My Birth Story

Ok...now fast forward to Monday June 7, 2010, 12 days past my due date. My mother Judi has flown in from Maine to be with Big A during the birth. Hillary was due to leave town for a few days to attend her daughter's college graduation, and we all felt that 12 days over was enough. She suggested that I take two tablespoons of castor oil in a smoothy made with orange juice and ice cream. I'm not gonna lie, it's weird when your "smoothy" has an oily aftertaste, but I got it down just fine. And we waited. And waited. She had said it usually takes effect 4 hours later. But 4 hours came and went. Nothing. 5 hours, nothing. Then it was a little after 4 p.m., 6 hours later, when the unpleasant diarrhea that castor oil causes, finally set in. Honestly, it really wasn't that horrible and only lasted about 20 min., and by the end of the "grippers", I was having contractions. And they were relatively strong, about 40 seconds long, and only about 3-4 minutes apart. I called Hillary and she said she and Tera would head out soon. Hillary arrived around 6, listened to the baby's heartbeat and checked my progress. I was about 6 cm and 50% effaced and -1 station. Tera arrived about 20 minutes later and she & Hillary set up camp. It was absolutely amazing how efficient they were. They transformed my bedroom into a delivery room. A clear shower curtain was put under my sheets to protect the mattress. Plastic backed sheeting was placed over the carpets between the bedroom and bathroom. It wasn't quite as bad as an episode of Dexter, but it definitely had a certain resemblance.

We all started to get a bit peckish, so we decided to order pizzas from Medici on 57th. I LOVED that I could eat and drink whatever and whenever I wanted. I think I had about 50 freeze pops throughout the evening! Our dearest friend & neighbor picked them up for us since delivery was going to take over an hour. It was about 7 pm and my contractions were starting to get painful enough that I didn't want to be sitting at all. So we all gathered in the dining room and had yummy pizza, I stood at the table instead of sitting, but overall we had a really nice meal all together. I would occasionally have a contraction tough enough that I would need to walk a bit through it, but they were all still very bearable. We tidied up our dinner mess and headed back to the living room. Big A got her jammies on and popped Wallace & Grommit's Curse of the Were-Rabbit in the DVD player. My contractions were getting a bit more intense, but still not too intense. My brother Adam & his wife Kushi called out of the blue and we had a lovely chat. It was pushing 9, so Hillary suggested she check me again. I went & laid on the bed and Big A came and snuggled with me. I really loved that she could be around me, but she was tired and because we usually co-sleep, she couldn't just go to bed like usual. But she was being a real trooper. I was 8 cm but still not fully effaced and still at the same station! So to help speed things up, she broke my water. And speed things up it did. Very quickly I started to have some really intense back pains. I tried some heat for a little while, which helped some, but soon it didn't help at all. Jake was a saint and applied some pressure to my lower back, which also helped for a little while, but then I didn't want anyone to touch me at all. It was about 10 p.m., and Hillary thought it was a good time to head into the bedroom. She suggested that I get up on my hands and knees since that would take some of the pressure of the baby off of my back. Which it did, but...the contractions continued to come, stronger and stronger. Jake was trying to be with me, rubbing my back and such, but Big A was so tired and was a bit demanding of her dad, so he went back into the living room to lay down with her for a while. I started to get more vocal and I heard Big A crying in the other room. I wanted to make sure she knew she could come be with me in the bedroom if she wanted to, and she came and hung out for a little while, but she just wanted me to go lay down with her and put her to sleep...something I wasn't really capable of at the moment, so Jake took her back out to the living room. I remember my mum coming in and letting me hold her hand for a bit, but I squeezed it during a contraction and thought I was going to crush her little arthritic nubbin fingers! Meanwhile, I was in real pain, and I was tired. I would lay down between contractions to rest and I remember saying I couldn't do it. Sweet Hillary had some great encouragement which summed up was, "Too bad, you have to." And seriously, that worked. I remember thinking, she's right, I have no choice, buck up and get it done. I was beginning to crown, and starting to push. Jake had hoped to "catch" the baby so as I got closer, Tera came out to tell him he should come back in...but poor timing, my mother had chosen then to take our dog Maully out, so even though Big A was nearly asleep, Jake getting up roused her. He headed into the bedroom with me, but Big A started to cry, so Jake went and got her and brought her in. I remember hearing Jake talking to her and trying to explain how they'd get to see the baby in Mummy's belly very soon. She seemed to be calming down, but just then Little A's head emerged, and Big A started to cry again. My mum came and tried to take her out, but she wanted to stay with Jake and honestly, I wanted her to stay as well. I tried to talk to her in between contractions as well, but she was exhausted and completely confused. No matter how many books we read and photos and videos we watched, there's no preparing an 18 month old for a birth. So the next contraction and the rest of Little A was born, at 10:44 p.m, with apgars of 9/10. Fourteen minutes of pushing. I instantly felt fine. That is the most amazing part of childbirth. As soon as that little munchkin pops out, you get instant relief. Ahhh. She looked so long but little! I laid down on my back and held my sweet, sweet Little A for the very first time.

