She Finally Made It!!!
A word of caution - I tend to be very detail oriented, and this birth story might just take you as long to read as it took me to birth Christine.
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Well, I’d better get the details of this thing written out before I forget them. With DD#2 I went into labor 2 ½ weeks early and she was born the night before my sister’s wedding. This time, the next sister scheduled her wedding the day after my due date, fully expecting that I would again start labor early and have a new baby at her wedding. Things don’t always work out as planned.
Christmas, my EDD (12/27) and the wedding (12/28) all came and went, and still no baby. I’d been asking for vaginal exams at my appointments and as of the 27th I was only dilated 1-2cm, but fully effaced. On Sunday, December 30, we realized that our insurance provider was changing with the new year, and we’d get stuck with a horrible bill if she didn’t come before the end of the year. Since I was already 3 days past my EDD, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take some castor oil and see if that did anything. (I had tried castor oil twice with DD#1 and it hadn’t done anything then… but why not.) About 9pm Sunday night, I took two tablespoons of castor oil, with a lot of orange juice. We put the girls to bed and watched an episode of 24.
11:45pm: I decided to run to the bathroom one last time before getting in bed. While on the toilet I suddenly felt baby kicking hard, and a lot of pressure on my cervix, as if she was trying to kick her way out. I didn’t think much of it, and went to bed.
12:45am: I finally felt the effects of the castor oil and barely made it to the bathroom… not fun. Shortly after I got back in bed I felt the first contraction… I was fairly confident it was a “real” contraction, but I’d been having several of those over the past few weeks and wasn’t positive. When it was over I checked the clock… 1:07am.
I lay in bed trying to sleep and counting contractions as they came… though completely ignoring the clock. After two or three more, I got up to go to the bathroom again… another 2-3 while on the toilet. I got back to bed, felt another contraction and finally checked the clock… 1:30am… I’d felt about 8 contractions in 23 minutes…
I woke DH up to tell him we would need to leave soon. He jumped right up to get dressed, but I told him to get some more sleep and I’d let him know when he really needed to get up. 8 minutes and 4 contractions later I told him to get up *NOW*
I called my midwife at 1:45am, and told her we’d be at the birth center in about an hour. We woke up my sister who was planning to be at the birth, and my mother who would be watching the girls while we were gone. I went to the bathroom one last time and was startled to find lots of bright red blood… not really mucous-y… just blood. For a brief instant the word “hemorrhage” passed through my mind… but I knew there wasn’t really that much blood… I hadn’t even gotten it on my underwear.
2:02am: We finally got in the car and drove away. I had DH’s ipod with my HypnoBabies scripts on it, and listened to that on the way. There was so much cervical pressure that I was sure my water was going to break with every contraction. At one point I opened my eyes and saw the speedometer… the speed limit was 55, but *most* people on that road go 65 easy… and at 2am, there was no traffic… DH was going 60… I really, really didn’t want my water to break in the car, so I told DH he needed to go faster. (He told me later that he was driving slowly because the roads were covered in ice… we actually fishtailed at one point while he was changing lanes… of course, I didn’t know that.) I also started getting very warm and took off my coat and sweatshirt… I didn’t bother putting them back on when we arrived, the cold air felt great.
2:38am: We pulled into the parking lot at the birth center. One of the apprentices met us at the door and assured me that the tub was full and ready whenever I wanted to get in. I started to undress and asked for a vaginal exam. The midwives assured me that wasn’t necessary… but *I* needed to know. I’d now been in labor for almost two hours… and it wasn’t anything like the menstrual cramp-like contractions I’d had for 7 hours with DD#2… I had to know that something was happening. Sure enough, I was already at 5cm.
2:49am: I jumped in the tub while the midwives finished checking me in. I explained everything that had happened to the midwives in between contractions, and enjoyed the water and the freedom of movement.
3:09am: I left the tub to go to the bathroom… one last trip to finish off the castor oil. I also noticed a lot more blood, with a ton of mucous. When I got back in the tub, the contractions were becoming more and more unbearable. I remember thinking, “this is why people ask for drugs.”
3:24am: I asked for another vaginal exam. With DD#2, I had an hour of labor after my water broke… this time, my water had still not broken and I didn’t know how much more I could take… Before she even checked my midwife told me that she was sure I was at a ten, or at least very close… all my noises left very little doubt in her mind… but I had her check anyway. Sure enough, “9 ½ cm… push whenever you feel like it.” I immediately let everything go and tried pushing through the next few contractions. That felt so much better.
3:32am: I reached down and felt the head in the birth canal. I got very excited and told everyone she was “right there, she’s coming.”
3:34am: Part of the sac emerged, still intact… a small bubble of fluid. I tried to pop it but it just wouldn’t break. With the next contraction coming, I moved onto my knees.
