Jenny's Stories- 9 lbs., 1 oz & 9 lbs., 6 oz.- Hospital & Home
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 5:25AM Peter – 9 lb. 1 oz., 21 ¾ inches, 36 cm
Charlotte – 9 lb. 6 oz, 21 inches, 36 cm
Location
Peter – hospital
Charlotte – home
Mother's Height: 5’ 6” with both J
How was your pregnancy?
I am a very fortunate mama in that I had great pregnancies with both children. They were very similar pregnancies (no morning sickness, gained right around 50 lbs. and had elevated blood pressure), except I had about a week of heart burn and sciatica with my daughter.
How did you feel about your upcoming birth?
I was so excited to have my babies. I never got to the “get this out of me” stage J We had planned to have our first child at home, but that didn’t work out as my midwife was out of town, celebrating the birth of her first grandchild. It was such a great feeling with our second child to know that we would be able to have the home birth we desired.
Description of your birth experience:
This is where the experiences differ, so from now on I’ll have Peter (hospital) and Charlotte (home) sections…
Peter – I went into labor at 5:30am at our family’s lake cabin on July 4, 2005. My parents drove me home and I called my husband, who was at work that day. Labor was early first stage and we hung around the house, went for walks, etc. Around 3:30pm labor had picked up and my walk around the block featured a stop on each of the four sides for me to sit down during my contractions (I had some pretty intense back labor and crumbling to the ground with my husband behind me was the most comfortable way to manage my labor). We decided that it was time to get ready for our departure to the hospital. We left our home around 5:30pm and I was checked into my room around 6:00pm. The hospital required a 20 minute strip, but since my baby boy was trying to maneuver himself into a better birthing position and was squirming around, the nurses were unable to obtain a straight 20 minutes of monitoring. That meant that I had to keep the external monitor and blood pressure cuff (my readings were in the 150s over 100s) throughout my labor. The only thing more uncomfortable than wearing that get up was getting caught laying on my back for a contraction. I was checked and found to be 6cm dilated. I met the doctor shortly after my arrival, and let’s just say we’re not destined to be friends. She had a very different take on my labor (she felt I wasn’t progressing) and preferred to get right up in my face to tell me things (soon my husband and sister-in-law/doula served as bouncers, flanking my sides, to keep her at bay). The doctor asked me 3-4 times if she could break my water. My guess is she wanted to get home for the fireworks. I resisted until the third time she asked, and then was more interested in getting her to leave me alone than anything else. The doctor left for a while and my God-send of a nurse allowed me out of the bed and onto a birthing ball. I sat there for a while, but then was more comfortable on my hands and knees in bed, where my husband could drill the direct force of two tennis balls in a tube sock into my lower back as I relaxed (the pinnacle of my Bradley training). After a while my emotions radically shifted and I wanted to quit labor and go home. Ah transition. As I was coming out of transition, I sat back on my haunches with my head thrown back. That’s when my baby rotated, the back pain was alleviated and I opened to 10cm. A quick, obligatory check and the doctor confirmed what I already knew. It was time for Peter to enter this world. I was hooked back up to the monitor and breathed through the first couple of contractions, saying that I didn’t feel the urge to push. The doctor looked over to the monitor to confirm contractions and found that it wasn’t registering anything. She then told me that my contractions had stopped. I told her that I begged to differ. She said that I would have to work through the contractions on my own now, as if I had planned to do anything but that. On the third round of “pushing contractions”, I finally decided to bear down so the doctor would leave me alone. By that time, I figured it would be such a relief to have the baby and get her out of the room. The only time I About 30 minutes later, my dear son came barreling into this world. His head came out fully, and the doctor held him for a moment to unwrap the cord from his neck, then his shoulder came bursting through, followed by his body. Our little man was born at 12:01am on July 5, 2005. I guess he wanted his own holiday.
