A Child is Born

I have been wanting, needing, and meaning to write the story of my daughter, Coryell's, birth since it happened over four months ago.  I should have written it much sooner when the events were still fresh in my head, but now is better than never.

It started on Wednesday, January 12.  I had been to town and had lunch with my husband, Nic, at the Corps of Engineers.  Some of his co-workers commented that day that he may not be at work the next day, as it was my due date.  I would just smile and say "there's no indication that she will arrive tomorrow".  I had always expected my first baby to come late, probably at least a week.

While making dinner that evening, I felt some liquid leakage, at around 4:30 pm.  Now, I've also heard that many a mom-to-be have gone to L&D when they felt a leak, and were sent home because they were simply leaking urine.  I was worried I would end up doing the same, except we weren't going to L&D.  I was planning a home delivery, and my midwife, Sherry Dress, was coming from 3 hours away, so I didn't want to call her and have her come on a false alarm.  We finished eating dinner, and I was still leaking, so I finally called my midwife, just to see if she could help me figure it out on the phone.  She was seeing a patient in her hometown, and asked me to track down some Ph paper, though she already thought that my water had broken.  My husband drove me to a drugstore in town, which did not have any Ph paper, and I didn't want to drive all over town, so I called my previous midwife at the clinic (who I would have loved to have deliver my baby if she was available to do home deliveries, which she cannot).  She was still seeing a patient at the clinic, so she had her nurse get some Ph paper for me and we went and picked it up.  It immediately turned blue when tested, meaning my water definitely broke.

At that point, I decided we needed some groceries so that my husband would have food to eat for a couple days after delivery.  So we went down to Albertson's and did a little shopping, which I would NOT do next time if my water broke again!  I was wearing a pad, but I was pretty soaked by the time we got back home.  I was thankful I was also wearing a long jacket to cover it up.  Once we got home, the gushing started.  I couldn't even make it to the bathroom from the time I felt it begin until I was completely soaked, so much that I had to change pants.  This happened about three times before I started using a towel instead of a pad, so that I wouldn't have to change clothes so often!  It was like something you would see in a movie.

In the middle of the gushes, I threw some ingredients in the breadmaker so that my husband would have bread in the coming days.  And then he requested that I made some banana bread, and I obliged.  At least the house was smelling wonderful at this time, whether I felt wonderful or not.

Contractions started just before 8 pm that evening.  They were fairly light, just making me a bit uncomfortable, and I decided I should get ready for bed and try to get some sleep.  Of course, after brushing my teeth and all my bedtime preparations, I still had to stay up long enough to take the banana bread out of the oven.  When we finally got to bed, it was later than I'd wanted, but I tried to get some sleep, which did not happen.  I had to get up once or twice because my water was gushing again, which my husband slept soundly through.  I was glad he was getting some sleep, because I knew he would need it for what was coming next.

I finally got up around midnight, with another gush, and was getting extremely uncomfortable with the contractions.  I was also running out of towels to use for the water, so I wasn't sure what to do next.  I called my midwife, who was now on her way to our house, and she was just entering Milton-Freewater at the time.  I asked if I was allowed to take a bath after my water broke, and she said yet.  Later she said that's when she knew I was in hard labor, because I was asking if I could take a bath for the pain.  I ran a bath with Epsom salt, and soaked in that until my midwife and her apprentice, Alyssa, arrived.  This was the first time Nic woke up, and he stayed up the rest of the time.

When the midwives got there, they timed my contractions while I was still in the tub, and then they decided to rest a little before the main event.  Nic and I went on a walk sometime around 1 am through our neighborhood, at which point he decided he needed to take a picture of me standing in front of our friend's house a couple blocks away.  I'm not sure they ever knew we were there.  When we got back to our house, the midwives were curled up on either end of our couch sleeping.  I ran another bath and soaked for a while, and then laid on my bed and labored some more there.  I did try the birthing ball at one point, but it wasn't helping me relieve the pain.

At about 4 or 4:30 am, Nic woke the midwives and told them it was time to fill up the pool that I would be laboring in and delivering in.  I labored the rest of the time in the pool, except to get out once because I was too hot and the midwife wanted to check my progress.  When she checked, I was almost to the point of transition, so I got back in and kept laboring.  I remember I was sweating so badly, and I was so hot and miserable.  The water was not hot enough to keep the pain of contractions down, either, but I also didn't want it any hotter because I was too hot. Sometime in the process, since I complained about the heat so much, they finally filled a bowl with ice water and soaked a rag in it for my forehead.  They had to keep the water at about 100 degrees for the comfort of the baby when she arrived, and they were trying to heat the house to about 80 degrees for the same reason.

I started pushing around 8 am, 12 hours after my first contractions started.  I never had the urge to push, they just told me it was time.  It was the most miserable part for me.  I think that if I'd had the urge to push, it would have been easier.  At least I've read that.  But I didn't.  I felt every contraction start in my left hip, and it was excruciating.  Then it would progress to my low back.  I have previous hip and back pain/injuries, so I knew it would be hard.  But this could be what keeps me from doing a natural delivery next time, we haven't decided yet.

I tried so hard to stay positive and not get too discouraged during the whole labor and delivery.  I was somewhat successful, I believe.  The midwife kept telling me over and over again "you're almost there", and at one point I did snap and say "you keep saying that, but it isn't true!"  I think this was my most negative statement, other than saying "I'm not ready" whenever I felt another contraction hit.  I just wanted a little more rest in between.  Contractions were coming in a clear patter, with one hitting, and then almost no bread for the next one.  And then I would get a few minutes break before starting that routine all over again.  Those first two, with no break, were wearing me down so much.

I pushed for two hours and 40 minutes, and my daughter was born at 10:40 am on her due date, January 13, 2011.  My previous midwife, from the clinic, was present for part of the pushing, but not the actual delivery.  We had invited her because we really like her, and she's very interested in water birth.  I was glad she was able to come for part of it, she is very encouraging.  Other than the midwives, my husband was the only other person there for the birth of our daughter, which is how we had planned it.

Nic made the family phone calls shortly after he cleaned up (he had been in the pool with me during the pushing and delivery), and we allowed guests to come about four hours after Coryell was born.  The midwives stayed and cleaned up the delivery items, and made me a potato soup that I was to eat for several days.  They helped me shower and clean up, and stitch me up from the tear, since Coryell came out with her hand next to her face, and swinging.  They got me and Coryell into bed, and then they left to see other patients.  They came back that night to check on us before heading back home.  I think by then they were running on two or three hours of sleep.

And that is the story of Coryell's birth.  Overall, I would say it was a good experience, although very painful and HARD!  It will take a while before I'm willing to think about doing it again, but I'm sure it will happen.