Monday, October 25, 2010

three years later - the birth story

Three years ago my sweet first born, Noah, was born.
I realized after scouring his old blog that I never blogged about his birth story.
So three years later, here it is:

Noah was originally due on my birthday. Actually, originally he was due on my Dad's birthday {4 days after mine}. But the midwives moved up the date to my birthday. I secretly {or not so secretly} did not want to share my birthday. I knew having kids was going to rock my world and I would learn a whole new meaning of self-sacrifice {and how to love it, too} and I wanted just a little piece of me to be all mine.
Well, my birthday came and went and other than losing my mucous plug that day, life went on.
4 days later...
I woke up at 5:45am feeling restless and so I sat up to go to the bathroom and thought I heard a small *pop* inside me and immediately felt a small gush. I rushed {as fast as I could at 40 weeks + 4 days} to the bathroom and sat on the toilet for a few minutes.
It was then that I started to feel menstrual-type cramping. In fact, it was exactly like menstrual cramps so much so that I thought,
"Oh yeah. I forgot about these bad boys."
I cleaned up and went back into our room and told Jamie,
"Um, I think my water just broke and I think I'm having contractions. But they're so mild, I don't really know." {You never really do for your first.}
We both knew that everyone tells you just to go back to sleep and so I tried, but I couldn't so we timed the contractions {or at least tried to} but they were coming so close together that it was hard to tell when one ended and the next began. They weren't too bad at this point and I could walk around and do things.
To be honest, I have no idea what I did for the next couple hours. It's like my memory of those hours is gone. It's bizarre, really. But I do know that the contractions picked up in intensity and so around 7:45am we called the midwives. They showed up sometime after 8am and by that time I was moaning a little bit and breathing deeply with each contraction.
They attempted to check to see how far I was dilated and when the midwife apprentice said,
"Conservatively I'm going to guess 5-6cm."
I almost yelled,
WHAT?!?!
Because everyone tells you how long your first is going to take. How you'll have so much time to wander the house, watch movies, eat, bake, go for walks around the block, etc.
The next little bit was pretty intense. We hadn't set up our room or bed for the birth {oh yeah, we were planning a home birth - I didn't mention that} so the midwives and Jamie were rushing around trying to find everything that I had bought, but hadn't put out in a clearly marked basket. Poor Jamie had to keep coming and asking me where stuff was. I don't actually remember being annoyed with him, but I do remember that shortly after I started going through transition except I had no idea that this is what was happening.
It wasn't until my midwife came over and laid her hand on my shoulder and said,
"It's okay, you're going through contractions. You are doing amazing." {Again, I wanted to shout, WHAT?!? Because I did not believe I was progressing so quickly and almost at the end/beginning.}
Clearly my panicky moans/wails/moos were cluing her into how far along I was and next she said,
"We're going to try and walk down the hall to your room during your next break."
Again, no recollection of walking down that hall, all I know is I got there and crawled up onto the bed on my hands and knees.

After checking to see how far dilated I was again, I was told I could start pushing whenever I felt the urge. Within seconds of hearing that, I felt this body-controlling, amazing urge to push and so I pushed.
I pushed and I pushed and I pushed and they {there were 2 midwives and an apprentice there - I absolutely adored them all} were so encouraging and supportive of me. I was told to stop grunting/screaming the way I was because I was going to hurt my vocal chords {which I totally did. The next day my throat was raspy!} and then asked if I wanted to switch positions.
I didn't care either way, so I slipped down onto the ground onto the birthing stool with Jamie sitting on the bed right behind me and pushed again.
Apparently I was pushing for about 45 minutes, but it felt like no time at all. I really had no concept of how long it had been or what time it was.
Soon I felt his head crowning. When they asked if I wanted to touch it I definitely said {shouted?} no. {To be honest, that totally freaked me out.}
Then slowly the head came out.
All I can remember is total and complete relief.
And then the shoulders and within seconds I had my baby up on my chest.
Both times I've given birth those first few seconds where you hold your baby immediately after being born is completely surreal.
"You just came out of me? You were living in there all this time?"
Amazing.

It was such an amazing, positive experience.
From start to finish it was about 4. 5 hours. He was born at 10:19am, October 25th, 2007. {His original due date. His Grandpa's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!}

Noah - days old.

Noah - 3 years old.

I love you, Noah. And in the words of Mariah Carey, you'll always be my baby.

2 comments:

  1. What a beautiful story. My first was simalarly fast but only because of pitocin. My water broke but he wanted no part of leaving the womb....

    So after 4 hours with nary a contraction, they shot me full of pitocin and he was here 2 hours after that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awwww,how wonderfully short!! and how precious Noah is...happy birthday to a wonderful boy!

    ReplyDelete

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