I got the call from Jenn at 8:27. It was actually her husband Dave. He told me that she had been having regular cramps, had taken a bath but they were still coming. I asked to speak with Jenn, and she had to stop talking during contractions. She told me she wasn't sure if she was in labor, and she didn't want me to come down if she wasn't. Hearing her on the phone convinced me to be putting on my shoes as I was talking to her! I told her that I was going to start heading her way, and if this wasn't it, then I would stay for a while and leave, but if it was, I wanted to be nearby. I grabbed my birth bag, and headed out the door. I pulled up to her front door 30 minutes later, and got out. The dogs were both very agitated and protective, but were definately okay with me being in Jenn's space. She was contracting every 3-4 minutes for around 60 seconds each (Dave had a great log going). She was having to stop and sway during contractions. I told them that if they hadn't called the midwives to do so (Dave went off to do that). Jenn was worried that if we called her Mom to come and stay with her son, Bryton, that this wouldn't be it. I told her that I thought she should call. I asked her if she wanted to stay at home, or head to the hospital, and she decided that they would stay at home until her Mom arrived. She showed up 25 minutes later and we were already packed and ready to go. Jenn's contractions had started to pick up during the wait and I got Dave involved with some good slow dancing and hip swaying. We got in the car (much to the dog's dismay, LOL!), and headed over to the hospital.
When we arrived there was some confusion on their part about where to go in, so they just parked and went into the ER, and I met them there. They got her checked in, and she was taken up with Dave and I in close tow. When we got up to the room we got comfortable and situated. They did a strip on the baby who was reacting to contractions BEAUTIFULLY. They checked her and she was a good solid 4. We got upstairs at around 10:20pm. From this point forward, Jenn's contractions grew steadily stronger. We kept her well hydrated, she used the restroom a lot, and we just kept her moving. She was in the ball for a while, but the pressure on her bottom was painful so most of the time she was upright or on hands and knees. When they became more intense she was having a hard time holding herself up, so she actually spent a decent amount of time on the bed on hands and knees. She was having intense back labor. I palpated baby a bit, and could tell that while she wasn't completely posterior she wasn't anterior either.
We got into the tub, and put one of my hotpacks on her back with lots of sacrum pressure, and she started making some really great noises to get through contractions. I encouraged those, got her making low noises and loosening her jaw up, and she started to make some great progress. Her husband, was AMAZING. Was right there with her for each one, was making the noises right along with her, taking some serious abuse from Mom, and being fantastic and encouraging. I wish every Dad was like Dave was. The would stop in occasionaly and listen to baby on doppler but for the most part left us alone unless we asked for things.
Jenn got exhausted towards the end. Her back was aching and she was getting into some coupling with her contractions because of the back labor. She asked for an epidural around 1:20. Kim, her midwife was paged and wasn't there yet, they told her she had to wait for Kim. Kim was running late, and they kept saying 10 more minutes, 5 more minutes. (It turns out, they had started off paging the wrong on call midwife, and they didn't realize it for almost 20 minutes). When Kim got there, Jenn was on hands and knees on the bed, and asked her again for the epidural. Kim (who I love, she's a great midwife) recommended that we check her, and Jenn said no she just wanted it. I told Jenn, one more step. One more, you can do this, let's find out where you are. Jenn was at 9 1/2 almost 10 cms! She had been going through transition for almost 45 minutes, and I could tell, so I wasn't surprised. Jenn broke down into hysterical tears when she found out she could start pushing.
After some gentle words, we moved forward. (I slipped out of the room at this point and called her Mom and Dave's Mom for them). She started to try pushing. She had a few practice pushes, but really she was pushing like a champ from the get go. Her Sister quietly slipped in through the door and started taking pictures (they requested this). She was lying on her side, with one leg on the bed and me holding the other leg up and wide. (I seriously need to see a chiropractor. I was kicked across the room a few times, LOL!) She was moving the baby down and making WONDERFUL primal powerful screams. VERY insense to watch, but beautiful all the same. 5 long contractions worth of pusing and the baby girl was born at 2:17am! Slipped right up to Mom's chest who of course burst into sobbing hysterics. Everything was BEAUTIFUL.
