Tam-I-Am
03-06-2008, 18:11
I can scarcely believe that this happened only 3 days ago - I feel so wonderful and Connor seems like he's always been a part of our little family!
I had been having pre-labour contractions since Tuesday 26th of May - in fact that day I was so convinced that I was in labour and so disappointed when it seemed to fizzle to nothing overnight. It meant that my parents took 3-year-old DD overnight and DH spent the rest of the week at home with me, however, which was really lovely. On Wednesday we decided to spend the afternoon at the movies before DD came home as it was clear that I wasn't in labour anymore. We went to see the new Indiana Jones movie in the Gold Class cinema and spent a lazy afternoon folding little baby clothes and nesting.
The rest of the week continued and I got a little more frustrated with every 'fake' contraction that I had. On Friday night, DH ordered a gourmet pizza for dinner from our favourite Italian restaurant for dinner and went to pick it up - however 10 minutes later called me from the supermarket car park to inform me that the LPG tank in his car was leaking and he'd had to call the fire department as it was too unsafe to drive. He was unsure about how long it would take, so I asked MIL (who lives next door) to come down and sit with DD whilst I went to pick up the pizza. I had to drive past the supermarket on my way to the restaurant – and there was DH’s car, surrounded by three fire engines, lights flashing and sirens blaring – my DH sure knows how to make a scene!
Anyway, after picking up the pizza, I stopped in the supermarket car park to find out how long my DH was going to be. The fire fighters were quite concerned when DH laughingly informed them that I was in labour – and they promptly offered to help deliver the baby right there in the car park :laughing:
I went home, DH following 10 minutes later, and after about ½ an hour called my lovely midwife Allison to inform her that contractions were coming every 2 minutes and were beginning to hurt enough for me to have to breathe through. Ally decided to come out to assess me and arrived at about 10:15pm. She stayed for about 2 hours, during which time we chatted about what was to come through the night. It was clear that I was in early labour only, and at about midnight, Ally and DH tucked me up in bed with instructions to call Ally again when I knew the time was right. Ally left saying that bub still had a little way to move down before labour would fully establish.
I didn’t manage to get to sleep – contractions were painful, although the regularity stopped to a great extent while I was lying down. At about 1am I got out of bed and lay face-down on my pregnancy bean bag on the couch. I dozed on-and-off between contractions for the next 2 hours, when I decided to try to sleep again. Getting back into bed, I last through 3 contractions only before they were really hurting – I wanted water and I wanted it now. I got out of bed and climbed into the shower, where I was feeling an ever-increasing need to vocalise through contractions. DH heard me and joined me in the bathroom after about 10 minutes at about 3:15am. He asked me if I wanted him to call Ally again – I said no, I didn’t think it was time…DH timed me through the next 3 contractions and told me that they were coming every minute or so and lasting 90 seconds – which was a big shock, as I had no idea they were that frequent or close! I agreed that it WAS probably time for Ally to be called. I also asked that DH start filling the birthing pool, which had been blown up in our loungeroom for the previous 3 weeks in anticipation. DH set to work
Ally arrived again at about 4am, just as I had gotten out of the shower as it was no longer helping. I bounced on a fit ball for a while, really working hard now and grunting through every contraction. Ally rubbed my back, got me a drink and told me how well I was doing while DH filled the pool. At about 5am I was able to get into the pool – HEAVEN! The contractions felt like they were one on top of the next now and the downward pressure in my pelvis was unbelievable! I alternated between frog-crouching against the side of the pool and semi-reclining on my back, all the while rotating my hips and grunting/groaning/yelling through contractions.
All through the night, DD had been asleep in her own bed, but when I started going into transition and screaming through contractions, she woke up – at about 6am. She was a little distressed by the noises I was making, so I made a BIG effort to curb my noise as DH rushed her past me on their way up to MIL’s house (this had been pre-arranged since we had been planning the homebirth). I smiled at DD and told her I loved her, and she seemed reassured. DH was gone a sum total of about 3 minutes – I’m sure he would have won world records for sprinting :D
DH returned and, as he had for the length of time I’d been in the pool, knelt behind me and took my hands. I was, by this time, roaring through every contraction and complaining of unbearable pressure. Ally and DH were just amazing – DH using his physical strength and emotional support to let me know that he was there and I was doing well, Ally using her voice and experience. At about 6:15am I lost all faith in myself for a little while, crying through 3 contractions that I couldn’t do it anymore and that I hadn’t been able to do it with DD so why did I think I could with this baby. Ally and DH calmed me, and refocused my energy and attention back to birthing my baby.
At 6:45am my membranes ruptured with an audible POP – and the relief was AMAZING – the pressure just all disappeared, at least until bub’s head descended onto my perineum. I ROARED through the 2 contractions for his head to come, and a 3rd for the rest of his body to be born – my bubba was here! I held bub to my chest, and had a look – I had a son! A beautiful baby boy! It took about a minute for him to cry, while DH and I just stared at each other and our beautiful baby in amazement and awe. DH couldn’t stop kissing me and stroking our son, and I couldn’t stop saying “I did it! Oh my god, I did it!”
I stayed in the water until the placenta came (18 minutes after bub made his way into the world), and then stepped out of the pool and was moved to the couch where bub and I enjoyed skin-to-skin cuddles, our first breastfeed, and I had a bit of breakfast – I was STARVING! :D
Connor Anthony was born at 6:52am on Saturday 31st of May, weighing 9lb 10oz (4.36kg), 53cm length and 34.5cm head circumference in a completely natural, completely drug-free, absolutely wonderful, exhilarating, beautiful, mind-blowing, home water birth.
