I’ve given up on the idea that I am going to be a regular
blogger. When it comes to my personal time, at this point in my life I just
have other things that need to come first – like sleeping and eating, and those
things usually don’t happen when I want them too either. However, I’m not going
to give it up completely, because there are still things I want to write down,
share with all of my friends and family, and be able to look back on in the
future. You all know we welcomed our
baby girl Allisyn into the world on December 6th, and we have been
enjoying every moment of our life with her. Gavyn is a stellar big brother and
I already see a bond growing between them.
One thing I really want to write down and share is her birth
story. While I’m at it, I want to share Gavyn’s birth story too, and get that
down in writing. Some of you know that I am very passionate about the birthing
process. I am also passionate about pregnancy and breastfeeding. However, all
of these things come together in a few crucial hours, in my opinion. The
delivery of a baby sets the stage for the child’s whole life. I think it is
important that mothers be informed on all of their options and know that they
run the show, NOT the doctors. I’ll start with Gavyn’s story, because he came
first .
I went into labor with Gavyn at about 9:00pm on his due
date. I woke up that morning devastated I didn’t have my baby yet. I was
completely prepared to go two or more extra weeks before he was born, but there
is something about a due date that is just so set. Of course, I didn’t have to
wait long. I labored all night in his nursery at our house on Brady Lane in
Urbana. At about 4 in the morning I called the hospital to let them know I’d be
coming in that day. I also told John at this point that I was in labor, haha. I
needed him to get a good night’s sleep, because I sure didn’t get one! We
headed to the hospital at 7am. I was 4cm dilated when we got there – not great
for 11 hours of labor. The morning passed slowly and agonizingly. I took a long
shower which seemed to help the contractions a bit. I started throwing up after
contractions. In the afternoon things were still progressing rather slowly,
despite my contractions getting even worse. So then at 2pm, I agreed to let
them break my water. That is when things got (enter word here for the most
ultimate pain one can ever experience – something along the lines of “lethal”
since I thought I was going to die).
For 45 minutes I had contractions back to back, and I can’t
even remember what was going on around me. I vaguely remember them trying to
get a monitor on me to check on Gavyn while I was on my knees on the floor grabbing
the bed for dear life. I remember John rubbing my back raw trying to ease the
contractions (this “burn” from him rubbing my lower back lasted about 3 months,
ouch!). Then on one contraction, my body simply bared down. I didn’t realize I
was pushing. I actually thought I was having a BM! That seemed to put the
nurses on Red Alert and they told me to get up on the bed and my midwife came
in. I did NOT want to move, but somehow I hoisted my body up on the bed and
then the pushing began.
Ahhhhh….pushing felt GREAT! I pushed for about 15
minutes and then out came my baby! At one point a nurse told me he had dark
hair, and I replied that was impossible as John and I were both blondies. Later
after getting him dried off he was indeed blonde as blonde can be. On my last
push I experienced the worst pain thus far – tearing. However, after that I
heard John exclaim “It’s a boy!” and Gavyn came flying toward me, completely
covered in blood. The only thing I saw were his eyes looking straight at me.
Before I knew it he was on my chest and there were warm towels covering both of
us, and I was happier than I had ever been. I was a Mama. Nothing else
mattered! After bonding with him for about 10 minutes they had to stitch me up (15
stitches!) so they took him to get him cleaned up.
About 10 minutes later he was back in my arms and I got to
nurse him for the first time. They also brought me a huge class of apple juice
and it was the best thing I had ever put into my body. Clearly I was dehydrated
from not getting any fluids for 18 hours, but it was worth it! Gavyn latched on
wonderfully. I think this is what having a natural birth is all about. That
critical first hour. I was alert and energetic, and Gavyn was alert and
focused. We were ready to face any and all challenges life brought on together!
I was also glad that my body was able to do what it needed to and nature took
over.
I was so happy with my first birth experience. My midwife
respected my wishes and I ended up with a happy, healthy baby. I wouldn’t
change a thing, except maybe making labor a little shorter!
