Joyous Birth Members - Laurie Meives' Birth Story


Well, this is Jacen's 4th day here and I am enjoying every minute of it. This birth took more out of me than my others and I needed to stay in bed for 2 days. Yesterday I got up some and then had to get back down. So that is why I waited till today to post. I don't remember what I have already posted so I will start from the beginning.

On Saturday May 30 I started with cramping and back and leg aching which is usually my indication that Labor will be kicking in in 24 hours or so. Well it didn't. These symptoms came and went for the next few days. The pains were very real but then would go away after 6 hours or so. On Monday night my daughter woke up very sick and I was sure this was the night for labor as I was really feeling the cramps. I prayed and prayed and talked to this baby to wait, Please Wait! The symptoms stopped again. Then I went through agony the next few days, wanting labor to kick in impatiently and not wanting to be in labor with a sick little girl. Well as the universe would have it, all went exactly as it should. The rest of the week went the same way, on and off again. The following Monday, after a very uncomfortable weekend I decided to get the castor oil and wait one more night. I was dilating slowly and felt like early labor and real ready. My husband had been off work for a week already and I was beginning to worry that he would not be home at all after the birth to help and enjoy.

The castor oil never got used. Monday night June 8, we all went to bed and slept all night. My daughter was finally better enough to sleep and I didn't even get up to pee. 7:00 am I woke up with cramps and contractions, back ache and all the same symptoms as before, but I felt this might really be it. I had the oil standing by just in case. We decided to wait an hour to see what would progress. The pains were 10 to 15 minutes apart. They were really pinching. My other labors started with water breaking and then strong contractions, with the pains coming later, so this was very different for me. I had the pains but kept waiting for water and strong contractions. By 10:00 am they were very real and 5 minutes apart but not very long. During this time I posted a couple of times and stayed lying on my bed on my side relaxing and concentrating and breathing. I was quite uncomfortable but really excited. Although I still felt like it might stop because of all the earlier teasing that week. My husband was busying himself getting the house ready for the birth and taking care of my 3 year old daughter Julianne. My son, Tyler, went out to play with his friends and decided that he didn't want to wait around this time ( he was with me for the whole labor of my daughter) but would check in on me periodically. I spent the morning alone in my room which felt right for me. At noon I was having a hard time with the pain so my husband filled up the pool. He put it in the living room where I could see out to my lake and garden and be with the family. Once I got in that water I did not want to get out!!! It was great. Julianne played in there with me for an hour and a half. The contractions were now lasting 90 seconds or so and still 5 minutes apart. She was so cute trying to play with toys but not cause too much comotion for me. It was great having her there with me because it distracted me in between contractions. The pains were getting really awful but no pain in between them so I had a nice break. At 2:00 pm I was starting to need my husband to hold onto during contractions and I was beginning to get weepy. This felt to me like things were progressing and I finally felt like I was for sure going to have a baby today! My neighbor came and got Julianne because I wasn't sure how she would handle my vocals. I get pretty loud during hard labor. She brought Julianne in and out to check on me when she wanted to, it was really convenient. At this point I was starting to get out of it so I don't remember much of what was happening around me. There was another small contraction in between the long ones at this point so I didn't have as much time to relax. We called the midwife and let her know that things were getting going. The next three hours were filled with alot of moaning, crying, hugging and laughing. It really hurt!! But I felt great in between the pains. Unlike the back labor of my other two labors where there were no breaks. My husband stayed on the outside of the tub and I leaned over the edge to hold him and rub my face in his chest. I mostly stayed squatting this way or on all fours rocking, swaying and thrusting my pelvis. The water was great for this. I could move around freely during contractions without too much trouble. On dry land I find it miserable to move during a contraction. The floating mobility of the water was quite a help. I am not one of you who have pain free labors. I find it to be excrutiating. So any relief is welcome. I also prayed alot and moved inward when I felt like I couldn't handle it anymore. At 3:30 pm I began to get really scared and had feelings that I couldn't do this anymore, so I watched the clock with the idea that this baby will be here my 7:00 pm. My shortest labor being 12 hours. Then I would ask God to make me strong. Then I would cry more to my husband. It felt really good to cry, I guess for me it is a release then I can take a deep breath and get back to it. My husband was really great, he was right there with me and I felt so close to him. After the midwifes got there I wouldn't let him leave me for a second, I knew that they would take care of anything else. At 4:30 pm I felt nausious and weak so I was encouraged that It may be soon. That last half hour was odd. The contractions were unbearably painful, I was outrageously loud with low loud groany yelling type moans. And every once in a while I felt a small pushing sensation. With my other labors transition was like a whirlwind of constant contracions and then an uncontrollable involuntary pushing, one, two three and the baby would be out. This was very different. The contractions were a distance apart, I had alot of time to relax and I felt like I would throw up and pass out, but I was very peaceful. Then another one would come and I would make some weird primal low noise and I felt the baby maybe moving down, a little at time. But I did not ever feel that overwhelming uncontrollable urge to push. After some time of soft pushing along with moaning and not pushing my midwife reached in and checked me. She said that I was dilated enough and very soft and she thought it would open right up, that I could push if I felt I wanted to. I really didn't because I was waiting for my body to just do it like in the past. But I asked her if it would go quicker. She smiled and said of course. I wanted that. So with the next unbearably painful contraction I pushed and it felt sooo good. I did this a few times with several minutes between contractions. Alot of peaceful moments just waiting but also time to feel a little scared. With each push it seemed he was moving further down and with each time the pain in my back and legs and hips and tummy got worse. I turned around in a squatting position with my husband supporting me from behind and pushed real hard with my hand in my vagina because I wanted to feel the baby coming out. Then I'm not sure why but I felt scared and ended up laying out onto my back still supported by my husband from behind. I felt that I needed leverage to push and I was alone in the water so I held behind me onto my husband and really pushed. My midwife strongly encouraged me to bring my hands down to feel my baby but I couldn't for some reason. I was in great pain and just wanted to focus on pushing. Then out came his head and a different strength came over me I reached down and felt his fuzzy head between my legs and wanted to just stay like that except the pain in my pelvic area and legs was excruciating. She encouraged me to push with the contraction but I could not even feel that there was a contraction. At some point I threw my head back onto my husbands shoulder and he held me up and I started pushing the rest of him out but it was really hard to do. He didn't just come right out like my other two. This was my first birth without an episiotomy. It hurt sooo bad and took so much strength. His shoulder started to come out and she encourtaged me to push real hard next time. I kept said " I can't! I'm too weak! I want to wait!" She said "no Laurie you can do it he's here and he's ready" So I yelled him out and ohhh did it feel good!! But ohhh did my body hurt!!!