3:35am: Baby’s head worked its way steadily through the birth canal and was born. The sac finally broke and I could feel her head, I looked up at everyone, relieved, excited and awestruck. I started to relax to await the next contraction, but suddenly the rest of the body just shot out. I really wasn’t expecting that, and almost didn’t catch her as she shot through the water. She was a bit slow to breathe, partly because the water was a bit too warm and she was just too comfortable, and partly because she just didn’t need to breath… she was still receiving plenty of oxygen through her still pulsing cord. When she finally did start breathing and waking up a bit more, I offered my breast. She latched on immediately and started gulping. Since I’m also still nursing DD#2 I still had some milk (though not nearly as much as I had before I got pregnant).
I pushed the placenta out in two pushes 42 minutes after birth, with no assistance, and no difficulty. Then we cut the cord and I handed Christine off to DH and went to take a shower.
My midwives and apprentices were totally awesome and hands-off, just as I had wanted them to be. I’m not sure how much relief the water provided, because the whole labor was so much more intense than either of my previous labors… but it was wonderful to be able to move… I’m not sure I held still for more than two minutes at a time. It just felt so much better to move. It also felt better to make noise. I started moaning quietly (like a loud sigh) during the drive. That got progressively louder and more “aahhhhhh”-ish. Then once I hit transition it turned into more groaning with just a hint of scream.
So, there you have it… Christine Frogley entered this earth-life at 3:35am on Monday, December 31, 2007. She weighed 7lbs 4oz and was 21 inches. (For the record DD#1 was 6lbs 13oz and 19 ½ in; DD#2 was 6lbs 5oz and 18in.) She’s absolutely perfect, with a lovely head of dark hair, and she nurses constantly.
Kathryn and Danielle adore her, especially Kathryn who constantly wants to hold her “Christine baby.” Danielle loves to give Christine hugs and kisses… unless she wants to nurse while the baby’s already nursing… then she gets a bit jealous.
Next time… I’ll be homebirthing for sure… I’m not sure I’d make it to the birth center if labor gets any shorter… plus, I really don’t want to labor in the car again. Now if only we could find a job for Dave so we can buy a house…
If you've made it this far... here's some pics...
Christine and me in the tub about 20 minutes after the birth
Cuddling with Daddy
All our girls
Kathryn holding Christine
The newest Frogley
-------------------------------
Well, I’d better get the details of this thing written out before I forget them. With DD#2 I went into labor 2 ½ weeks early and she was born the night before my sister’s wedding. This time, the next sister scheduled her wedding the day after my due date, fully expecting that I would again start labor early and have a new baby at her wedding. Things don’t always work out as planned.
Christmas, my EDD (12/27) and the wedding (12/28) all came and went, and still no baby. I’d been asking for vaginal exams at my appointments and as of the 27th I was only dilated 1-2cm, but fully effaced. On Sunday, December 30, we realized that our insurance provider was changing with the new year, and we’d get stuck with a horrible bill if she didn’t come before the end of the year. Since I was already 3 days past my EDD, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to take some castor oil and see if that did anything. (I had tried castor oil twice with DD#1 and it hadn’t done anything then… but why not.) About 9pm Sunday night, I took two tablespoons of castor oil, with a lot of orange juice. We put the girls to bed and watched an episode of 24.
11:45pm: I decided to run to the bathroom one last time before getting in bed. While on the toilet I suddenly felt baby kicking hard, and a lot of pressure on my cervix, as if she was trying to kick her way out. I didn’t think much of it, and went to bed.
12:45am: I finally felt the effects of the castor oil and barely made it to the bathroom… not fun. Shortly after I got back in bed I felt the first contraction… I was fairly confident it was a “real” contraction, but I’d been having several of those over the past few weeks and wasn’t positive. When it was over I checked the clock… 1:07am.
I lay in bed trying to sleep and counting contractions as they came… though completely ignoring the clock. After two or three more, I got up to go to the bathroom again… another 2-3 while on the toilet. I got back to bed, felt another contraction and finally checked the clock… 1:30am… I’d felt about 8 contractions in 23 minutes…
I woke DH up to tell him we would need to leave soon. He jumped right up to get dressed, but I told him to get some more sleep and I’d let him know when he really needed to get up. 8 minutes and 4 contractions later I told him to get up *NOW*
I called my midwife at 1:45am, and told her we’d be at the birth center in about an hour. We woke up my sister who was planning to be at the birth, and my mother who would be watching the girls while we were gone. I went to the bathroom one last time and was startled to find lots of bright red blood… not really mucous-y… just blood. For a brief instant the word “hemorrhage” passed through my mind… but I knew there wasn’t really that much blood… I hadn’t even gotten it on my underwear.
