Alright, it's after midnight, though I haven't looked at or paid attention to the time for quite a while now. I'm in the big, warm, relaxing birthing tub. My doula and husband are both doing a great job letting me hang out and do whatever I feel like doing in the process of laboring. But that's an interesting word: laboring. I didn't really feel like I was working really really hard through the contractions. In fact, I was mostly sitting back and letting my body do whatever came next in the normal, natural process of childbirth.
As far as pain goes, I never felt like it was enough to ask for any kind of medication, or pain relief. The water did a great job relaxing my body and mind, and I knew that I had nothing to fear about the whole birth process. I felt that I trusted the people on my "team" completely, I knew them well, and they knew what to do. It was a wonderful feeling. Tara had returned from helping the woman next door deliver her baby, and said she could tell I was getting close! She had been checking the baby's heartbeat with a doppler (they work under water too!), and every time she checked she'd smile and say softly"Happy baby" So reassuring, and I was never worried.
Around 12:15am my body started pushing the baby out. That may seem like a surprising way to put it, but it is exactly what happened. During a contraction all the sudden my stomach muscles started tightening in a different way, and it almost felt like I was coughing. I had very little control over it at all! If you had told me to stop pushing, I probably couldn't have done it. During one push my water broke, and Tara said it was clear. The water broke with such force it felt like a balloon exploded (and I guess it kind of did!) I could feel the baby's head descending, and feel myself opening even more that I knew was possible. There was no one yelling in my ear to push, or forcing my body into an uncomfortable position.....however I was floating in the water was how the baby was going to come out- and that was okay. Babies come out all sorts of ways!! I do remember Heather at my side gently telling me to put my chin down, but I was in another place at that moment, so she tapped the bottom of my chin and then my chest and said "Put this here"- and it worked!
Tara shined a flashlight down so they could see the head start to emerge. In between contractions she said, "Mary his head is coming out, do you want to reach down and feel it?" and I said "Oh no! I can feel it!!" Hahahaha! I was feeling the "ring of fire", and wanting him out (who doesn't?), so I asked her "Can you just pull him out?" and she laughed. I don't remember exactly what she said, but I know she told me I was doing a great job getting him out myself. I had some tearing with Maddox, and I had shared with them my fears of tearing again, so Tara did her best to help me ease him out, and I really think the water helped too!
Just 14 minutes after my SROM (spontaneous rupture of membranes), at 12:39 am Maverick entered the world under water, and went straight into my arms. Tara caught him, and brought him up out of the water as I grabbed him. She got quite wet in the process- but that's part of the job!! He was so warm and wrinkly, and amazingly clean! Tara remarked about how clean he was. I held him for a while as he was wrapped in a towel and given a hat. Heather took a few photos, which I'm keeping for memories, but not going to share. The labor pains seemed to disappear, although I know that it wasn't completely over, I just don't remember pain anymore. Once the cord was cut he went to be cleaned up (minimally) and then went straight to skin to skin time with Marshall while I got out of the tub and got cleaned up. I had to deliver the placenta, and only needed one tiny stitch. I started nursing right away, and it seemed like time was standing still.
I'm clean, now pick me up!!
At some point I remember the Peds nurse coming in to give us our bracelets, do the paperwork, etc. She looked to be about 75 years old, and seemed forgetful. We declined most of the common newborn treatments except the Vitamin K shot. She took his footprints, did some other things, an said she'd be back later to weigh him. (she forgot and we had to call them to send her down again later) Tara left to shower and said she be back to check on us, and we sent Heather home to get some sleep after having an incredible "Wow, we did it!! Can you believe how perfect it was!?" conversation. Then it seemed the whirlwind was over, the lights were out, and we were both lying in bed together just looking at our sweet baby before 2:00am It. was. AWESOME. I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about how awesome it was.
My favorite photo:
6 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing your son's birth story! I'm planning all natural, birthing centre birth here in Korea, and it's great to read others' positive and encouraging stories!^^
ah i have to go to work. i can't wait to finish reading when i get home. that sounds like a great experience. i guess all mothers hope to have their own version of an awesome birth. :)
This is why I don't write birth stories. I could never write anything that AWESOME and it's always sooo much better to hear it from the moms who lived it. I am so honored I was able to witness your AMAZING process. Thanks for making me cry this morning, Mary! GEEZ! ;-)
Hi Mary, this is Tara. What a wonderful job you've done of making Maverick's birth as vivid for others as it was for those of us who were there. Happy belated birthday to both of you and thank you for entrusting all of us at the MWC with this your care. I hope you're all well; I'm going to poke around the rest of your blog to see what you've been up to!
This was so very refreshing and comforting to read. I will be giving birth at the Norfolk Midwifery Center in August! Thank you so much for sharing :)
Is there a midwife you recommend?
-Brittny
Brittny, they are ALL good! I don't think Tara is there anymore, but I like all the midwives that I met there, and have heard good things about the ones I haven't met. :)
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