Miranda's Birth Story

Expectations.  I had a few of them in regard to Miranda’s birth.  I expected that it would be my easiest labor.  I expected that it would be my shortest labor.  I expected that she would come early.  Well, maybe that last one was a strong hope.  But I was definitely counting on it.  I expected that there would be no complications and that she and I would be completely healthy and well.  I expected that we would have no traffic issues in getting to the hospital/birthing center.  A few of these expectations were met.  A few were not.  Thankfully, the most important ones were the “met” ones.  

With my parents’ visit halfway over and no baby yet, an impending ankle surgery for Grant, and me just 1 cm dilated, I was really stressing. I felt like a watched kettle that wouldn’t boil.   Yes, my parents had agreed to let mom stay with us an extra few weeks and fly home instead of driving with dad, so I knew we would still have help during our time of transition, but I desperately wanted Miranda to be born (and us to be home) before my dad had to leave for Arkansas.  He needed to meet his newest granddaughter. 

I awoke at 1:35 a.m. on October 9 with a contraction.  This was nothing new.  I had been having contractions for weeks, sometimes at regular intervals for hours at a time.  I had mistakenly thought I was in labor at least four times in the past two weeks, only to have everything just die away eventually.  I was beginning to think I would never recognize when I was really in labor until it was too late to make it to the hospital. 

But this time was different.  I knew it immediately.  It was sharper and stronger than I had been having.  I again began to hope that this was it.  Miranda would be born on her due date.  In my excitement, I couldn’t go back to sleep, even though the contractions were at least 7-8 minutes apart.  I eventually woke Grant around 3:30 and made the call to the midwife soon after that.

After hearing my description of what was going on, she thought it was too early to come in, but that I was probably in labor.  While Grant showered and got some things ready, I tried to rest.  Hindsight being 20/20, like it usually is, I realize now that it probably would have been best if we had just hung out at home for a few more hours.  But seeing as it was my 5^th baby, I had no idea how fast the labor would go, and I really didn't want to be in hard labor during our 30 minute drive to the hospital, plus the fact that I preferred to get going before the children were up, we went ahead and woke my parents and left the house around 5:30 a.m.

I had four contractions on route to the birthing center, just like before, with Ellia.  With her, we had a baby in our arms less than three hours after arriving.  With Miranda, not so much.
The midwife Beth, the one whom I awoke with my call, (and whom I had only seen twice during my pregnancy – and never with Ellia, since she was new to the practice) checked me soon after I was hooked up to the monitors for the mandatory 20 minute check on the baby.  I was 3 cm. dilated.  Not great, but at least we were moving in the right direction.  Beth seemed a little grumpy.  She left the room after that and we never saw her again. Oh well.   Didn’t bother me too much (Grant either).

At 7:00 was a shift change for the nurses and we met the two that would be with us for the day (Connie and Jessica). I was given the option of having the monitor on for 20 minutes every hour or having the nurse listen with a Doppler for a couple of minutes every 45 minutes.  I chose the Doppler. 

I prefer to labor standing up and spent the next couple of hours walking around the room, occasionally sitting to check facebook or write on my blog. I was getting a little frustrated that the contractions were still 6-7 minutes apart and not super intense.  Things were dragging a little, in my opinion.

 

Obviously not in serious labor yet.

Around 9:00, Blair came in.  I was so excited to see her, as she was my favorite midwife of the four in the practice and I just felt most comfortable with her.  She has a way of being very cheerful and upbeat while calm and peaceful at the same time, and assertive when necessary.  It’s a great personality for a midwife.

After assessing the situation with my sporadic contractions, she asked if she could check me….I was dilated 5 cm.  She said that although I had made progress in the past 3 hours, she didn't know if she would even classify me in active labor, considering all the information.  According to her, labors with 5^th babies are often long and slow.  Well, she’s the midwife, she would know better than me.  She said that if we left things as they were, she wouldn't be surprised if I continued in labor for another 12 hours.  Ick.

I wasn't super uncomfortable, but I definitely wanted to have Miranda sooner than that.

