A Dad's Re-Telling - Baby Nola

Our due date was 3/31, and we went in for our post due-date BPP at 9:30am on Monday, 4/2. Well, Nola likes to sleep in the mornings, and they could not get her to move during the BPP ultrasound. Well, this essentially gives you a failing grade (despite a strong heart rate and breathing). and they wanted to induce right away. We told the doctor we would think about it, and after calling Coral and another doula friend of ours, we started the induction at 1:30.

West Allis worked very hard with us to have a natural birth, and Dana went from 1 cm to 10 cm, but it took 16 hours on Pitocin to do this. Let me tell you all, Pitocin is just like what Coral says -- constant slamming contractions. I think they were about 1 minute apart (max) Dana felt like she never got a break. Plus, once they stick you to the monitor and IV, you are essentially tethered. The monitor just does not work - I was ready to barricade the doors. If you tried the technique other than laying there, you were going to get a visit from the nurse because they couldn't see the heartbeat for 30 seconds. However, we used a lot of the natural techniques (sitting on the ball head-to-head was probably one of the best), but we couldn't do the bath or shower, and hand an knees continued to screw up the monitor. Very frustrating.

Well, long story short, we went for the epidural around 7:30 because Dana was just in constant pain and felt like the Pitocin was just destroying the experience. However, we barely made even that. Dana was suddenly at 10 cm, and Nola was ready to come out.We had to break the water (we did consider delivering the bag, but thought that at this point, we were in good shape to break). We broke the water, and 30 minutes later, we had Nola. 8lbs, head and one arm coming out. we did have immediate skin-to-skin for actually a couple of hours (she was in really good health). She is definitely the best thing to ever happen to us!

Benefiting from Doula Support

Our birth experience was long but very well. I started having contractions Wednesday morning. I worked all day with Nicks help. I definitely needed him around to help with the kids because I didn't have the patience that I usually had. During the day my contractions were very spaced out. After all the kids were picked up I was exhausted so I went to sleep from 6-11pm. At 11 my contractions started kicking in and I had to concentrate a lot more to get through them. At about 2am my contractions were 4 minutes apart so we decided to head to the hospital. We wanted to labor as long as we could at home but the truth is we were nervous about being 35 minutes away from the hospital so we decided to go.

When we arrived out doula, Ashley, was on her way and Dr. Koch was already there because she had another lady in labor. Ashley was amazing and helped me so much. We did a ton of walking, squatting, went in the shower & tub. When I was moving my contractions were 2 minutes apart but when I rested in the tub, toilet & shower they would be anywhere from 5 to 8 minutes apart. Thursday night at 8pm Dr. Koch was giving us options (breaking my water, Pitosin, Morphine, to sleep, or go home). We weren't ready for any of those things since our due date wasn't until the 14th. I was full effaced, baby was very low but I as only 3 cm. Our doula was very helpful reminding us that we didn't need to do an of those things. The baby was doing just fine and so was I. Nick finally just asked if we could just spend the night and see how we were in the morning. We didn't' want to drive all the way home. That night my contractions were 10 minutes apart. At 6am the nurse said they were discharging us. It was very frustrating to have to leave after all of the hard work we just put in.

We spent most of Friday outside walking around our yard. My contractions were about 6 minutes apart all day and night. Saturday morning we woke up and decided that something needed to be done because I didn't know how long my body would last on lack of sleep. We called Dr. Koch at 7am and met her at the hospital at 7:45. She examined me and I was now 4cm and she believed breaking my water would get things going, so we agreed on it. She broke my water at 8:10 and I hopped into the tub. Contractions were intense and 1-2 minutes apart. it went very quickly, and before long, I had the urge to push. We got out of the tub and into the bed. We tried a bunch of different positions but the one that worked best was sitting up on the bed with legs in the air. With every contraction I pulled myself up with the bar. I pushed for an hour and a half and out came our beautiful baby girl. Pushing was my favorite part because I could finally do something with the pain of the contractions.

Our experience at the Columbia Center was amazing. We want to have all of our babies there with Dr. Koch! Coral's class definitely helped prepare us for birth. We used many techniques during labor that we leaned from the class. We really appreciate all of the knowledge and insight that helped make our birth experience a natural one.

Octavian

My water broke at 3am, luckily we had our appointment with the midwife that day. Sebastian and I stayed calm (and even went to Cheesecake Factory for lunch) prior to our appointment. During our appointment at 1pm, out midwife decided we should stay in the hospital and prepare for the birth. The labor was long, we used our skills from the class (bathtub, walking, dancing, massage and toilet sitting) but the pain was intense. I felt disconnected from the world around me during the contractions. by 1:30am we were exhausted. I was only 5 cm dilated and the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart. We all made the decision to go with an epidural and some Pitocin to help me relax and progress the labor. The anesthesiologist came in and said "so you gave up on natural childbirth" with a smirk on his face. It took him 3 pokes before he entered the epidural space.

The epidural allowed us to take a nap and gather out strength. I was given minimal doses of both the epidural and Pitocin. We had once episode of decelerations that improved with re-positioning on my knees ( yes, I was able to move my legs and bear weight on my knees). Things came down and we went back to our nap. After a nap, we decided we were ready to get busy. Sebastian started massaging my legs and feet (stimulating all the labor acupuncture points) and the contractions increased in strength and frequency. My epidural wore off, I left the pain and pressure of his head on my sacrum. I thought to myself "oh no, not again pain!!!" so I wanted another epidural bolus dose but Sebastian and our midwife convinced me that it would be easier to push without it. we started pushing at 8:30am, I felt everything and was able to focus on the pushing. Sebastian got to deliver the baby and place him on my chest. He stayed on my chest for the next 2 hours as we bonded in love.

We had a great experience. The hospital staff was amazing, we never felt rushed or pressured. Everything was on our terms (with great room service). Octavian has been a great baby!

Octavian was born to parents Eunika & Sebastian on 8/18 (due 8/30).
He weighted 6lbs 5oz and was 17 inches long.

