Tami's Story- 10 lbs.- Birth Center

10 lbs.

21 inches

Birth Center

After trying for 2 1/2 years for another baby, we were finally awaiting the birth of baby #2! We were so excited, it seemed like this amazing dream! Now, we were 5 days overdue, and wondering WHEN our baby would come!! Far different from being induced at the hospital like it was with our son.

I began to BEG my midwives, Desiree, Kristie and Heather for something to encourage baby to come. They told us, "lots of sex, some nice long walks, and drink plenty of water!!" We obeyed.....and waited....

We also used Evening Primrose Oil capsules, both vaginally and orally, to help encourage baby. And I drank lots and lots of water to keep my hydration up. After having some false labor at 36 weeks because of neglecting my water intake, I was now doing what I was supposed to, and keeping hydrated!

After I got to be 3 days post due, I was able to start a homeopathic regimen on the 6th of April.... And then, on the morning of the 8th, I had my membranes separated. Well, by 3pm on the 8th, I was having some contractions, but not enough, or of the strength enough, to make me think we were going to have any success. I thought it too was a bust, and we were 5 days overdue!

At 10pm on the 8th, I went to bed, exhausted. At 12:35am, my husband Ryan came in from his perch on the sofa, and set the alarm, preparing to go to work the next morning. He woke me briefly to see how I was. At 12:50am, well, our lives started to change, and change FAST!

I had a contraction that sent me IMMEDIATELY into a hands and knees position in bed, moaning LOUDLY. I stayed in bed for 2 more, and then I KNEW I had to go get Ryan. He had JUST fallen asleep at 12:40am on the sofa. It was 12:59 now.

I went out to the living room, and turned on every light. The TV was already on. I woke Ryan up, "Honey! Get UP! This is it babe!" Ryan didn't stir right off, as he was wiped out, but after listening to me go through 2 more, his eyes were WIDE open. I was moaning very loudly, in a very tribal, instinctive way. It's a sound I have seen on homebirth and waterbirth tapes, but never knew my own body could make. It sounds very much like an Indian Chief, doing a chant around a fire, very low and guttural, with a definite rhythm. I later called it my birth song, as that is JUST what it sounded like. It was VERY centering to sing in that way. VERY calming. It enabled me to keep my focus. My midwives had told me all along to follow what my body told me to do, to go with it, not fight it....let my body do and feel what it needed.

Ryan called my midwife, Desiree'. He told her what was up, and then I had a contraction, and she heard me over the phone. She told Ryan, "you need to check her honey, and make sure you have TIME to get here." (We lived 15 minutes away.) She had taught him on an earlier visit how to check my cervix for dilation. Ryan laid me down in the middle of the living room floor between contractions, which were a mere 90 seconds apart, and checked me. He called her back. "I think, and I'm no professional, and I'm a little freaked out, but I think she is 5cm." Can I just say, he was RIGHT ON. A point that makes him VERY proud.

We scooped up our sleeping 5 year old son Thomas, Ryan took a key next door to the neighbor to uncrate our dog come morning, and we flew out of the house! We found out later the key was a moot point, as we had left the house WIDE OPEN! Front door standing open! TV on, lights on!

I could not sit on the way, as she was descending too fast, so I 1/2 stood, 1/2 kneeled, holding onto the back of the front seats in my van, for the 15 min trip. Thank God Ryan had removed the middle bench of our van, so there was lots of room for me, even with Thomas in there. It was 1:30am when we left our house. This was the one time I threw up, in the van, on the way. Thank God our van had not been cleaned out in a few days, and a coffee mug was handy! Little did I know I was VERY close to transition!!

We got to the birth center at 1:45am. It took me 2 contractions to get upstairs. I walked in, and went straight to my birth room. We ended up in the Lavender Room, as another birth had JUST occurred in the room we had previously chosen. This turned out to be a blessing from God, as Thomas was sacked out, and having a separate tub room (Our original room had the tub in the same space with the bed) was great, he could sleep. I got naked immediately, and laid down to be checked by Kristie. 6cm! Ryan was RIGHT ON.