She then suggested breaking my water. Four days earlier, my friend Christen’s water was broken at 5 cm (her fourth baby) and she had her daughter one hour later.  (Of course, she had been walking around dilated  5 cm. for nearly 2 weeks and she always has fast labors-- I know that everybody is different, but I can’t deny that her experience was on the forefront of my mind and those expectations kicked in again – surely I’ll have Miranda within an hour if we do this!)
I hastily agreed.  My water was broken at around 9:30.  I dilated to 6 cm, 100% effaced, and Miranda’s head was at 0 station, lower than before.  As expected, the contractions picked up in frequency and intensity almost immediately.  Within 20 minutes, they were over a minute long and about two minutes apart. 

For awhile, I found that standing next to the whirlpool tub watching the water was helpful to me.  Blair said that wasn’t surprised; she always makes sure the tubs are filled even if the expectant mother has no intention of getting in because just the sound and sight of the water can be soothing. 
   

Around 10:30, Grant was standing near me during a contraction and I leaned over on him, hugging in sort of a slow-dance position, and that was a much better alternative to the water-gazing.  We continued our “dancing” as the contractions tumbled on top of each other and the breaks became nearly non-existent. 

At some point in there, the times are fuzzy to me now, or maybe I never even looked at the clock, Blair checked me again.  I was 7-8 cm. dilated.  That was a little discouraging, as the pain was getting nearly unbearable. I remember giving myself a little pep talk in my head, something like, “You can go from 7 cm. to 10 cm. in just a couple of contractions.  It’s happened to me before.  You can do this.”

One of the nurses picked up our camera and shot some photos (without even asking us!) .....

they and the midwife said we were such a perfect "laboring" team, they loved to watch us.

  

Grant continued to be my strength as it became almost impossible to relax through the non-stop contractions.  Blair sat in the corner of the room, knitting and quietly observing.  She came over at one point and asked why I was leaning forward so much – I explained that it was because my lower back was hurting so badly – not from labor so much but from just standing for hours.  She suggested that we modify our position a bit and Grant put his foot on the bed and I rest my belly on his leg-shelf.  It did help the back pain slightly, but a few minutes later, I decided I had to try lying down.

I lay on my left side on the bed and felt a few moments of hopelessness – that I could never do this.  I kept praying through the pain for the urge to push.  I just couldn't wait for it to be over.  A few minutes later, I felt that blessed urge – and announced it to everyone.  I don’t know what I was expecting as a response exactly, but I remember being a bit shocked at how relaxed Blair was.  She just said, “Ok” and kept knitting.  The nurses were getting last minute preparations ready for the baby – but Blair seemed completely unconcerned.   She moseyed over and stood near me as I started pushing slightly.  I wasn't sure what position would be best – and she said I could just stay as I was.  One of the nurses came over and held up my right leg. 

Almost done!  
I have no recollection of this photo being taken and upon reviewing the pictures was surprised to see that I somehow managed to look so peaceful during this stage - it's not how I remember feeling!

I couldn't believe how hard the pushing was.  It seemed more difficult than it ever had before.  I had to change positions to something more familiar.  I sat up partially, with Grant sitting behind me so I could lean on him.  That felt better.  Again, my expectations of how this stage of labor would proceed based on how Ellia's labor was weren't met. I had actual breaks between contractions where I was almost "pain-free" and didn't feel like pushing at all.  Although I had read about this phenomenon, I hadn't actually experienced it with any of my other labors.  (Well, the two with epidurals don't count).  So while the pushing stage in reality was only 10-15 minutes (not sure exactly), it seemed so much longer because of those breaks.  

Miranda was born at 12:05 pm and was a bit purplish and had a gurgley cry, but she was put on my chest and rubbed vigorously with a warm towel by one of the nurses while I snuggled her and rejoiced that we had done it, it was over.  Well, nearly.  We waited until her cord stopped pulsing to cut it, which only took a few minutes, the placenta was delivered, Blair confirmed that I had no tears or issues at all, (thank God!) and Miranda continued to improve in her color and crying - although she remained a bit rattley in her breathing for a few hours.  

We did it...she's here!

Her weight was taken, a whopping 9 lb 5.6 oz, and 21" long.  Big baby!  Not surprising, our others were 8 lb 1 oz, 8 lb 6 oz, 8 lb 13 oz, and 9 lb 0 oz respectively. Definite pattern there.  Getting larger every time!

  

Grant thought her sticking her tongue out a little was funny.

