started April 7th -- born on the 8th 12:35am (best guess time)
I had that this is it feeling starting that late afternoon! The contractions were very weak and came and went. I called family around 5pm to let them know tonight or tomorrow morning we would have the baby! I kept busy by baking a birth day cake, washing Daniel's work clothes, shower, and washing dishes! Finally at 9pm I told everyone to go on to bed. I will let them know when contractions get consistent and strong. When we need to head to the hospital! The kids were scared to go to bed thinking we would leave them and they miss the birth. We always take them to the hospital for the birth so they can see the baby right away! But at last everyone went to sleep.
I continued to walk around. I continued to pee every hour. I found that when I swayed, rocked my hips, or squatted the contractions were stronger and lower. Never did I have to stop and breath through the contractions, or stop walking swaying due to the intensity of the contractions. One would be weak and the next stronger. They would be close as in 8 minutes apart and the next 15 minutes apart. I talked to my sister, Sarah, and Mom on the phone. I looked up in my birth books to see if the peeing every hour was my bladder or rupture membrane. I figured ruptured membrane would leak no matter what. I decided that at midnight I would lie down and see what happens. Maybe by morning it would really pick up. I took the phone down stairs and brushed my teeth (11ish pm). I swayed big time while brushing my teeth. It was actually fun! Then I had to go the bathroom. So back upstairs. I went up and down the stairs A LOT!-- I wonder if that had anything to do with it? While going to the bathroom my back hurt really bad! The most intense pain yet still no need to breath to concentrate through the pain! So I as there for a while. Then got up and walked around the rooms upstairs to see what happened next! I then had more strong back contractions really close which I leaned against the doorpost through.
I finally knelt in front of the rocking chair and buried my head into the seat. When the contractions with painful back aches came I pulled the rocking chair towards me and up on the tip of its legs. I had several right on top of each other. I prayed to be near the end because it felt like Smiley's birth all over again (oh the back pain!). Then my water broke! I thought oh my word... it is going to happen now! I felt the head really low and begin to BURN (crown). I was overtaken by the intensity. I could not moan, pant, hee hee hoo hoo or scream. I just breathed and let it go! My son HooDoo, who was asleep in the other room upstairs, heard me making some funny noises. He asked "What are you doing?" I told him to get Daddy! He ran downstairs to our bedroom where Daniel was asleep. He told him. Then Peacock our oldest son said "Daddy, Mommy is having the baby!" He came upstairs to the room and asked if I was okay to which he saw the baby's head out! He ran downstairs to call his Mom who lives right next door to come and help!
The rest of the body just slipped right out. I was kneeling on the floor! I started to worry when the baby did not breath. I noticed the cord went straight from the belly button up and around the back of the neck and down the other shoulder! The baby still had not breathed. I rubbed the back vigorously praying breath baby please don't die!!!! I noticed where my hand was and did not feel a boy part. I checked and sure enough it was a girl! Seriously? a girl? I checked and rechecked and checked once again! I really thought we were having a boy! Finally My Doll coughed up some fluid and was breathing. I suctioned her mouth to get more fluid out. She sounded a wheezy while breathing. My MIL came and had not heard her cry. I was not worried by then because I had heard her cry and she was breathing and pink! Her hands and feet were not very pink. The EMT was called to get checked out. I passed the placenta about 30 - 45 minutes later. We finally got in the ambulance and left for the hospital. My Doll nursed the whole way there which is a 30 minute drive. I noticed I was bleeding a lot and mentioned it to the EMT. He checked my bp and it had dropped 90/50. He started a saline drip. I continued to bleed a lot and pass a lot of clots. While in the hospital my heart rate was high 147bpm and my bp was low! The nurse said I lost 3 units of blood which is close to postpartum hemorrhaging. I never felt so out of it before. I hated the helpless feeling.
I am glad My Doll was perfectly fine! She weighed 8.2 lbs and was 19" long. Just a perfect and beautiful baby with a dimple in her chin! :) I finally felt better that evening to where I could stand up and not faint. I showered and changed clothes. We did come home the next morning.
My thoughts: I tried trying to figure out why I bled so much. Did the placenta tear the uterine wall? Were there pieces of the placenta left? I started researching through my birth books… I know late right? But seriously, I did not read one birth book this whole pregnancy! Anyway, in Penny Simkin’s book she talked messaging the uterus and if it remains soft you will bleed a lot! NO DUH!!! I knew this information. It was a good 2 hrs from birth until arriving at the hospital. Mom R did ask if I had Red Rasberry tea to drink and I totally forgot I have a bag in a drawer in the kitchen! I bought it back when pregnant with Smiley (2007). I did nurse My Doll, but that was not enough to keep my uterus hard and firm so I bled due to a soft uterus. It could have been avoided had I messaged my uterus, or drank the tea! I hate it that I forgot such important info.
In the Sheila Kitzinger book “Birth Your Way” she has a topic on long on/off labors. She recommends walking up and down stairs, squatting, rocking and swaying the pelvis. It helps lower the baby, get in right positions, etc. I wonder if that is why it happened so fast? I was doing all of that because it made the contraction stronger than when walking or sitting.
Someone also asked what I thought when Daniel left me alone! I thought nothing of it! He does not handle birth well and especially blood! I myself have always wanted to catch my own baby. During previous births at that moment I am jumping out of the bed, climbing the wall, or grabbing the nearest person or thing. I joke about dropping the baby out if it was just me! With Julie’s birth everything was different, surreal, and wonderful!! I gently breathed her out. Lifting her to my chest MYSELF was the best experience ever!!! I am thankful to have gotten the chance to catch!
Next time I hope for the water birth. Surely I will get one, right? LOL!!!
