This is the story of our son's birth. Thanks for taking the time to read through it and treasure it as much as we do! :)
The day before my due date, Justin and I thought it might be
a good idea to spend time with good friends. I needed something to take my mind
off the fact that although the calendar was “ready” for this baby to come, my body
might not be. And who knew when our son would actually make his appearance. As
we sat with friends talking and laughing, I noticed I started to get
contractions. Nothing too painful, but definitely coming in pattern. We went
home appreciating what a great evening it had been, but brushed off any kind of
high hopes that labor might be starting.
At 1:00 am on April 8, 2013th (my due date), my body awoke
with a wave in my back and lower abdomen. Again, I brushed it off, tried to
breathe through it and fell back asleep. If this was indeed labor, my body
would continue and I would definitely have to wake up with each one. Well…I
did. Each one lasted about 30 seconds, and came seven to eight minutes apart.
By morning, they were steadily arriving at seven minutes apart and 40 seconds
long. Justin and I agreed it would be a good idea if he stayed home from work,
and we geared up mentally for a long labor. I called our midwife, Christie, and
let her know things were starting. Her great advice suggested we do something
fun. This was the time to distract ourselves in spite of what was ahead. I finished cleaning up the house, made sure all
of our birth supplies sat in proper order, and made our son’s Funfetti birthday
cake for visitors to enjoy in the first few days.
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Every five minutes, I was interrupted by contractions, still
surging in my back and abdomen. Leaning over the kitchen countertop and back-and-forth
pacing helped relieve the pain some. But I could tell they were getting
steadily more intense.
Justin and I went to
Target around 1:00 pm to browse and buy some snacks for the long night ahead. I
loved walking around the store, enjoying the excitement I felt. Every five
minutes, I made my way into an aisle to breathe and rock my hips. I remember
telling Justin, “People must think I look crazy.” But we were doing our job
keeping busy, for sure!
Once we got home, we tried to take a nap. I couldn’t be
still for more than 15 minutes, and realized it was too intense to lie down. I
suggested Justin keep sleeping to be rested for later, and I went downstairs to
continue breathing through each contraction. When he woke up at 4:00 pm, I
needed him to stay with me. He offered the best support by
pushing on my lower back during each contraction. Also, he told me how great I
was doing. Much needed encouragement!
At 5:00 pm, I started thinking about how much I wanted
Christie to be here. We called her and she offered to come over to start
setting up for the birth. I knew things were progressing, because I felt such
incredible relief to see her walk through our front door. After nine months of
her invaluable support, she was here, and it was almost time to meet our baby.
She sat with me through a few contractions, and helped me to
remember to relax. I vocalized loudly through each one, as they were getting to
be the most difficult I had felt so far. I knew I wanted to get in the labor
pool soon. But she asked to check my progress before doing so, in order to know
how much further we had to labor. She looked up at me surprised, and told me
how I was already 9.5 cm. She said, “we might
have time to get the pool ready.” I was so thrilled, in spite of the intensity
each contraction brought! Who knew
things would happen so quickly for me as a first time mom!
It was about 6:00 pm at this point, and she rushed to call
her assistant, Carmen, and organize necessary supplies. Justin and I continued
to work together to get me as comfortable as possible. I asked God for strength
under my breath. He was with me.
They got the birthing pool ready, but the water was too hot…not
a usual problem at home births. Things were progressing at a rapid pace. I
started having the uncontrollable urge to push, so they helped me quickly into
the tub. The water provided great relief. I started getting sleepy in between
each contraction.
Pushing was the most
difficult part for me. I remember feeling quite out of control. It was painful,
but Justin, Christie and Carmen encouraged me to push past it because it needed
to happen for this sweet baby to come. Christie had me reach down and touch his
head. He had so much hair! (I had secretly wished the whole pregnancy that he would have
lots of hair, as Justin and I had nearly none as newborns.) This was the perfect motivation I needed to give one last good push.
After only 26 minutes
of pushing, and 16 ½ hours of total labor, I felt my son’s body slide out into
the water behind me at 7:49pm. The best feeling I have EVER experienced. I
turned around, Christie put him on my chest, and I looked at Justin in complete
disbelief. All I could say through my tears was “oh my gosh, oh my gosh…” He
was here, he was real, and I had a face to put to his name…Jacob Adam. He was
more perfect than I could ever imagine.
He gave a faint cry. Christie and Carmen went into action to
make sure he became more responsive. He had come so quickly, that he needed a
bit of help to get going. I was amazed when Christie gave him a few breaths mouth-to-mouth.
How thankful I felt that she would do that without hesitation. Justin and I
stayed calm because we knew we were all in good hands. I prayed. I talked to
Jacob and told him I loved him. He finally got more color in his body, and we
knew everything was fine.
They helped me to the bed and got us cleaned up. I could
care less about what they were doing around or to me. I couldn't stop looking
at my sweet boy. They checked him, Justin weighed him, and I got to cut the cord. It was all so fun to witness and watch.
 |
| Christie and Justin weighing Jacob |
Justin laid down next
to me and we stared at our baby together. What a surreal feeling to be relaxing
comfortably in my own bed, together with my husband and son in OUR home. I don't feel like I did anything heroic. I really believe that anyone who wanted to choose home or natural birth could do it. The outcome is well worth the effort!
 |
| 6 lbs 10 oz, 20 inches long. Pure sweetness! |
When Christie and Carmen packed up and said goodbye to us in the living room, I didn’t know what to say at the end of such an event. I am so glad they were part of our story. “Thank you” still doesn’t feel adequate enough. Justin and I thank God for such a peaceful and safe experience. We knew we were blessed, but Jacob is no doubt the greatest blessing to us so far.
