Monday, December sixth (41w+3), my 29th birthday. I woke up at 1am from a strong contraction. I realized that I must've been having them for a while that night because I remembered them being in my dream, although I couldn't remember anything else about the dream. Funny how that works, isn't it? I stayed in bed for a while, timing the contractions. They were between 4 and 8 minutes apart.
After an hour I woke Joseph and told him that I was having contractions, but not to get too excited. I had been having a couple hours of prodromal labor every day for the past six days, so I didn't want to set myself up for disappointment. Zadok was posterior, and over the past week I had done all the spinning babies movements to turn a posterior baby, and I had also been seeing the chiropractor throughout the third trimester too to keep my pelvis in alignment. But he just wouldn't turn.
I felt that these contractions were different, though, since I had never been woken up by the strength of a contraction, and they usually came on in the evening, not the middle of the night/early morning.
We got out of bed around 2/2:30am, I showered, and ate. The contractions didn't slow down this time. After another hour, we called my mom to let her know what was going on and Joseph went to drop Huxley off at his mom's house (he slept through the whole trip). Shirley would be coming with us to the birth center, so we planned on letting her sleep until right before we left. I held off on calling the midwives because the contractions were not getting stronger or closer together. It didn't feel right. By 6am the contractions had slowed, but hadn't gone away. I cried, frustrated and disappointed. I had contractions for five hours straight... And I STILL wasn't going into labor. I just wanted to meet my baby boy! Joseph encouraged me to try to nap, just in case he did still come that day, I should try to rest. I didn't have a lot of hope that I'd actually go into labor, but I figured sleep would still help in any case.
I woke up at 8:30am. Still having sporadic contractions. Joseph and I decided to call the midwives to see what they suggested. After discussing with my primary midwife (who was out of town) and the on-call midwives, we decided to go in to the center to see how baby was doing, and to see how prepped my body seemed for labor. Just before 11am we met the midwives and my mom at the birth center. My contractions were the same. They checked me, I was dilated to about 5/6, but it was super stretchy and effaced. Baby was low (which I had felt for over a week), about zero station. They said if he just descended, my cervix would open right up. They also said it looked like by the way his head was turned, he seemed like he was trying to begin the corkscrew turn into the birth canal, but his body was still in the right occiput posterior position. I had a nagging feeling that something was inhibiting Zadok from turning and descending. That he might need a little nudge to get going. So we did a stretch and sweep (completely painless for me -- which was surprising) and I began taking a tincture of labor herbs. We were put in one of the birth rooms to see how things played out. The contractions got closer together, and more consistent. But they didn't feel very strong to me. I remember every time I would get a somewhat strong contraction, I would be giddy! "Maybe this is actually it!" I'd think to myself.
Over the next three hours the contractions gradually built in strength, I peed every five minutes cause he was so low. Joseph, mom, Shirley and I chatted, listened to music, and snacked. We just enjoyed ourselves. It was so relaxed. At 2pm the midwives asked if I wanted to be checked again, I agreed. He descended a little more, and my cervix was "practically gone," but I still felt like I was in early labor. We decided to have them break my water, since I had been contracting since 1am that morning, and my body seemed ready to go. I didn't feel extreme pressure or a lot of fluid when they broke my water. But the contractions came on a bit stronger.
I got in the tub and labored in there with what felt like active labor contractions for about an hour. At 3:15pm I began to feel that distinctive "tug" and the end of my exhales, my body was moving him down. I was determined not to rush this. I knew he was a big baby, and I didn't want to deliver him too quickly. So I took each contraction for what it was, and didn't add any of my own effort to it. The tugs built into powerful contractions, laboring him down. At this point I remember telling Joseph "maybe he actually WILL be born on my birthday!" Joseph laughed, and said "I think we're a little past the 'maybe' stage."
I was surprisingly lucid during this period. Consciously choosing to allow my body to do the work, concentrating on keeping my pelvis relaxed, and breathing deeply. I felt him move with each contraction, and it was exhilarating! I cried and laughed between these contractions out of excitement and relief. He was really coming today! At 3:45 the intense pushing contractions began, and I remember looking at the clock and thinking "I hope he's out by four!"
Only a few contractions passed and he was crowning. It took two contractions to deliver his head, since I was still not bearing down on my own, only using the natural strength of the contractions. Joseph was holding his head, and they told me his body should come out with the next contraction. I had hoped to be able to deliver him myself, so I was prepared to reach down and grab him. The next contraction came, but he didn't budge. Instead of peaking and fading away, the contraction continued to build, and build. I heard the midwife talking about his shoulder being stuck. I instinctively stood up, roaring and gasping for air, my body was still trying to eject him. It was so, so powerful. The midwife instructed me to step out of the tub and squat, I did. She then reached around his shoulder to rotate him and *SLIP* he was out. 4:00pm exactly.
The cord was tightly wrapped around his arm and torso. The midwives think it had been that way for some time, and it had prevented him from turning during all that prodromal labor. But none of that mattered now. He was here! Our big, 9lb 6oz of sweet baby boy. The perfect birthday gift. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
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