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Hi all! She's here, she's here!!!! Erin Shelby- Wed 8/16/06 @ 11:32pm, 10lbs even, 22 1/2" long, huge hands & feet, 41+3 weeks (midwives actually estimated her gestational age to be 42 weeks!), born at home with our midwives.
Started having contractions the evening of Tuesday 8/15- maybe one every 15-20 mins. Went to bed, they knocked down to every 1/2 hour or so but I found them excruciating lying down, so I'd jump up when they'd come on. Didn't get much sleep.
Wed morning, they kicked back up to every 15-20 mins & were still demanding my full attention. Checked in w/ midwives. Told DH not to go to work. We played a little Cribbage between contractions. The super crappy thing (literaly) was that I was having explosive diahrea (sp?) w/ EVERY contraction. I swear, all I did was THINK about castor oil- never actually took any
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The thought of it being like that all through labor & not being able to use the birth pool was terrible, so my midwife & I agreed that I'd take some Imodium & that cleared it up- THANK GOODNESS!
Around 1-ish, told DH that I wanted him to fill the birth tub & call the midwife & tell her that things seemed to be progressing. She had lunch & came over to check on me around 2-ish. I begged her to check me & I was 4-5cm. I was encouraged (baby's head had been very low & I'd been a little dialated for the last couple of weeks) & coping well, so I hopped in the tub & midwife went to run some errands.
From there it's all a bit of a blur... around 5pm the other midwife arrived... I was in & out of the tub, up & down stairs, leaning over the ball, hanging off DH, etc... at some point nothing was really working, I was in the tub, plenty warm & I just kept shaking... I was hoping I was transitional, but didn't want to hope too much!
Begged midwife to check me, I was 9cm w/ bulging membranes- YEAH! It must have been around 7 or 8 pm then? That was SO encouraging to know that I was feeling so crappy cause things were moving along. Little did I know, I still had lots of hard work ahead!!!
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Can't remember what I did at this stage... I was out of the tub, maybe up & down stairs a few times, nothing helped during contractions... I just clung to DH & buried my head in his chest & moaned (& swore!). At some stage I ended up back in the pool, after a while had a bit of an urge to push. Had a few pushy contraction in the pool, but couldn't get comfy in there, so got back out.
Probably about 10pm... pushing on my hands & knees leaning over the ball, pushing on the toilet, pushing hanging off of DH, tried a birth stool & hated it... I'm definitely feeling baby in my butt, but not feeling any of the relief women talk about feeling while pushing- so frustrated!!! About 10:45 my water breaks while I'm pushing- RELIEF! & no meconium- yeah!
Turns out I push most effectively squating being supported by DH & a midwife... little did we know it would still be another 1/2 hour of back breaking support & squatting
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It was just the most amazing, intense feeling, feeling the head make it's way down.
So I know about the "ring of fire", but I thought it only happened as the head crowns! I think mine started as soon as the head got near my clitoris- YOUCH!
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I couldn't believe that was going to get worse before it got better!!!
At 11:32pm finally the head was born & she just slid out. It feels like pushing took forever... because she had a NUCHAL HAND. Really though, I "only" pushed for 1.5-2 hours.
She had a *really* short cord- it worked out well that I didn't end up birthing in the pool. No probs w/ placenta (pushed it out into the toilet). Got a 2nd degree tear & a few vaginal wall tears that my midwives felt would heal better if they sutured. At first I was disappointed, but then I thought about what would have happened w/ a first time mom, 10lb baby & nuchal hand in the hospital & thanked my lucky stars for my homebirth & midwives!!!
The surprise for DH & I to discover her gender at the same time was absolutely priceless.
A few random thoughts... I'm so glad that I waited to go in to labor on my own, though I honestly don't know how long I would have waited (43 weeks? I dunno). W/ her head so low, I had a lot of trouble being able to empty my bladder during the last few days of preg, labor, & the first pee after birth- that was no fun. I'm really lucky that I didn't have back labor & she was in such a good position. It's ironic that it's probably her super-short cord that kept her in LOA from the time midwives could first palpate her position to the time she was born.