So back to those expectations.

This was not my easiest labor – that would be Ellia’s. (I’m convinced that my labor with her was easiest because my water didn’t break until the pushing phase.  Just my theory.)

This was not my fastest labor – that was Marissa’s. 

Miranda did not come early – she was exactly on her due date.  (which certainly beats late, I admit.)

However.

We had perfect traffic to the birthing center (Sunday morning at 5:30 in the fall = no tunnel traffic!)

She and I were both healthy and well after an uncomplicated labor and delivery. 

And, I had the bonus of my favorite midwife, something I had barely dared to hope for. 

She is beautiful.  She is perfect.  Even right after delivery, I stared at her, amazed that she had come out of me, in awe that in just 9 short months, this little soul's body had been formed.  Birth and life are such miracles. 

Miranda means "Wonderful, admirable".  Kathryn means "Pure".  Names with significance.  Qualities we desire and pray for in our daughter.  

Is it Baby Time? Labor Day Post 1

My 5th pregnancy has presented a challenge that I had not yet experienced.  While I have had Braxton Hicks contractions with all of my other pregnancies, it has never been to the extent that I've had them this time.  There have been at least four occasions that I had regular contractions for several hours and was convinced it was the "Big Day", only to have the contractions fade away and nothing end up happening. 

  

Very frustrating.  

Especially when my friends who have been pregnant with me have all delivered their babies already, my parents have been here for several days and my dad will be headed back home on Thursday, and for heaven's sake, I want him to get to see his new granddaughter!  

Today is my actual due date.  

I have not had a baby born on the due date yet.  My first was 12 days late, my second was 6 days early, the third was 9 days late and induced, and the fourth was 1 day early.  

It is 2:32 a.m. and I was awakened about an hour ago with contractions that are much more intense than what I have had up to this point.  Probably about 6-8 minutes apart at this point, nothing super regular, but definitely meaning business. I am confident that today is the day.  

I hope I don't have to come back and eat those words!

Can't WAIT to meet my new baby girl!

Ellia's Birth Story

Ellia's birth couldn't have been more perfect. There were so many answers to prayer regarding a variety of issues, and I am filled with gratitude to God for working everything out so wonderfully.

One of the things I was praying about was that she would come after my mom arrived on Nov. 18 to help out, five days before my due date. Obviously, I didn't want to have her before mom got here, as the plan was for mom to watch the older kids while we went to the hospital. Several friends had graciously offered to help out, but I knew it wouldn't be the same as having Nonny in the house with us, ready at any moment to send us off. So I heaved a huge sigh of relief the minute we picked Nonny up from the airport and Ellia was still waiting to come.

Secondly, I didn't want her to come until after the 20th, when some friends were having a baby shower for me. I had asked to have it after my mom got here, so she could meet my friends and be a part of that special time. Friday the 20th was the date chosen for the shower. Since the due date was the 23rd, we were really pushing it close. Add to that, I just had a feeling that Ellia was going to come early. I didn't know how early, but it was this hunch I had. So I was definitely nervous that I would go into labor and the shower would have to be cancelled.

Thankfully, that didn't happen. Here are a few photos of the most wonderful baby shower I've ever had....it was a precious time with very special friends.

The cake, made by the hostess and my dear friend, Ellen

Ellen and me


My mom and me


Group picture - aren't they beautiful ladies?

Another group picture, this time with my mom

Another thing I was concerned about was the drive to the birthing center. The only two ways for us to get there (one direct way, one extremely round-about way) both include a bridge tunnel across part of the Chesapeake Bay. There are certain times of the day, or when random accidents happen, when the tunnels are completely gummed up with traffic and a typically 25 minute drive can easily turn into a two to three hour trip. Not what you want when a baby is coming!

So basically, I decided that Ellia was going to come on the weekend, when at least the rush hour(s) traffic wouldn't be an issue. Yes, my friends laughed at me for being so specific, but I was not going to give up hope. Delivering on the weekend was also important to me because I didn't want to go into labor while Grant was at work. Since he works at a secure facility, he's not allowed to have his cell phone in the building, and he's often not at his desk due to meetings and such, and therefore he's frequently unreachable. He did give me a list of other people in the building I could call if necessary, but that certainly wasn't my first choice. So when Saturday the 21st came and went, I won't deny that I was a bit disappointed.