Not Quite According To Plan - Zahra Inez

On August 28th (about 2 1/12 weeks before my due date) my friend was picking me up to go to another friend's baby shower. As I got into her car my water broke. I hadn't had any contractions or any warning that birth was nearing. I was probably a sight to see standing on the side of the road with a giant puddle forming under me... definitely much more fluid than I ever expected or imagined!! I called Michael to come home from work as I went back into the house and remembered to make sure to eat and drink lots of water. Our plan was to stay at home as long as we could before going to the hospital. So from about 3:30pm until 8pm I waited for contractions to really kick in but I wasn't feeling too comfortable and I was starting to get concerned as I wasn't feeling her move as much so we headed to the hospital and checked in at about 8:30pm.

I was only about 4 cm dilated when we got to the hospital. I was not given an IV and only intermittent fetal monitoring per my birth plan. The hospital staff was per supportive of letting us follow our birth plan. I started feeling more pain with contractions and began using techniques learned in class. I used the whirlpool tub, the shower, aromatherapy, yoga ball, counter pressure, swaying, breathing, visualizations and I particularly liked being rubbed on the top of my knee. Turns out throughout my labor I was consistently having clusters of contractions rather than one after another. I labored like this for almost 24 hours and got to about 7 cm dilated.

By this point I was running out of energy. I was unable to keep anything down and beginning to become delirious from the pain of the clusters of contractions. At this point I asked for medications as I was no longer able to maintain calm. It was a difficult situation but I knew I needed a break and to rest for what I thought was coming. I was given Stadol and was able to finally get some rest. After about 6 hours I was checked again and was still ta 7 cm despite being able to rest and relax. It was suggested that we start Pitocin to try to get my contractions to become more regular and hopefully become more productive. After a few hours of Pitocin things still were not progressing and I was only just barely dilated to 8 cm. Zahra was not descending into the birth canal and in fact had not even dropped fully. Thankfully she was doing great on the monitors throughout the entire labor.

By this time I was feeling desperate and had a feeling that things were not going to turn out how we had imagined. The Pitocin was making me feel sick and shake and in the back of my mind a knew a C-section was where we were headed. After about 12 hours I only dilated from 7 to 8 cm and after a few excruciating internal exams I ended up getting an epidural. Michael was feeling like things were getting out of control at this point due to interventions and untimely because we saw this as preparation for a C-section. I feel confident in the fact that I ultimately made all of the decisions regarding interventions and was not pressured by any of the hospital staff. But it was still scary.

Michael and I were in the operating room for about an hour after the epidural. Right before Zahra was delivered I started feeling pain. My epidural did not full take on one side and this was probably the scariest part of the whole experience. I remember I kept saying "I don't think this is right." I started to hyperventilate and panic. I was told they couldn't give me anything until Zahra was delivered so that she would not get the medication in her system. As soon as she came out they help up a mirror and the only thing I said was that she was so small. Michael went with Zahra and brought her in to see me before they went to the nursery for an exam and a bath. The next few hours were a blur. I was given Dilaudid, a medication stronger than morphine, closed up and taken to the recovery room where my mom was waiting for me. After an hour in recovery I was finally able to get into my room and meet Zahra a little better. It took days for me to really wrap my head around out birth experience but I have really come to terms with what happened and am just thankful that we are all healthy and doing well. Michael was amazing in taking care of both of us in those first few weeks while I was recovering.

Zahra Inez was born to parents Michael and Tasha on 8/30 (due date 9/16).
She weighed 6lb 9oz and was 19 inches long.

Hard Work Pays Off - Rhys Rex

Labor for me seemed like an eternity. My first contractions started about 10:30 p.m. on 12/18. There were uncomfortable at first, but not unbearable. I was thrilled, because it was 3 days before my due date and I was ready to meet this baby! Davis came home from work, and we decided to time the contractions because they kept on coming. They were about 15 minutes apart and lasted about 30-40 seconds. We decided to go to bed and see what happened by morning. I had a really hard time seeping because of the discomfort so I ended up not getting much rest. About 6 a.m. the next morning the contractions had gotten more intense but had still been ranging from 7-10 minutes apart and not quite lasting for a minute each time. I decided to call my midwife anyway to give her a heads up. She told me to let her know when I felt I was ready to go into the birth center. I called her back later that morning and we met at the new center in Bay View.

They recommended that I try to rest being that I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. So, I labored there all afternoon and tried to rest but was making little progress. In fact, by about 6 p.m. my contractions had spaced out to almost every half an hour! I was so frustrated. Our midwife, Ali, had checked me and I was only about 4 cm dilated and hadn't been fully effaced yet. She tried stripping the membranes in hopes that it would help the labor process. After that, two acupuncturists who happened to be downstairs and were nice enough to come and try to "kick start" my labor once again. They put "mustard seeds" in my ears, which are just a few very small pins. These stay in place and I just pinch them to stimulate contractions. They also did a little massaging of back, hands, and feet. They didn't seem to do much, I only had contractions in the hour they were with me. Davis and I decided to bundle up and go for a walk outside. I had a few contractions during the walk but nothing that seemed promising. When we returned to the center, the midwives had suggested we go home where we could feel more comfortable until I made more progress and reassured me that we could come back at any time of the day or night. I left very defeated at this point. I hadn't slept in over 24 hours, and I wanted to meet my baby! Davis convinced me that this was the best way and that once we got home I would feel much better, and he was right, So we came home and tried for the second night to get some sleep.

This night was much worst that the first in terms of contractions. They were consistently 15 minutes apart and very, very intense. Laying on my side through a contraction was extremely painful so with every one I had to get up to my hands and knees and sometimes even stand and swing my hops. This resulted in a second night with very little or no sleep. By the time morning came, I couldn't stand it anymore and I called my midwife again. She wanted to hear me have a contraction while we were on the phone together, but of course, they would space apart again. She recommended comfort techniques to help me feel better, like taking a shower and using essential oils. These helped a little but at this point I mainly had to learn to just have patience with myself.

Davis talked me through the morning, held my hand, walked with me, and rubbed my back. He made sure I wasn't hungry or thirsty, tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible, and stopped what he was doing every time I had a contraction. I felt so supported and I don't know what I would have done without him. I, then, felt comfortable enough to relinquish control. I told myself if baby wants to come today, he will come. We had been laboring in the basement where there was more room to walk around, and we decided to come upstairs to make lunch. As soon as we got to the kitchen I started having contractions that were 4 minutes apart. We timed them for an hour and they were consistent. Davis wanted to call our midwife but I was more hesitant because I didn't want it to be another false alarm.

