Where do I begin? I'm still trying to process how fast this magical waterbirth went! Once again labor threw me for a loop and wasn't what I expected. This is the birth story of baby #7. Jessica Renae was born May 15, 2002 at 10:09 a.m. She was 3 days over due, weighed in at 10lbs 2 oz., 22 inches long.
Four days (Saturday the 11th) before Miss Jessica was born, I had a trial run of labor. The entire day I had contractions. They were consistent but not lasting very long, 30-40 seconds. I thought maybe this might be the start of labor but still not quite sure. With my last two pregnancies I had a day of contractions only to have them stall out by evening. Well guess what....same thing happened. I figured the baby would arrive within the next 5 days.
Sunday, Mother's day and also my due date! It was a nice day but boy was I really grouchy. I left for a while to be by myself...went and got something to eat and then went to browse the book store just to relax.
Monday, 1 day overdue. Ok I made peace with myself. I always knew I'd go over but there is just something about that "magical" date! When it finally arrives you know the baby will be here soon but then it's the next day and there's no baby, feeling a little deflated!
Tuesday, 2 days over due and it's my 40 week prenatal appt. So I load up the kids in the suburban and drive 40 minutes to my midwife's house. Prenatal went well....baby sounds great. I tell her what's going on and how I feel. I make my final payment and we joke about how I'll probably go into labor that night....little did I know!
Wednesday, May 15th.....I awoke around 4:30 a.m. I just couldn't sleep any longer. I tossed and turned till 5 a.m. when I finally got up out of bed. I went to the bathroom as usual, and that's when I noticed there was a slight pink tinge on the toilet paper. Whoa! I wasn't expecting that to happen. I thought soon, this baby will be here soon (thinking within the next 24hrs). I decided to make some toast and have a glass of orange juice, get on the computer and check my email. While at the computer I noticed a contraction that felt a little different. It was down lower and in my back...hmmmmm...maybe? I thought to myself. Nahhhh.....just another day like last Saturday. So I kept reading.
6 a.m., I signed off the computer...I need to go to the bathroom again. Whoa! More pink stuff on the paper....ok it's red. I'm still in denial, it could be awhile before real labor begins. 6:30 a.m. I decided maybe I should time contractions. They really don't feel all that long but they seem to be getting consistent. I decided to do a load of laundry first then time them. My dh is up now and getting ready for work. I tell him something is going on but it could be nothing too. I said I'd call if this turns out to be it.
7:30 a.m. Ok back on the toilet, it seems to feel good to sit on it! Contractions are about 3 minutes apart now and last 50 seconds. I'm starting to think that this is really it. I decided to give my doula a call and let her know what was going on. It's then I noticed I was shaking through my contractions. This is really it. I tell her she better head on over.
7:45 a.m. I put in a page to my midwife. As I wait for her to call me back I'm having to really concentrate through my contractions. I put a quick call into my dh, telling him he needs to come home now. He tells me he'll be home in about an hour. I go over to my birth ball and sit for a while.....I'm starting to moan through my contractions now. My kids are starting to wake up, my oldest asks if I'm alright. I tell her I think the baby is on his/her way. She gets all excited. I tell her to scramble some eggs for the rest of the kids and get them fed. She is such a big help.
8 a.m. My midwife hasn't called back so I decided to call her regular house number. Her son answers and I ask for Jeni (my midwife). He says she's sleeping, I told him who I was and that I'm in labor. He says just a minute! Jeni got on the phone and I told her I had paged her but then when she didn't call back I called her house number (turns out her son heard her pager and it said low cell so he changed the battery). She apologized, she had just gotten back from a birth at 4 a.m. I'm having contractions while on the phone with her...I'm moaning through them. She tells me she's on her way!
8:15 a.m. I decided to call my dh back and tell him to get his butt home...things are moving fast. Says he's on his way. I really need to get into the water now. The bath tub looks inviting but I want to wait and not use up any hot water. My dh will be here soon and I'll have him set up the birth pool then. So I have my oldest warm up my hot pack in the microwave. Heat will feel good on my lower back. I get on my bed, on all fours and have her put the pack on my lower back...…! feels so good. Another contraction....low moaning.....I start chanting "…soft, relax, open". Ok it's over...this is going too quick for me. Contractions don't feel like they last that long but boy are they intense!!
8:30 a.m. or so...I’m kinda in labor land after I talked to dh. He arrives home, and I tell him he needs to set up the pool. I have to get in. The kids are being good, my oldest cleans up the kitchen and dh starts to set up the pool. I'm walking around the house now going from bedroom to living room to kitchen, leaning over a chair or against the wall during contractions.....doing my low vocalizations. I'm starting to feel some rectal pressure! The phone rings....my dh answers it.....it's my midwife, there's been an accident on the freeway and she's stuck in the traffic. She wants to talk to me....I'm moaning as I have a contraction. I tell her I'm starting to feel rectal pressure. She tells me she's just about through the accident traffic and she'll be here in a 1/2 hour. She asks to talk to my oldest so she can have her get all the birth supplies out and ready.
