Birth Stories

I realized recently that I've never really shared 2 birth experiences with my blog readers. Well I've decided to forever give them up to cyberspace and post them on my blog. For whatever reason, I am having trouble publishing the photos. Just click on the boxes and they will come up in a new window.

Caroline's birth

On my due date (12/01/04) with Caroline, my amniotic fluid started leaking. Although I wasn't aware of it at the time, it was definitly leaking. The next day, I phoned my midwife and mentioned that I thought my amniotic fluid was leaking. She told me to come in so she could check. At the midwife's office, she did a nitrazine test, which is basically litmus paper that measures the pH of fluid. I think the test is usually inconclusive, so I'm not sure why it is even used, but I digress. The midwife did another test which required that she dry the fluid out and check for ferning. The second test showed positive signs of amniotic fluid, though the membranes were intact at the cervix, so it had to be a high leak. My midwife told me to go home and go to sleep, because I would probably be in labor very soon.

The next morning I woke up and Todd was busy in the kitchen making me a castor oil milkshake. Yum! Okay, it was really, really disgusting. My midwife recommended it in the morning if labor had not started, and indeed, it had not. So I downed the milkshake, gagging the whole time. It was NASTY! I still cannot eat vanilla ice cream. We waited for contractions to start. Around noon on December 2nd, we talked with the midwife and she told us that I would need to go in for an induction if labor didn't start on its own soon. At 3pm, we headed for the hospital for an induction. While I was packing my bag (yeah, I hadn't done that yet)my contractions started. I didn't want to get too excited, so I didn't tell Todd. Todd dragged me to the car and we headed for a Brooklyn hospital. I called my doula and apprised her of the plans. She planned to come to the hospital, once labor was underway. At the hospital, I went to check in at the L&D desk. They were asking me lots of questions even though they had my file. I thought it was very annoying. I finally said "look, I having a contraction! stop!" The nurse said "so you don't need an induction?" Ugh. I couldn't think through anything, because my contractions were 6 minutes apart and I had just spent the last HOUR in the car enduring them. Finally, a midwife at the hospital recommended that I go to the birth center(our original plan). She said that I would almost certainly have a better birth experience. At that moment, Todd, having finally found parking, came in with our various bags. I told him to pack up, we're going to the Brooklyn Birthing Center.

Once we finally got to the car (another 30 minutes), I told him I was in labor. Definitely in labor. We timed my contractions and they were 8 minutes apart. I called the midwife and my doula and told them about the change in plans. No induction! I arrived at the birthing center and the midwife checked me and said that I was 1 cm dilated and 10% effaced. I was very disappointed with the news. She told us to go outside and walk around for a few hours. The doula had joined us by that point. Once we got outside, I realized that this was going to be a long night. It was approximately -20 degrees with the windchill. Todd gave me his coat, since I didn't have one that fit me. Of course, he was very very sick for the next weeks, so I don't recommend this course of action. Todd and my doula kept walking for at least a half hour, before I told them that I NEEDED to go back to the birthing center. No deal. We have to keep walking, they said. I kept trying to find excuses (I'm cold, I need my Mylanta, etc.) that would allow me to go back inside where it was warm. Nothing worked. Finally, I told them that I had to go to the bathroom. Bingo! We went back inside and the midwife looked at us like "what are you doing here?" I went to the bathroom and delayed as much as possible. It was really, really cold outside. We went back out into the freezing cold December-in-New York-weather. We walked through the streets of Brooklyn. I kept stopping at the various stores, so I could go inside. At some point, we found a Rite Aid that was well lit and spacious and HEATED. We went inside and stayed there for several hours. I bought some random stuff (camera batteries, chap stick, a candle) and I walked around enduring my contractions by holding onto the shelves.

When we got back to the birthing center, Todd ordered some chinese food. We all ate the food, and I had maybe a few bites. The contractions were much more intense at this point. After dinner, Todd took a nap. I still give him grief about the 6 hours he slept during my labor, but I did labor for 24 hours, so I can't blame him too much. The midwife checked me again and said that I was almost fully effaced and 2 cm dilated. Not much progress, I thought, but she said that since my cervix was completely effaced, it was easier for it to dilate. I went into the birthing suite and sat on my birthing ball. My doula was talking me through the contractions, since this is what seemed to work. I don't remember much about the next several hours, except that we tried everything to get labor to speed up. (Herbs, using a breast pump...) My labor was really, really slow. Once I dilated to 3 cm, the midwife had me get into a tub of warm water. It was wonderful. I stayed in there as long as she would let me (an hour or two). Laboring in a tub is really good pain relief. I was able to relax in the tub and even sleep a little between contractions, which were about 4 minutes apart. Once I got out of the tub, I really starting complaining that I was tired and I wanted to sleep. Everyone else was taking turns napping, why couldn't I nap??? (remember that it is impossible to reason with a woman in labor) Finally after some discussion, the midwife decided to give me a shot of stadol for a little pain relief and because it would allow me to sleep between contractions. I happily agreed to the shot and Todd (he was up at this point)coached me through contractions for next 2 hours.

