would have contractions with my front dangling over the side, but in between contractions, it just wasn't that comfortable for my legs. My back just ached and ached. I gripped onto my dear wife's hands while my doula applied counter pressure to my back with a hot water bottle. My midwife and wife kept on running up pots of boiling water to keep the tub at a soothing temperature for me. Despite the warm temperature of the tub, I was still shaking.

My contractions increased in intensity and they came closer and closer together. At this point I just let go and began to moan and cry out through each contraction. I was incredibly loud, inwardly focused, and so animalistic in my labour. My birthing team was phenomenal and keep on encouraging my in between contractions.

The contractions shifted as I went through transition. I would have one extremely intense - almost unbearably intense - contraction, followed quickly by one of lesser intensity. It was like climbing a mountain, quickly descending, and then running right up a foothill. The contractions of lesser intensity and the short ensuing break gave me the time to muster the energy to get through the next big contraction. My breathing and contractions shifted at this time marking the end of transition.

Around 2:00 am my midwife asked me to get out of the tub so that she could check me. I was still shaking and dripping wet standing in my hallway as they toweled me off. Instead of going straight to the bed for my cervical check, I decided I needed to go to the bathroom to pee. Sitting on the toilet, all I wanted to do was pee, but I couldn't. My midwife encouraged me to get off the toilet so she could check me, and I didn't want to leave the toilet as the pressure was so intense. It was too intense.

I struggled down the hallway, walking like there was a football between my legs, and I was exhausted by this point. While I had entered labour thinking that transition would be the greatest challenge, it turns out pushing was. While I had embraced and fully given my body over to the contractions, I was suddenly fearful of pushing. It hurt, the pressure was intense, and I just didn't know if I could do it. I was shaking and trembling and I think it was only at this point I lost my confidence and I wasn't sure if I could do it.

When I finally managed to waddle all the way down the hallway to our bedroom, I still wasn't ready for that cervical check. I stood with my wife dancing and swaying. The pressure continued to build, and my feisty daughter made it even more difficult as she was kicking her feet and using her head to make a punching bag of my back. While I couldn't feel the individual movements, the back pain was pretty severe. Through each contraction I danced with circling hips clinging onto my wife, while my midwife applied the most wonderful counter pressure to my hips.

In between contractions I was encouraged to get back on the bed so I could be checked. When I was able to, I quickly got on my back, and begged my midwife to be fast and efficient. She only had a very small window of time to work within! She checked me, and the position of the baby, and declared that I was ready to push. In less than 6 hours, I had fully dilated and my cervix was completely pushed to the side. She also checked the positioning of the baby and determined that the baby had shifted to ROA. The baby was at station -4. In a little more than 3 hours, I had completed the first stage of labour.

I began pushing, albeit ineffectively, around 2:40 am. Still on my back I had the urge to push and it was just awful. I have no idea how women can successfully labour this way. It was the most uncomfortable thing I have ever experienced. You can't effectively bear down and there's nowhere to drive your energy.

With the next urge to push, I lept into a standing position. I swayed here for a while with my wife and then asked to go back to the toilet. Once on the toilet, with a very loud pop, my water broke and there was a small gush of water. I was very pushy at this time, 3:00 am.

My midwife came over to me with her flashlight to check me out and asked me to quickly get to the bed. It was only afterwards that I found out that they saw part of the head coming down. Despite having very quick active labour, my midwife expected me to push for a couple of hours before delivering the baby. She hadn't yet called the second midwife, and they needed to call in a different midwife as my second was attending another birth. I needed to be distracted in order to give the second midwife time to arrive.

Back in the bedroom I flipped over to my hands and knees and tried to push that way. I was so hot and tired by this point in time that I had to work from my elbows and rest my cheek on a pillow on the bed. I went through a couple of cycles like this, but wasn't able to bear down.

Next they had me lie on my side, and again, I couldn't bear down like that. I tried holding my own legs, and having others hold them for me, and I just couldn't push into my pelvis.

I needed to labour in a position that effectively used gravity and I just wasn't in any state to stand. I was so tired and all I wanted was for this to be over. I wanted it to be over so badly, I just wanted it to go away, and I wanted to rest. Birth was the only way for this to end. Quitting wasn't an option. I knew the only way I could finish was with my daughter in my arms so I tried to mentally ground myself to not be afraid of pushing and to give into these sensations like I had to the contractions.