Jake took Big A back out to the living room and she almost instantly fell asleep, and our dog Maully came and snuggled up next to her. I think they both were a bit tired and stressed! Jake came back in and the cord had stopped pulsating so they clamped it and Jake cut it. Hillary gave me a good dose of Rescue Remedy, Arnica, and ibuprofen. I delivered the placenta, which was nice and healthy, and Hillary & Tera started some of the clean up. I just laid in bed with my baby. In MY bed, in my sheets, on my pillow. I loved that. My mum finally came in to see her gorgeous new granddaughter. Jake came and gave us a snuggle as well. I was a bit sad that Big A was asleep and we couldn't have mushy gushy family of 4 moment, but she needed her rest. Little A latched on immediately and she had a good feed. About an hour or so after delivery Hillary & Tera joined me on the bed to start the newborn exam. That was the first time she left my arms. Loved that too. For an hour we just laid skin-to-skin talking, smelling, nursing, resting, adjusting! Loved it. Jake was able to weigh her in the neat hangy-springy-sling thing and we were all shocked when Tera read out 9 pounds! Then they measured her. Length: 21.75 inches. Head: 37 cm. Chest 35.5 cm. Abdomen 33.5 cm. We declined eye drops and vitamin K, but they did her footprints, checked her hips and head, respiration, heart rate, and so on. She was perfect. She is perfect. My birth was perfect...a little chaotic at times, mostly due to my lovely toddler, but perfect.

We got her dressed, and then the midwives got me out of bed. Ugh. Not the most fun part of the evening. I desperately wanted a shower, but they said it would be best to just go to bed and shower in the morning. It was well after 1 a.m. when the midwives started to get their things together and talk about leaving. They went over what I needed to be careful doing, and what would be normal/abnormal and what to do about it. One of them would be back on Wednesday for a check-up, but that I could call anytime if I was worried about anything. My mum was totally tuckered, so she headed to bed. Jake moved Big A back into our bed and I put Little A to sleep in the hammock at my side. Jake & I tucked in and went to sleep. It was only about an hour later that Little A woke gagging and horking up fluid. Blech. We got up and changed her jammies and in the process, Big A woke up. She sat up in bed and said "Baby!" Once Little A was dressed we all piled in bed and had a great big cuddle. Big A held Little A (with the help of Jake) and we talked about what had happened. Big A seemed star struck. Even Maully came up on the bed for a sniff. Soon enough we dimmed the lights back down and all drifted back to sleep. I did have my mushy gushy family of four moment - it was just4 hours after the birth. Which is something I was so thankful for as well. I loved how soon Big A and Little A were able to interact. To touch and cuddle and begin bonding. Little A has always been so keyed in to Big A. Her voice has always - since that first cuddle - drawn her attention. Loved that.

That's about it, in a nutshell. Tera came back Wednesday morning to check on us and to do the heel prick test (PKU). We brought Little A to the pediatrician's at one week and she was down to 8 pounds 7 ounces, but otherwise healthy and happy. Hillary came for a cup of tea and a chat at two weeks. And then at three weeks she was up to 10 pounds 2 ounces!

At this point you may have gathered that we loved our home birth. I am well aware that this is not for everyone, but for me, for us, our family, it was perfect, and let me just recap why.

1. I liked that in my home neither she nor I were exposed to any icky antibiotic-resistant bacteria or sick people.
2. Getting to eat and drink was fantastic. You wouldn't run a marathon without staying hydrated and fueled, how can you give birth like that?!?
3. There were no strangers at the birth, just another way to make me feel more comfortable.
4. My stuff. When you don't feel well, there's no place like home - and giving birth is just the same. My clothes, my bed, my favorite sheets, my pillow. Sooo comfy.
5. Big A could be there. If I had delivered at U of Chicago, she wouldn't have even been able to visit me AFTER because there was still a H1N1 ban on children under 8.
6. No pitocin shot. We waited until the cord had stopped pulsating to clamp and cut. Not an option at the U of C.
7. No vitamin K or eye drops. This was an option at U of C, but only if I signed a waiver.
8. No continuous monitoring. Not an option at U of C.
9. Jake got to be there and stay there. For our last birth he had to leave overnight. I think he could have had a cot at U of C, but he wouldn't have been able to stay because Big A would've needed him. He fell asleep with us, in bed all together, not in a cot, and just a few hours later.
10. No one waking us up all night to check vitals.

I could just go on and on forever, but I suppose I've been preachy enough. There it is. My birth.