Desiree and Kristie finished filling the tub, and I got in immediately. It was 1:55am. It was an instant relief to be in there,
able to move around freely. The birth song continued. It was getting LOUDER. They checked me in the water 10 minutes after I got in. I was at 8cm. Her head was descending FAST. I could NOT get comfortable. I had the urge to push, and said so, within minutes of being checked. My midwives, Desiree and Kristie, were quietly surrounding us, supporting us. Ryan could not get in the tub with me, as I needed every inch to move with my contractions, so he sat on the side of the tub, and
kneeled, reaching in, touching me always. He was a constant. My midwives wiped me with cool cloths, encouraged me to keep my sounds low and even, and supported Ryan as well. Ryan was right with me, rubbing my back, putting warm water on my back, talking to me...having him right there, so involved, was amazing and SO wonderful! He wanted
to get in the tub, but I couldn't let him.

I began to push when my body told me to, and felt her head come down fast. I was AMAZED at how fast this happened. This took 2 HOURS on my back in a bed for Thomas' hospital birth. What a blessed difference! What a powerful amazing feeling!!

It was just minutes, and my bag bulged WAY out into the water. Then,with a HUGE pop, it burst beautifully into the water. Ryan and I were in absolute awe. I panicked for a moment, as there was a very light meconium staining, but Desiree' said it was TOTALLY fine, very very light, and NOT concerning. I continued to push deeply with each contraction, singing and grunting low the whole time. One of the midwives reminded Ryan that we needed to wake Thomas, and one of them did that. He was in the room briefly, then went to the bedroom. (As soon as Grace was out, he came back in and crawled up on the tub.)

I felt her head coming out. I reached down, and held on, to ease her out, and to support my own perineum. Funny, I did it instinctively. No one told me to do this, I was told later. I just reached down and did it. Ryan reached in the water several times, and rubbed his daughters 1/2 born head, lovingly rubbing her soft hair as she birthed. As soon as he moved his hand, I went back to supporting her head, and my perineum. A few more pushes, and her head was born, one more after
that, and our beautiful daughter slid quietly into the world. Time? 2:47am. 2 hours since my FIRST contraction. FAST, and powerful. Amazing and wonderful!! Ryan softly shouted with joy, "Whoo hoo!! Whoo hoo!!"

I immediately started to talk to Thomas. "What is it Thomas?? I don't know!! No one has told Mama! What did we have?? Tell me buddy!!" He came up, opened her legs and whispered, "It a girl! She's a girl!" The room just erupted quietly with joy. We had so hoped for a girl. Now we had one of each....perfect!

She was not very responsive when she very first came out. She needed some encouragement, some rubbing, and some leg movements. Then she came around and wailed for a minute. After that, she was very quiet, looking around, and taking it all in. She was COVERED in thick vernix, and it was all over me, all over my breasts, so I couldn't immediately
put her to breast. She laid on my chest for the 25 minutes until her placenta delivered, staying connected to me the entire time. Ryan didn't cut her free of her placenta until it was fully delivered.

It was SUCH a blessing to not have her cord immediately cut, and her immediately removed from us, to be harshly toweled off by a stranger. It was such a gift to be able to hold her in love, and gently rub her vernix in with our own hands. To keep her skin to skin the entire time. Ryan had gotten in the tub the moment she was born, and Thomas got up on the side, so we were all together, the 4 of us!

She nursed very soon after, and did GREAT. She is a GREAT nurser. Ryan and Thomas went into the bed room to weigh her in the sling scale. She was weighed by Daddy 3 times. 10 POUNDS! BIG GIRL! Thomas came into the tub room, where my midwife Kristie was gently showering me off, and told mama how big sissy was. I was AMAZED! My mouth literally dropped open! I was SURE she was smaller than Thomas' weight of 9.1....but she proved Mama wrong!

We are just so very very blessed, and so happy.

Waterbirth IS THE BEST!!!

Welcome to the World, Sylvia Grace!
(We call her Gracie)
Born weighing 10 Pounds, 0 Ounces and 21 inches long
Delivered into the hands of her Daddy on April 9th, 2002, at 2:47am