Suddenly, I felt an urge to have a bowel movement so I went to the bathroom. This is where I lost my mucus plug/had bloody show. Now it was time to call our midwife! I was relieved and also a little nervous. We got to the birth center about 45 minutes later. About 30 minutes after that I got into the birth tub where I proceeded to labor for another 6 hours. The contractions were terribly painful at this point and I had become very vocal. Ali and Lynette knew that I was having back labor and probably had been for some time which probably attributed to the length of my labor. They asked me to come out of the tub, which I was not very excited about. Once I got out of the tub I had the most painful contraction of all. They got me to the bed and had me lay on my side so the baby wouldn't turn. It worked, after that the contractions were less painful. However, I had a lip on my cervix that prevented Rhys from entering the birth canal so Ali had to hold it open and told me to push with every contraction so we could get his head pas it. This was an extremely uncomfortable procedure and it seemed like it had lasted a lifetime. Once it was over, though, I was able to start pushing! I pushed for about 45 minutes to an hour and despite Rhys having his hand held up to his face on his way out, I did not have any tearing.

They placed Rhys on my chest and we got to cuddle right away. After awhile they cut the cord and did all of the necessary newborn assessments. They I got to feed my baby boy and took a shower afterwords. The midwives left about 12:30 a.m. or so and Davis, Rhys, and I made it back home about 2 a.m.!

Giving birth was the most difficult, most amazing experience. I am so thankful for the team I had to help me accomplish my goal of natural labor/delivery. Ali and Lynette were incredibly supportive and knowledgeable. They let Davis and I have our privacy, but were there whenever we needed them. They allowed us to have the intimate experience we were looking for. I am also grateful for Coral for having such a wonder facility and for offering her services so warmly. Above all, I am thankful for Davis's support. Without him, I know I never could have made it though those trying two days. Now we have a beautiful son to show for all of our hard work!

Rhys Rex was born 12/20/2012 at 10:36 pm. He weighed 7.15lb and was 21 3/4"!

Adam Richard

On Tuesday, the day before my due date, I visited my midwife. I was 1.5 cm dilated, and my cervix was soft (I had been taking evening primrose oil), though not effaced, and Adam was in a -2 station. My midwife stripped my membranes that morning. I had been seeing my acupuncturist for about one week prior, and I visited him again on Wednesday (my due date), to see if we could get labor started.

That night I began to feel some cramping, ad at about 3:45 am on Thursday morning, I got up to go to the bathroom, and I lost my mucus plug. I went back to bed and woke up a couple hours later; contractions had begun. Being anywhere from 7 - 10 minutes apart, I was able to sleep in between the contraction until about 8:00 am. At this point, Tony began to "officially" keep track of the contractions. He also tried to get me to eat and/or drink something, but anything I ate or drank just came right back up - this was the case no matter what I tried (cereal, juice, etc). I ended up consistently vomiting throughout the morning and early afternoon. I also ended up burping at the end of each contraction - an easy way for Tony to track the contractions' endings!

While at home, I used various positions, from leaning on the kitchen counter and bathroom sink to kneeling over the couch or sitting on the toilet. Around 1 pm, the contractions were coming closer together, and I decided to get into the shower. The shower felt great and really helped in managing the pain. By the time I got out of the shower, my contractions had been consistently 3 minutes apart for about an hour, and Tony and I decided we should get going to the hospital. As I was getting dressed, my water suddenly broke - a large gush, and we knew for sure we had to get on the road.

Tony swears he wasn't speeding too much on our trip downtown, but I'm not so certain... Sitting in the car was extremely uncomfortable, and the pain was excruciating - I can't imagine what people in the cars we passed must have been thinking in in cars we passed must have been thinking if they glanced over at me! We made it to Aurora Sinai in record time and were whisked back into OB triage after just filling out a short form; it was about 2:45 pm at this point. The midwife on staff at that time checked me, and I was 6.5 cm dilated. Tony and I were excited to be so far along, but I remember thinking that I wasn't sure I could handle the remaining 3.5 cm without pain medication - the contractions were so intense, and I was surprisingly vocal in trying to manage them.

We were quickly taken up to labor & delivery, and after kneeling over the back of the bed for about 45 minutes, the midwife on call checked me again. I was 9.5 cm and really feeling the pressure to push. The midwife didn't want me to push against the remaining .5 cm of my cervix, for fear hat it would swell up, so she had me start to push while she used her finger to push the remaining .5 cm out of the way. This worked beautifully, and I was now at 10 cm. I initially began pushing while on my hands and knees, but we found hat using the side-lying position was much more effective. I pushed for about an hour, with the support of Tony, the RN on staff, and the midwife. The midwife did a lot of perineal massage while I pushed, in an effort to avoid excess tearing, which was great - I ended up with only a small first-degree tear that occurred with the last push, just as Adam cam out (he had a huge head!).

As soon as Adam was born, the midwife placed him on my chest. Tony and I were amazed to finally meet our son! I delivered the placenta shortly thereafter with just one push, but the midwife was concerned that I was excessively bleeding, so I received a shot of Pitocin in my thigh to encourage the hemorrhaging process. Tony was able to cut the umbilical cord after it stopped pulsing, and while the midwife was stitching me up, we were able to bond as a family. The hospital staff was amazing, and we weren't moved to the postpartum until over 2 hours after Adam's birth.

Throughout the entire day, Tony played such a key role in helping me get through each contraction, from squeezing my hips to reminding me to breathe to offering encouragement. I honestly wouldn't have been able to follow through on our natural birth plan without him by my side. I am also grateful to the midwife and th RN who assisted me in Adam's delivery - the two of them never left the room during my labor, and they were very helpful and accommodating

Adam Richard was born at 4:52 pm on Tuesday, January 10th, weighing 7lbs 8oz  and measuring 20 inches long!

