In the days leading up to my daughters birth, I had encountered a small, but annoying intestinal bug. It left me feeling slightly constpiated, but it wasn't true. So all week I was in touch with my midwife about all the happenings going on. This is where the story begins...
On September 10th I woke up in the morning with a headache. I woke up at 8 or 9 am, had breakfast and decided I was going to go back to bed for a nap. I slept for 3 hours. I’d only intended on sleeping for 1 hour, but when I woke up my headache was gone, and I felt great. I had a few things to get done that day, like laundry and dishes. I still felt as if I was constipated so around 9 pm when Chris (my husband) asked if we had any Amaretto I took that as an opportunity to go to Publix. I left for the liquor store at about 9:15, then headed on to Publix. When I arrived at Publix I made a call to my midwife (D) to ask her what, if any, laxatives were ok to take to get things moving...not for starting labor, but to help me not feel like this anymore. At least today my appetite was back! I don’t remember exactly what I ate, but I do know it was a lot! I had at least one full can of Tomato soup, a sandwich and a good amount of other foods. But D suggested some coffee, watermelon and lots more water. So I grabbed Senecot, watermelon, two kinds of coffee and went home to drink more water. When I got home, Chris mixed a drink, and I had something else to eat. By now it was about 10:30. We went to bed a bit after 11:30, and we both fell asleep pretty quickly. I had decided to wait on the Senecot.
At 2:07 AM I woke up feeling the need to go to the bathroom. I’d been waking up to pee every night for about 2.5 months now. This time I felt like I needed to have a bowel movement, but again, I didn’t go. I went back to bed and got comfortable. 2:15 and I feel like I have to go again. I grab my book and headed for the hall bathroom, I didn’t want to wake Chris up. Nothing. But now I’m awake, so I got to the fridge and get my new neck cooler and then get on the computer and look over my due date club boards looking for something to read, or someone else who was up to talk to. At about 2:55 I was so uncomfortable that I got off the computer and went to lay on the sofa to try to get comfortable, and turned on a repeat episode of the West Wing and as soon as I laid down I had a strong contraction which I had to breath through. I hit “TV” on the remote to see the time, it was 3:05. I grabbed Chris’ watch and the pen and paper I’d been using to time contractions. I wrote 3:05 and waited for the next one...it would come just as hard as the last and sooner than was expecting...3:07...”Wow these are too close to be real labor” 3:11...but this HURTS...
3:15, I feel a contraction start and a pop just above and to the right of my pubic bone “oh my God I think my water just broke” I jump up as quickly as I can and head for the bathroom. I don’t leak any water until I get in the bathroom, and even then it wasn’t a lot. I pulled down my underwear and look at my panty liner; no bloody show, but some bright green meconium! I want to panic. But there is no time for that; I have to call the midwife (D) and my doula (N).
“Hi D, it’s Amanda, I think I’m in labor, my water broke and it’s meconium stained...”pause then moan for a contraction
“I’m on my way I have to load up my car, I’ll be there in 45 minutes and I’m on my cell if you need me.”
I hang up with her and call N. Usually I call her on her cell phone but I had my landline, so I called what was in that phonebook, her landline.
“N, hey, it’s Amanda. My water broke D is on her way over and I think I’m ready for you to come too” pause, moan and grunt for a contraction, “Wow, I hope I didn’t just push”
“Ok, do you want me to call anyone else?”
“Heather (H)”
“Ok I’ll see you in about an hour”
“Ok I need to go wake up Chris now”
I look at the thermostat in the hallway, directly across the way from the bathroom; it’s now 3:20AM.
I make my way to the bedroom between contractions and when I open the door and say “Chris” he jumps and sits up in bed...
“I’m in labor, my water broke”
“OK!” he says as he jumps up out of bed.
I walk back to the living room to get my neck cooler, then back to the bathroom in time for a contraction. With each contraction drops of meconium, blood and amniotic fluid drop on to the floor, Chris pushes a towel between my feet to catch the drops. When it’s over I hand him the phone and say “D cell” the go about turning on the water for the bath tub. Chris has D on the phone, now I’m naked and on my hands and knees facing the faucet.
