You may know that I was still pregnant well beyond the due date of September 18th. Every day was increasingly frustrating for me - not because I was tired of being pregnant- but because I was worried I would have to go to the hospital. I had been hoping for and preparing for a natural birth at Blossom Birth Center. I'd been working hard doing Bradley Classes and writing letters to my insurance company to try to get the birth covered, but if I made it to 42 weeks pregnant, all that would be for nothing. At 42 weeks, I would be required to be induced by medical means. Pitocin is the drug normally used to start labor in these cases and the side effects include stronger, more painful contractions, unhealthy fluctuations in the baby's heart rate, and an increased chance of other interventions being necessary. For these reasons, I would be required to go to the hospital for this kind of induction.
When I went into the birth center at 41 weeks and 6 days (Tuesday morning), I was very disappointed and expecting nothing more than a vaginal exam and a run-down on the procedures at the hospital. When I came in, we did the vaginal exam and I was dilated only a fingertip with a posterior cervix. Mary, the midwife, asked how I was feeling and I told her how much I didn't want to go to the hospital. She did talk me through the hospital procedures but said she hoped that wouldn't be the way things would go. She proceeded to give us a regimen of natural means to start labor. We were to go home, zonk me out with tylanol pm so we could start rested, and wake up to have sex, drink labor inducting tea, do constant nipple stimulation, put warm compresses on my breasts, do 4 liters of labor-inducing enema concoction, and do a series of positions known as the Miles Circuit to make sure the baby wasn't facing posterior. Mary gave us a pep talk that left us psyched to start labor and sure that this was going to work. And if it didn't work that night, we would continue at the birth center as long as possible. We did everything she said starting at about 5pm that afternoon, until about 4 am the next day when another nap became necessary. Robert was very supportive- getting me warm compresses constantly and not being too squeemish about the enemas. I was having regular but mild contractions all night that went away whenever I was in a resting position. We celebrated Robert's birthday in the wee hours of the morning.
We went into blossom at 10:00 on Wednesday morning and I was found to be 3 centimeters dilated. We continued the enemas, teas, and nipple stim, and we added blue cohosh and a homeopathic labor enhancer. The regular but mild contractions lasted all day, but seemed to disappear whenever Mary came to check on me. By late afternoon I was only 4 centimeters dilated Mary asked if I wanted to go to the hospital at that point, but I said no. I thought that it would be non-negotiable that I go in for medical induction, but they let me labor on. I felt like contractions were getting a little stronger but I could still talk through them if necessary.
Robert went to get dinner at Chipotle around 9pm while Summer, the doula, stayed with me. The contractions started intensifying while Robert was gone. When he came back with the food, one contraction made me collapse on the bed. By 10, I couldn't eat the dinner Robert brought me or talk through contractions. They quickly became intense to the point that I had to moan and move through the contractions. I liked being on the bed on my knees with my front half on the birth ball rocking while Robert held my hands. It must have looked like a strange game of tug-of-war. I also liked standing up and swaying while holding on to Robert, but I despised laying down through contractions. Laying down, I felt like a snake stabbed into the ground by a pitchfork, writhing in pain!
After a while (11 pm? midnight?), I threw up my dinner between a contraction and continued throwing up between every 3 contractions or so. I asked to get in the tub and labored in there for a few contractions, but couldn't get comfortable. On my hands and knees, the water was too high for me to relax into. Floating on my back was nice between contractions but horrible during them. Mary came in and and annoyed me with how well-rested she was and how happy she sounded that I was obviously in labor now. Robert was laying cold cloths on my back because I was too hot in the tub, but when I got out I was too cold AND too hot and I started shaking. I got no breaks and was worried I wouldn't be able to hold out since I hadn't slept in close to 24 hours and was throwing up every liquid that I swallowed.
Robert: I remember this as the most difficult part, for Laura physically and emotionally, and for me emotionally. I was a bit lost in what I could do to help ease her pain. Presence is at least something I can do well. Laura had wanted so much to labor in the tub, but it was uncomfortable for her, and she was in the midst of a period of labor called "transition." Transition is marked by contractions that are usually very strong, coming every two and a half to three minutes or so and lasting a minute or more. It involves a lot of shaking and shivering. There is a often a feeling on the part of the woman of wanting to give up or back out. As soon as Laura told me she was simultaneously hot and cold I recognized that she was a textbook case in what transition often looks like. At this point, my sense of helplessness seemed to evaporate. I knew where we were in the process. I took a more active coaching role here, and when we moved Laura from the tub to the toilet, I took the time to affirm her to tell her how proud I was of everything she had done. After five minutes of affirmation from me, Laura looked at me and said "let's do this." We moved back to the bed. Mary came in to check on us shortly.
Mary checked me and said my cervix had disappeared and I could push if I wanted, but I shook my head. I had been feeling some pressure in my butt, but not enough to waste any energy pushing. Two contractions later I felt like I was involuntarily trying to squat while I was standing and holding on to Robert and I took that as a sign that I was ready to try to push through the next contraction. Robert sat behind me while I was on the birth stool.
Robert: We were in this position until Colin's birth. I was Laura's backrest. Laura was in.the.zone. When the time came to push, I lifted her elbows and helped her maintain a good birthing posture through the contraction. We were in this position for about thirty minutes, and about ten minutes in I started feeling uncomfortable since I had nothing behind me for support. As one contraction was ending, I started to shift myself a bit. Laura broke her concentration to ask if I was okay. Mary immediately looked up at me, winked, and said "he's fine." Message received. "Yeah, I'm fine, and you're doing great."
I think I pushed through maybe 5 contractions. Mary and Summer were extremely helpful in direction my pushing and helping me to know what was working. It felt so good to push after all the contractions that I had been helpless through. I finally had control over the pain. They had me touch his head after I'd pushed it out, which I hadn't even realized had happened. His hand had come through with his head, on the side of his face. One more push and I felt his slippery, boney self wriggle out of me. They put him on my belly and peeled the amniotic sac off. He was so big and slippery and pink and cried almost right away. Colin James was born in the caul (amniotic sac) at 4:09 am October 3rd at 42 weeks and a day, 9 pounds 7 oz, 21.5 inches long. Completely healthy.