They waited for the cord to stop pulsing (a good 20 minutes actually, which was nice.) Birthed the placenta naturally with no pit about 20 minutes after baby was born. NO TEARING!! WOOT! The midwife had been applying a warm washcloth perineum pressure (which has mixed reviews study wise, but it certainly gave Jenn something to push against so who cares!) Baby stayed with Jenn for quite a while, then Dave wanted to hold her. He went and sat in the rocking chair and Jenn handed Mackenzie to me and I handed her over to Daddy. Jenn was cleaned up, covered up and her Mom and Son came in. They weighed her, more family came in, I reminded her to get her nursing, and we got baby on the breast almost immediately. She didn't like the swaddling, so we put her skin to skin and she latched on and didn't let go for at least the 20 minutes that I stayed after that! I left at around 3:30 (it was so cute the family said, 'no please stay! Wanna join the family?' Adorable people really, the grandmama's were so cute!) I talked with the nurses and the midwives (who were way to complimentary, but sweet! The one nurse laughed that it gave her a bit of a start when she walked in to me shuffling her stomach with the rebozo, but that she thought it was so cool. :eyeroll ) And then I headed home!
GREAT BIRTH!
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Birth of Braden
I got the call at 3:38. I looked at my phone as Chad handed it to me. It was Brad the husband, and he told me that she was down at the hospital and they were 5cm, and could I come down. OF COURSE. It's funny, she had called me last night and told me she lost her plug. The LOGICAL part of me said eh, weeks to go. Baby born on January 5th. But, there was this tiny nagging part of me that knew, and instinctively, at around 10pm, I put my bag right next to the door. Which I don't generally do. So, it's a good thing I did that!
I woke up, got dressed, got my stuff together, kissed A and C goodnight and headed down. It was on a military base, so Brad had to come and meet me at the gate, and then we drove to the hospital. When he picked me up he said she was 7cm last time they checked, but when he left, she was 'getting the urge to poop'. I told him to get there quick. Laughingly and calmly, but I really didn't want him to miss the birth of his baby because he had to pick me up.
She was in the tub when I got there. She breathed through a few contractions, and then her water broke in the water. They got her out of the tub and back into her room. The positions that felt best to her were the ones that didn't put any pressure on her bottom, so she ended up with the top of the bed elevated resting on that, on her hands and knees. Lots of sacrum pressure and about 45 minutes later, and she was ready to push. She started spontaneously pushing but was encountering some pressure. I told her to push very slowly against that, and the nurses 'overheard us' and checked her. The Dr. checked and she still had a bit of a lip on her cervix. I told her to push slowly against that and the Dr. helped slide her lip back. Then we got down to business.
They actually called in some extra people. Not only are natural births rare, but hands and knees births in this hospital are really rare, so they had another Dr. and another nurse come in to observe and 'help out'. Miranda did a lot of really wonderful pushing for about 45 minutes, and hit a bit of wall. I was up at the foot of the bed with her, and Brad was applying some sacrum pressure with her contractions (she REALLY liked that and the Dr.'s commented WOW, that's a cool trick ). I ended up giving her a really big pep talk, whispered in her ear, and she had the baby out two pushes later. The cord was wrapped TIGHT around the baby's neck. They had to cut the cord and take him to the table to start his breathing. But, he came out PERFECT. He was 7lbs 8ozs. And a chunky little thing in the face! So cute! Dad cried, Mom cried, the nurses cried. It was wonderful.
She had some minor tearing (well not entirely minor) but outside of that, she was in great shape. The afterbirth was born (they did cord traction ) and she had a bit of a bleed, but within about half and hour, her uterus was WELL down. Baby was great, and they had to sew her up. I got baby over to Mom quick and that helped her get through the stitches better. After that, a nurse tried to help her latch baby on. (This was the only really negative experience of her birth. The nurse stuck her gloved finger inside of baby's mouth and tried to get him to suck on her finger. and he was WAILING!! 'See I am showing the baby how to suck' : and then she was showing her how to latch all wrong. 'don't support your breast' : ) Anyways.
WONDERFUL experience. They were great. It was quick and beautiful. Just like birth should be!
I woke up, got dressed, got my stuff together, kissed A and C goodnight and headed down. It was on a military base, so Brad had to come and meet me at the gate, and then we drove to the hospital. When he picked me up he said she was 7cm last time they checked, but when he left, she was 'getting the urge to poop'. I told him to get there quick. Laughingly and calmly, but I really didn't want him to miss the birth of his baby because he had to pick me up.