Darling Baby Colette

We went into labor on Friday, November 1st around 3:30 in the morning. The day went pretty smoothly, we took a walk, I tried to nap, and generally we just laid low. Our midwife came over around 4:00 when contractions were about 5 minutes apart. She helped Steve get the tub ready and laid our her supplies. Contractions didn't really start until around 6:30, at that point I found the exercise ball was helpful, using it to support myself while on hands and knees.I got into the tub around 7:00 but ended up only spending about 30 minutes in there because it was too warm, but it did help with the transition. I'm not going to lie, transition sucks, but it goes by quickly. And honestly, the only time I thought to myself, "why the hell am I doing this at home without the juice?" was earlier in the day when I had time to think about it. Steve was really great, reminding me to breath and generally just being a silent support. I was very grateful to be at home where I felt comfortable and secure. My midwife, Deb was wonderful, explaining each step and really acting as a guide through the whole process. I ended up pushing for around 45 minutes and hour daughter Colette Amelia was born at 9:39 pm. She weighted 7lb 2oz and was 19"long. She managed to pee on me twice within her first hour of life and is completely amazing.

While it isn't really part of our "birth story" I do want to take a moment and mention breast feeding. It's hard, sometimes it seems totally impossible, it will make you cry your eyes out and there will be days when you feel like all you did was nurse. But keep at it, ask for help, see a lactation consultant if you aren't getting the hang of it (I wish we had gone in sooner). It will get better; everyone will tell you this and you will want to punch them in the mouth, but trust that advice. It took us to weeks to figure it out and now it's less like work and more a chance to bond with each other. <3 p="">

Owen The September Baby Extraordinaire!

He was going to be an October baby. My due date was October 6th. This entire pregnancy, I believed that the baby would be born on or around my mother's birthday, October 5th. So, when contractions started in the early morning hours of Wednesday, September 25th, I dismissed them as Braxton Hicks or nothing at all. I went to work as usual, go there at 7:30 a.m., and taught art-on-a-"cart" up and down stairs to my students. The contractions continued. I hadn't even mentioned anything about having contractions to my husband that morning, so convinced was I that it was false labor. Now, it was after 9 a.m., and the contractions still weren't going away. I decided it was time to start writing down how often they were occurring and quickly realized they came EVERY TEN MINUTES, like clockwork! At this time, I texted my husband and let him know. He texted back immediately, that he was coming to pick me up and get us to the hospital. I said "No, no, it's not necessary. I'm sure it's nothing." I also texted my dula who said to let her know if the contractions get "longer, stronger, and closer together." I told my husband that he did not have to leave work, and that I would just call the OB nurse, see what she says, and then let him know. The OB nurse suggested that we touch base in an hour to see how I was doing. 

Shortly thereafter, I had bloody show. I let my dula know this and she said that if it was red, that for sure meant labor, but mine was brown, which my dula said was a good sign and could mean that I was in labor, or could mean that I would be going into labor in the next couple of days. I voted for the later, and continued teaching art - up and down stairs, schlepping art supplies, and talking about Vincent Van Gogh. When an hour had passed. I called the OB nurse and let her know that I had bloody show. She said that I should come in to see Dr. Wasserman. I asked if it would be possible to see Dr. Wasserman after work, and she said that today was his short day and that if I didn't want to leave work that I should just go directly to Labor and Delivery after I got done with work. Well, the contractions continued, and continued to get "longer, stronger, and closer together." Now with every contraction, I had to stop what I was doing and really breath into the contraction... I really did non want to give birth in front of my students. I realized that maybe it was time to go... no more teaching art... and get to the hospital!

It was 2 p.m. when I left work, 2:20 p.m. by the time we got to the hospital, and 2:30 p.m. by the time they got me into the lasts room - with a tub! - YAY! - at Columbia St. Mary's. The nurse checked me - I was already at 7 cm. She said there was no time to fill the tub. She then asked me if I wanted drugs. Before answering the nurse, I asked my dula, "Will the pain get much worse?" My dula said "Yes, but you can handle it." I told the nurse, "No thank you" to the drugs. Then I immediately regretted my decision. It got really intense. The nurse called Dr. Wasserman and said that he had to come to the hospital now. My screams went from mildly crazy pain screams to SUPER CRAZY PRIMAL WOMAN screams. I quickly learned why the "Ring of Fire" was called the "Ring of Fire". The nurse said that I needed to stop screaming and start breathing into each contraction. Dr. Wasserman had arrived, and told me to start pushing. I told Dr. Wasserman, "NO!!" But then, quickly realized that if I was going to get that baby out, and put and end to the ring of fire that was the only way to go. So, I took Dr. Wasserman's wise advice, and PUSHED! 

Twenty minutes and 3-4 contractions later HE WAS HERE!! On my chest, looking up at me. Perfect. Beautiful. My little September baby! He wanted to arrive today! He entered the world at 3:44 p.m. Fastest birth in my experience (since my first baby was 28 hours of labor). I am SO thankful to have had the support of my husband and my dula - my friend and female advocate who believed in me. If not for my dula, I would have not been so brave to have given birth without drugs. This was the birth experience I wanted, and would not change a thing!! Welcome to the world, Owen!

Empowering 42 week VBAC success!

Jackson Mark born October 15, 2013  8 lbs 15 oz, 21.5 in

Jackson’s birth was quite an exciting ride!  After an unplanned and probably unnecessary C-section with my first son, I wanted to try to have a natural birth.  I knew my best chance at success was to learn everything I could and do the whole thing without drugs and interventions if at all possible.

I was seeing a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) because she would allow us to have a hospital birth with the benefits of having a midwife in the room with us throughout labor and delivery.  I started looking into Bradley Method classes, and a friend highly recommended Coral and the classes at Well-Rounded.  Things went very well until I found out that I would have to have an X-ray of my pelvis and an ultrasound at 38 weeks to determine if the baby would fit through my pelvis in order for the hospital we had chosen to allow us to have a VBAC there.  I was against doing it, but by the time I understood that it was a requirement, I was already 34 weeks along, and we felt it was too late to make a change.  At 38 weeks 2 days, my CNM told me that my pelvis was abnormally small and that they’d measured the baby’s head to be in the 97^th percentile (somewhere around 8 lbs).  I knew from our classes that ultrasounds can be very unreliable, that babies heads can mold to fit through, and that the pelvis can change drastically depending on position!  But the CNM and back-up OB told me that the hospital wouldn’t accept the liability of the added risk, and the only thing we could do was schedule a C-section. We scheduled the surgery for the following Friday, but I truly felt that it was the wrong decision.  I wasn't sure it would be possible to find someone else to deliver our baby when I could go into labor any minute, but I prayed and researched.  A solution all but fell in my lap.  I had been talking with Sabrina Foulks-Thomas, who we later hired to be our doula, and she made a couple of connections for us with doctors that she knew were supportive of VBACs.  We met with one doctor on Monday night who told me that pelvimetry X-rays haven’t been used since the 1950s and said he’d be my doctor even if I went into labor that night.  The next morning, Dr. Claudia Koch called me personally and offered me an appointment that afternoon.  We decided to go ahead and meet her as well, and I’m very glad we did because she was great and really put us at ease about switching doctors and hospitals so late.

