On Saturday morning, 12/14, I started having slight bloody show. I also had frequent bowel movements, which can be a sign that labor is near. I continued the day cleaning house, and doing all my normal daily routines. Saturday night, I ended up not getting any sleep. I slept for about an hour. I was having irregular, pretty strong contractions, that kept me up. However, I knew it wasn’t true labor.
Sunday morning, 12/15, I decided to call Chad’s mom and ask her if instead of taking the kids to church, if she would come to our house and sit with them. Because of the intensity of my contractions, I wanted to get out and walk. She came over, and Chad and I went to Aldi and got groceries, and brought them home. We left again and went out to the mall. We had lunch, and then we walked the mall down and back. When I got back, I did a PARTIAL miles circuit, and got on my ball doing a few different exercises to help baby descend. Chad’s mom left, and I got in bed. Around 10pm I noticed my contractions were really intensifying and wrapping all the way around my lower back. So I started timing my contractions. They started out pretty infrequent. Every 7 minutes, then every 5, then down to 3, then back to 5. A little before midnight they finally started coming more frequently, but then suddenly dropped to every 2.5 minutes. My timer I was using to time contractions said “go to hospital immediately”. So I text my doula, and I called my MIL. We left the house around 12:25, and arrived at the hospital around 12:45.
My doula was there waiting on us. Once we got through admissions (which seems like a forever process when you’re in active labor), the midwife checked me (one of my fave midwives btw). I was 4cm and 80% effaced. So they requested I walk for an hour to see if we could get some cervical change happening. Me, Chad, my doula, and our birth photographer walked from 1:50a-2:50a. I was walking with high knees and stopping every lap to do chair lunges until it caused a contraction. When we returned back to the triage room there was no dilation change, but way more engagement. So we had a choice of 3 options. I could walk another hour (which I didn’t want to do because I was so tired... remember I had only slept an hour the night before), I could get admitted and start pitocin (no thanks, natural birth contractions are already hell), OR I could have my membranes swept (which I had planned to do at my next DR appointment at 40w2d to avoid induction) and get some sleep meds to REST. So I chose option 3. After my membranes were swept I dilated to a 5, and got really nauseous. I ended up getting sick, and requested nausea medication. We also decided on medication to help me sleep, and some pain meds so I COULD sleep. I knew that if I didn’t rest, there was NO way that I would have a successful natural birth like I wanted.
We were put in a room, and I got all my meds and slept from about 4am to 7:45am. While I slept Chad, my doula, and photographer stayed up and talked until they eventually all passed out and slept some. I got checked again, and had dilated to a 6. Around 8:15 my water broke. Coolest feeling ever. I’ve never felt my water break before one of our kids was born. My water was broken with Hasting, Annestyne’s burst as she was coming out, and I was in water with Chantry. With Sadler I of course had a cesarean. So I informed the nurse and she came to basically verify and clean my bed up for me. Around 8:25-8:30 I told her I felt pressure, and 5 minutes later I said “I need to push”. I got on all 4s on the bed, and the midwife walked in at 8:38.
She "checked" and called me a 10 at 8:42 and and I pushed right at the same time. 1 push/contraction and her head was completely out. Her body came slowly after.. and the midwife guided her up in front to me at 8:43. I had a first degree tear, but didn’t need any stitches. After birth we waited for the cord to finish pulsating, and Chad cut the cord. Chad got some skin to skin in with her while I got cleaned up, and got a new gown. My placenta was saved for encapsulation. My midwife who had been down in maternity admissions with me came up to meet Daragh. Before weighing her, Chad guessed her weight, and guessed it right on the money.
A friend of mine is currently a student midwife, and also a certified lactation consultant and met us as we were wheeled out of labor and delivery. She walked with us to mother/baby and held Daragh and watched her latch, and assessed her mouth for us (so grateful for you lady... thanks for putting up with all my questions pre and post birth 🤗).
It was the perfect birth with the perfect birth team. I had all these plans of snacking during labor, wearing a labor robe, and even possibly laboring in the shower. But I KNEW i needed rest, and without my rest, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to have the birth I knew I needed to end my birthing babies journey. We didn’t even bring anything into the hospital until we were put in mother/baby after the birth.
It was all that I wanted and more.
I have now birthed in ALMOST every possible scenario 💜
- epidural birth
- Car birth
- Unassisted homebirth
- Emergency cesarean
- Natural VBAC
My birthing chapter is now closed, and I am enjoying every moment of the NB phase and fourth trimester!
This is my first time reading this.i didn't know about it. Read them all and cried and cried. Relived the pain of loosing a grandson and really felt your pain and heartache of a mother. You are a very strong yet sensitive woman. Thank you for loving my son and being a great mom of my four sweet wonderful grandchildren. I love you my daughter
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