THE BIRTH

Apparently all of you have been waiting and waiting for this (I didn't realize that so many of you read this, so thanks!) But after a few call outs on "where's the story!?!? I made a promise to have it done today! So here is in FULL! (Pictures will come, there is a small malfunction with the camera)

This is whole story.. it does have some detail so be prepared. If you don't know the outcome of this special birth, READ! It is exciting! If you do know the outcome, read to find out how it all went down!Sorry, it is kind of long!

Spencer was due to be born on October 28^th 2010. During my whole pregnancy I planned on having the baby naturally! I wanted the baby to come on it's own and to not have an epidural. (I had one with Timothy and didn't have the best experience). So I started checking out books from the library to prepare myself and learn how to labor relaxed and naturally. I loved some of what I read and other books just weren't for me. So I was feeling pretty good about things. It was fun to read many different birth stories. I read about hospital births, home births, birth center births... with midwives or doctors. I felt good about the plan we had!

So the PLAN was: Labor at home for a while (couple hours?) so I could be relaxed, then go to the hospital when I was close and have the baby quickly and without too much intervention. My Mother in Law would stay home with Timothy. Great plan!

What ACTUALLY happened: It was Sunday, October 31^st (Halloween). I was feeling pretty sorry for myself for being 3 days late and not having any contractions, as well as not being dilated at all. Everyone at church was commenting on how I wasn't supposed to be there because I was supposed to be having a baby! I just laughed it off because I had already planned on being late. I even had my visiting teachers come that afternoon! When they left my pre-labor started. I had been having Braxton-Hicks contractions for months and was used to them. That afternoon the sporadic Braxton-Hicks had a very mild accompanying cramp. Nothing to worry about, just something to give me hope that things were going to happen. Those lasted the rest of the evening. After putting Timothy to bed we debated about watching a movie to relax or to read. Robby said he wanted to read some more in the “Bradley Method” book (he was in the middle of reading about the pushing stage). At around 10:00pm we went to bed to get some rest, just in case we might have to be up for the most of the night. After tossing and turning for a while (because I couldn't get comfortable with the mild cramps) my real labor started. It was 11:00 when the real contractions started (the big major cramps). So, I laid there and tried to stay relaxed and breath through the contractions. At 11:40 I rolled over in bed and felt wet. I thought, oh did my water break? So I got up and went to the bathroom. Sure enough my water had broken. I went back to bed and woke up Robby so he could help me through my contractions. I worked hard at staying relaxed and Robby diligently timed my contractions (length and spacing). Sometime after that (time passing was a blur to me) I had to go to the bathroom... so Robby helped me up- “wait, one more contraction”- to the bathroom- “wait, one more contraction”. Let me tell you, having a contraction on the toilet is probably the most uncomfortable place! So after using the facilities and working through a few more contractions I was building up the effort to go back to the bed to lay down... that's when Timothy decided to wake up. Robby went to put him back to bed - I had to stay in the bathroom with the door closed or else Timothy would want me to put him to bed (something I was NOT in the position to do). Timothy walked through the whole apartment (except the bathroom!) looking for me and when he was satisfied that I was not around he let Robby sing and rock in back to sleep. Meanwhile, I was laying on the bathroom floor moaning and groaning through my contractions; trying to stay relaxed and wishing Timothy would go back to sleep quickly so Robby could come back and help me. I remember laying there in the middle of the hard, painful contractions thinking, “these contractions are getting really close together and are lasting a long time... there seems to not be very much of a break. I bet this is transition.”

Finally Robby came back and I told him that I thought it was time to go to the hospital because the contractions are really close together and really long. So Robby went to wake up his mom and tell her we were going and to start the van and get it warming up. He then helped me back to the bedroom to get my clothes on (with a pause or two on the way for contractions). Half way through putting clothes on I had to lay on the bed to work through a contraction. When that ended Robby said, “ok, are you ready to go to the van?” I was about to say yes when the most overwhelming sensation came over me and I stopped, looked at Robby and said, “NO, I have to push! Oh my Gosh, I have to Push!! We can't go, I have to push!” Robby calmly replied, “Are you sure?” I said, “YES! OHHH, I have to push!!” So he said “OK” and helped me sit up. He got some pillows for me to put behind me so I could sit up and he helped me breath through the pushing contractions. I'm sure I was screaming and yelling this whole time. At one point I put my hand down and felt the head, it was really cool. About halfway through my pushing (maybe three or four pushes) I told Robby to “go get your mom now! I need your mom!” So he got his mom and she came back with towels. Working through pushes was hard. At one point I said, “I feel like I am ripping in 5 places... is everything ok down there?” Robby and his mom assured me that I was fine and to just keep breathing. A few more pushes and his head was out (whoo relief) then with another contraction came his body! There was much joy and excitement, but also I felt an urgency to make sure he was ok. I told my mother-in-law to go get one of our blue suction bulb syringes (in my focus, I knew right where they were) she got them and we sucked out his nose and mouth. He was breathing and looking around! I had to ask to hold him! It was such a wonderful moment! He never really cried out, but I wasn't worried because in all that I read, it wasn't a huge deal if the cried or not, as long as they were breathing! He was so beautiful! I then helped him nurse (well, just latch... my milk comes in late). Then we talked about if we wanted to go to the hospital now or wait for the placenta. After discussing that is could be 10 min to 1 hour, we decided to wait. It came about 40 min after the birth. My mother-in-law tied off the cord with a shoe string. But it was nice and relaxing as we visited and admired our new baby boy! While we waited, Timothy woke up again and came in to see his new brother! He was interested but cautiously so. When all was done, we wrapped up Spencer, I got dressed, we put the placenta in a big bowl and headed to the hospital. I held Spencer in my arms (we only live up the street from the hospital). When we got to Labor and Delivery they were kind of flustered and didn't know what to do with us. But after all the routine things, we found Spencer to be 19 ½ inches tall and 7 lbs 9 oz. And I on;y had the slightest 1^st degree tear, not even enough for stitches! We stayed at the hospital for 2 day just to be sure everything was good with me and Spencer and there was no sign of infection.

So, yes... Spencer was born at home! It was a beautiful experience and something I am glad happened (I don't want to do it that way again, but yet happy to have had the experience).

Things I am grateful for in this:

• I had prepared with my reading, not just for natural birth, but the home birth stories prepared me too. My sister-in-law said to me after I told her the story that it sure sounded like the spirit prepared me for that experience and I totally agree. I am so blessed to have been prepared mentally and physically to do that.

• My Husband, Robby, was so supportive! I am grateful he decided to read about the pushing stage that night and not watch a movie! He was calm and collected and ready for anything.

• My mother-in-law was so great! Her motherly touch and womanly experience was irreplaceable! She is the most level headed woman and kept things calm in an intense moment.

• I am so grateful that Spencer was healthy and there were no problems or complication with the birth. He is a joy to us!