Ever since Sam was born, I haven't stopped researching natural birth. For his birth I had no pain medications, but I did end up having several interventions that sort of had a domino effect leading to his eventual vacuum extraction. I wanted to avoid all of that with Kate and do it MY way. I absolutely 100% believed that I could labor without any interventions and let my body birth my sweet girl the way God made it to do. I knew that ANYTHING could happen though, and was planning on keeping an open mind to allow interventions if they were necessary for either my or the baby's health. I was extremely blessed however, and my labor and delivery were able to happen totally naturally.
So, without further ado, here's Miss Katherine's birth story!
I woke up around 6:40ish on the morning of Tuesday the 20th having been up off and on all the night the night before with contractions strong enough to wake me up, but nothing that I was able to time. A contraction would wake me up, I'd think, "Hey! A contraction!", go pee, get back in bed, and fall back to sleep for an hour. I had a checkup scheduled for Tuesday morning and was laying in bed longer than I should have because I didn't want to have to start the process of getting myself and Sam ready to go. Around 7 I knew I needed to get moving so we wouldn't be late and as I rolled over to get out of bed I felt a 'pop' and fluid starting coming rushing out of me. I said, "WHOA!" and quickly went into the bathroom so as not to ruin the bed/carpet. I knew my water had just broken, but I had no clue what to do about it! I was just standing in the bathroom saying (to nobody), "Ummm... uhhhhh..." I managed to text James to tell him to come home and he said he'd be there in 15 minutes or so (yay for living on base now!). I then called my mom who was just about to leave for the train station to catch her train to come down here! She said that she would cancel her ticket and that she and my dad would just start driving as soon as they could. I then called L&D to tell them that my water had broken, but that I wanted a natural delivery and so I wanted to try to labor at home. The nurse I spoke to said that she technically wasn't allowed to tell me I could stay home, but off the record, thought it was a good idea. She said I was of course more than welcome to either keep my scheduled appointment or go to L&D triage to be checked, but to expect to be told I needed to be admitted immediately although I was of course well within my rights to say, "No thanks. I'll be back later." By now James was home and we decided to keep my original appointment, and to see what the midwife said. I was starting to have some strong-ish contractions, but nothing very regular. James went to get Sam and was then going to put together our bags just in case. Sam wanted to nurse so I brought him in bed with me and started to nurse him. That caused several pretty strong contractions and then all of a sudden another huge gush of fluid. I quickly put Sam down and ran into the bathroom. That's when I noticed that the fluid was not clear and that Kate must have had her first bowel movement while in my belly. I figured the hospital would be pretty adamant to keep me and monitor me closely because of that. We rushed to finish getting our things together, stopped to snap 1 more belly pic, and headed off to L&D instead of my appointment.
Once in the hospital, I was hooked up to monitors in triage. I was told I was going to be admitted, and said that was fine. They said I'd need constant monitoring because of the presence of meconium in my fluid, but that they had wireless monitors that would enable me to move around as I wanted. I got EXTREMELY lucky with the OB who was on call that day. She is apparently the only one who tends to AVOID pitocin at all costs. I guess if any other OB had been there that day, they would have immediately wanted to start pitocin when they heard my water had broken and that it wasn't clear, and I would have had to fight my way to the birth experience that I wanted. So I am extremely grateful for the dr who was there that day! They checked me in triage and I was a 'stretchy' 3cm, 75% effaced, and baby was at 0 station engaged in my pelvis. All good signs! I was still contracting on and off, but nothing consistent. I was admitted and in a room sometime between 9 and 10.
Once in the room we found out that the wireless monitors were currently not working, so I would need to be attached to the machine the whole time. Since we had Sam with us though, this was just fine. It would have been difficult to walk the halls with him. I could still move very freely about the room, and was able to just unplug myself as needed if I needed to use the restroom or go across the room for a moment. They brought me a big exercise ball, some water and juice and told me to get to work! So we set Sam up in a corner with toys, books, and puzzles and eventually he just watched movies. We even brought his potty because we knew he wouldn't use the big one ;) So basically we totally took over the room. I labored for a few hours, breathing through contractions, and the nurse popped in every hour to check my temperature (to make sure there was no infection coming along while my water was broken). Contractions did pick up in strength and were sort of consistent, but it would be something like 'baby contraction-baby contraction- strong contraction- baby contraction'. I was rocking on the ball, pacing, swaying, squatting, doing everything I could to really get things going!
Around 1:45 they brought in a double electric breast pump and hooked me up to that for 15 minutes. That was the key! I several strong contractions while hooked up to that and after I was finished, had another huge gush of fluid. Contractions immediately set up about 3-5 minutes apart and maintained their strength. I was checked again and was about 5cm, but able to be stretched to 6, 80% effaced, and baby was still at 0. I continued to pace, sway, and squat and used deep breathing and visualization to get me through each contraction. I found that doing a very rhythmic neck roll in time with each deep breath really helped a lot! I also kept repeating in my head, "Relax the face and the rest will follow" and concentrated on not showing my discomfort on my face. When I was able to keep my face calm and relaxed, it helped SO much.