I had been having pre-labour contractions since Tuesday 26th of May - in fact that day I was so convinced that I was in labour and so disappointed when it seemed to fizzle to nothing overnight. It meant that my parents took 3-year-old DD overnight and DH spent the rest of the week at home with me, however, which was really lovely. On Wednesday we decided to spend the afternoon at the movies before DD came home as it was clear that I wasn't in labour anymore. We went to see the new Indiana Jones movie in the Gold Class cinema and spent a lazy afternoon folding little baby clothes and nesting.
The rest of the week continued and I got a little more frustrated with every 'fake' contraction that I had. On Friday night, DH ordered a gourmet pizza for dinner from our favourite Italian restaurant for dinner and went to pick it up - however 10 minutes later called me from the supermarket car park to inform me that the LPG tank in his car was leaking and he'd had to call the fire department as it was too unsafe to drive. He was unsure about how long it would take, so I asked MIL (who lives next door) to come down and sit with DD whilst I went to pick up the pizza. I had to drive past the supermarket on my way to the restaurant – and there was DH’s car, surrounded by three fire engines, lights flashing and sirens blaring – my DH sure knows how to make a scene!
Anyway, after picking up the pizza, I stopped in the supermarket car park to find out how long my DH was going to be. The fire fighters were quite concerned when DH laughingly informed them that I was in labour – and they promptly offered to help deliver the baby right there in the car park :laughing:
I went home, DH following 10 minutes later, and after about ½ an hour called my lovely midwife Allison to inform her that contractions were coming every 2 minutes and were beginning to hurt enough for me to have to breathe through. Ally decided to come out to assess me and arrived at about 10:15pm. She stayed for about 2 hours, during which time we chatted about what was to come through the night. It was clear that I was in early labour only, and at about midnight, Ally and DH tucked me up in bed with instructions to call Ally again when I knew the time was right. Ally left saying that bub still had a little way to move down before labour would fully establish.
I didn’t manage to get to sleep – contractions were painful, although the regularity stopped to a great extent while I was lying down. At about 1am I got out of bed and lay face-down on my pregnancy bean bag on the couch. I dozed on-and-off between contractions for the next 2 hours, when I decided to try to sleep again. Getting back into bed, I last through 3 contractions only before they were really hurting – I wanted water and I wanted it now. I got out of bed and climbed into the shower, where I was feeling an ever-increasing need to vocalise through contractions. DH heard me and joined me in the bathroom after about 10 minutes at about 3:15am. He asked me if I wanted him to call Ally again – I said no, I didn’t think it was time…DH timed me through the next 3 contractions and told me that they were coming every minute or so and lasting 90 seconds – which was a big shock, as I had no idea they were that frequent or close! I agreed that it WAS probably time for Ally to be called. I also asked that DH start filling the birthing pool, which had been blown up in our loungeroom for the previous 3 weeks in anticipation. DH set to work
Ally arrived again at about 4am, just as I had gotten out of the shower as it was no longer helping. I bounced on a fit ball for a while, really working hard now and grunting through every contraction. Ally rubbed my back, got me a drink and told me how well I was doing while DH filled the pool. At about 5am I was able to get into the pool – HEAVEN! The contractions felt like they were one on top of the next now and the downward pressure in my pelvis was unbelievable! I alternated between frog-crouching against the side of the pool and semi-reclining on my back, all the while rotating my hips and grunting/groaning/yelling through contractions.
All through the night, DD had been asleep in her own bed, but when I started going into transition and screaming through contractions, she woke up – at about 6am. She was a little distressed by the noises I was making, so I made a BIG effort to curb my noise as DH rushed her past me on their way up to MIL’s house (this had been pre-arranged since we had been planning the homebirth). I smiled at DD and told her I loved her, and she seemed reassured. DH was gone a sum total of about 3 minutes – I’m sure he would have won world records for sprinting :D
DH returned and, as he had for the length of time I’d been in the pool, knelt behind me and took my hands. I was, by this time, roaring through every contraction and complaining of unbearable pressure. Ally and DH were just amazing – DH using his physical strength and emotional support to let me know that he was there and I was doing well, Ally using her voice and experience. At about 6:15am I lost all faith in myself for a little while, crying through 3 contractions that I couldn’t do it anymore and that I hadn’t been able to do it with DD so why did I think I could with this baby. Ally and DH calmed me, and refocused my energy and attention back to birthing my baby.
At 6:45am my membranes ruptured with an audible POP – and the relief was AMAZING – the pressure just all disappeared, at least until bub’s head descended onto my perineum. I ROARED through the 2 contractions for his head to come, and a 3rd for the rest of his body to be born – my bubba was here! I held bub to my chest, and had a look – I had a son! A beautiful baby boy! It took about a minute for him to cry, while DH and I just stared at each other and our beautiful baby in amazement and awe. DH couldn’t stop kissing me and stroking our son, and I couldn’t stop saying “I did it! Oh my god, I did it!”
I stayed in the water until the placenta came (18 minutes after bub made his way into the world), and then stepped out of the pool and was moved to the couch where bub and I enjoyed skin-to-skin cuddles, our first breastfeed, and I had a bit of breakfast – I was STARVING! :D
Connor Anthony was born at 6:52am on Saturday 31st of May, weighing 9lb 10oz (4.36kg), 53cm length and 34.5cm head circumference in a completely natural, completely drug-free, absolutely wonderful, exhilarating, beautiful, mind-blowing, home water birth.