Thanks for all of the congrats and well wishes! Things are still going great here.. Viv has slept ALL day! Too bad Mommy couldn't join her
Here is the long & short of her wonderful birth!
I had my MW appt at 9:00 yesterday morning and, when checked, the MW said I was dilated to a "very stretchy" 4. We had a little discussion about stripping my membranes, and she suggested that it would probably bring on labor that day... but not really do any damage since she was pretty sure I would be in labor any moment, anyway.
I agreed, she stripped.. and I spent most of the rest of the morning cleaning and shopping for Christmas.
About 2:30 I noticed that the crampy feeling I had been having all day had gotten a little more intense and rhythmic, so I talked my mom into going for a walk with the kids and I. By 3:30 my ctx were about 8 minutes apart and very intense. After a short bath with DD to relax a little, I called my mw, doula and dh ( lol, yes.. in that order!) to give them all a heads up. I did tell Dh not to rush home from work, but he decided to get off a little early.
He was home by 5:00 and by then my ctx were 2-3 mins apart.
We made the short drive to the Birthing Center, and were luckily the only ones there! I got in the tub abd labored there until about 6:50 and the mw decided it was time to do a quick check. In the process of checking my cervix, my water broke and she determined I was at 9...
Back in the tub until I started to feel a little confined and had the urge to push. At about 7:35 I made my way onto the bed, and 5 hard pushes later I was holding my beautiful daughter!!
I do have to say that I am a HORRIBLE natural birthing mother! I wouldn't let anyone talk to me or touch me, and that included my doula and dh! I had the radio on loudly and walked thru every ctx that I wasn't in the tub for and kept telling people to "shut up and don't touch me!" Transition was scary... It is true that noone can really explain what it is like, and I almost begged for some kind of sedative ( the birthing center has nubain) but made it thru without it. I was extremely vocal those last few minutes, tho
I really am so pleased with the experience and my daughter is just wonderful! She nurses well ( altho has slept LOTS today) and is very focused when she is awake on checking out Mommy or whoever happens to be holding her. I wish everyone the same wonderful experience!!
A few pics are at
http://photobucket.com/albums/v122/m...ien%20Delaney/ but none of me, since I was naked or nursing! Soon there will be pics of Mommy, too
Thanks to everyone for all of their wonderful support! We have made some beautiful babies and have so many more to come!!!!