Now on to Allisyn’s story! I went into labor at 1 am on
December 6th. I was due on the 15th, but I had known
through my whole pregnancy that I would go at least a little early. I’m not
complaining, I was ready! For weeks I
had false labor, or prodromal labor, as it is called. I would wake up in the
middle of the night with contractions spaced evenly apart for about 4 hours.
Basically, it was labor that didn’t progress into having a baby. So that
morning, I thought I was just getting another bout of false labor. The day
before I did clean the house like mad – scrubbed the floors (even under the
oven!), the whole shebang. Gavyn even helped.
I didn’t think anything of it though, because I had my nesting with Gavyn
weeks before he was born. That night I was also a little sick, but I didn’t
think much of that either.
Then at 4am I started to think otherwise. The contractions
were anywhere from 6-12 minutes apart, but they were getting pretty intense –
more intense than any false labor I had. So I called my Mom at about 4:30 and
told her to head on down. I took a shower and called the hospital to give them
the heads up. I got John up because I wanted him to grind into my back during
contractions, just like he did with Gavyn. Gavyn woke up around 6:00 and he
helped Daddy rub my back for about an hour. At 7:00, I didn’t want to wait for
my Mom to get here to head to the hospital, so John called his friend and
co-worker to come stay with Gavyn until she got here. He got here around 7:30
and we were out the door. Then the almost hour ride into town with contractions
every 6 minutes… what a ride. I am pretty glad I didn’t wait for my Mom to show
up though!
After going up to labor and delivery and being checked in,
they monitored Alli for about 15 minutes. I HATE being in bed while in labor.
It is so constricting. John went to park the car during this time. This is also
when they informed me that they were going to “put in my IV”. I immediately said
I refuse, and that was that. That is what I mean about women being informed
about birth – a lot of times it is standard for them to do things that aren’t
actually necessary. You can refuse it
though! After John got back they moved me down to the 4th floor,
which is a new part of the hospital for low-risk births. They are a lot more hands –off on that floor,
which I really liked, especially after having her. The nurse who was with me
upstairs came down with me and was there for the rest of the day, and I am so
grateful for that because she was amazing.
Anyway, I got to my room, moaning and yelling the whole way,
and after a few minutes of being there my midwifes (two came in because they
were working together) and we decided to break my water. When we got to the
hospital I was 6 cm, and just going down to that room brought me to 8 cm. Considering
I delivered Gavyn at 9 cm, we were all ready for action. After my water broke,
I only had one contraction before hopping up on the bed and pushing twice
before my little girl was born! I was on my hands and knees – a better position
for birth than on ones back, so they slid Alli under me so I could see her.
Plus I was in too much pain to move right away. Pushing Alli out did NOT feel
good, even though I didn’t tear or anything! But it was only 30 seconds, and
everybody was pretty impressed! I finally found the strength to roll onto my
back (you try this after your butt has exploded) and they put Alli on top of me
to clean her off. Once her cord stopped pulsing, John cut it and we got
straight to nursing! What I liked about being on the 4th floor and
with this experience was that I called the shots after she was born. With
Gavyn, I kind of did what they told me to do, but they were so much more
relaxed on the 4th floor. They didn’t want to take her and clean her
or do anything right away. They knew I needed that time with my baby. Within 10
minutes the room was calm, Alli was nursing like a pro, and we were reflecting
on how fast everything just happened! We
arrived at the hospital at 9:00 and had her at 9:55. As I mentioned before, I’m
glad we didn’t wait any longer to leave the house! The rest of the day and
evening we spent holding, watching, and admiring our new daughter. I was up, showered, and in my own clothes in a couple hours. Gavyn came
that night with Nana and met his little sister. It was love at first sight!
There is really no way to plan for your labor and delivery. There is no telling what is going to happen, how you are going to feel, or how much strength you are going to realize you have. Being pregnant and giving birth is the ultimate test of strength and endurance. While marathon runners are admirable, clearly it comes nowhere near what is needed to birth a child. Both of my experiences were wonderful. No, it didn’t tickle, but nobody ever told me it was going to be painless. It was, however, the best pain I’ve ever experienced J.
