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

Well Prepared for Scheduled C-Section

Our little one was born, happy and healthy, on July 8th. Ivy Claire Lapham Timm (she's a girl!) was 8 lbs. 14 oz. and 21 1/4 inches.

The anesthesiologist had Benji wait just outside the door of the operating room while he administered the spinal for the c-section, but I knew he was just a few feet away, and they brought him in 10 minutes later, after the spinal was administered and I was nub. They had him sit right at my head, and the drape was hung at the top of my chest so he could be right with me and still see what was happening below... I wanted updates from him.

Around 8:30 a.m. he announced that the baby had hair--I asked how much, and if he could see the baby's face, but he said the baby was back in. Apparently, it was difficult to get the baby around the tumor--Dr. Berkoff had to use a suction on her head and it took five pulls with the suction, with her head just peeking out, to get her around the tumor and out. Benji said at one paint Dr. Berkoff had a foot propped, against the table and was pulling back hard while the other doctor was on a stool at my side, pushing down hard on my abdomen. The incision never hurt, but I had hand print bruises all over my stomach and felt sore and bruised there, but not nearly as bad as I expected to feel. Benji got some photos of the tumor too--it was the size of a giant grapefruit. Unfortunately, it was too well attached and vascular to remove it then, but we're hoping it will shrink postpartum.

Ivy was born at 8:36 a.m., and they took her right to the table to clear her airway... I couldn't see her because one of the doctors was blocking my view, but they kept saying she looked great. Benji said she was so blue, and that it was probably best that I was just told she was great without seeing her color. When I did finally see her feet, i couldn't believe how blue they really were. Yet within a minute I heard her cry, which made me sob. As soon as she cried, they brought her right over and help her against may face; the anesthesiologist took off my oxygen and undid my arms so I could touch her right away for a minute to weigh and measure her, then brought her right back. it was wonderful to have her touching me all the time.

Laura was there as I as I was wheeled into recovery, she was going to come into the operating room if Benji needed to leave with the baby, but she came into recovery and took photos of our first moments with her, which meant so much.

We stayed at St. Mary's until Tuesday; the nurses and lactation consultants were so, so very helpful and we were glad to be there and soak in all the advice and tips we could.

Ivy is now nursing so well, sleeping well, and just all around perfect. I just look at her and cry several times a day; I feel so lucky to have her here, and so healthy after such a rocky start.

Thank you so much for all your guidance and support; you really helped put me in the right place to be ready for everything and advocate for the best birth experience I could have, given that it needed to be a c-section.

Corey & Benji, Shorewood

Completely Natural Labor & Peaceful Birth

Holden was born completely naturally after a very short and peaceful labor. My water broke at 4:30 p.m. on June 3rd. We arrived at the hospital at 9:30 that evening. Our doula helped us settle in and create the relaxing environment we wanted per our birth plan. The lights dimmed, the room silent, there were candles (battery operate, of course) spread around the room. Around 10:30 p.m. I was 4 cm and 85% effaced. I used some relaxation exercises/breathing, told my body that it needed to dilate and deliver this baby and kept repeating positive birth mantras in my mind. About 15 minutes later, I went into transition. Transition lasted about 45 minutes, afterward I was 9.5 cm and 95% effaced.

I pushed for two hours to get him out due to him being stuck sunny side up but it was all worth it! Just as planned the room was dimmed and silent as he was born. Justin announced that we had a boy and spoke Holden's name to him for the first time. Holden was immediately placed on my chest and we both wept tears of joy and told Holden how much we loved him. He was so alert and was able to nurse for 45 minutes! His rooting reflex worked just as we learned in the classes and he was able to crawl around and latch himself without really any assistance. He remained wide-eyed and alert for a few hours, which allowed Justin and I time to bond with him. It was truly the most beautiful experience Justin and I have ever felt.

Amy & Justin, Glendale

Birthing Experience Was All They Desired

Audrey Lynn was born on May 26th at 3:46 a.m. She was 7 lbs. 1 oz. and 18.5 inches.

I was having light contractions from the time I woke up on Wednesday the 25th. By 3 p.m., the contractions were getting more intense, but I still wasn't sure if "this was it." Conor came home from work at 5 p.m., we did a little curb walking in the rain and some stair climbing. After pacing my house 100 times, we finally checked into the hospital at 9:30 p.m.

I thought I was really far along, but to my dismay, I was only 4.5 cm (at my doctor's appointment the week before, I was 2.5 cm)! Fortunately, things progressed fairly quickly. We requested to not have the monitor on me and our nurse reluctantly said OK. Conor and I think she was slightly skeptical of our desire for a natural birth. I was 6 cm an hour after settling into our hospital room. Every hour the nurse came in to put the monitor on me and I had to lay on the bed for twenty minutes (super uncomfortable as my contractions intensified).

We were able to labor in the tub until I was 7.5 cm. After that, it was pretty uncomfortable for me to get around. Every hour after that, I progressed a little more. My water finally broke at 9 cm (even though the nurse kept offering to break it in order to help things along... I happily declined every time!). The doctor came in to tell me I had five more contractions to get through and then I could start pushing. I remember looking at Conor and feeling really scared and tired and unsure of myself. I just wasn't sure I could go any further. We counted the five contractions and sure enough! By 3:35 a.m. on Thursday, I started pushing. Ten minutes later (although it seemed A LOT longer), Audrey was born! We spend the next three hours with our wide awake little girl before she fell asleep from all the excitement. Conor was an amazing coach and for the most part our birthing experience was all that we desired!

Mary & Conor, Waukesha