Chris calls to me “Are you pushing”
“A little bit”
Now Chris is in the bathroom with me and D is on the hand held speaker phone, I turn around to face the wall, and Chris turns off the water. I remember hearing D call out
“If she’s coming this fast she’s ok!” and “Don’t hold back”
With that I give a push, and feel the ring of fire...I scream and D calls out to keep it low. Chris rests an arm on the side of the tub for me to grab on to, and I need to push again. Suddenly I feel her head fully crown, and I reached back to hold it as I announced “Here’s her head!” I’ll never forget that warm, soft, wet head! I feel Chris’ hands over mine and he says “I’ve got it” As I give another push the rest of her head slides out. Then another push and I hear
“I’ve got cord”
Push
“More cord”
Push
“I’ve got a baby!”
I sit up on my knees and turn to look at her; she’s got her arms spread out wide, eyes closed, and her cord once around her neck. I help untangle her, then sit down in the tub and take her in my arms. I tell Chris we need towels, and tell him where the ones for the birth are. He gets one to wrap the baby in, then I ask him to turn off the bright bathroom lights so he turns the one in the hallway on. Now he had D off the speaker phone, and was running around getting things for me, turning lights on outside...then after about 15 minutes he was off the phone. I asked him to give N a call back to let her know that the baby was here! I remember him handing me the phone after saying “She’s here” and N was like “What?!” when I was talking to her. I laughed and told her that the baby was born 15 minutes after my water broke, only 10 minutes after I’d hung up with her! I hung up again, as they were on their way now. At about 4:10 I asked Chris to get the placenta bowl, he did, and then I gave him the baby, still attached to her cord. I squatted over the bowl and gave a few soft pushes and birthed the placenta into the bowl. I appeared whole, but the light was dim, I’d have to wait on D to be sure if that. It was 4:17 AM. I then took back the baby to nurse her for the first time; she began to root just as I was sitting back down. After a few minutes we heard Jack, so Chris got more towels to help conceal the blood and placenta so Jack could see his baby sister. At almost exactly 4:30 D arrived as did N and H. D looked under the towel to check the bleeding, said it was fine and asked for a bag to put the placenta bowl in. I handed Heather the baby, and D, H, Chris and new baby girl went into the bedroom. N stayed with me while I showered off, and Heather returned with my shampoo. After my shower N helped me get a post partum pad in the mesh underwear, and a t-shirt on. Then I made my way to the bedroom where Chris was sitting on the bed with the baby and placenta not too far away.
I got myself settled on to some chux pads. I don’t remember who handed me my daughter, but I settled her in for her second meal, and D was filling out paperwork, N and Chris were getting me an English muffin and juice, and H was taking pictures. After a few minutes D checked my bottom for tears, three little ones, but no need to do more trauma by stitching them, which was FINE with me!!
I don’t remember a lot of what happened next, but I know I cut her cord at 5:42AM, then when she was done nursing I got up to go to the bathroom. When I got back D was getting a spot of blood off the bed, so I sat on Chris’ side of the bed. Now it was time for the newborn exam. First checking reflexes, soft spots, and what not, then finally time to check her size! She seemed so tiny to me, so I guessed 6.5 lbs, Chris guessed about 7 lbs (I think) But everyone else said she was bigger than that. D placed her into the sling scale, and lifted her up....8 pounds and 8 ounces...EIGHT POUNDS! WHAT?! I couldn’t believe it. She was also 22 inches long, with a 14 inch chest, 13 and 7/8th inch head circumference. And declared healthy as can be!
D, N and H packed up and left at about 7:30-8:00. Jack went back to sleep until about 10, somewhere in there Chris came back and lay down with me and the baby. I didn’t get a lot of sleep, I was still too excited.
We decided to name her Samantha Katherine when she was nearly 24 hours old, and we call her Kate. Beautiful brown hair and eyes, and, now at 6 months old a killer smile. She melts my heart everyday.