At this point my contractions were 2 minutes apart, but I was still sleeping between them because of the stadol. Once the stadol wore off, I BEGGED for more. Pleaded and begged. I mean, the stadol wasn't great. I felt every contraction, but it made me not care so much. The midwife said (and I paraphrase) "you're not getting anymore drugs, so stop asking!" I was in going through transition at this point and was in aboslute misery. I got back in the tub and argued with the midwife for the next hour. Telling her that the baby was coming and I couldn't stop it. When the midwife told me I couldn't push yet, I tried this line out on her apprentices, but to no avail. I was crying and holding my breath during contractions because the pain was so bad. The midwife, my doula, and Todd were all telling me to breathe. I tried hard to breathe, but then I wasn't doing it right. No, you have to breathe THIS way. Sheesh. I'm breathing aren't I? Truly, rhythmic breathing does help take your focus off the contractions and breathing is better for the baby. I got into a good pattern of breathing and I was 9 1/2 cm dilated and my body was starting to push on its own. The midwife wanted me to wait to push and it was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. For about 30 minutes, we played the game of "can I push?" "no, not yet" "Well the baby is coming, so I NEED to push." The midwife wanted me to empty my bladder before starting to push, but I couldn't. The baby was too low. I had to be catheterized, which was no fun. When the midwife finally said I could push, I was flabbergasted. I mean, I had been begging to push for probably 2 hours. I was completely exhausted. I looked around at the 10 people in the room (most of them were midwives in training) and asked if was really okay. After about 15-20 minutes of intense pushing, the baby's head crowned. The midwife had been doing perineal massage to protect my perineum and I could definitely feel the difference. She told me to stop pushing for a minute so that the tissue could stretch naturally. When she told me to start pushing again, I delivered the baby's head. One more push later, the body was out and our daughter was being handed to me.

It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I did it. I gave birth to her. She was perfect. She was gorgeous and I felt like we had really, finally become a family. I tried to nurse her, but she was very sleepy, probably from the shot of stadol. I delivered the placenta and it was quite a relief. I bled quite a bit after the birth, so once I delivered the placenta, the bleeding mostly stopped. The midwife checked my perineum and it was intact. No stitches! I had a few abrasions, but they were very minor and they heal on their own. I didn't have an epidural. I didn't give birth in a hospital. It was what I wanted. When we finally got the baby (she hadn't been named at this point)on the scale, she weighed 9lbs. Wow. Everyone thought she was a big baby, but I had no idea. She probably weighed more at birth, but she passed meconium before she was weighed. Everyone at the birth center was impressed that I birthed such a big baby so quickly and without needing any stitches. At this point, the baby was being taken care of by the midwives-to-be, getting her first bath, and shots and stuff like that. I got up to go to the bathroom, because, well, I needed to go. Once I got to the bathroom, I hear the midwife ask "where'd she go??" Someone found me sitting on the toilet about to pass out. Apparently, after experiencing a hemmorrage, it is not a good idea to get up and go to the bathroom. I held onto consciousness with all that I had, and fortunately, I did not pass out. I was carried back to the bed with strict instructions to "stay there!" After a bit, I convinced the midwife that I needed to take a shower. I felt pretty gross after the whole experience. She agreed and we went back to the bathroom where she and and the midwife apprentices all helped me take a shower. Looking back, it's hard to understand how a normally modest person like a myself didn't mind having 2 people holding me up so I could shower, but labor and birth really change the perception of yourself. After the shower, I went back to the bed and slept for several hours. I woke up to find the baby laying next to , swaddled. She still didn't have a name and Todd was no where to be found. The midwife told me I needed to name her, but I couldn't do that with Todd around. Turns out, I sent him out to get me a steak! Go figure. I'm always insanely hungry after I give birth, but I can never really eat anything. Once he got back to the birth center, we discussed our naming options. We had a list of a few choices that we liked. Caroline was my favorite. I just love the name. We picked Ruth for a middle name, because we wanted her to have a biblical name, and Ruth is not commonly used. So, in the end we decided on Caroline Ruth. In the end, about 10 hours after her birth, we went home.