Around 9 a.m.…. I have no clue what time but dh set up the pool and the water is heavenly. It feels so good during a contraction. Feeling lots of pressure in my bum but not pushy yet. My midwife arrives....I glance at the clock, 9:19 a.m. a few minutes later my doula and friend Micki walks in...I’m moaning through my contraction. She immediately responds with a soft touch. I relax even more. Jeni asks if she can check dilation....9 cm...I yell out Hallelujah! Almost there!
Contractions slowed to 5 minutes apart and it's a nice break. I'm starting to get tons of pressure. Micki and Jeni tell me to listen to my body. Darjee, midwife apprentice, arrives. She helps Jeni get things ready. It gets kinda foggy from here on out. I remember the kids coming and going from the side of the pool. I ask to get lots of pictures (this is my last baby). I'm just working really hard now. I'm starting to feel a bit pushy. Darjee, says if you want to check to see if you feel anything. I do...wow! I felt a bag of water..it was cool! She says it's like a balloon. I said yep! Jeni wants to check dilation once more, she says I sound like I'm complete.....I have just a lip left but I can push through it if I want too. Next contraction I feel tons of pressure, I get into a kneeling position. Oh wow! I can feel the baby moving down....this is so intense. Then I felt relief....it was really weird how the contractions varied in intensity. It seems like every other contraction I had was not so intense, just a little one. It was a nice break. Next contraction...feeling pushy...I just let my body go with it.
I can feel the baby moving down some more. I ask Jeni and Micki to do the pressure point in my hand....it helps. Ok I need to change positions...all fours now, well leaning over the edge of the pool. Micki asks if I'd like her in the pool with me...yep, of course! Another contraction starts...I ask for double hip squeeze....back aches during contraction. I yell for counter pressure. Oh yeah, that's much better. I go back to kneeling position....next contraction.. I have to push!
After the contractions were over Micki asks if I want her to support me from behind while pushing. I said yes, lets try it. Next contraction....holy cow! Baby is coming fast...I push, I can feel my vulva just bulging. Jeni says she needs to support my perineum, but then I start to freak cause the contraction isn't slowing down at all. I feel this intense need to get up and change positions. I start to tell Jeni that I can't do it this way! I have to get up....I don't think I've ever moved so fast. I got up and onto an all fours position, leaning over the edge of the pool. I push like heck...Pop! there goes my bag of waters....it's yellowish color..ugh! I know what that means. Meconium! Baby has passed meconium and will need to be suctioned once born to prevent aspiration.
Next contraction starts...it's another intense one.....I just want the contraction to slow down, it's not....I start pushing like heck! Then I reach down and I can feel the baby's head. I push more...baby's head is almost out, there's lots of hair I can feel it "swishing" in the water (ok that was really cool). I continue pushing like heck, baby's head is out. I remember Darjee saying 10:08 a.m. (that's the time noted when baby's head was out). I still feel all the intensity of the contraction, I just want this baby out. Jeni tells me to give a good push. I do and let out this mama lion roar.....baby isn't moving. I knew something wasn't right. Baby is stuck! I thought,(the midwife told me later her shoulders were stuck) then I felt Jeni doing something down below and she said push. I do, with another mama lion roar and I feel the baby move. I push again and that's it, baby it out, I hear 10:09 a.m. and then I let out a huge sigh of relief. I flip over and Darjee is in the pool suctioning the baby.
My oldest is right there and says we have another girl. Darjee then gives me the baby to hold. I can't believe it! it's over! I'm so relieved and she's so beautiful. I double check to see if baby is a girl! She sure is! Dh and the kids are all around the outside of the pool now. Josh, my 3yr old, starts freaking out cause he was so sure we were having a baby brother. Dh takes him in the other room to calm down. Jeni said we have a big baby girl. Just didn't know how big till later. 12 minutes later I delivered the placenta and then got out of the pool. This was by far my most intense birth. I can't believe how fast it all went. 2 hrs. 39 minutes.....not what I was expecting at all!! I'm glad my baby girl is here. She's our last! It was another awesome birth experience with the added bonus of a waterbirth!
Addendum 12/20/22: Even reading this 20 years later, I can feel all the emotions I had back then, I remember exactly how this birth progressed and the feelings of intense emotions. Birth sticks with us for the rest of our lives. This journey into parenthood will last with us, make sure you have the journey you envision, through preparation, consistency, and making the best choices for your situation!
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