But Sunday morning I awoke around 4:30 with a contraction and I was very excited - so much so that I had a hard time trying to go back to sleep. I rested for an hour, with contractions coming every 8-10 minutes. Nothing painful, but real nonetheless. I finally got up and decided to shower and finish packing my bag.

I woke Grant at about 6:30 and told him today was the day. He practically bounded out of bed!

We finished all the packing and getting ready and told the kids that we would be having a baby today. They were ecstatic - but we had to remind them that they wouldn't get to see her until the next day when we came home. Corban stated, "Mom, even if it is a girl, I'm still really excited to meet her!"

The morning puttered on, with me questioning whether or not to call the midwife, wondering what I should expect. The contractions gradually got more intense, but not any closer together than 4-5 minutes. I did call the midwife, Tara, at around 10:30. She advised me to just wait at home and call her when I felt ready to come in, so she'd be waiting for me.

Later in the morning, I started experiencing a visual disturbance called an aura, which precedes a semi-migraine. I haven't had one in years - and for obvious reasons was a bit distressed to have such a possiblity while in labor. I went up to bed and rested for about 30 minutes, during which the contractions slowed down and eventually the aura went away. When I got up, the contractions picked up in intensity quite a bit and although they still weren't closer together, I decided it would be best to just head to the hospital. I called Tara to let her know we were coming, Grant finished cooking hot dogs for the kids for lunch, and we headed out.

The traffic was perfect on the way to the hospital, and it took us less than 25 minutes to get there. I only had four contractions in the car. We got checked in a little after 1:00 pm, and I was instructed to get in the lovely gown provided and either sit in a rocker or lie in the bed for 20 minutes with the monitor on - so they could check Ellia's heart rate during contractions. I opted for the chair.

When that was all done, Tara came in and checked my cervix - I was dilated to 4 cm, when she checked me it stretched to 5 cm, and she said she "could" stretch it to 6 cm, it was so loose. I was given the go-ahead to do whatever I wanted, except I couldn't use the tub yet. She didn't want me to get in too soon and slow labor down, plus it was too hot anyways. They started bringing in ice to try to cool it down after a little while.

The bed - where Ellia was delivered

The tub - with me in the background blogging!

Taking a break from typing to concentrate on relaxing through a contraction.

Around 3:30, Tara came and asked if I wanted to be checked. I did - and I was at 7 cm. I got approval to get in the tub. Right after getting in, I had one very strong contraction, then had a break for a few minutes. This photo was taken at 3:35 pm. Little did we know she'd be born 12 minutes later!

I went for 4-5 minutes without having a contraction and was actually concerned that getting in the tub was a bad decision because it was slowing labor, but the break was so nice, I didn't want to get out just yet. Then an incredibly powerful contraction hit that was accompanied by the irresistible urge to push. (One remarkable fact about this labor that I realized afterwards was that the transition phase - that time between usually 7 or 8 cm and fully dilated where you feel out of control, panicky, nauseous, and in general the worst during labor - it didn't happen. Yes, I obviously had the dilation progress, but I never experienced those feelings like I did in my other labors. Everything just happened too fast for that. )

Immediately I gasped to Grant the best I could what was happening, and he rushed to the door to summon Tara and Connie, my nurse. They were knee-deep in paperwork and apparently not expecting me to have progressed so quickly! They rushed in and asked if I wanted to deliver in the water.

I did not. My primary reason was that when you deliver in the water, they have to cut the cord quickly and get you out quickly, so they can assess any issues with bleeding and all that. My real desire was to leave the cord intact until it stopped pulsing, so I figured the standard bed delivery would be best.

As I climbed out of the tub, I had another contraction and began to be afraid I wouldn't MAKE it to the bed! They wrapped me in towels and got me over there somehow, and I firmly instructed Grant to get behind me (sitting so I could lean on him), and since I've delivered in that position before, he knew exactly what I meant and was there instantly. My first push on the bed resulted in my water breaking, which had meconium in it, so Tara hollered for the pediatrician to be called STAT. As she calmly explained to me that I would be able to hold the baby for a minute, but that she would have to be given to the doctor for examination pretty much right away, the pediatrician showed up with a nurse....so fast it seemed like they were just waiting outside the door.