2:02am: We finally got in the car and drove away. I had DH’s ipod with my HypnoBabies scripts on it, and listened to that on the way. There was so much cervical pressure that I was sure my water was going to break with every contraction. At one point I opened my eyes and saw the speedometer… the speed limit was 55, but *most* people on that road go 65 easy… and at 2am, there was no traffic… DH was going 60… I really, really didn’t want my water to break in the car, so I told DH he needed to go faster. (He told me later that he was driving slowly because the roads were covered in ice… we actually fishtailed at one point while he was changing lanes… of course, I didn’t know that.) I also started getting very warm and took off my coat and sweatshirt… I didn’t bother putting them back on when we arrived, the cold air felt great.
2:38am: We pulled into the parking lot at the birth center. One of the apprentices met us at the door and assured me that the tub was full and ready whenever I wanted to get in. I started to undress and asked for a vaginal exam. The midwives assured me that wasn’t necessary… but *I* needed to know. I’d now been in labor for almost two hours… and it wasn’t anything like the menstrual cramp-like contractions I’d had for 7 hours with DD#2… I had to know that something was happening. Sure enough, I was already at 5cm.
2:49am: I jumped in the tub while the midwives finished checking me in. I explained everything that had happened to the midwives in between contractions, and enjoyed the water and the freedom of movement.
3:09am: I left the tub to go to the bathroom… one last trip to finish off the castor oil. I also noticed a lot more blood, with a ton of mucous. When I got back in the tub, the contractions were becoming more and more unbearable. I remember thinking, “this is why people ask for drugs.”
3:24am: I asked for another vaginal exam. With DD#2, I had an hour of labor after my water broke… this time, my water had still not broken and I didn’t know how much more I could take… Before she even checked my midwife told me that she was sure I was at a ten, or at least very close… all my noises left very little doubt in her mind… but I had her check anyway. Sure enough, “9 ½ cm… push whenever you feel like it.” I immediately let everything go and tried pushing through the next few contractions. That felt so much better.
3:32am: I reached down and felt the head in the birth canal. I got very excited and told everyone she was “right there, she’s coming.”
3:34am: Part of the sac emerged, still intact… a small bubble of fluid. I tried to pop it but it just wouldn’t break. With the next contraction coming, I moved onto my knees.
3:35am: Baby’s head worked its way steadily through the birth canal and was born. The sac finally broke and I could feel her head, I looked up at everyone, relieved, excited and awestruck. I started to relax to await the next contraction, but suddenly the rest of the body just shot out. I really wasn’t expecting that, and almost didn’t catch her as she shot through the water. She was a bit slow to breathe, partly because the water was a bit too warm and she was just too comfortable, and partly because she just didn’t need to breath… she was still receiving plenty of oxygen through her still pulsing cord. When she finally did start breathing and waking up a bit more, I offered my breast. She latched on immediately and started gulping. Since I’m also still nursing DD#2 I still had some milk (though not nearly as much as I had before I got pregnant).
I pushed the placenta out in two pushes 42 minutes after birth, with no assistance, and no difficulty. Then we cut the cord and I handed Christine off to DH and went to take a shower.
My midwives and apprentices were totally awesome and hands-off, just as I had wanted them to be. I’m not sure how much relief the water provided, because the whole labor was so much more intense than either of my previous labors… but it was wonderful to be able to move… I’m not sure I held still for more than two minutes at a time. It just felt so much better to move. It also felt better to make noise. I started moaning quietly (like a loud sigh) during the drive. That got progressively louder and more “aahhhhhh”-ish. Then once I hit transition it turned into more groaning with just a hint of scream.
So, there you have it… Christine Frogley entered this earth-life at 3:35am on Monday, December 31, 2007. She weighed 7lbs 4oz and was 21 inches. (For the record DD#1 was 6lbs 13oz and 19 ½ in; DD#2 was 6lbs 5oz and 18in.) She’s absolutely perfect, with a lovely head of dark hair, and she nurses constantly.
Kathryn and Danielle adore her, especially Kathryn who constantly wants to hold her “Christine baby.” Danielle loves to give Christine hugs and kisses… unless she wants to nurse while the baby’s already nursing… then she gets a bit jealous.
Next time… I’ll be homebirthing for sure… I’m not sure I’d make it to the birth center if labor gets any shorter… plus, I really don’t want to labor in the car again. Now if only we could find a job for Dave so we can buy a house…
If you've made it this far... here's some pics...
Christine and me in the tub about 20 minutes after the birth
Cuddling with Daddy
All our girls
Kathryn holding Christine
The newest Frogley
Comments
It really was a wonderful birth. I hope everything goes well for your birth this year!!!
Emily