My midwife provided incredible guidance during the pushing stage. My natural inclination was to continue to be very vocal and scream with every pushy sensation. She gently instructed me to put my chin to my chest and to inwardly focus my vocal energy into bearing down. This is how I learned to effectively push. While contractions were externally loud as I was inwardly focused, pushing was a silent activity where I was more conscientious of what was happening around me.

At 3:20 am my midwife encouraged me to go back to the toilet. With the very first contraction I effectively pushed and they could see the baby's head again. I felt like I was splitting in two and I tried to brace my hands on the wall and keep her in a little bit longer. I did not particularly enjoy this sensation and wanted to keep myself from tearing. I never did experience the ring of fire. I reached down and could feel the top of her head emerging.

My midwife scrambled to grab the birthing stool and transitioned me off of the toilet. With the next contraction I pushed her head out, and being so impatient for labour to be over, I quickly followed with another push to get the rest of her body out. My midwife caught my little baby who was born on the bathroom floor at 3:30 am.

There's not really a word or phrase to describe my emotional state at this time. Surprised-elation is the closest I can come. Here I was, in the bathroom, with a wee wailing baby who had just emerged into the world via my vagina. It's not that I didn't know I was pregnant for the past 9 months or what the birthing process entailed, I was just shocked that she was here and my labour was over. I sat there, open-mouthed, while my midwife and wife kept telling me to hold my baby. I was momentarily paralyzed. I finally scooped her up and began to cry with tears of joy. Our little Addison had arrived.

What I didn't realize at the time was that the baby had arrived with a huge gush of blood. As per my plan to deal with any signs of post-partum hemorrhage, my midwife pushed 10cc of oxytocin. I didn't notice, but my midwife and wife both panicked a little bit. The bathroom apparently looked like a disaster. I lost a lot of blood - apparently 500 ml instead of the typical 300 ml.

My midwife had me move down the hallway back to our bedroom. It took me a while to pass the placenta and then my midwife froze me so she could stitch up my second degree tear. All the while, I was still shaking. When the second midwife arrived, she started the newborn exam. The baby's APGAR scores were 9 and 9, everything looked great, and the baby had her first nuzzle to the breast.

My wife fell asleep in the bed next to the baby and myself while the midwife finished her post-partum duties. I got to inspect the placenta, the midwife left me a long laundry list of post-partum care tips and things to watch out for, and our doula made some scrambled eggs. Around 6:30 am everyone had finally left, and we settled into our babymoon. I'm so incredibly happy that I got to experience an extraordinary, empowering and brilliant homebirth with the support of a wonderful midwife and an incredible birth partner.

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And if you want even more cuteness, we had a newborn photoshoot done. You can check out some of the shots in a post on our photographer's blog - Sweet Baby "A".
 
#114 ·
cejae ... That sucks. I hope your fast and test go well!

gumshoe ... Here are Good Latch vibes for your wee Addi.
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Library ... Happy, healthy, easy, quick, lovely labour vibes coming at you! And yes, they look remarkably like this morning's Good Latch Vibes, but that's okay, because you'll need that too.

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Can't wait to hear more from you, Wehrli!

MizYellow ... Hugs to you for your little guy growing up so fast. Where does the time go? I look at pictures from just a few months ago, and I wonder how it happens that our babes can actually grow that fast. Two was okay, but I imagine three is going to be harder.
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Christy ... I had wondered about a subchorionic hematoma with you too (like cejae had). Did they rule that out? I'm not sure if they could diagnose it after the fact, but if that's what it was, then the VAST majority of mama's who've had that have gone on to have healthy babes! Anyway, I'm so glad that you're feeling better about it today.

AFM: My sister and I are driving 45 minutes to check a Craigslist score. This woman spent oodles of money on high end AP-type parenting stuff (wool longies, super lovely dipes, organic flats, carriers, wraps, organic baby clothes ... all the things we can't afford) and is now getting rid of it all on Craigslist, and most of it hasn't even been used! I'm so excited. I'm going to take a bunch of cash and throw it at her and grab it all and make a dash for the car while my sister waits outside idling and E is placated in the back with raisins and her blasted favourite Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer song on repeat. Whoo hoo!
 