The contractions pretty much didn't stop at all and I was just pushing for a couple of minutes total, Tara telling me to push gently and breathe the whole time, when Ellia was just born. She had a lusty cry right away, a good indication of no problems, and was handed to me for just a few seconds before they whisked her over to examine her. She had an Apgar score of 9, so obviously there were no issues.

I had no tearing or related issues and felt the best I ever had after a delivery.

The next day - this is Nell, one of the other midwives - she's painting Ellia's feet pink to put her footprints on the wall in the birthing center.

Making her mark!

Ellia's feet are at the top of the second row from the left.

In her carseat, ready for the trip home, 24 hours after delivery.

We are so incredibly blessed to have this precious little girl in our family - and her name, which means "God has answered my prayers", is quite fitting. God really did answer all of our prayers and desires surrounding her birth and I couldn't have planned it better myself!

Labor Day Post 6

4:30 She's here!! Arrived at ~3:47
Ok, so I posted at 3:35 last... Rebekah was in the tub and sooooo under control that I thought for sure we had some time to go... In fact, when she got checked just before getting in the tub, I made sure to set Rebekah's expectations low by telling her to not be disappointed if there had not been much progress since we got admitted.

Needless to say after trying a couple of positions and a couple of hard contractions Rebekah told me she felt the urge to push. I had just enough time to get to the door, call for help, and get back to Rebekah. Four contractions happened back to back as we got her out of the tub and over to the bed. Rebekah told me to get behind her (for support while she pushed). Two minutes later... BABY! There was meconium in the bag of waters, so the pediatrician was called in with much haste, but thankfully all was good and Baby came out testing her lungs with a good vocal call!

Of course there are a lot more details (like her name) but those will come later ;)

Labor Day Post #5 - In the Tub Now

3:35 Grant here... Rebekah is doing great, she's dilated at 7cm and has settled into the hot tub. She's trying out different positions and handling things like a CHAMP!

Labor Day - Post 4

2:45 - We've been at the Birthing Center for awhile now.....when I got here, they hooked me up to a monitor for 20 minutes or so to make sure the baby was handling contractions just fine. She is. I was dilated 5 cm. when the midwife, Tara, checked me.....and she said my water could break at any second. Contractions are coming around 2-3 minutes apart, We're listening to an awesome Plumb CD that is so peaceful. I can't get in the tub yet, the water was too hot and they're cooling it with ice cubes.

Labor Day - Post 3

12:35 - Headed to the hospital.....I just had a issue with an aura, which is a vision disturbance that precludes a migraine....I laid down and rested for about 20 minutes and the aura is gone, thankfully I only have a smidge of a headache. Weird....haven't had something like that in a long time. Contractions eased a bit while I was resting...but now that I'm up, they're kicking in pretty good. Hopefully things will go fast at the birthing center!

Labor Day - Post 2

10:00 - Contractions are steady at about 4-5 minutes apart....definitely intensifying. I've finally given the answering service a call....should hear back from the midwife soon.

Labor Day - Post 1

I woke up this morning around 4:30 with mild contractions.....as they continued, about 8-10 minutes apart, I tried to rest until around 5:30, when I finally got up and showered and started the rest of my packing for the hospital. I am confident that our baby will be born today! I just can't wait to meet her! Right now, at 7:30, my contractions are about 4-5 minutes apart, strong enough that I can't walk through them, but I can still talk. Haven't called the midwife yet.

Annika's Birth Story

At the request of my mom, I'm posting Annika's birth story. I guess it's fitting, since we'll be celebrating her first birthday next Saturday.

Annika was due on August 28, 2007. Mom flew out to Virginia on August 21…..we had her come a week early because Marissa had been born six days early and we were just sure that Annika would follow suit. I was so relieved when Mom arrived and I wasn’t in labor yet, and I was sure it would happen any day. I had been 2 cm dilated at my previous 2 appointments and was having Braxton Hicks frequently.

Two weeks later, the situation hadn’t changed at all, except that now Mom only had a week left with us and Dad and my inlaws were arriving in two days. Still 2 cm dilated, still no true labor and in fact, despite having my membranes stripped twice, I was having fewer contractions than ever. We decided to induce. I was so nervous and anxious about it….but so ready to not be pregnant anymore!