During the few days that it took to line up our new arrangements, I was praying that I wouldn’t go into labor and have to make a spur of the moment decision to go ahead with C-section or just refuse and take my chances at a different hospital.  Once we met Dr. Koch, it was back to praying for a swift and positive end to pregnancy!  I went in for a 40 week appointment and was dilated to 2 cm and 50% effaced.  I’d also been having strong Braxton Hicks contractions that were sometimes even 5 minutes apart.   Every few days, they’d get close together like that, but then they’d slow back down.  At my 41 week 2 day appointment, I was 3 cm, 70% and having several contractions an hour most of the time.  We did a non-stress test which went fine and which agreed with me about the strength of contractions!  Dr. K was pretty sure I’d go into labor that night (Friday), but we scheduled an ultrasound to check fluid level and health of the placenta, and planned to induce on Tuesday morning if I didn’t go into labor on my own.  Unfortunately, we got through the weekend, and I found myself still pregnant and worried on Monday morning. 

Next to C-section, Pitocin was the last thing I wanted.  I’d hoped we could try drug-free methods like a Foley bulb, but I was so far dilated that there wasn’t any point.  I told doctor and doula my fears, but they both reassured me that this would be nothing like my induction with my first baby.  Clearly my body was progressing on its own, so Dr. K would just use the bare minimum of Pitocin and turn it off once my body took over.  After a lot of prayer, I was able to let go of my worries and try to relax.  We sent our three-year-old to grandma’s house so that we’d all sleep well.  I managed to fall asleep at a decent hour.  My husband, David, on the other hand, was too anxious to get to sleep until aftermidnight.

At around 12:45 I woke up with a contraction.  It had been my pattern to wake up with them most nights so I think much of it and went back to sleep for a while.  At around 1:30, I woke up with another one and had to get up.  I went downstairs, got a snack, checked Facebook, and had a few other surprisingly strong contractions.  I started timing.  Three minutes apart.  I moved around some more, trying to change positions, but they continued and the pain in my back got stronger.  I tried watching TV and working or resting through contractions.  I was trying hard not to jump to conclusions or get my hopes up, but I finally decided that if I had two more strong contractions, I’d go wake David up.

I only got through one more.  The pain was so strong in my back that I decided I needed him right away.  Since we were both really tired, I had David lay behind me and just put pressure on my back during every contraction.  They spaced out to about 7 minutes apart, so we both slept between.  It was great to be able to rest, but during the contractions, I couldn’t move or really cope with the pain.  After about an hour, I decided I had to get out of bed and try the shower.  Once in the shower, the contractions picked up to three minutes apart again, but were far less intense.  We decided to call Dr. Koch since the idea is close together and more intense.  I figured it was better to let her know.  That was sometime around 4 in the morning.  She wanted us to go ahead and come in for the 7:30 scheduled induction (not that she was going to induce at this point) just to keep us from getting stuck in rush hour traffic since we live 35 minutes outside of the city.  We were more than willing.  David packed up our bags and loaded the car.  I worked through contractions, but I needed his help as soon as I could get it.  We tried to eat some to keep up our energy.  We tried watching TV.  Clearly I was in active labor, because it was hard to do anything but breathe. 

We left for the hospital at around 6:45.  The sunrise was beautiful.  I didn’t care.  I had about five contractions on the way that were much harder to manage without David putting pressure on my lower back.  Going in, I understood how the flight or fight instinct kicks in and can stall labor.  Just going into the sterile hospital environment made me feel a little panicky.  I could tell I was hyperventilating a little bit.  As soon as I got to my room and met our nurse, Katie, I was able to relax.  She was calm and reassuring.  She got me on the fetal heart rate and contraction monitors, got my capped IV in (VBAC requirements), and asked a bunch of questions.  Then she did an exam and found I was 5+ cm!  

Sabrina came shortly after and we worked on several positions for contractions.  Dr. Koch came around maybe 10ish.  She didn’t check me, which was good and bad.  News of progress would have been nice, but I definitely didn’t want to hear no change.  An hour or so later, something must have changed because Sabrina asked if I was starting to feel like pushing.  I said maybe, but not anything strong.  She still had Dr. Koch come check me.  The only thing I didn’t want to hear was 8, because that’s where I stalled with my first labor.  Sure enough, 8 cm, but stretchy.  In all my studying, I hadn’t encountered “stretchy” so I was surprised when she said I could start pushing as I felt like it.

They suggested I try the shower for some pain relief.  It was helpful, but tricky since the water temperature would fluctuate quite a bit.  My monitors were not picking up the baby’s heartbeat—this is where I knew I had an exceptional doctor—Dr. Koch, herself was holding the monitor on my stomach and moving it around to try to catch the beat.  She was getting splashed on and everything for probably at least half an hour.  I was so exhausted that I kept nodding off in the shower between contractions.  I finally decided I’d had enough and was brave enough to try get out.  (Contractions got stronger whenever I moved.) 

Since I was tired, they suggested that I try pushing in bed.  At this point, I still didn’t have much of a desire to push, but they were sure I could start.  David was behind me, doula on the right, nurse on the left, and doctor sitting on the foot of the bed.  They had me hold my legs, tuck my chin, and curl up to push as hard as I could.  I had to push three to four times per contraction. Pushing was very painful, and I was very tired.  Dr. Koch broke my water sometime while I was pushing, but I’m not sure when.  All I know is that his head was so low hardly any fluid came out.  After a while, we tried shifting to my side for a few contractions. The last thing I thought I’d be doing was screaming, but I definitely did some of that.  After one unhealthy scream, I remember saying (joking a little), “that was not good for my voice.”  Katie thought that it was funny I’d care, but Sabrina told her I was a singer, so it would matter to me.  I knew from classes that I shouldn't be screaming, because only low sounds would be helpful.  That sure didn't stop me.  After a few more, I returned to my back because it was the most restful.  I was thinking about my “small pelvis” and “big baby” and that I should probably be in a better position, but they kept telling me I was making great progress. I’d hear, “Push as hard as you can,” and I’d try, but I was sure it wasn't hard enough.  They kept saying that I’d had a really great push and that he was almost here, but I thought they were just trying to keep me from giving up.  Jackson was definitely posterior (face up), hence the back labor, but he turned as he was coming out.  Dr. Koch asked if I wanted to see in a mirror or feel the baby’s head.  I said no!  (I guess when I am in pain, I like to pretend it’s not happening…?)  She convinced me to touch his head, and I really was shocked to feel it.  We actually were close to the end!  Things got a little intense at the end since he angled up at the last minute and I ended up tearing where you don’t normally tear, and I’m not sure what happened, but he must have practically exploded out because I heard, “Head! Shoulders!” and he was on my chest in the same second.  I literally could not believe it was over. 

