I wrote a very long birth story to share on Facebook. I put an excerpt with accompanying pictures here. Love my baby girl!
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| In labor at 4 in the morning. |
I didn’t go into labor until I was 41 weeks and 3 days. It was… a long time. I lost my mucus plug on Friday morning, then was woken up around 3 in the morning on Saturday with contractions that hurt. I timed them for an hour before accidentally waking Patrick up with moaning. We got everything together for our drive down to Anniston, and called our friends Ross and Andy, who were on call to watch our kids if I went into labor. The drive down was pretty unpleasant. My contractions were 1-2 minutes, about 5-7 minutes apart and they were pretty painful. I wasted a lot of energy moaning through them instead of just breathing. I wasn’t exactly in my right mind. When I was checked at the hospital, I was really disappointed to find out I was only 2 cm dilated. I was having really negative thoughts about labor and birth. Instead of feeling like I could do it, I just wanted to give up to what seemed inevitable: that I would have to have a c section, just like the first two times. I was filled with fatalistic thinking.
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| Patrick was amazing support during labor. |
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| So thankful I could drink during this labor. |
My water broke a little. I told my doula my negative thoughts and shortly Dr. J came to see how I was. He checked me, and I was 3 cm. I told him and Nancy how badly I was feeling. I felt like something was wrong because the contractions just felt bad, there was no relief. It felt like my body was fighting with itself. Dr. J was concerned and recommended I use the Foley bulb to get farther along in my labor. Dr. J told Patrick he thought I was totally exhausted because I was halfway into hypnobirthing and really zoned out. After a little while, I consented. The Foley bulb is a latex balloon that is put into the cervix and filled will saline to force the cervix to dilate. After the cervix dilates, the Foley bulb falls out. After mine was inserted, I felt a lot of unexpected relief. I had been having hot flashes every contraction, and those went away. It felt like something clicked in my body. Just a half hour later, the Foley bulb came out, and I got my first real wave of endorphins. I was still not happy about labor and still didn’t think I could actually do it, but my body wasn’t fighting with itself anymore. I think this was around lunchtime.
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| My face makes me laugh. |
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| Tub labor! |
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| Poor babe. I have no memory of him being tired. |
After laboring for a bit longer, I was checked and had gotten to 6 cm. They officially admitted me and I had to get my IV, which is one of my least favorite things. I was still feeling very negative, even though the contractions were less rough. Patrick reminded me that if I had a c section, I wouldn’t be able to go home after 24 hours and I wouldn’t be able to take care of the boys once I got home. This didn’t make me happy about labor, but it made me have some resolve to not have a section. After that, the labor pool was set up and I got to get in it about 45 minutes later, just in time for transition. I was in the tub for almost 2 hours, going from 7-9 cm. It was a really difficult time. I was using really negative language, until Nancy told me I needed to change my words, and I forced myself to ask Rowan to move down, my cervix to open, and told myself that I could do it. I literally went from saying ,”I can’t” to “I can,” over and over. My water broke about midway through my time in the tub. I had the craving for a lot of textures and was rubbing my face on Patrick’s beard, scratching at his arms and jeans. Then at one point I knew I had to get out of the tub.
I started making pushing sounds, so the nurse checked me, and I was almost complete, with an anterior lip. I felt really let down when I heard that and so did Patrick. That’s how dilated I was with Eamon before I got swollen and was never able to push. We both thought labor was over. Dr. J and Nancy were both in the room and I asked them, wild-eyed, “Can I still do this?” Dr. J was surprised and told me I WAS doing it. He said, “This isn’t gonna slow you down!” Shortly thereafter, my body took over. I got in a weird frog-squat and was bearing down, even though I knew I couldn’t actually push her out that way. After doing that for a while, I knew I needed to get up. I put my arms on Patrick’s shoulders, and started squatting and pushing. I could feel that she had gotten part way out so I touched to see how far she had gotten. At one point I knew I needed to squat deeper and used the hand rail on the bed to push her head out and then Dr. J told me one more push and she would be born! When she came out, Patrick exclaimed, “You did it!” And I started sobbing. The whole time I thought I couldn’t do it and then I actually did. I remember saying, “Baby, baby, baby!”over and over.
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Dr. J patiently waiting for Rowan. Patrick giving
me ver physical support while I squatted and pushed. |
We maneuvered around the umbilical cord and monitoring wires to get me on the bed and they handed me Rowan. After I delivered the placenta, which was way easier and faster than I expected, Patrick cut the cord. Then I got help to turn Rowan around, because I hadn’t seen her face yet! I held her on my chest and let her move herself to my breast to start nursing. She nursed for an hour and a half. When she was done, we let her get weighed a measured. Eight pounds, ten ounces and twenty and a half inches. Dr. J and Nancy told me that the position I got into to push at the beginning was the exact right position to be in to get rid of an anterior lip. I did it instinctively. I had a second degree tear, which is pretty normal for the first vaginal birth and has only been a minor nuisance healing.
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| Baby's first picture. |
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So overwhelmed. I still tear up when I hold her
like this. |
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| Dr. Johansson and Nancy. |
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| We put her on my chest and she found her own way to my breast. |
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| Thank you so much Nancy! |
Since RMC, the hospital I gave birth in, is a baby-friendly hospital, Rowan roomed-in with us. Taking care of a newborn was so much easier after having a vaginal delivery! The first time I got up to go to the bathroom, I was about to ask for help, when I realized I could easily get out of bed myself! It was an amazing feeling. Rowan was born at 4 in the afternoon, and we requested that we go home 24 hours after birth if everything was okay with both her and me. We saw the pediatrician in the morning and Dr J came in the mid afternoon. My mom came around noon and Nancy came about the same time and gave me a massage. Later in the afternoon Patrick’s dad and brother, who were on their way to Atlanta for flights they both had the next day, came to visit. It was pretty amazing we were able to see Kevin the day before he had to fly back to Japan!
Rowan had her PKU and bilirubin tests at 24 hours old and we were completely discharged at 27 hours after her birth. We drove home and our friends had gotten our boys to sleep. We got in bed ourselves and were able to introduce the boys to Rowan the next morning! When I was holding my boys, I was so, so thankful I was able to have have a vaginal birth and take care of them physically. If I had had a c section, I would have been terrified of them getting anywhere near me for days.
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| Mom meeting her new granddaughter. |
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| Uncle Kevin. |
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| Happah x 5. |
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| Rowan and her guard Totoro. |
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| Love this picture. |
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| She was very unhappy getting dressed, but really liked wearing clothes. |
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| Waiting for our discharge papers! |
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| Car seats are not her fav. |
On the 7th, Ed, Marie, Jessica, Riley, and Catherine came to meet Rowan. We should have gotten more pictures, but we didn't. Ah well.
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| Nana and her second granddaughter. |
My mom was able to come stay with us the weekend after Rowan was born.
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| Sani and Connor. |
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| Baby girl is one week! |
We are so thankful for all the support we got during my pregnancy, labor, and the beginning of Rowan's life!