September 6, 2007. I was up at 3:45 to shower and get ready….we had to be at the hospital by 5:00 am. It took an hour to get the initial blood work run, paperwork filled out, and all the normal stuff done. I finally got the pitocin and my antibiotics for GBS running in the IV at 6:15. The nurses were very accommodating about finding the very unused telemetry unit and trying to figure out how to work it. Turns out hardly anyone requests it and they just never pull it out. I was probably the last one to use it with my labor with Marissa! Anyways, it finally started working and I was free to roam around, towing the IV with me. Our main nurse for the day was Martha. Very nice lady.

So at about 9:15, Dr. Hill showed up and checked me, saying I was still only 2.5 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Argh! No progress. He broke my water, which wasn’t particularly pleasant. He figured things would hop right along. So I puttered around the room more.

There were two nursing students (both 30-40 something moms) on the unit that morning, and since I was the only patient who had agreed to let students observe the birth, they hovered around my room, popping in and out at regular intervals. It was sort of nice for a distraction, but eventually I got tired of trying to smile and have a conversation with them while I was focusing on labor. They really wanted me to deliver before their shift was up around 2:00. Believe me, I was more anxious for delivery than they were!

Around noon, I was really focusing hard on relaxing during the contractions and was ready to get checked. Only 4 cm. WHAT? I thought surely we were further along than that. After Martha suggested that Dr. Hill come back and re-break my water and possibly increase the Pitocen, I began to panic. I didn’t think I could handle these intense contractions for a whole lot longer. Grant and I decided to go for the epidural, so Martha called for the anesthesiologist. We waited and waited.

I eventually shifted from my semi-lying position to my left side (Bradley position) and felt the contractions intensify further. I was leaking a lot more, I guess Annika’s head had been blocking the water from coming out when I was upright.

By the time the anesthesiologist arrived, around 1:00, I was dilated to 5 cm and was entering transition. I had to sit on the edge of the bed and hold completely still while he did his work, and that was the hardest part of the whole thing. I was in such pain in that position and I KNEW I couldn’t move a centimeter. I had already heard that he was unable to give an epidural to another patient that morning because she wouldn’t hold still enough.

Everything was in by around 1:30. I was feeling significantly better, but still in some pain. My midwife, Lois, arrived and checked me….oh, I was already almost fully dilated. They immediately began to prep the room for delivery. Before I knew it, I was feeling the urge to push. What? The epidural hadn’t even kicked in completely and here I was about to deliver. Go figure.

Lois was telling me not to push yet (I’m still not sure why) and Martha whispered in my ear, “If you feel like pushing, you just go ahead and push!!”. So I did. I really couldn’t help it anyways. Annika was born in just about 3 pushes. 1:55 pm. If I had known I would go from 5 cm to delivery in less than an hour, I never would have gotten that epidural! Well, the nursing students got to witness their first delivery and were in tears. They said it was one of the happiest days of their lives. It was for me too!

Annika was perfect. Tons of dark hair and dark blue eyes. One of the nurses commented that she had never seen a newborn with such long eyelashes. She nursed beautifully from the get-go. After I got a stitch or two, and basic clean-up was finished, we were left alone to bond with her for over an hour. It was so precious. Then they took her to be measured and have first shots, etc. while I was doing final clean-up. She was 8 lb, 13 oz, and measured at 19.5 in. long, but we knew they were off, which was confirmed a week later at a check-up when she was 21.5 in long.

Then I got to go see the first bath (hospital regulations prevented Grant from getting to bathe her...they changed something because just 22 months ago, he got to give Marissa her first bath) and we got settled into our room. We were so glad everything was over, so relieved that it went so smoothly and we had our gorgeous baby girl. God is so good to us.

Corban's Birth Story

So Grant was hoping I would post "his" birth story, or rather, his account of Corban's birth. I never did write my version, so we'll have to rely on his for accuracy. :) He did a great job...he actually wrote it the day Corban was born and surprised me with it.

Well Everyone, Corban David Mora is here! Our son was born at 1:31 am on October 20, 2003. He weighed 8 lbs, 1 oz; and was 23 inches long! Very LONG AND LEAN! Apparently the pain Rebekah was feeling under her collar bone really was Corban kicking (ok so it was only her lower lung…) He currently has a LOT of brown hair, and very deep baby blue eyes… lets hope he keeps those colors!