They toweled Jackson off and he stayed on my chest for an hour.  I had to be stitched up, and I was bleeding more than normal, so I needed a shot of Pitocin.  (Nothing like the drip!)  At some point, I asked what time he was born.  Katie told me 2:03.  I asked her how long I’d been pushing and she said, “You got back into bed a little after 1:00, so just under an hour.”  I was prepared for an epicly long labor and hours of pushing.  Even though the pain was worse than I imagined, it was over much more quickly than I anticipated. 

It’s night and day difference between my C-section and VBAC.  There is still pain, but I could get out of bed on my own immediately.  We bonded and nursed well right away.  The toughest part has been trying to remember that I’m in recovery.  I’m so much more mobile that I don’t remember I should be resting until I have already done too much. 

It’s crazy and sad to me that I wouldn't be allowed to have this experience in the hospital we’d originally chosen.  And by the way, at 42 weeks, Jackson was just short of 9 lbs, so I doubt he was as big as they thought.  Even though things weren't predictable, they were so much better than I hoped.  My husband was awesome!  I was almost as proud of him as I am of myself.  I’m so thankful for the successful outcome, for my doctor, nurse, and doula, and for the prayers and love from family and friends. We couldn’t have done it alone!

Little Late Lucy

The most important thing for me to say first is that we had a beautiful baby girl, Lucy Batya, on Wednesday, October 16th. She's beautiful and we're totally smitten--when we can stop yawning, that is! 

 

Our experience seems to follow the trend of not-as-planned--the first clue as to how it went not-as-planned is implied in the date of Lucy's birth, which was 2 weeks and 5 days after our due date. Let me tell you, we tried LITERALLY EVERYTHING to get this little girl out so we could avoid induction--everything from acupuncture and a membrane sweep to raspberry leaf tea and walking multiple miles a day--but nothing was happening. We were super lucky to have a really terrific ob/gyn, Sheldon Wasserman, who supported our desire to keep waiting it out so that we could stick with our plan to have the baby at Well Rounded and avoid induction, but by 42 weeks and 3 days it was just time to get things moving, especially since I was still having no signs of labor. We went to Columbia St. Mary’s on Monday afternoon and for the first 24 hours tried a Foley Bulb (a way to induce without pitocin)…but again: nothing! So on Tuesday afternoon we started pitocin, which basically jump-started me through early labor super fast. After about 5 hours we were able to turn it off and I was finally in labor on my own. Our midwife Ali came at midnight and with her and Ted's support I labored through a *very* long transition (about 4-5 hours) and then pushed for 3 hours and finally, at 8:30 am, Lucy was born. I gather that some of the people in the room had never seen a baby delivered from the hands-and-knees position, but I couldn’t imagine a better way to do it—it was definitely a moment when everything we discussed in our class paid off. And Ali, our midwife, was absolutely amazing—we’d never have been able to do it without her.

 

Lucy was perfect at birth--Apgar of 9, and we were totally full of joy. Ted cut the cord and I was able to hold her right away—she was so alert and big-eyed! Unfortunately that's when things got complicated--as they were helping me deliver the placenta, Dr. W became concerned about the amount of bleeding, and they realized that some of the placenta was still stuck. After a few (very painful) attempts to get it out in the delivery room, he told us that he was going to need to put me under semi-sedation to be able to get the rest out. We were pretty scared but they were still optimistic at that point that it could be done easily if I was under some anesthetic. After the procedure, though, I was still bleeding a lot, and they were growing more concerned. I was still pretty out of it from the sedation and Dilaudid when Dr. W told Ted--who was with Lucy in the recovery room with me--that the next step would be a full D&C, and that if that didn't work they were going to have to go in and immediately perform a hysterectomy. Obviously this was really scary for Ted, who also was reluctant to sign off on something like that while I was still not fully conscious. Dr. W agreed and decided to consult some colleagues, who recommended a procedure where they insert a compression balloon to cauterize the blood vessels in the uterus. Meanwhile, I received a blood transfusion because I was still losing a lot of blood. After the procedure, they were still concerned that the placement of the balloon wasn't good, and after consulting more with his colleagues at Froedert, Dr. W decided he had to take it back out--at this point they had a radiological team on call to do another operation to cut off blood flow to the uterus laproscopically, again trying to avoid the worst case scenario of a hysterectomy. But when they took the balloon out, for whatever miraculous reason the bleeding had stopped--they monitored it for a few hours to make sure, but somehow it had just worked. By around 6pm, I was in the recovery wing with Ted and Lulu, and by the next morning we were transferred to the Mama and Baby wing. (For those of you having a hospital birth, a piece of personal advice: if the labor is in any way particularly difficult--really long, or physically traumatic, or anything like that, do consider allowing your little one to go to the nursery the first night. You can have the nurses bring her in every few hours to nurse and can insist on no formula, but it helps to have a quiet place to sleep that first night if the labor has been hard on your body. I really needed sleep that night and didn't get it because she was a bit fussy. Just a thought…)

 

 

 

In short, it was really scary--it was terrifying for Ted, who was there for the whole thing, and I think for me the first few days home were affected by my sense that I was sort of processing a big trauma. But we were also super lucky to have gotten such good care, and obviously the fact that we ended up having her in the hospital was meant to be, since an emergency transfer would have been even scarier, and potentially risky. And the most important thing is that our beautiful little girl is just fine--nursing great, gaining weight, and utterly lovely. And I feel really proud of both myself and of Ted that we ended up with a (basically) natural birth after all, even if it didn’t go exactly as we’d imagined.

