Welcoming A New Little Spirit Into the World ~ My Birth Story

Let me start by saying thank you for stopping by, it’s a pleasure to have visitors! I will warn you that this post is a wee bit long so hopefully you have the time, you may want to grab your favorite drink =). Also, I tried to keep the images a NR but there might be a couple that show more than whats comfortable for some viewers because a story with pictures is just so much better. Thank’s to Allyson Butler who was able to get some photo’s for us.

~ My 2nd Delivery ~

I had a lovely home birth with my 1st & so I knew I wanted to do it that way again, but months leading up to my due date stirred nervousness & all those normal emotions that run through a woman’s head, especially with her 2^nd because you know what to expect, giving a natural birth to top it off . It’s a double-edged sword really, knowing what to expect. My midwife gave me a book to read that was a compilation of successful & wonderful natural labors that gave me more excitement than anything & good timing it was. One thing I didn’t do was put together a “birthing plan”. All I knew was that I wanted to have a water birth, so weeks prior we ordered a kiddy-pool from Amazon for $30.00 & it worked perfectly.

 ~ The Final Moments ~

It was Tuesday, June 21^st {the day before my due date} at 1:00 in the afternoon. We were visiting our midwife for our weekly check-up. I had been telling April that for the last month or so I have been experiencing a lot of cramps down south & had a feeling I was beginning to dilate, so out of pure curiosity I had to know where I was at. I was thinking that I had to at least be dilated to 2 cm by now knowing the way my body has been feeling. When she released the #4 out of her mouth I dropped my jaw! 4? I’m almost ½ way there!!!! The excitement grew inside of me knowing that the labor wouldn’t take long once the active part began. Upon leaving, every minute felt like it could be the beginning of active labor. All of a sudden I felt fragile, like I really wanted to take it easy on my body knowing it needs to be prepared for a huge event, a little tough with a toddler though. Heading home we stopped for lunch at a place called Durango’s. It’s a restaurant very similar to Chipotle & Café Rio if you haven’t heard of it. While looking at my order, I couldn’t help but think “Oh my, this will make one massive brown log!” The last thing I wanted to come out while delivering a baby, oh the embarrassment. .. BUT, I was 40 weeks pregnant & hungry, it didn’t take long before I got over that thought. So we make it home & put on some jams, start picking up the house a lil bit {something we tried to keep up on just in case I went into labor, we wouldn’t have a huge mess afterwards}. Me & my son were dancing around, twirling, skipping & having fun. I noticed I was getting cramps but that was very typical these days. I asked my husband to get some pictures of me fully bloomed before it was to late {something I have been asking him to do for 2 months now, but we just never got around to it}. So we got a few snaps of me fully ripened!

I was joking around how I could be in labor right now yet we are over here having a photo shoot! Little did I know that I was in the early stages of it. So as the day progressed my cramping remained. I looked at our clock & noticed it was a little after 5:00 pm. Of course in the back of my mind I’m thinking “can this be it?”, but I have thought that many times over the past month when I felt crampy & so therefore, I didn’t think much about it. Just in case though, we prepared a ”Labor-Aid” drink that we received the recipe for from my midwife April, its an all-natural energy drink made from fresh lemon juice, honey, calcium/magnesium vitamins & a pinch of salt {I actually thought it tasted good & was very refreshing, I would be more than happy to share it with anyone who is interested}.We went about our evening like normal & at one point I told my husband that we should time the contractions.  However, it was almost useless timing them because they were still really mild. I could feel the contract begin & it would slowly release so I didn’t ever know when it had stopped until I felt the tightening again. So we decided not to worry about it & figured if they get stronger we can try again. A little bit later I noticed a jump in the strength of the contractions & for a moment I felt like this was it. So we got our son down for bed, started filling up the pool, my husband ran to the store to get me diapers for the “after math” & while he was gone, I was supposed to time the contractions. I was useless, my focus just wasn’t there & to be honest, the contractions were un-even, I was expecting the mucous plug to come out & it didn’t & again, I wasn’t sure when they ended.. so all that made me think I was in false labor {which I experienced about a couple weeks earlier}. We decided to drain the pool because it was already cooling down & while I was still having cramps/contractions, they were very tolerable & inconsistent. This whole time I was like a see-saw, back & forth thinking at one end “I’m definitely in labor” & then the next moment “nope this doesn’t feel like active labor”. It was getting late & I was a little bit hungry so my wonderful hubby made me a delicious bowl of yogurt w/fresh berries & granola all the while feeling the contractions gently increasing but still not giving me the sure sign. I paced around the living room talking & even joking around a little, we both were thinking this was going to drag out, if not end all together. We thought it would be best for me to go upstairs & try & relax since they weren’t really bothering me. I went upstairs & lay on the bed to read myself to sleep but just a few lines in I got a contraction that threw me into a state of urgency! It was almost as if my body was toying with me, easing on the contractions when I was up, but as soon as I relaxed they would remind me who was in control here. I got up & went potty & while sitting down I got another contraction that I felt all through my hips, back & stomach which forced out an unintentional grunt. As soon as I stood up I got another one, back to back…my husband walked in & I told him with a bit of panic in my voice, “I think it’s time to call April & time to get the pool filled again”. I made my way out & started walking around, still feeling the see-saw emotions of whether or not this is labor as the contractions again seemed to ease slightly & still very inconsistent. Everything I have read says that true labor will have consistent contractions, with false labor, the contractions will bounce all over the place. As my husband was on the phone, again I doubted that this was “active labor” & I told him, “well maybe she can wait to come down, I’m not sure if this is it”.  Good thing they didn’t take my advice. Shortly after the contractions were building in intensity like heavy waves & definitely came into a steady rhythym. They completely took over my body & all I could do was surrender to them, accepting them, embracing them as best I could. Oh Yeah, this was definitely it, no question about it now!!! The familiar feeling I had with my first when things started heating up. Every time one came I had to brace myself against the wall & do my absolute best to focus on relaxing. I found myself moaning through each one which oddly enough seemed to really help with dealing with the pain. My hands were starting to cramp & they would fold in as if my body was trying to numb itself. It was like I was in 2^nd gear & it quickly shifted to 5^th gear all in a matter of seconds. About a half hour later April showed. Seeing your midwife is like seeing an angel, you know that soon to come, something special was about to happen & her showing up made it official. She listened to the baby’s heart & he was extremely low & everything sounded good. The water was ready so I waddled in the room. Stepping in to the warm water offered some comfort but not as much as I would have liked. I was hoping for magic to happen & the pain would reduce…that wasn’t the case but feeling the warm water & being able to float a little definitely provided a sense of calmness for me. I moved around a little trying to find the most comfortable position & I ended up sitting down with my legs stretched out in front of me & arms at my side. When I felt a contraction coming I would say “Okay, here we go”… with it my moans grew in volume as if they were extracting some of the pain. A few minutes later, Allyson, Aprils assistant showed. She sat behind me rubbing my arms gently & told me to breathe deeper & lower. Not long after I got in the pool {I would say I was in there maybe 20 minutes before I delivered him} I could feel him move lower & lower & my breathing changed as the feeling increased into an incredibe intensity & I could feel my body’s strength pushing the baby out, I started hyperventilating when April reminded me to slow my breathing down, to bring it back in & control it. As soon as I did I felt my body go back in sync with this little dance it was doing, It needed that control from me to work proficiently & smoothly. 45 minutes after April showed up and about 20 minutes after Allyson showed up I had the contraction that pushed his head out. I remember the “ring of fire” feeling and while it was quite the sensation, it was also thee most wonderful knowing that the race is almost over. The next contraction came & I knew this was it, the last one … & there he was, hallelujah ~  he floated to the top of the water. April didn’t even have time to get her gloves on it all happened so fast. He was born en’ caul {in the water bag, water never broke} just like my 1^st son. She peeled away the veil from his face & told me to grab him.