As some of you know, Rebekah and I strongly support and desire natural child birth, but were not opposed to Medical Intervention if either her or our child were threatened. Here is the short version of our labor story written by me, alone, with out Rebekah’s review, VERY quickly, while checking on the dog before returning to her and Corban at the hospital… for a more accurate and complete version you will have to ask Rebekah… Oh, for those of you who think to be concerned about Corban’s vitals through the Labor, rest assured he has a fantastically strong heart and was never in any stress… in fact it appeared as though he enjoyed the stimulation!

Rebekah went into labor on Saturday morning at 9:30ish, and was admitted to Labor and Delivery at 7:00 pm (Dilated at 3 cm, 80% effaced). We arrived with more gear than you could shake a stick at, one nurse didn’t even know what our birthing ball was, and all were impressed by Rebekah’s ‘Birth Plan’, foresight to have a medical power of attorney for me, and her overall knowledge, and preparation.—My wife is remarkable and I AM SO PROUD OF HER!

Back to the story,
Rebekah remained in Active 1st stage labor until early Sunday morning. At 10:00 pm we had only progressed to 4 cm but were 100% effaced. By midnight Saturday night, after 2 more hours of even harder contractions we were disappointed to be informed that she was only at 5 cm. The rest of the night and early morning Rebekah labored hard, REALLY HARD. We thought for sure we would have that baby soon! Alas, that was not what God had in store for us.

We think Transition Stage (where you go from 7-10 cm, and is typically the hardest and shortest Stage of Labor lasting between 10 minutes and an hour) began at about 5:00 on Sunday Morning, however, we know that by 8:00 am when her midwife checked her she was at 8 cm, there she remained for the next 7 agonizing hours (though she spent a total of 12 hours at 8 cm). At about 12:30 pm she was checked again and it was discovered there had been no forward progress, we decided to intensify her contractions with natural methods to no avail, that is, the contractions came faster and harder but when she was checked again at 2:30 pm we were again told we were still at 8 cm.

At this point While I was very tired, I hadn’t been laboring for 30 hours like Rebekah… she was exhausted both because of the labor and because of sleep deprivation and food deprivation… hey guys, you try eating when you can’t even walk from an intense muscular contraction you can’t stop or rest from…. Let’s put it in perspective… do you exercise? Try doing bench press, pushups, incline press, decline press and every variation there of to totally smoke one muscle group… FOR 30 HOURS STRAIGHT… and see if you have the heart to do what Rebekah then did…

As Rebekah’s Coach, I knew my Athlete really wanted a natural delivery, and I truly believed that we were close, really close, to the magic 10 cm mark. I gave her a good pep talk after discussing some not so fun options with our midwife and doctor, which included the mention of a Cesarean Section. We then did our best to intensify contractions again with natural techniques, and by 3:00pm things were REALLY moving. Doing her best to relax through her contractions, and focus on surrendering to the labor, allowing her uterus to do the work it was designed to do, Rebekah fought through another hour of what was some of the most amazingly intense contractions you could imagine.

When the agreed upon time came for our midwife to check her again, Rebekah was still only dilated at 8 cm. – I could not bring myself to coach her though another hour like that, not at the exhausted state she was at… we needed a break, Rebekah needed some rest or she would never be able to push Corban out. Fortunately both of us felt that an Epidural was the way to go, followed by the breaking of her waters. We did not break her waters previously because the Bag of Waters serves as a great natural cushion to keep the intensity of uterine contractions from overwhelming a laboring mother…

At 5:10 pm on Sunday, Rebekah received an Epidural and at about 5:35 her waters were broken. Two hours later she was still at 8 cm… despite these two interventions. Again the Doctor brought up the subject of a Cesarean Section, and again we wanted to avoid it, an internal monitor was fed into her uterus in order to be ‘squeezed’ and therefore get a very accurate reading on the strength of her contractions. We discovered that because of the extremely long labor, her uterus was no long able to give contractions powerful enough to finish dilating the Cervix, let alone be able to birth our son. We opted for Pitocen, a medication that stimulates uterine contractions, in order to finish the labor.