A Piece of Pi Birth.

Thanks to the classes that we took with Coral at well Rounded Maternity, we were able to again have a successful Bradley birth.  Contractions began at 2:00 in the morning. We worked it out with my doctor that I would see her in the clinic to be sure that I was far enough along to check into the hospital. (with Anna, her labor was 30 hours and we went to the hospital too early so they sent me home only to go back and push the drugs that we didn’t want because we were still not far enough along. We didn’t want to repeat that.) So, I wanted to wait until the clinic opened at 8:00. We drove to the clinic right at 8:00 and stopped at the front door so that I could take a wheel chair upstairs. At that point I decided that I was feeling a little pressure and should probably go to the hospital and not the  clinic – aka I couldn’t even get out of the car. We checked into the hospital and they took me to a triage room where they checked me and found that I was at a 9 and ready to push. They got me right into a birthing room. Dr Hicks just made it in time to break the water and with that three pushes and baby Madeline was born. If we had waited any longer (or had even attempted to go into the clinic) she would have been born somewhere other than the hospital. Pretty crazy to think, but it was absolutely perfect birthing circumstances and was exactly the way we wanted it. 

Madeline Bethany Schweiger was born on March 14^th (Pi Day!) at 8:30 in the morning. Her weight was 8lbs 1oz and she was 21in long. 

We are now home & doing well. Anna absolutely loves and adores her baby sister and looks for ways she can help every chance she gets. 

Margie, The girl born next door

Margaret Amanda Heinrich: The Girl Born Next Door

I figured that my second pregnancy would be even easier than my first, and I couldn’t have been more wrong. The first trimester was filled with exhaustion and nausea. When I finally started to feel good again, a subchorionic hematoma (blood clot in the uterus) put me on 7 weeks of bed rest and caused me all kinds of worries about the baby and the delivery. By the third trimester, I was grateful to be cleared for a vaginal delivery with a midwife as we had planned, but was still uncomfortable all the time and paranoid of pre-term labor – my son Paul had arrived 5 weeks early, and if this one came before 37 weeks, I’d still have to go to the hospital.

I finally hit 37 weeks and felt incredible relief – I was ready now! So of course, I started having contractions and false labor almost every night. There seemed to be enough signs that baby would come early that we had my mom fly out a week earlier than planned, since we would need someone to stay with Paul during the birth. Since Paul’s birth had been so fast and unexpected, I had never experienced the “waiting game” of late pregnancy, and it was driving me crazy. Every night I stayed up reading, wondering if my contractions were going somewhere or just another false alarm. Jan, my midwife, reassured me that there would be a moment when I would know for sure that it was the real thing, so I tried to focus on relaxing and letting it happen.

On Wednesday, August 21, I tried to go to bed around 11pm, when a contraction woke me up that was definitely different. It surged on fast, felt like it took over my entire lower body for about 20 seconds, and disappeared all at once, leaving me relaxed again. I waited nervously to see if it would repeat, and when I had two more that felt the same way, I decided it was time to call Jan. She left to meet me at the Well-Rounded Maternity Center, a birth center conveniently located right next door to our apartment in Milwaukee (The center had opened the same weekend we moved in, and we had just learned that I was pregnant – it seemed too good to be true!). I woke up Rudi (my husband) and my mom, and when Jan arrived, Rudi and I headed down the stairs and next door around midnight.

It felt more like checking into a hotel than arriving somewhere to give birth. We had a simple room painted a calm bluish-green, with a big bed in the middle and a birthing tub in the corner. Jan set to work getting her equipment ready and filling the tub, and Rudi and I got comfortable and looked at some old photo albums together. The contractions were about 10 minutes apart and 1 minute long, and just intense enough that I needed to hold Rudi’s hand and breathe through them. After about an hour, Jan suggested that taking a walk might help move things along. It was a cool, crisp night, so we took a middle-of-the-night stroll around our Bayview neighborhood, running into several random people on the on the street who wished us congratulations and good luck! It was relaxing and fun to spend the time together, and it definitely worked – by the time we came back, the contractions were less than 5 minutes apart and getting intense enough that I couldn’t focus on much else.

The tub was full and warm by now, so it seemed like a good time to get in for a while and relax. The water felt amazing, especially since the tub was so deep and I could be submerged all the way to make neck, taking the weight completely off my sore pelvic muscles and heavy belly. It actually slowed the contractions down for a little while, but they were just as intense. After about half an hour, my legs started to cramp up and I was ready to get out. I moved back to the bed and lay on my left side with lots of pillows, a position that felt quite comfortable for me, and where I would stay for the remainder of labor. Jan’s student assistant, Jessica, arrived, and we were starting to get down to business.

The next several hours were the most intense physical experience of my life. While my first delivery had been unmedicated, it had all happened in such a rush and a panic, with a lot going on at the hospital, and a feeling that I wasn’t entirely in control. The pain had been abstract, and I had done what it took to get through it. This time, I knew exactly what was going on in my body, and I could feel it in so much more detail. The pain was deep and visceral. As the contractions grew closer together, I closed my eyes through them, squeezed Rudi’s hand as hard as I could, breathed in through my nose and moaned deep and low. After a while, I discovered that singing songs took my mind off the pain more, so I belted out a few choice tunes, to Jan and Jessica’s delight. Eventually, my water broke, and even singing became too difficult – I just hollered, afraid to let go of my voice and let the pain seep into the silence. It began to feel less like contractions starting and stopping and more like constant burning pressure. Jan told me to go ahead and let myself push slowly when it felt right. She helped me reach down and feel the top of the baby’s head, which I could hardly believe was real.

Pushing was so much different this time. The first time around, a few hard pushes and an episiotomy had brought on a sudden crash and splash of baby into the world. Now I could feel absolutely everything in slow motion – the shape of the head and face, the literal sensation of bringing a child into the outside world. When the baby’s head was through, Jan held a mirror for me to see it. For the second time in my life, I saw an incredible full head of dark hair and knew I was almost there. Rudi looked at me with tears in his eyes and told me I could do it. Pushing until I could barely take it, I felt the shoulders, arms, legs, feet move through me. I rolled onto my back, and saw my beautiful daughter, her eyes wide open and a lively squawk from her lips, glide onto my belly and into my arms. Rudi and I said “hello, Margie!” and sang to her while she looked at us with huge, alert eyes.

