-
When did you realize you were really in labor?
Archer Elliot
The early morning hours of Friday, October 21st began the arrival of our third living son, 2:30am to be exact. I was 38 1/2 weeks gestation. Lower abdominal cramps were consistently 5 minutes apart but my water had not broken and the cramps were not intense. At 3:35am I alerted my midwife to have a heads up that something exciting was going to happen, just nothing immediately. I took a shower, cleaned the kitchen, and made a large breakfast to see if I could distract the contractions or if the movement accelerated the contractions. The contractions remained consistent. An update was given to my midwife at 4:15 and I went back to bed to take a nap for I knew I would need to conserve my energy. No change in consistent cramps or frequency when I sent Joey on the school bus and Alan to work as he was just scheduled for a half day. Emmett got to have an iPad day snuggled next to me in bed so I could rest. At 10:55am no change in consistent weak contractions and my water had not broken. I went downstairs again to eat a cinnamon roll and drink some water. Halfway through my cinnamon roll I had my first intense contraction. I text Alan. A second intense contraction happened this time 3 minutes later. Perfect! Time to call my midwife; I easily reached her. Contacted the Alan's front office for him to come home and finished the last few bites of my cinnamon roll. Everyone is in route at 11:15AM and I head back upstairs to labor in my bathroom. This is where things really start happening quickly. I turn on some positive birth affirmations I had previously found on YouTube to help me focus through the contractions while I was by myself. I have an urge to poop so I sit on the toilet and take care of that; Sammy my 13 year old cat is doing figure eights around my ankles. My water still had not broken but I then had a slight urge to push. I figured this push was just to rupture my membranes and gave a slight push. I reached down and felt the bulging membrane. I stand up slowly while hovering over the toilet only to feel gentle sliding down my vaginal wall. I caught my baby and held him under the shoulders. In one simultaneous action I also wiped his face from a membrane. As soon as I wiped his face he took his first breath and cried a crystal clear sound. He immediately turned bright pink and the rush of amazing hormones followed. I moved from standing in front of the toilet to standing in front of the bathtub on a mat. I shout out to Emmett to come to the bathroom; I need some help. I also think about how I did not unlock my front door for the midwife. Emmett joins me. I ask him to call Alan on my phone but the poor 4 year old is in shock of seeing me holding a baby with a robe around my shoulders. Just as I'm telling Emmett "look, it's your baby brother!", unbeknownst to me Alan was halfway up the stairwell. My statement to Emmett combined with hearing a crying newborn put Alan into a dash the rest of the way to the bathroom. Alan comes around the corner with the craziest look on his face ("what the hell did you do in here"). I'm still elated! "I had a baby!" He replies with, "why are you standing up?" He helps me sit down on the bath mat. I say,"take my picture!!!" He says, "no we are calling the midwife." He called the midwife via FaceTime at 11:35am, she was 6 minutes away. Alan took my picture.
I was assisted from my bath mat to the bed, cord still attached. Baby brother did a strong baby crawl to the breast. Baby brother attempted to latch several times but was unsuccessful. Drops of colostrum were expressed into his mouth. The midwife examined me and baby; no concerns were identified. We were both very healthy. Cord was finally cut. Alan held baby brother while I changed positions to deliver the placenta. The placenta was really beefy but small. His cord was really short and small. We weighed him; So tiny. Completely healthy. Completely perfect. My rainbow baby.
God has blessed us with another healthy boy. I wouldn't change anything. I had an unassisted birth of a baby partially en caul. It was crazy and beautiful. I had all three of my boys at home. I realize very few American women make a knowledgeable choice to birth at home. I'm very thankful to have excellent midwifery care. I'm very much in love with each of their birth stories.
4 year old's perspective. "Baby brother came out with lotion on and a belly button cord out of mama's pa-gīna. "
-
What was the most challenging thing about going natural?
That society doesn't believe in you.
-
IMG_7809
-
What was the most helpful thing you did to prepare for childbirth?
Have a knowledgeable midwife and a supportive husband that believe in my body.
-
What surprised you about your birth?
That I loved my unassisted birth.
-
Believe in yourself. Your body was perfectly designed
-
What pain relief strategies worked best?
Moving into whatever position my body wanted. And deep breathing, similar to yoga breathing
-
What position did you end up delivering in?
Squatting
-
How did it feel to hold your baby for the first time?
Elation! Pure joy!!! It's the best high in the whole world
-
What advice can you give to other mamas who want to go natural?
Believe in yourself. Your body was perfectly designed
