Everyone has been asking me to tell the “story”, so I here it goes.

Let me first say that I am so glad that we had Liam at home with a midwife.  I think it was the best experience.  Never mind the pain was OUT OF THIS WORLD INSANE 95% of the time and I did beg to go to the hospital a few times, but like my mom always says it got worse before it got better and this too did pass and we ended up with an amazingly beautiful little miracle.  It is something that I went through on my own terms and felt every step of the way, that no one can take away from me.  It made the whole bonding experience of having a child that much more incredible. I know it is not for everyone, but I highly recommend a home birth.

01/27/2010

(Plan for the day:  Work and get my membranes stripped…AGAIN.)

At about 6am while lying in bed I started feeling something.  It felt kinda like menstrual cramps but down low.  I don’t know why, but I was under the impression that contractions were felt throughout the whole uterus/stomach area and I didn’t think I was having contractions, so I tried to go back to bed.  I continued to feel these every so often and at about 7am I turned to Jonathan and told him that I was either having Braxton Hicks or I was having real contractions.  (Jonathan had planned to work from home to go to my appointment with me, so that’s why he is home and not at work).  I got up and took a shower, still feeling something ever now and then.  (8am)  When I got out of the shower I had my morning poop (you’re welcome for that) and when I stood up I started peeing, but I was sure I wasn’t peeing because this I had no control over. (I think my water broke!) A bit a panic set in.  I think it was just the thought of here we go!.

I tried walking out of the bathroom yelling for Jonathan, but every time I moved I dribbled more.  Finally I was able to get Jonathan and tell him that I thought my water had broke. I called the midwife and she said I probably was leaking and that it really didn’t break as there wasn’t any sort of gush of water.  She asked if I was having contractions and I told her I wasn’t sure, but that I would start keeping track of whatever I was feeling and she would see me at my appointment.

So I proceeded to clean the kitchen and both bathrooms all while keeping track of contractions. They were very irregular 2 min, 7 min, 4 min, 6 min, 10 min, 3 min….

We went to my appointment and she confirmed that yes, I was leaking, but it was probably a high leak and not a break.  She didn’t check me at all (so as not to introduce any bacteria) but didn’t feel that I was any different from Monday, high and tight at 1 cm (I’d been that way for 3 weeks), and my contractions were irregular.  She sent us home to do “nipple stimulation” to see if that would help get labor started and then she would stop by in the evening to see how things were going.

So off we went.  I was not looking forward to this as I have worked with my midwife before, been to many home births, and am all too familiar with this very IRRITATING method.  After an hour straight of this and semi regular contractions we decided to take a walk to see if they would become more regular.  NOPE.  Back to irregularness.  It was probably 5pm now and I was beginning to think that this was going to be a long labor and that Liam wouldn’t get here for another day or possibly 2.  I grudgingly told Jonathan that we should go back to the nipple stimulation for another hour.  So we did.  This time it started putting things in motion.

Around 8pm the contractions were coming every few minutes and were stronger.  We called the midwife.   She said that if I wanted someone to be there right now she would send one of her assistants, but that she wasn’t going to get to our house until 10pm.  Jonathan and I thought that we were doing fine, so we said we see her at 10.

On a side note…  My plan had been to do the Bradley method when laboring which mainly focuses on relaxing through contractions and during the break in between so that when the next one comes you continue with the relaxation and let your body do the work.  Well…..  I was doing good in the beginning, but it quickly went right out the window.  I remember at one point I was relaxing so good that I was able to fall asleep between the contraction and when the contraction came I was handling it pretty well.  Then I lost it.  I tried though.

To Be Continued….