She was in the tub when I got there. She breathed through a few contractions, and then her water broke in the water. They got her out of the tub and back into her room. The positions that felt best to her were the ones that didn't put any pressure on her bottom, so she ended up with the top of the bed elevated resting on that, on her hands and knees. Lots of sacrum pressure and about 45 minutes later, and she was ready to push. She started spontaneously pushing but was encountering some pressure. I told her to push very slowly against that, and the nurses 'overheard us' and checked her. The Dr. checked and she still had a bit of a lip on her cervix. I told her to push slowly against that and the Dr. helped slide her lip back. Then we got down to business.
They actually called in some extra people. Not only are natural births rare, but hands and knees births in this hospital are really rare, so they had another Dr. and another nurse come in to observe and 'help out'. Miranda did a lot of really wonderful pushing for about 45 minutes, and hit a bit of wall. I was up at the foot of the bed with her, and Brad was applying some sacrum pressure with her contractions (she REALLY liked that and the Dr.'s commented WOW, that's a cool trick ). I ended up giving her a really big pep talk, whispered in her ear, and she had the baby out two pushes later. The cord was wrapped TIGHT around the baby's neck. They had to cut the cord and take him to the table to start his breathing. But, he came out PERFECT. He was 7lbs 8ozs. And a chunky little thing in the face! So cute! Dad cried, Mom cried, the nurses cried. It was wonderful.
She had some minor tearing (well not entirely minor) but outside of that, she was in great shape. The afterbirth was born (they did cord traction ) and she had a bit of a bleed, but within about half and hour, her uterus was WELL down. Baby was great, and they had to sew her up. I got baby over to Mom quick and that helped her get through the stitches better. After that, a nurse tried to help her latch baby on. (This was the only really negative experience of her birth. The nurse stuck her gloved finger inside of baby's mouth and tried to get him to suck on her finger. and he was WAILING!! 'See I am showing the baby how to suck' : and then she was showing her how to latch all wrong. 'don't support your breast' : ) Anyways.
WONDERFUL experience. They were great. It was quick and beautiful. Just like birth should be!
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Communications
How do I measure up? Well this section is nearing completion (that was fast!) and it will soon be time to right the paper for this section. I just finished the section on Grief and Loss. That is, honestly, one of the things I am the most scared about. How does one support a family through a stillborn birth? Or a late miscarriage? Or something that just goes terribly wrong during the birthing process? I know that these situations are rare, but it's such a painful thought. And, it's also my biggest fear. I think I can handle the up's and down's of supporting a woman in labor. But, to support a family through the loss of their baby.....scares me. And why is that? Death is all very normal, it's part of everyday life. But to deal with the death of a child, one who shouldn't be going yet.....
I don't know. Perhaps I would feel less attached if I didn't have a baby of my own. But I do. And the thought of losing them is just intense, and gritty, and bad.
Well, on to my paper. I am to write about my own birthing experience. Should be interesting!
I don't know. Perhaps I would feel less attached if I didn't have a baby of my own. But I do. And the thought of losing them is just intense, and gritty, and bad.
Well, on to my paper. I am to write about my own birthing experience. Should be interesting!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Hello! And welcome...
Howdy! Today, my journey began. Well really, it all began about 10 months ago, but I didn't know it at the time.
I was blessed to birth my beautiful child 10 months ago in a birthing center in my town. I had a beautiful, un-medicated, water birth. It was, in a word, blissful. I had a midwife in attendance, and two doula's, and my husband. And of course, my baby. Now aside from a few complications right afterwards, it went off like clockwork. I called my doula's, we rushed to the birthing center and within a few hours a baby was born. Now, had I done things the way I ORIGINALLY planned, I would have been in a hospital, likely strapped to a bed with an epidural. That's some people's dream birth. Not mine. But, I didn't realize it until I took my Childbirth Education class. My instructor, a particularily inspiring sort, also happened to be a doula. As luck would have it, she offered her services up to us, even though she wasn't exactly taking clients at the time. We didn't have to think to long about it, and signed up post haste. Throughout not only our childbirth class, but our meetings with this doula and her partner, we discovered that we weren't doing what we wanted. And even though we should have known better we did nothing about it. It was these two women who inspired me to act on the fears, concerns, and complaints I had surrounding the way our current Doctor was treating us. We switched care providers from an OB/GYN, to a midwife practice RIGHT at the end of our pregnancy. We decided against a hospital setting and chose a birthing center. We took ownership of our pregnancy. And the best part of it, is that WE did it. WE made those choices and decisions. Not our Doctor, not our Doula, not our Parents, or Sisters, or Brothers of Friends. WE DID IT. So, when the time came, we got exactly what we hoped for. An unmedicated waterbirth, and a beautiful happy, healthy baby.
