I want to give a great big thank you to Amanda Jackson for being probably the best photographer around. She did my maternity photos as well as my awesome birth photos.
So, here it goes....
From my due date we started trying all kinds of methods to help start labor. I had been taking evening primrose oil and drinking red raspberry leaf tea since I was 34 weeks. We started doing daily walks, nipple stimulation, acupressure and I started taking 5-w somewhere around 39, almost 40 weeks. A little after my due date I went for 3 days of acupuncture, hoping it would help along with knowing the full moon was coming. I began to burn clary sage and use it in my baths as well. I also had a membrane sweep and we talked about other methods that could be tried.
As I approached 41 weeks I just knew that Saturday would be the day. Friday night was the harvest moon so after I woke up from a nap I went outside to see if I could see it, but it was raining. I decided to take a nice long warm bath with clary sage and when I got done I fixed my hair and painted my toes and fingernails before going to bed. I woke up Saturday morning with a few irregular contractions.
I grabbed Warren and the stroller and we headed for a long walk to the big local park. I texted my midwife, Sandra, and asked how castor oil worked and if it would be possible to try a small amount. Walking back from the park I was trying to decide if I really wanted to try it. When we went to the store I picked some up just in case I did decide to try it. Later after eating dinner I texted Sandra and told her I was going to try it. Ed had left for work an hour or so earlier and I told him that weather or not I did try castor oil, tonight would be the night and to expect to come home. I took 2 oz of castor oil in a chocolate shake around 7 pm. I got Warren and we laid down in bed and started watching an episode of sesame street. I almost made it through the whole episode before I started to feel the castor oil. I went to the bathroom and immediately I felt a contraction along with the stomach pain from the castor oil cleaning me out. I started to time the contractions and they were anywhere from 4-6 minutes apart and the slight cramping I felt with them lasted about 30 seconds.
I texted Sandra and Ed and told them what was going on. Sandra told me she was pretty sure I was in early labor and they would be heading my way. I then texted my sister, Amanda and Nikki and told them I was in early labor. While everyone was on their way to me, I made my bed, put a plastic sheet on it and got it prepared. I then started to get the tub out. Sandra and Joycelyn arrived and started setting up the pool. I told Ed they were here and he got a replacement called in and started to head home. Warren was running around like a crazy kid, showing off for all the people at the house.
Amanda arrived shortly after the midwives and then Nikki showed up. The contractions kept coming about every 4 minutes. About 11 pm or so Ed arrived home and took Warren into the movie room to try to calm him down. After things got all set up and calmed down, my sister arrived and we all went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was really cold outside. When we got back to the house I went up and down the stairs a few times to try to make things progress, but the contractions kept at 4 minutes apart.
I tried to lay down and see if I could get a little bit of sleep, but it was only like 2 or 3 am and we are normally up at that time so I just couldn’t fall asleep. We all sat in the living room playing games on our phones and taking short naps in our chairs. Sometime around 3:30 am the contractions started to get closer together and stronger. Sandra said that I was now in labor. I was still pretty silently breathing through them.
About 4:30 am I decided I wanted to know how much I had progressed. So I got in bed and they checked me. I was at 5 cm. All I could think is “wow, we are only half way there. We still have a long way to go.” So Ed came and laid down with me and we were going to try to relax and watch an episode of Heroes. We were not even 4 minutes into the episode and I felt these 2 extremely painful pains. It felt like Thomas was punching my cervix or had broken my water. I screamed in pain. The midwives came in and told me things were really picking up and I would be having a baby soon.
They finished filling up the tub and I slowly got up out of bed and made my way to the tub. As I got in the contractions got extremely strong and much closer together. I could no longer be silent and was moaning through each contraction. As I got toward the end I was saying “I can’t do this anymore” and “I don’t want another one.” Just as I started getting the urge to push I said “I want to go the hospital” with a smile on my face. Joycelyn had told me that they always heard that from their clients, so I just had to say it.
I reached down to feel and see this awesome experience. Then with the next contraction I pushed and he was crowning. I pushed again and had to slow down so I wouldn’t tear, but I saw his head being born. I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t feel another contraction and didn’t feel the urge to push again. I could tell his head looked almost purple and suddenly Joycelyn got concerned and called Sandra over. They told me his shoulders were stuck and that I needed to stand up. I freaked out because I didn’t think I would be able to stand up, but with a little help they got me on my feet.
I still didn’t feel a contraction or an urge to push, even though Sandra was telling me to push, I just couldn’t. She grabbed him and as I tried with all I had to push she pulled him out. His cord had been wrapped around his neck, but they quickly unwrapped it and as I sat back down they laid him on my chest. He finally cried as everyone washed the warm water onto the towels that were laid over us.
Ed got to cut the cord, but they had to immediately give me a shot of Pitocin because I had been anemic for a while and we didn’t want to risk anything. Shortly after that I started to really bleed, so they got me out of the tub and onto my bed. I didn’t have a single tear, only some rub burn. I then delivered the placenta and because I was still bleeding pretty bad they gave me another shot to stop the bleeding.
