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"!
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