The night before my labor started, I could tell something felt different in my pelvis. But I had thought “something felt different” many times before. So I told myself to go to sleep and not to think about it. I woke up at 4am (after only sleeping for 3 hours), to my first contraction. Then they kept coming for about 5-7 min. apart for a few hours. Jensen had woke up and came into our bed at 6am and that’s when I told Evan I’m in labor and it’s time for all of us to get up. I knew there was no possible way I could keep handling my contractions with Jensen trying to sleep next to me. Shortly after, my mom came over with some breakfast and I did my best to get some food down between each contraction. I think they were only a few minutes apart at that point because I remember having a hard time finishing one bite of food before another contraction started. After my mom left with Jensen, I let my midwife and doula know I was in labor. And asked if I was able to use my own bathtub to labor in at the time. Contractions were INTENSE. And early labor was SO SLOW. so I got in the tub and had my face halfway in the water, trying to find the best position to be comfortable enough in. Which was impossible. So I got out and labored in bed for a while. My midwife and doula got there and I decided to get checked, to find out I was only 2cm after hours of labor already. So they left for a while and Evan continued to help me while he tried to blow up the birth pool. And he discovered that the pump to blow it up was dead, but wouldn’t work if it was plugged in. So we panicked a little there but my doula had a backup pump with her and saved the day. My friend Melonie, who’s a chiropractor also came over to adjust me and make sure my pelvis was perfect for birth. Hours go by, and I’m already so over it and asking if I can skip to the pushing part so I can feel some relief (boy was I wrong about that). I ended up sleeping between most of my contractions while laying on my side with the peanut ball, on Jensen’s nugget couch lol. When my team came back, they checked me and said I could finally get in the pool since I was 7cm. I believe this was already past 8pm since it was completely dark out. The rest of my birth team arrived, Melonie came back after taking care of all her clients, my friend Dani came, and the Second midwife arrived too. I remember the feeling of the water in the birth pool was so amazing, but it just wasn’t full enough to be completely submerged. Which meant I needed someone to constantly dump water on me and rub my back. I tried so many positions and got in and out of the pool. The worst was sitting on the toilet. Or doing an upward squat. But honestly, all of it was kind of horrible lol but still doable. Plus Jace kept moving inside me and getting the hiccups, causing more “uncomfortableness”. I had started pushing around 9cm I believe, and I was pushing hard and for a long time- or what seemed like it. I got out and had another cervical check to find out I had a cervical lip. So I Labored in even more positions, and tried some kind of blow up contraption, which was supposed to be like a birth stool. But it was too slippery with the shower curtain under me. I also had gotten lavender EO in my eye at some point from a icy wash cloth for my face . We decided moving to the bed was the best decision and for me to lay on my back with my feet up and try pushing there. My midwife was checking to see if she could move the cervical lip out of the way while I pushed but it wasn’t working. So after a while of some hardcore pushing, we took a break and let me go to sleep for a few min between contractions until I had a giant FER push that woke me up and I felt a big “click” in my pelvis... and I immediately yelled out that his head went past my pubic bone finally. It was such a crazy feeling! My team came in and we all knew it was really go time now. I pushed on my hands and knees with Evan sitting in front of me so I could have his back to push my head into. Then switched back to laying on my back with my feet up. It felt like there was no progress and I was just pushing so hard that I might die lol but everyone reassured me that I was doing it and he was coming. I could hear everyone talking about seeing his head crown, and looking at his hair. It helped me so much and gave me power to keep pushing, and pushing HARD. I felt that ring of fire and OMG! It sucked, but I was at the end and just wanted to be done. My friend grabbed my hand and put it on Jace’s head when his head was fully out. And that was the weirdest thing to feel then my midwife twisted and pulled him out at 5:10am. He had a nuchal hand and came out with his hand on his face. Which was the cause for the long labor and hard pushing. And the extra pain I was feeling in the front of my pelvis. He was laid on me and cried immediately. He was covered in vernix and had some dark hair too. I was shocked by everything. I also said how I definitely didn’t enjoy the feeling of the cord hanging out of me, connecting us still. Luckily, my placenta came out pretty fast and it felt so relieving too. After the cord was done pulsing and completely white, we did a cord burning. I could hardly sit up and had to use my hands to hold me up, and I just watched as Evan and my midwife did it because I was too weak. Then I went into the herbal bath with Jace and sort of cleaned us up. Walking was really hard and I couldn’t breathe, which felt really scary. But they said it was because my lungs weren’t used to suddenly having space. After everything was cleaned up and we talked about how it went, everyone went home to sleep. And we tried to rest and find a place to deliver food at 8am with everyone having limited covid hours. Hours later, I woke up to postpartum contractions that made me push... I didn’t know if that was normal. And suddenly an ungodly amount of blood shot out of me and filled my adult diaper, filled all the chucks pads under me, and went all over the bed too. And a few minutes later I passed out. Evan called my midwife and we decided a placenta smoothie and food was the best first try to get a handle on it. Later, she came over to check and we agreed I should transfer to the hospital because I might need a blood transfusion. She called 911 and off I went in an ambulance with Evan and Jace following. The hospital didn’t really do anything for me and said I couldn’t have Jace with me anymore even though I needed to breastfeed and we informed them that he wasn’t taking a bottle. So they said it was ok to go home and to come back if needed. I got home at midnight and we all tried to sleep, but Jace cried all night because he was finally rested enough to breastfeed (he wouldn’t latch on all day And just slept). At 4am I got up to try to pee and a clot the size of a grapefruit or bigger came out of me and filled the toilet with blood. So I went back to sleep and told Evan I probably have to go back to the hospital in the morning. Even though I felt better after that came out. The next day, I was still too weak and not feeling good at all, so I went to a different hospital. They did tests and exams and I ended up needing 2 bags of blood, and was sent home. Finally I was starting to feel better and ended up recovering from birth normally.
Jace Josiah Saunders
August 27th, 2020
5:10am
8 lbs 7 oz and 21 inches
Born at home, VBAC.
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