They did a thorough check of Thomas and then weighed him. No one could believe he was 10 lbs 3 oz. and 23” long.
As I approached 41 weeks I just knew that Saturday would be the day. Friday night was the harvest moon so after I woke up from a nap I went outside to see if I could see it, but it was raining. I decided to take a nice long warm bath with clary sage and when I got done I fixed my hair and painted my toes and fingernails before going to bed. I woke up Saturday morning with a few irregular contractions.
I grabbed Warren and the stroller and we headed for a long walk to the big local park. I texted my midwife, Sandra, and asked how castor oil worked and if it would be possible to try a small amount. Walking back from the park I was trying to decide if I really wanted to try it. When we went to the store I picked some up just in case I did decide to try it. Later after eating dinner I texted Sandra and told her I was going to try it. Ed had left for work an hour or so earlier and I told him that weather or not I did try castor oil, tonight would be the night and to expect to come home. I took 2 oz of castor oil in a chocolate shake around 7 pm. I got Warren and we laid down in bed and started watching an episode of sesame street. I almost made it through the whole episode before I started to feel the castor oil. I went to the bathroom and immediately I felt a contraction along with the stomach pain from the castor oil cleaning me out. I started to time the contractions and they were anywhere from 4-6 minutes apart and the slight cramping I felt with them lasted about 30 seconds.
I texted Sandra and Ed and told them what was going on. Sandra told me she was pretty sure I was in early labor and they would be heading my way. I then texted my sister, Amanda and Nikki and told them I was in early labor. While everyone was on their way to me, I made my bed, put a plastic sheet on it and got it prepared. I then started to get the tub out. Sandra and Joycelyn arrived and started setting up the pool. I told Ed they were here and he got a replacement called in and started to head home. Warren was running around like a crazy kid, showing off for all the people at the house.
Amanda arrived shortly after the midwives and then Nikki showed up. The contractions kept coming about every 4 minutes. About 11 pm or so Ed arrived home and took Warren into the movie room to try to calm him down. After things got all set up and calmed down, my sister arrived and we all went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was really cold outside. When we got back to the house I went up and down the stairs a few times to try to make things progress, but the contractions kept at 4 minutes apart.
I tried to lay down and see if I could get a little bit of sleep, but it was only like 2 or 3 am and we are normally up at that time so I just couldn’t fall asleep. We all sat in the living room playing games on our phones and taking short naps in our chairs. Sometime around 3:30 am the contractions started to get closer together and stronger. Sandra said that I was now in labor. I was still pretty silently breathing through them.
About 4:30 am I decided I wanted to know how much I had progressed. So I got in bed and they checked me. I was at 5 cm. All I could think is “wow, we are only half way there. We still have a long way to go.” So Ed came and laid down with me and we were going to try to relax and watch an episode of Heroes. We were not even 4 minutes into the episode and I felt these 2 extremely painful pains. It felt like Thomas was punching my cervix or had broken my water. I screamed in pain. The midwives came in and told me things were really picking up and I would be having a baby soon.
They finished filling up the tub and I slowly got up out of bed and made my way to the tub. As I got in the contractions got extremely strong and much closer together. I could no longer be silent and was moaning through each contraction. As I got toward the end I was saying “I can’t do this anymore” and “I don’t want another one.” Just as I started getting the urge to push I said “I want to go the hospital” with a smile on my face. Joycelyn had told me that they always heard that from their clients, so I just had to say it.
I reached down to feel and see this awesome experience. Then with the next contraction I pushed and he was crowning. I pushed again and had to slow down so I wouldn’t tear, but I saw his head being born. I knew something wasn’t right. I didn’t feel another contraction and didn’t feel the urge to push again. I could tell his head looked almost purple and suddenly Joycelyn got concerned and called Sandra over. They told me his shoulders were stuck and that I needed to stand up. I freaked out because I didn’t think I would be able to stand up, but with a little help they got me on my feet.
I still didn’t feel a contraction or an urge to push, even though Sandra was telling me to push, I just couldn’t. She grabbed him and as I tried with all I had to push she pulled him out. His cord had been wrapped around his neck, but they quickly unwrapped it and as I sat back down they laid him on my chest. He finally cried as everyone washed the warm water onto the towels that were laid over us.
Ed got to cut the cord, but they had to immediately give me a shot of Pitocin because I had been anemic for a while and we didn’t want to risk anything. Shortly after that I started to really bleed, so they got me out of the tub and onto my bed. I didn’t have a single tear, only some rub burn. I then delivered the placenta and because I was still bleeding pretty bad they gave me another shot to stop the bleeding.
They did a thorough check of Thomas and then weighed him. No one could believe he was 10 lbs 3 oz. and 23” long.
It was the most awesome and empowering experience of my life and I would do it a thousand times over.
It was different from my pitocin induced birth with Warren and I really enjoyed being in my own home and feeling comfortable. I loved being able to walk around and do what my body wanted me to do. I loved being in my own bed and able to immediately walk and do what I wanted after he was born.
To see the video Amanda made with my birth photos, click here!
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