Amber's Birth Story
I woke up in the early morning of October 23, Amber's original due date based on my LMP with what I thought was probably the first real contraction I had felt so far. I had been having stronger Braxton Hicks on and off, but this was definitely different. After a couple more by the time Jim got up, I told him, and thought how neat it would be if Amber knew it was her due date (of course, we didn't know it was a girl yet...)
I sent Jim off to school anyway, knowing that it could be a very long time, even days, before I'd actually go into labor, but we both were excited. I spent the day cleaning up and doing last minute things. Jim came home early, and we decided to spend one last moment together and maybe "speed things up" in the labor department. Well, little did we know how well that would work.
I immediately began getting stronger contractions that I couldn't hide if you saw me (though I was able to talk through them just fine), and they were sporadically 5, 8, 2, 4, etc. minutes apart and lasting around 30 seconds average. So now I thought maybe they'd settle down before they got moving again, so we started to get supper ready and I waited. But instead of going away, they began to get stronger.
We called Julie, the doula (you'll notice all the "J" names by the time I'm done) and she came over to see what she thought. She said to call the midwife, so I called Jenny. Jenny figured I was probably in labor, but had lots of time, and to call whenever I felt like it. So Julie gave me a massage and had me rest. After she left I tried working through a few more contractions while sleeping, but it wasn't working. So I went to the living room and tried different position. Around midnight Jim went to sleep on the rocking chair to keep me company, and I was trying a little harder to get through the contractions which were getting a little stronger. By 1:00 AM I couldn't keep on top of them anymore and was beginning to panic, so I called Julie and Jenny and told them to head over. Julie only lives 5 minutes away, but Jenny was and hour and a half, so I figured I had time and she had time. I had also called my mom (Judy - another "J") who lived 3 hours away and told her to come and she was leaving around 1 as well, so I knew she'd make it before things got too heavy as well.
Right before Julie came Jim woke up and I had him try counter pressure on my lower back, which is where most of the pain was. (The baby switched from posterior to anterior throughout the labor and ended up anterior). It was amazing how much it helped. I finally felt a little hope that I could get through the contractions. When Julie came, she and Jim worked with me through the contractions, applying counter pressure as needed. We moved to the bathroom and back to the birth ball a couple times to change positions.
Jenny arrived around 3:00, and Jill, the assistant midwife around 4:30, shortly after my mom. Jenny checked me and I was 3 cm. dilated, and about 80% effaced. Jenny and Julie went to sleep and Jill became my labor companion throughout the rest of the labor. She massaged my back and eventually breathed me through the harder contractions during transition.
I don't remember how time passed, but I remember it becoming light and Jill saw two deer in our garden eating the corn. I wish I could have moved to see them; I never get to see them. Jim slept for 40 minutes while I rested on him during a few contractions while Jill massages me. Eventually the day went on and I remember telling Jim inbetween contractions that "you know, this isn't that bad..." I think Jill or someone laughed. The reason it wasn't so bad was because I got plenty of rest through many of the contractions, even though others would be right on top of one another. The contractions never did even out or become consistent, except that they had become longer. But as long as Jill or someone massaged me (the lotion they used was wonderful) and reminded me to breath slowly, then I was fine.
At one point, I Jim and I took a shower, he supporting me through contractions, and then Julie rebraided my hair. Jenny thought it would make a great picture for a scared new mom-to-be…
By the time I was 9 cm. and 90% effaced, Jenny broke my water (after I okayed it) and said I could try to push, so I did for a while. But as time went on, she said there was a lip in the way. We tried different positions, all of which I hated, and eventually laying on my back did it. By now my body was effectively pushing. I had a very difficult time pushing, and the midwives started to get a little concerned that I'd run out of energy. I was afraid they were afraid for the baby, even though the heartbeat was fine. Jim told me later they were afraid for ME. But either way, I had to get the baby out, so I kept pushing with all I had. Jim was massaging my perineum by now, and they were dumping olive oil on me so I wouldn't tear. They had me feel her head as she crowned, and it took forever to keep pushing her further out. Finally I pushed her head out, and they told me to pause. I said, "I can't!" as my body was still halfway through the push, and as Julie said, "Yes you can, yes you can..." by the second yes, the baby's body was all the way out. Jim literally caught our baby! It was also then revealed why it had taken so long and was so hard to push her out – her hand had been next to her face the whole way down.
They put her on me and Jim announced that she was a girl. The midwives were concerned about my bleeding and gave me some Ladies Mantel to stop it. They also cut the cord because of the bleeding and they knew the placenta wasn't attached to me anymore. I nursed Amber and they waited for the placenta to be delivered. I had to push the placenta out, and at first they were concerned because it was very thick and clotty, and they thought maybe there was more of it in me. Jenny asked if I wanted her to go in manually and sweep me, and the other ladies said they'd hold me back, which really scared me. But then they looked more at the placenta and figured out that all of it really was there, so I was fine.
In all, labor began at 4 PM Oct. 23, and ended with her birth at 3:48 PM Oct. 24. She weighed 6 lbs. 8 oz. and was 19 1/2 in. long. She is simply beautiful!