#115 ·
Gumshoe ... Cross post! Great birth story and great pics! And i just checked out your newborn photo shoot yesterday and I cried, the pics were so gorgeous, due in full to your scrumptiously delicious little baby. So cute! What a lovely heirloom for A.
 
#116 ·
Hi Everyone,

Library! Eek! I'm so excited for you! I hope labor is progressing smoothly!

Starling: What an impressive craigslist score!

Gumshoe: What a great story! I'm impressed that your labor was so efficient and quick!

Cejae: It's great to hear from you! Good luck with your busy 1.5 weeks!

Wehrli: How are you doing? Are you in the hospital or home now?

2ez: I'm so glad that everything looks good and that you're feeling better today. Hooray!

Julietea: I'm glad that you're having fun sharing the news, and that you're mostly getting good reactions. Congratulations on making it to the second trimester!

Mizyellow: Aww...I can understand not wanting your babe to grow up. I do think the good news is that older kids are pretty fantastic too!

Seraf: Thanks for being willing to answer questions about EC. I'm sure we'll have some more once we start learning more about it. How are you feeling these days?

AmandaHope: How are you doing today? I'm thinking about you!

AFM: It's not a big deal, but I think I may be starting to experience some round ligament pain (is 11 weeks too early for that?). Or maybe I'm just more constipated than usual?
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Anyway, it is feeling like something is stretching in there.
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#117 ·
Library: ELVs!!! So excited for you! I've been thinking about you all day.

Kristi: still so glad everything is ok.

Escher: I had round ligament pain at 11 weeks until about 17 weeks, and then it let up. It hurts, but it is totally normal. Try to remember to stand up slowly. I kept jumping out of my chair and then doubling over with pain. Oops.

Hi to everyone else--I'm at my brother and sister-in-law's with my two adorable nieces, so I don't want to spend much time on the computer, but I did want to say thanks for the concern about the spotting. It has completely gone away, now, so I'm assuming it was progesterone withdrawal. My new niece is so sweet--I can't believe that I get to have one of my own in four months or so! Hope everyone is well--more soon.
 
#118 ·
Escher ... I have round ligament pain, and yes, it's a smart thing not to make any sudden moves. It's really bad if I'm coughing, which I'm doing a lot of right now, or if I sneeze, or -- like AmandaH says -- when I get up from sitting. Oh, and it's reaaaaalllly bad when I 'hop' down from the ambulance in a hurry. This time I've had it from about eight weeks or so, and it's getting worse, but not unbearable, so long as I take time to move. Oh, and it's worse if I have to pee too. I had it the first time round at about ten or eleven weeks if I remember correctly. It didn't last forever though, maybe just into the third trimester? Or maybe I've forgotten that particular pain in favour of the insomnia, swelling yoni, inability to get comfortable and restless legs.
 
#121 ·
Good morning wonderful ones! At least I think it's morning, it's still all a bit of a blur... I'll give you the full saga at some point soon, but I just wanted to come back and say that baby Alice Meredith arrived last night at 10:40 after 22 hours of labor and 4 hours of pushing that pushed me to the limit. DP is/was a super duper duper star during the whole experience and I would be lost without her in more ways that one. Alice hooked her hand under my pubic bone and just wouldn't budge, and while I did finally deliver naturally as I had wanted, apparently I said lots of amusing things like "I don't want any more contractions please". Alice had to spend the night in the baby care nursery because she aspirated muconium, but will be back in the room with us in just a few minutes. She has red hair just like I wanted, and amazing cinnamon colored eyes.

Now I'm starving and need a shower. At one point in the long labor I needed some strength and I thought of all of you (and wonderful ones still TTC) around my bed giving me all your energy and it really did help. You are an amazing group of women and I'm so happy to have you as friends. xoxox
 
#122 ·
LIBRARY!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!! And yes it is morning. :). Thanks so much for sharing with us! Can't wait to see pictures! Now go bond with your wonderful new family!
 
#123 ·
Hooray to LibraryLady!!! Welcome to baby Alice. I'm so glad she's here and you're doing okay. Here's to food, a speedy recovery and good baby feeding vibes.
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Sending lots of love and energy your way.
 
#124 ·
Thread-crashing: yay Library! I am absolutely thrilled to hear the news. I was sending you good birthing vibes yesterday, hoping for a safe healthy entrance for baby Alice! Rest, eat and enjoy all of these first precious moments with your family!
 
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