It was 6:30am – a six and a half hour labor from start to finish. The sun streaked into the room for a short while before a thunderstorm rolled in. Delivering the placenta and getting sutured (I had only torn minimally this time, which meant that Jan could stitch me herself) were far more bearable when we were spending time holding our baby. Around 9:00, Rudi went next door to get my mom and Paul. When Paul came in the room, he said “go to Baby Margie’s house!” He climbed onto the bed with us and saw his sister for the first time, curious and uncertain, but smiling at her. “Four people,” he said, “Mama, papa, Paul, Margie.”

I can’t express how fortunate I feel that after all of the worries and complications, Margie’s birth was even better than I imagined it would be. No machines, fluorescent lights, masks, or stretchers…just me, my husband, and our child in a quiet room with a few trusting people who knew what they were doing. I knew that birth could happen this way, and it did on August 22. Happy birthday, Margie!

Julia's Home Birth Story

My first birth
My first birth took place in a hospital without the aid of interventions or medications.  I delivered a 10lb 6oz boy. While I had a wonderful nurse and was happy with my birth experience;  I felt that there was too much time sitting around and being monitored.  I decided to seek out a midwife for my next pregnancy.

Turning to Breech
Our second baby was an active one, and had a tendency to flip to a breech position. At 34 weeks I sought chiropractic care, and the baby turned back into position.  At 36 weeks baby had flipped again!  I was beginning to worry that I would require an external version or a cesarean delivery.  I had many people praying with me and I spend an entire weekend doing a host of exercises and movements to bring baby back to a good position.  Thank God, baby turned.

Labor Day
My due date was Palm Sunday, March 24 and I had nothing to report.  I had my 40 week appointment the next day and we learned my cervix was forward and ready for delivery.  My toddler and I took a nap after the appointment and later went out to run to the post office.  On the way there I had my first contraction, around 4 p.m.  That night, I did not feel like cooking so we made frozen pizza and wings.  My husband remained calm as I announced each contraction.

Around 7 p.m. I noticed some brown mucous.  After I spoke to the midwife we continued to time my contractions, we said our evening prayers, swayed to music with my toddler.  My contractions remained strong, so around 8 o'clock I called my parents to let them know they may need to pick up our son.  Right around this a friend of my husband's came over, and I had to excuse myself until he left as I walked through each contraction.  After he left I noted my contractions came about every 3-5 minutes.  My mom and sister arrived and were gathering my son's things, they were amused that I would hug them or sway through the peak of a contraction.

Once my family left, I experienced a huge contraction, followed by bloody show.  We decided to try to sleep and my contractions stopped when I was on my left side. When I switched to my right side, BOOM I had another contraction.  Sometime later my husband called the midwife, who said she knew things were getting serious because my husband called, not me.  While waiting for her arrival I labored on the toilet, the exercise ball, leaning against the bathroom sink.  I also used moaning and whistling to work through each contraction.

The Midwife Arrives
Our midwife arrived around 11 o'clock that night, and I don't remember as many details from this phase of labor.  I felt a little out of control, both my husband and midwife reminded me to breathe slowly and moan "lowly."  My cervix still wasn't completely ready, eventually I felt hopeful that I had reached transition because I vomited.  Eventually, it was time to push.  I was amazed at how much faster this labor was progressing than my last.

The best position for me was kneeling on the bed, leaning against the exercise ball.  I remember thinking it was very strange to be pushing only when I felt it was time.  In my previous delivery, I experienced the desire to push, but I was coached as to when to push.  I kept asking if my water had yet broken, but it has not.  At one point they told me to feel the bag bulging, but I was just irritated that I wasn't feeling the baby's head!

 

My husband reminded me to take one contraction at at time, and that we would meet our baby soon. He also kept me hydrated.  The midwife and her student midwife encouraged me through each contraction, this really helped my morale.  As the pushing phase ended, I turned to my side.  After 2-3 contractions I started screaming, "the head is out, the head is out!"  I was thrilled, that last birth of wriggling and burning was soon over and I had a crying baby placed next to me! HEAVEN! God be praised!  My husband helped turn the baby and announced that we had another boy.  I asked my husband if he decided on a name, out of the ones we had already agreed on, of course.  He said, Phillip, and I marvelled at how much he looked like his big brother.  This little guy was so skinny, but strong, with dark hair.  He was 22 inches long and weighed 8 pounds, 11 ounces. He was born at 1:30 am on March 26th, only 9 1/2 hours after my first contraction.

I could not have been happier with my home-birth experience.  I felt safe and free to do whatever my body called for.  My husband felt more at ease this time and enjoyed being my labor coach.  For me, the most notable parts of my labor were that the water did not break until after I delivered his head, and that I never experience back labor, even though he was "sunny side up." I feel blessed to have experience such a beautiful adventure in my own home, with my husband at my side.

73 Minute Labor--1st Baby!!

Ahzel Jullian was born on July 20, 2012.  I gave birth at the Well-Rounded Maternity Center.  I had the fastest delivery EVER for a first time mom and I felt it!  Three and a half hours from being 2 cm dilated to finish with a roughly 73 minute labor (4cm dilation to birth).
My water broke at 1:30 a.m. on the 20th when I went to the bathroom, so Ben and I started monitoring the contractions while still in bed but we fell asleep in the process.  The contractions really picked up early morning (~7 a.m. ) but were not consistent yet so we thought we had the whole day/night ahead of us.  By about 9:00 a.m. they became more consistent and pretty much 30 to 45 seconds long and about 6 minutes apart.
By 9:30 a.m. they became more intense so we decided to get ready to drive to the center.  The car ride was uncomfortable with all the bumps on the road.  At that point the contractions were one minute long and about four minutes apart and I could not joke/laugh anymore.  We got to the center at 10:30 a.m.  Deb our midwife arrived shortly after.  Deb checked me at around 11 a.m.  and I was 2 cm dilated. 
Then it went really fast!  At around 1 p.m. I was four cm dilated.  Forty minutes later I was fully dilated and started pushing.  i pushed for 35 minutes and Ahzel was born. 
Ben was awesome and is still awesome!  I think he sweated as much as I did during the pushing part since I held on to him so strongly! 
Cris & Ben, Milwaukee