I still can't believe I did it!!!
Hang in there all of you waiting to meet your babies- it's SO WORTH IT!!!
Started having contractions the evening of Tuesday 8/15- maybe one every 15-20 mins. Went to bed, they knocked down to every 1/2 hour or so but I found them excruciating lying down, so I'd jump up when they'd come on. Didn't get much sleep.
Wed morning, they kicked back up to every 15-20 mins & were still demanding my full attention. Checked in w/ midwives. Told DH not to go to work. We played a little Cribbage between contractions. The super crappy thing (literaly) was that I was having explosive diahrea (sp?) w/ EVERY contraction. I swear, all I did was THINK about castor oil- never actually took any
Around 1-ish, told DH that I wanted him to fill the birth tub & call the midwife & tell her that things seemed to be progressing. She had lunch & came over to check on me around 2-ish. I begged her to check me & I was 4-5cm. I was encouraged (baby's head had been very low & I'd been a little dialated for the last couple of weeks) & coping well, so I hopped in the tub & midwife went to run some errands.
From there it's all a bit of a blur... around 5pm the other midwife arrived... I was in & out of the tub, up & down stairs, leaning over the ball, hanging off DH, etc... at some point nothing was really working, I was in the tub, plenty warm & I just kept shaking... I was hoping I was transitional, but didn't want to hope too much!
Begged midwife to check me, I was 9cm w/ bulging membranes- YEAH! It must have been around 7 or 8 pm then? That was SO encouraging to know that I was feeling so crappy cause things were moving along. Little did I know, I still had lots of hard work ahead!!!
Can't remember what I did at this stage... I was out of the tub, maybe up & down stairs a few times, nothing helped during contractions... I just clung to DH & buried my head in his chest & moaned (& swore!). At some stage I ended up back in the pool, after a while had a bit of an urge to push. Had a few pushy contraction in the pool, but couldn't get comfy in there, so got back out.
Probably about 10pm... pushing on my hands & knees leaning over the ball, pushing on the toilet, pushing hanging off of DH, tried a birth stool & hated it... I'm definitely feeling baby in my butt, but not feeling any of the relief women talk about feeling while pushing- so frustrated!!! About 10:45 my water breaks while I'm pushing- RELIEF! & no meconium- yeah!
Turns out I push most effectively squating being supported by DH & a midwife... little did we know it would still be another 1/2 hour of back breaking support & squatting
So I know about the "ring of fire", but I thought it only happened as the head crowns! I think mine started as soon as the head got near my clitoris- YOUCH!
At 11:32pm finally the head was born & she just slid out. It feels like pushing took forever... because she had a NUCHAL HAND. Really though, I "only" pushed for 1.5-2 hours.
She had a *really* short cord- it worked out well that I didn't end up birthing in the pool. No probs w/ placenta (pushed it out into the toilet). Got a 2nd degree tear & a few vaginal wall tears that my midwives felt would heal better if they sutured. At first I was disappointed, but then I thought about what would have happened w/ a first time mom, 10lb baby & nuchal hand in the hospital & thanked my lucky stars for my homebirth & midwives!!!
The surprise for DH & I to discover her gender at the same time was absolutely priceless.
A few random thoughts... I'm so glad that I waited to go in to labor on my own, though I honestly don't know how long I would have waited (43 weeks? I dunno). W/ her head so low, I had a lot of trouble being able to empty my bladder during the last few days of preg, labor, & the first pee after birth- that was no fun. I'm really lucky that I didn't have back labor & she was in such a good position. It's ironic that it's probably her super-short cord that kept her in LOA from the time midwives could first palpate her position to the time she was born.
I still can't believe I did it!!!
Hang in there all of you waiting to meet your babies- it's SO WORTH IT!!!