She brought my hands down to him as he was coming out, I think she helped so that I could take him from my own body. And I lifted him up onto my chest. They put warm towels on him immediately. I was holding him and my husband had his hands around him too from behind me. I could not believe that he was actually here. It felt so amazing! It turned out that my Julianne was there for the birth with my neighbor holding her and comforting her. And Tyler also was there watching the birth. Julianne's first reaction was " Jacen, Jacen I want to hold him" and Tyler ran right out to tell the neighborhood and buy balloons to put on the mailbox. Then Julianne got real upset because the pool that I had promised would be hers after the birth had blood in it. She said "mommy you ruined my pool" It was pretty funny. She also got upset because for some reason she thought that someone was going to take him away. We reassured her and then she was fine.

I gave Jacen to my husband so that I could get out of the water and he and Julianne held and enjoyed him for 15 minutes while I got a couple of stitches. She rubbed the him and looked at him. When they gave him back to me he was looking all around the room. He was so peaceful and calm, he only cried for a second when he first came out. I held him laughing and crying at how amazing he was and he smiled. I couldn't believe that it was a real smile, just 20 minutes old but everytime I laughed he smiled. He started sucking his hand right away so I put him to my breast and I couldn't believe it, he turned his head and latched right on. There he stayed for 20 minutes then 20 on the other side. When the midwife took him to examine him and weigh him he just layed there sprawled out on my bed enjoying the attention and watching everyone who walked by. 8 lbs 10 oz and 22 1/2 inches long. Everything else was also perfect. They rinsed his head in my bathroom sink and he loved it. It was almost as if he were laughing. He nursed all that night and often the next day and then all that night again. I was real worried that I would be so sore but let him anyway. I can't believe that it took 48 hours for my milk to come in with all that sucking. With my others my milk came in the next day and they weren't even hungry. I didn't get too sore and now he is full and content. He still nurses alot. Every hour usually. Today he is one week old and sometimes goes 2-3 hours. I am very tired! It has taken me several days just to finish this.


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