I remember wanting right away to become involved somehow in the birthing community. i told my Doula that, and I believe her response was a very cautious 'Hmmm. I can understand that considering you just gave birth. But, why don't you wait 6 months, and still see if you feel the same way?' I agreed, and then proceeded to carefully countdown the days. And sure enough, my desires and ambitions only grew with time. I sorta jumped around. Childbirth Educator! No, Birth Doula, no Postpartum Doula! Finally, I had a pivotal event. My best friend, who was a few months pregnant when my child was born, went into labor. We sorta....lost touch during the months after my baby was born. We came back together, probably more than anything, during her birth. I got the call early one morning that she was going in to be induced. I waited for them to arrive home, helped em get out the door, and headed up a little while later. I was able to stay with her for a while, and see her through the very early stages of labor before I had to leave. But, that was enough. I was hooked. I was so FRUSTRATED that I couldn't be there. But, I had my own child to tend to. She was my first 'taste' for the job, and I haven't been able to get enough since.
So, here I sit, nearly 3 months after her birthing experience. And today, I offically signed up for Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator training. I decided that I wanted to be all the things I had talked about. So, I am starting with these two, and will seek out my Lactation Education and Postpartum Doula certification. I am utilizing an online certification, because hey, I have a 10 month old. So, this blog is going to serve as a spot for reflection, a diary of my journey, and a safe haven for my myriad of experiences. Welcome to my memoirs, I hope you enjoy them!
I was blessed to birth my beautiful child 10 months ago in a birthing center in my town. I had a beautiful, un-medicated, water birth. It was, in a word, blissful. I had a midwife in attendance, and two doula's, and my husband. And of course, my baby. Now aside from a few complications right afterwards, it went off like clockwork. I called my doula's, we rushed to the birthing center and within a few hours a baby was born. Now, had I done things the way I ORIGINALLY planned, I would have been in a hospital, likely strapped to a bed with an epidural. That's some people's dream birth. Not mine. But, I didn't realize it until I took my Childbirth Education class. My instructor, a particularily inspiring sort, also happened to be a doula. As luck would have it, she offered her services up to us, even though she wasn't exactly taking clients at the time. We didn't have to think to long about it, and signed up post haste. Throughout not only our childbirth class, but our meetings with this doula and her partner, we discovered that we weren't doing what we wanted. And even though we should have known better we did nothing about it. It was these two women who inspired me to act on the fears, concerns, and complaints I had surrounding the way our current Doctor was treating us. We switched care providers from an OB/GYN, to a midwife practice RIGHT at the end of our pregnancy. We decided against a hospital setting and chose a birthing center. We took ownership of our pregnancy. And the best part of it, is that WE did it. WE made those choices and decisions. Not our Doctor, not our Doula, not our Parents, or Sisters, or Brothers of Friends. WE DID IT. So, when the time came, we got exactly what we hoped for. An unmedicated waterbirth, and a beautiful happy, healthy baby.
I remember wanting right away to become involved somehow in the birthing community. i told my Doula that, and I believe her response was a very cautious 'Hmmm. I can understand that considering you just gave birth. But, why don't you wait 6 months, and still see if you feel the same way?' I agreed, and then proceeded to carefully countdown the days. And sure enough, my desires and ambitions only grew with time. I sorta jumped around. Childbirth Educator! No, Birth Doula, no Postpartum Doula! Finally, I had a pivotal event. My best friend, who was a few months pregnant when my child was born, went into labor. We sorta....lost touch during the months after my baby was born. We came back together, probably more than anything, during her birth. I got the call early one morning that she was going in to be induced. I waited for them to arrive home, helped em get out the door, and headed up a little while later. I was able to stay with her for a while, and see her through the very early stages of labor before I had to leave. But, that was enough. I was hooked. I was so FRUSTRATED that I couldn't be there. But, I had my own child to tend to. She was my first 'taste' for the job, and I haven't been able to get enough since.
So, here I sit, nearly 3 months after her birthing experience. And today, I offically signed up for Birth Doula and Childbirth Educator training. I decided that I wanted to be all the things I had talked about. So, I am starting with these two, and will seek out my Lactation Education and Postpartum Doula certification. I am utilizing an online certification, because hey, I have a 10 month old. So, this blog is going to serve as a spot for reflection, a diary of my journey, and a safe haven for my myriad of experiences. Welcome to my memoirs, I hope you enjoy them!
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