So, I’d had contractions for weeks & pretended that they were “doing” something, when really I think they were preparing me for a HARD fast labor with REALLY intense contracting.
It’s hard to start anywhere, so I’ll begin with DH getting home on Tuesday afternoon from work & suggesting that we go early vote, which I thought was a good idea. I was having fairly regular & hard contractions every 45 minutes, but I knew they could go away & that sitting around was the worst thing I could do. So, we voted which actually was very quick–we were expecting to stand in line for some time.
Anyway, after voting we went to the mall to walk a bit hoping that would get things moving a bit more. We did this when I was in labor with Naomi as well, I remember feeling my first contraction with her while drinking a cherry Icee, so of course we had Icees (which apparently were just the trick!). On the way home contractions were quite hard, and after reading a story posted on here about a lady who was having contractions nearly an hour apart and still delivered I thought to call our Midwife. She thought that story was insane, but conveniently she was passing by our house on the way to somewhere else & stopped in to check things out. Baby’s heartbeat was good & I was 1.5-2cm. (I was hoping for a bit more…). This was 7pm.
After she left things heated up. We went through the normal routine–Naomi to bed, watch a little telly, and I rolled around on the birth ball & called my mom & told her that she may want to come in from Raleigh now, instead of waiting until the middle of the night. (good thing she took that advice).
SO. At this point Drew starts looking at the internet for some “view points” on my status & asking me questions like, “are the contractions coming from the front or the back?” to which I respond with a glare and he proceeds to note that from the front would indicate pro-dromal labor–not TRUE labor. I pretended not to understand what he was implying.
Hobbling back & forth to the bathroom with contractions I don’t think I can accurately describe I began to realize the progression of this labor and tried to “focus” on things I’d planned ahead to focus on–mainly prayer and the idea that the Lord wouldn’t give me more than I could handle. He pushed me farther than before…
Anyway, because I was so focused Drew didn’t realize & when my mother arrived she was also unaware of how far along I was. I sat in our tub for a good bit while Drew interrogated me with every question that popped into his head. Contractions were coming on top of each other & his idea to start blowing up the pool seemed silly as I could sense that he should prepare more for catching this baby without our midwife. Just as this thought came to my head the MW assistant arrived. After about 40 mins. more in the tub they managed to get me on the bathroom floor for a check & I was a “stretchy” 5, although those words were not good to hear because, as they moved me into our bedroom where we thought laying might help me to rest, I knew it was time for more than just contractions. So, upon reaching the end of my bed & leaning against it & Drew I started to push & make whale noises. Leviah was on her way! I pushed for about 20 minutes (at some point I heard my MW arrive who just came from a birth in Charlotte (after having checked me in GSO at 7pm)) and there she was!
Naomi & my mother watched from our bedroom doorway cheering me along (Naomi was amazing & knew, as we’d warned, that the baby would come from my “buh-buht” and then I would feel better). She watched her sister born–but more importantly to me she watched something that may stick with & empower her for the rest of her life. She won’t be tortured with the fear I had until she was born. Perhaps this is knowledge she’ll spread.
ANYWAY. all said & done, my mother was a skeptic of Homebirth when we told her that was the route we were taking. She is now a convert & wishes she could go back & do it the “natural” way. Her version of the story is great, and also makes me proud of our Homebirth story! 3 generations of ladies bonding over something that was stolen for a few–the beauty of birth…
(not to say it didn’t hurt–it most def. did!!)
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