~If you look closely, you can see the bag still around him & April peeling it off~

Unfortunately my hands were still cramped & I couldn’t grab him so they brought him to me & laid him down on my stomach. The cord was quite short so I couldn’t bring him up to far.

~I’m trying to open up my right hand here but it’s still cramping~

 AAAAHHHH, it was all over. Such a beautiful moment, such a beautiful gift & what a blessing it all was! He was finally in my arms, tiny & perfect as could be. The months & months of what we go through quickly came down to this very moment & it was all so worth it! …. I just sat there, staring at him in awe, thanking God over & over again for such a gift, for his health & perfect-ness! My husband kissed me & I felt this bubble of love in the room. Everything went perfect & quickly it did.

~Rubbing My Cramped Hands~

 Several minutes later my hubby cut the cord & I was able to bring him closer to me & I was immediately in love! Another precious being I get to love & take care of.

When it was time for me to get out, I went to the bed where the midwives laid out a bunch of waterproof pads for me to lay on so they could check me. I remember Allyson making the comment that they wouldn’t have known I just had a baby. Obviously that was a good thing , little bleeding and absolutely no tearing. She rubbed a salve on me that I purchased with my birthing kit to help heal where I did swell up some. They handed me my baby & I started trying to nurse him. Allyson came back up shortly after with a plate full of food she got after rummaging through our fridge, loaded with raspberries, blueberries, celery w/almond butter on it & cheese which she then spoon fed me as I was trying to get my baby to nurse. April was busy filling out paperwork & picking up, allowing our family to enjoy this moment. Then April took the baby to check him out to make sure everything was good, including measuring & weighing him.

Again, everything was perfect & I couldn’t have asked for anything more. My husband went out to see how our son was doing, I guess I woke him up with my last couple of groans. He was a little bit unsure but he knew what was going on because I prepped him months in advance to know what to expect, even showing him what my groaning might sound like. He didn’t come in till about ½ hour later, but he was in good spirits talking with the midwives. He wasn’t sure what to think yet of his baby brother but he was excited about all the commotion.

All in all I have to say that this was another amazing home birthing experience for me. I would say that I really only had about an hours worth of hard-core contractions. As you can see, April was only there an hour before the birth & thats due to us calling her so late because up until that point, the contractions were inconsistent & tolerable. ~Born on his actual due date at 2:24 am on 6/22/2011. 6 lbs. 4 oz. & 19 in. long~

 I thank the Lord above for His blessings! My husband was such an awesome support as he always is, doing his best to get me whatever I needed  & while he knew he couldn’t do anything to make me comfortable, he was there every second except to check on our elder child. Both April & Allyson were priceless, providing me with knowledge & support, nurturing me with such  love & sincerity & going beyond what I would ever expect! Because of all 3 of them, I had a priceless experience that had brought about a precious lil spirit & a memory that tattooed itself to me forever! Thank you so much!

With much love,

Tirzah! xoxo

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