Around 4 I texted my friend Kim and asked if she could come to the hospital between 4:30 and 5 to pick up Sam and take him to our house to play until my parents got there around 5:45/6ish. The plan was for my dad to stay at the house with Sam and for my mom to come to the hospital to be in the room with me. Kim came and got Sam around 4:45 and her timing couldn't have been better because at that point my contractions were getting even closer and were very intense. Around 5:30/5:45ish my nurse, the OB, and the head resident OB came in and said that they had seen some 'squeezy' contractions on the monitor that were obviously really squeezing and drawing Kate's head down because her heart rate would drop with each one. Baby girl was doing fabulously though and brought her heart rate up quickly each time. They said they thought I was probably getting close and wanted to check me. I agreed, and right around then I started getting the shakes which told me I was most likely in transition. Almost there!
The resident OB checked me and said I was 8cm, fully effaced, and baby was plus 1. I had an extremely strong contraction while being checked with which I felt TONS of pressure. The drs and nurse left the room. Immediately I broke out in a cold sweat, started shaking uncontrollably, felt nauseous, and slightly 'out of control'. My contractions then started piggy backing on one another. I was still able to breath and visualize through them, but I felt panicky and freaked out a little when James came near me (up until then he would be standing with me during contractions, either applying counter pressure to my hips or swaying with me). I also started feeling 'pushy' and my body started taking over. I called the nurse back immediately. It was around 6 o'clock, just about 10 minutes or so after being checked at 8cm. The OB and resident came back as well and after hearing just 1 or 2 of my contractions in which I involuntarily squatted and started making 'pushy' sounds, they said they wanted to check me again and started having everything brought in to be ready for the big event!
Just as I was getting into the bed to be checked, my mom walked in the room! I was starting to feel a little calmer now, which told me transition was passing and it was go time! I said, "Hi mom. Good timing!" They checked and sure enough I was complete and baby was making her way out. I let my body do it's thing while they set things up and got a squat bar for me. I wasn't consciously pushing, but felt my body doing it and could actually feel Kate moving downward. Amazing feeling! They got the squat bar set up and 2 residents got in front of me to deliver. They looked confused. The attending OB smiled this HUGE grin and first said to me, "I love you for letting me prove all the doctors who would have immediately put you on pit wrong! In your face other doctors!! I'm calling you my breast pump induction from now on!" she then smiled at her residents and said, "Have you ever seen a squat delivery?" they shook their heads, they had never seen a fully natural delivery at all. The OB smiled even more and said, "This is going to be awesome and fast." She was so excited! I loved it!
Contractions started hitting HARD and it was definitely push time. I was vocalizing through contractions at this point, just sort of a low humming sound. I pushed once or twice on the squatting bar, and was able to reach down and feel her head :) I was half in tears and saying things like, "I want her out NOW ok? Ok?! I just want her out!" and, "No! I don't want to stop because it hurts to stop!" I sat back from the bar between contractions to rest, and then when the next one hit I said to myself, "This is it, I'm not waiting anymore" and went for it. Everybody was CHEERING! I swear it was like we were at a sporting event! "Omg! Sarah! You're amazing! Omg! Look! She's coming out NOW! You're doing it! Wow!!" it was very nice encouragement ;) I felt her crowning and got a burst of energy from who in the hell knows where to get that baby OUT! Her one shoulder did get a bit stuck for a second, and that was actually a very surprising feeling for me. I had just felt her head come out, a split second of relief, and then pain again which took me by surprise because... well her head was already out! I had no clue what I was feeling til I heard, "There's her shoulder!" I heard them say they were looping the cord from where it was wrapped long-ways around her body, and then she was OUT! All told, the pushing phase lasted less than 15 minutes and I pushed about 3 times (in between my deliberate pushes, I was letting my body bear down and do it on it's own)
They had to take her over to the warmer right away to give her good suction because of the meconium in the fluid, but I got a quick look at her first, and James went over with her. The first thing I said was (through tears), "She's really a girl right?!" because I had had so many boy dreams lol. They assured me that she was. I delivered the placenta then naturally and I had one very very small tear that just required 2 or 3 stitches. Then my nurse helped me strip down up top so I could have skin to skin with my beautiful 8lb 8oz, 21 in little girl. She was born at 6:28pm and by 6:45ish she was latched on ;) I turned to James while we were looking down at her for the first time and said, "I did it exactly how I wanted to." and he said, "Hell yeah you did." It was an awesome moment! Afterwards the head resident OB came up to me to thank me for, "Furthering her education" since she had never had the opportunity to see a delivery like mine before and she was so happy that I had given her the opportunity. I thought that was really cool! I thanked the OB and nurse for being so understanding of my birth plan and for helping me have this awesome experience. They both said that they're the ones who should have been thanking me because they didn't actually have to DO anything at all. Just watch while I did it myself lol.
All in all, it was an amazing day and I feel incredibly blessed!
LOVE this!!! Brought me to tears thinking all over again about Andie's birth!!! Props to you momma!!! I knew you could do it!!! And what an inspiration now to so many others <3 Danielle
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