Monday, March 16th.
I was home alone with the two girls. My parents were across the city staying at a hotel, and my hubby was at work, a 5-hour drive and 4-hour plane ride away. The times are all approximate, as I really wasn't paying much attention to the clock.
16:30 - Making dinner, when I felt a sudden really intense contraction. It doesn't last long. I wait for another one, which doesn't come for almost another 15 minutes so I shrug it off as more Braxton Hicks (no shortage of those this pregnancy).
18:00 - Cleaning up dinner, the contractions increase to every 12 minutes, and are still very intense. But at 12 minutes apart, they can't be worth worrying over.
20:30 - Getting the girls into bed, I kiss them both goodnight. My oldest daughter, Miss A, tells me her baby brother is coming soon. I smile and laugh a bit, as she has been saying that for almost a month now. I text my hubby and my mom and let them know about my contractions.
21:00 - On the phone with hubby, I tell him about how intense my contractions are. They are painful at this point, so much so that I have to grunt through them. But still only every 11 minutes, not even close enough together to call the midwife. As we hang-up I tell him I will let him know if anything progresses, but that baby will likely wait until he gets home (Thursday morning).
23:00 - Contractions every 8 minutes. So much pain. I text hubby and at his insistence, I call my midwife. She assures me that I am not in labour, but says she will come check on me if it would make me feel better. Because I am all alone with two toddlers, I say yes. She says she will be there in about 30 minutes. I text my mom and my hubby again and update them. My hubby has to work early the next morning, so he goes to sleep. I promise to keep him updated.
23:45 - My midwife and her partner arrive and I am in pain, even between contractions. They are closer to 7 minutes apart. My midwife offers to check to see if I am dilated at all, although she tells me not to be disappointed if I am not. When she checks she kind of gasps. "You're already at 5cm!" I text my mom. She says she is on her way.
Tuesday, March 17th
24:15 - My mom arrives, along with my dad and my niece. They both go to sleep, as it is really late. I am laying on the couch, gasping through every contraction. They are now closer to 5 minutes apart and are almost unbearable. The midwives and my mom talk me through them, getting me to relax my tense muscles. It helps.
1:00 - After a quick trip to the bathroom, I lay on the couch again. The contractions have steadily intensified, but at this point I was no longer timing them. During a particularly long one, I feel my water break. It gushes all over my pj pants (I had a waterproof cover under me so the couch was safe). The contraction intensifies and seems to continue for much longer than it should. I am almost in tears. I would have been lost if not for the gentle hands and calming voices around me.
1:30 - The midwives suggest we move upstairs to my room (where I planned to give birth). They go ahead of me to prepare the room and I very, very slowly (painfully slowly) make my way upstairs. It was probably 12-15 steps but felt like 100. Eventually I got into my bed, but by then things had kicked into the next gear.
2:00 - I am on my hands and knees, groaning and moaning as the contractions come in waves. The pain pulls me under. I cry, and ask for my hubby (even though I know there is no chance of him making it back at this point). There is severe pain in the front of my thighs, which my mom and one of the midwives hold cool cloths on. The other midwife gently puts pressure on my lower back to help with the pain from the contractions, which seem to be longer than there is time between them. There isn't even time to recover from one before another hits.
3:00 - There are no words to describe the pain I feel at this point. There are definitely tears, and crying out. I change positions between almost every contraction, and find no relief. I ask to be taken to the hospital, so I can have an epidural. The midwife tells me it is too late at this point. I know this is that point that every woman gets to in childbirth, the one I told myself I could get through no problem. I was wrong. I was so, so wrong. Getting through that was one of the hardest things I have ever done.
4:00 - During a particularly painful contraction, I get the urge to push. Having had an epidural previously, I was guided by my O.B. as to when I should push and how, so this was a completely foreign feeling. I was back on my hands and knees. I tried pushing. I pushed and pushed for what seemed like days. I could tell we weren't making any progress. It was so frustrating not knowing what to do. The midwives tell me to bear down, and push as hard as I can.
4:30 - I am exhausted. My world is a world of pain. I have trouble thinking straight. I sip on cool water between pushing. All I can do is keep pushing through it.
5:00 - My midwife suggests the position I am in isn't working, probably because the baby is coming out sideways (or something to that effect). I don't talk, I just grunt and agree. I lay on my left side because my tail bone hurts so I can't lay on my back. Someone holds my right leg up in the air, I can't even remember who. I bear down during the next contraction. I can finally feel something give. But then, more pain. Worse than any of the previous pain. I believe I have heard it called "the ring of fire". It is well named. I almost screamed. I think I said, "I can't do this." I must have said it over and over, because that's all I could hear in my head. But my mom said, "Yes, you can. You can do this." That was what I needed. I pushed as hard as I could, feeling like I was ripping apart. I cried out, and miraculously didn't wake up any of the others as I brought my baby into the world.
5:12 am -
Mister G was born. I cried. I don't think I've ever cried that hard. The relief of no more pain combined with the pure joy of holding that wee baby in my arms was more than I could bear. My mom texted my hubby to let him know, and sent him a picture of the little man. He weighed 9lbs 2oz and was a whopping 22 inches long.
Yowza!
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My Little Prince
Weight: 9lbs 2oz |
Notes: If ever I have another baby, I would definitely choose a home birth again. It was much nicer and more relaxing than being in a hospital. My other babies were right in the next room instead of at home or in a bright, boring waiting room. I had my own food and my own pillow. And as painful as it was to go without an epidural, my recovery time was speeded up so much. I was up and walking within an hour, and the next morning was walking up and down the stairs (not much, but still). I hope that my hubby can be there with me next time, but either way I want my mommy there. She was my rock. I probably couldn't have done it without her! <3
Well, there you have it. That's my experience in having a baby at home! Let me know, have you ever had a baby at home? Would you ever consider it? Or do you just think I am a crazy hippy? Haha!
xoxo
- M
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