Eliza’s Birth
Like most of our children, Eliza arrived well after her “due date”. After 3 weeks of on and off contractions resembling early labor, I detected a slight change in intensity of the pains around 10:30 pm as I was falling asleep. I awoke an hour and a half later needing to use the bathroom, and noting the regularity and increasing intensity, decided it was time to call our birth team, who all lived over an hour away. I dialed one number, rang through to the machine, left a message and set the phone down to concentrate. Before I could focus enough to dial again, the midwife returned my call.
“I haven’t seen any show yet, but contractions are every 3-5 minutes. You can come if you want to.”
I’ve been through enough stop and go labor through each of my six pregnancies to never be quite sure it’s time. The other side of that coin is that when it IS time, I birth quickly, my last three labors lasting between 3-5 hours (the five hour labor only if you count from ruptured membranes, not from onset of contractions).
My husband and I proceeded through our birth ritual, lighting our prayer candle and asking the protection of God and the intercession of three particular Saints as we embarked on new parenthood once again. Then we went downstairs. I asked him to put on a movie to distract me, and paced during contractions. After the contraction, I’d sit on the sofa and try to watch the film. Thankfully it was one of those romantic comedies, whose story lines are so cliched that you can follow without paying too much attention. Moments later, I’d be up and pacing again. Behind my husband’s recliner, in which he sat, was a great place to welcome the contraction. I’d sag my belly in relaxation, press my lower back against the wall behind, lean forward and wrap my arms around his shoulders, feel the burn of the hard work my uterus was doing, then let go and return to the sofa. Over, and over.
Right on time, about an hour after my call, my midwife arrived. I’d been drinking and peeing a great deal, and informed her, “No show yet.” I advised her I expected this to be a longer labor. Contractions were not consistent, ranging from doubling up 2-3 contractions to 5 minutes or more in between. This was not my typical labor, and neither was it as intense as I remembered. She began laying out equipment and my birth kit, took initial assessments between my contractions and began her charting.
She reminded me that since my water hadn’t broken yet, I may want to throw down our plastic shower curtain to prepare for that. As if I was waiting for a suggestion of progress, I found myself leaning against the doorway between living and dining room, my husband providing counter-pressure to my lower back, feeling the child within plunging down. ”The baby’s coming!”
“Hold on, don’t push,” my midwife grabs gloves while simultaneously pulling down the panties I’d not even yet taken off, and shoving a chux pad into them.
“Baby, Baby!” I cry, calling her to catch. Woosh, there is the newest member of our not-so-little family, but only our second daughter!
{If you would like to submit your home birth story, use the form provided at right!}
