Birth Story Blogged - Thing5

Note: The pictures are all PG. The story is all PG.

We are all birth junkies in this family. All the kids love all things baby and birth. Some of it is our family culture and some of it has to be genetic. Not many not-quite-two year olds would be ecstatic over a new baby in the house. But Thing4 was definitely happy to have her. (Or possibly he realized that her long-awaited arrival made me far less grumpy...)

I have had natural, non-medicated births for all of my children. Thing1 was a hospital birth that was med-free and followed by a disastrous near-death experience. (tale for another time). Things2 through 5 were all planned homebirths, each with their own twist of interesting.

Thing4's birth was difficult for me. He was sunny-side up (or OP in birth terms) and my labor was longer (for me) and definitely harder. Pushing was a nightmare. But I got him out and he was OP because he was wrapped up in his cord and had no other way to be.

The anticipation of Thing5's birth was scary for me. Not because I am of "advanced maternal age" but simply because I didn't want to have such a long and painful time of it again. At the same time, I acknowledge that when you get pregnant you don't necessarily get to pick your labor, but this was a big hang up for me.

A few months before I was due, a friend had her baby in 29 minutes. Flat. And for most of that half hour, she wasn't even certain she was in labor. She told me that she felt like she missed out on the birth and spent the day looking at the baby and feeling like surely a stork dropped it off because she barely participated in her arrival. I didn't want that as my alternative to a repeat of Thing4's birth either.

I spent much of the pregnancy praying that I'd get to hang out with my girlfriends, enjoy labor (yes, I'm weird), but not have a difficult time of it like I did with Thing4. I had been to the chiropractor fairly regularly and I also knew that she was not OP. I also knew that being my 5th birth and the fact that I usually started labor at 5-6 cm, that it could go fast. I didn't want Thing4 around and while originally I had agreed to have Thing3 participate in the birth, I had changed my mind and really didn't want him there either. However I hadn't informed him of this little fact...

Births 2-4 all came at exactly 40wks and 2 days. Weird, I know. Even weirder was the fact that I was in denial about the idea that Thing5 would arrive on the same schedule. I kept hoping she'd come early. I even went into labor a few days shy of 38 weeks. Called in the troops, got into the tub, everything. But then (at about 3cm) things stopped.

Finally on Saturday evening when I was 40wks and 1 day, I started feeling funky. I had contractions that were all the same intensity (about a 5 on a scale of 1-10) but not the same duration and spacing... so no pattern to speak of. They were not stopping, but some were 20 min, some were 4 min and it was irritating. Knowing that I was "due" the next day by way of history, I opted to ask my in-laws to take the little boys to spend the night with them. Thing1 surprisingly chose to go along. Apparently this whole birth thing is old-hat for him. Thing3 didn't know it was baby time and loves nothing more than a sleepover at Grandma & Grandpa's so there was no drama with him heading out. Yay!

That left just Thing2 who was not going to miss the birth of her long-awaited sister for anything! We sent her to bed and headed to bed ourselves. But I was not sleeping much. The contractions were strong enough to wake me up each time. I walked the house in the dark. I played Fruit Ninja on Hot Husband's phone while eating a banana at 3am. Dozed on and off in my bed and on the couch. Finally around 4:45am they cranked up a notch. Maybe a 6-7 in intensity. And they were evening out in duration and coming about every 4-5 minutes. I got Hot Husband up at 5. Called my doula/sister friend 5 min later. Called my other midwife wannabe friend 5 minutes after that. They snuck into my house around 530, having broken all sorts of laws driving over.

Yep. Laughing while in labor.

Hot Husband warming up the pool after the hot water ran out. He looks like a butler!

 

I totally couldn't do it without his support.

 

The water felt sooooo good!

 

My labor was fantastic. Contractions stayed about 4 min apart for a long time. Our little clan chatted, ate some, joked, hung out and had a generally good time. The kind of time you see on TV when the person has an epidural, except I'd have to stop talking and hush the room for each contraction. By 8am my hips were hurting in such a way that I couldn't stand or sit on the ball during them. So I decided to get in the pool. I felt like it was "real" now (duh - at 40wks & 2days) and the pool would help me float and take the weight off my hips/pelvis. I wouldn't rate any of them past an 8 at this point. Then I thought we should call the midwife because I didn't want to have to call her out of church (since it was a Sunday). Someone called her and said she was on her way. She arrived around 9 and Thing2 woke up then too.

Things continued as they had been. Manageable contractions. Everyone made sure I had enough to drink. Eventually I didn't want to eat anymore, although I had snacked through the night and much of the morning.

According to my doula friend, it was 10:40 when I made my first "noise" for labor and had my first 10 out of 10 scale contraction. This is a mooing sound I make as my body gets ready to push. Sorta like pre-pushing. Moving the baby far enough down that pushing is productive. I only recall mooing 3 times, but it was obviously more than that since my contractions were only 2 min apart by then. I knew it was time to push and my midwife figured it out too (I wasn't talking, obviously). She checked me and said I was complete (which I knew) but more important here is the time. That was 11am. The next contraction I pushed for real (not just mooing/breathing her down). My water broke at 11:02. The next contraction I pushed again and delivered her head and body all at once at 11:04. Done.

Can you see Thing2's face in the top corner? There are no words for that emotion. Its priceless.

She's here. Finally!

There was joy and tears and awesomeness. I tried to focus on each little detail knowing that we don't plan to do this again. I know I have forgotten much already.

Big Sister tears of joy.

Me and my girls!

Sisters! Thing2 has been waiting for this moment nearly her entire life.

Hot Husband cut the cord for the first time ever. That was momentous. He said it was as gross as he thought it would be but he did it for me. We bonded for a bit with our two daughters while everyone left us alone for a little while. So special.

The boys all came back around 1230 or so and they were all enthralled with her - even Thing4. "Oh! Baby!" (Seriously - baby love like this has to be genetic) My support girls left followed by my midwife shortly after that.

Hot Husband said that I better not want to do this again since it was so perfect. I assured him that I'd like to go out on a good note and, as he so lovingly pointed out to me, I am getting old.

So our little Birdie, Thing5, completes our family. Let the chaos begin!