Charlotte – I had a short bout with false labor the evening of Monday, May 12. After a night and day of timing contractions that were going nowhere, I went to bed fairly crabby on Tuesday, May 13. The next morning I slowly woke up, mentally monitoring contractions that were 5 minutes apart and finally felt real. At 5:55am, I hopped (okay, lumbered) into the tub to see if the contractions would progress through a bath. They did. I called my grandma around 7:00 to see if she could come and get Peter (now almost 3 years old) and watch him as we labored at home. We originally planned to have Peter at home with us, but it became evident while we assembled the birth pool a few weeks before that he may be a bit too hands on during the labor and delivery J Around 8:00 my husband and I started out on a walk around the block. I called my midwife and sister-in-law/doula to let them know that labor had started and that they should hop in the car. My contractions were getting stronger and about 2 minutes apart at that time. The midwife arrived at 8:25am and went in the house to assemble her gear. My husband went in to assist her after I told him I wouldn’t go farther than the sidewalk next to our home. I paced the sidewalk for about 30 minutes, with a contraction hitting as I came to each intersection (my husband-induced barriers). Around 10:00am, the midwife asked me to come inside and I then meandered like a rabid moose in a figure 8 pattern around my living room, dining room and kitchen. I was so relieved that these contractions were currently a bear hug around my hips and stomach instead of located in my lower back. I continued walking, stopping to relax through contractions when my body indicated it was time. The birthing pool was filled and ready around 11:15am. I hopped (lumbered) into the pool with my husband’s guidance. Oh sweet relief. The pool helped to slow down the contractions just a bit so I could maintain energy for the big show. At this time, I reached down and felt my bag of waters, and was able to experience it as it bulged and bulged. I didn’t have that experience in the hospital with my son. It was amazing. Around 12:15pm I got out of the tub to walk around a bit more. My midwife checked me at that time – 10cm with a bulging, bulging, bulging bag of waters. Instead of rupturing the bag, she suggested that I spend some time standing with one leg perched on my piano bench, seeing if I could get the bag to rupture. It finally ruptured when it was ready to do so. After the bag ruptured, my midwife asked if I wanted to get back in the tub for the birth. I slid into the water, and then she asked me to take one last trip to the bathroom. I had about three rounds of contractions while sitting on the toilet, relaxing and breathing deeply in through my nose and out my mouth. Then an amazing thing happened – the baby’s head crowned! I shouted out that the baby had crowned and my midwife told me to get in the tub. I have no idea how I moved so quickly with a crowning baby’s head between my legs. I eased into the tub and continued my breathing. Another couple of contractions came and I slowly guided my baby’s head out with the assistance of my midwife. While her head was out, I continued with my deep breathing and her body came out to the chest. My midwife told me that a small push would get her the rest of the way out, and she was right. My darling Charlotte was born at 1:11pm on Wednesday, May 14, 2008.
How did you feel after the birth (first month)?
Peter – I really feel like I wasn’t meant to push this baby out, and that he was supposed to come out like his sister – no pushing. The reason I say that is that I had 2nd degree tearing with Peter and not a hint of a tear with Charlotte. My recovery with Peter was painful. The thought of having a bowel movement was terrifying! I tried to do things around the house, which resulted in passing huge blood clots. I got through my recovery by concocting a “piece of heaven”, which consisted of a pad soaked in witch hazel and placed in the freezer. Once frozen, I laid 5 or 6 Tucks sheets on the pad. I then gave it a spray of Dermoplast for good measure. I quit bleeding right before my 6 week appointment and the thought of intimacy was not on my mind for a long time.
Charlotte – like mentioned above, no tearing. What a dream. I was up, sitting cross-legged within 30 minutes of delivery. I went to the bathroom like a champ, with no pain at all. I had mild bleeding, but it was minimized by staying in bed. I didn’t have to use my “piece of heaven”, quit bleeding by the 3rd week, and was intimate MUCH sooner than I would have ever thought possible with Peter.
How did you feel six months after the birth? One year? Now?
I felt wonderful with both children during this time. I really enjoyed nursing my children and my only regret was having to go back to work after 6 short weeks of maternity leave. I cried a lot when I went back, so much so with Charlotte that I ended up working from home for another 3 weeks. I’m fortunate to have a supportive work environment and family. I nursed Peter until he was 21 months old, and am still nursing – and plan to for a long time! – Charlotte, who will be 9 months old next week.
What did you learn from this birth?
Even though they were very different birthing experiences, I was so proud to know that I could do it drug free. I birthed two 9 pound children without a single pain relief method. My Bradley training taught me to relax through my contractions, and it worked! Every time I was tense during a contraction, my body would stiffen and the pain would be more intense than I could even describe. Then I would remember to relax, and the pain would melt away.
Any words of wisdom to impart?
Birth is an amazing, beautiful, and natural process and women were designed to have babies. When a woman knows what is happening with her body during labor and delivery, she gains control and is able to birth her child with the assistance of others. A high level of trust and respect are essential to a healthy, happy birth, and if a woman does not feel that with her care provider, she owes it to herself and her baby to seek a care provider who can offer her what she deserves.
Reader Comments (2)
I had a 9'11, 21 inch boy, at home. No gestational diabetes...course I didn't take the test:). Birth took 24 hours start to finish. Thank the Lord I chose ooh (out of hospital) birth, cause I would have had to have c/s both times. 1st time 48 hours, both w/ PROM. You have about 12 hours to have a baby at my hospital I work at as a Postpartum RN, before C/S is given. And the labor pattern must be a certain way, or its non-reassuring of course, and snip there you go. VBAC rate is still 1-3% in our region. Thanks for the kuddos. I hope moms take their birth into their own hands...meaning be pro-active instead of reactive, wishing they weren't a stat after the fact. So glad there are sites on the web like this, giving evidenced based info.
Congratulations, Jeri!
It says a lot that so many nurses plan ooh births. 12 hours just isn't enough time for every woman. I'd like to think it's because they actually think they're helping rather than just trying to expedite the process and open up another bed.
Come back again!