Finally at Midnight on Sunday night Rebekah had reached 10 cm, but still had no overwhelming urge to push. After another hour of contractions Rebekah had an urge to push… and at 1:00 am on Monday she began pushing.

Second Stage Labor… Rebekah originally intended to give birth to Corban in the squatting position using a squatting bar. However, the Epidural made this an impossibility. The next best position, which was our alternate planned position, should Rebekah’s knee give out, was the Assisted Classic Position. In this position, the Labor Coach sits behind the Athlete and acts as a backrest while pulling back on the Athlete’s thighs ‘simulating’ a squat from a seated position. All the Labor and Delivery Staff were amazed to see this… I guess they don’t see to many couple that do their homework or train for this like Rebekah and I did.

After only a half hour of pushing Corban came screaming into this world and was immediately placed on Rebekah’s chest for bonding. With digital cameral in hand I snapped our first family photo, minus our dog.

Third stage labor we won’t discuss, as most people leave during the credits of a movie anyway…

Well there you have it, the story of the birth of our little boy, Corban David. A total of 40 hours of labor, 12 of which she spent at 8 cm dilated… my hat is off to my wife, she has more than proven my claim that she is capable of anything. Our little boy is a strong little tike with lots of hair, and fantastic leg muscle definition, I am sure his Uncle Eric is already dreaming of the Mountain Bike races he will one day coach his Nephew to destroy his opponents in.

Grant stopped by a bakery and got this adorable ice cream cake for us to celebrate. We ended up giving most of it to the nurses, because we certainly couldn't eat it all!

Marissa's Birth Story

Fish Mama over at LifeAsMom just had a darling baby girl and is hosting a birth story swap today. I thought I'd join in with my favorite birth thusfar, Marissa's. (Note: I wrote this just a few days after she was born.)

The date was October 28, 2005. Marissa was due in 6 days, and my mom was arriving on the 31st. I felt like I had a lot of deep cleaning to do before everything went crazy, and I had started scrubbing our downstairs vinyl floor by hand the previous day and had more than half left to go. I worked all morning on the floor, despite the remembrance that just the previous night I had commented to Grant that I should probably take it easy and not work too hard, since the baby could come at any time and I didn’t want to be too exhausted when labor began.

Grant and I had arranged with a neighbor girl, Laura, to baby sit for us that night while we went on one last date before Marissa’s arrival, to the movies. After lunch, Corban and I headed out to the movie theater to buy tickets for the new Zorro movie. Then we stopped by the grocery store to pick up some frozen pizzas, then home to get Corban down for a nap. I called Laura’s mom to inform her of the ticket times and when we needed Laura to be there. She asked how I was feeling and I replied, “No baby yet!” and laughed.

I headed downstairs to finish my Suduko puzzle from the newspaper before taking a little snooze myself. As I reclined on the couch, I felt a sharp little pain in my cervix area, as though Marissa had punched me a good one. Suddenly, I began to feel a little wet. Instantly the thought crossed my mind that my water had broken, but I was in complete denial and just kept working my puzzle. I kept feeling wetter, but continued ignoring it for several minutes, thinking, “This just can’t be happening right now”. It became impossible to ignore and I headed to the bathroom, realizing that no, I had not peed on myself and yes, this was a serious situation. Fortunately, the liquid was clear, so no worries about meconium. My heart pounding with the realization that this baby was inevitably coming, I headed upstairs to the master bathroom, in which there was a phone.

It was about 2:45 pm. I called Grant, who was driving back to work from some errands. I said, “Honey, we’re not going to make it to that movie”, to which he replied, “Are you in labor?!” very excitedly….when I said “Yes”, he wasn’t disappointed about the movie at all. He said he would be home very soon and that he would call the doctor’s office for me (he had the number more available than I did). He called me back a few minutes later and informed me that Lois, my midwife, was out of town (as he was told by the receptionist at the office) and that we were instructed to head to the hospital as soon as possible.

I couldn’t believe it, she had told me she would be around and was planning on being at my labor and delivery. Well, nothing could be done and I had to proceed anyways! I called Laura’s mom back and made arrangements for her to come over and watch Corban for the night, then jumped into the shower. I knew I had a long night ahead of me and wasn’t about to have those post-baby pictures taken with greasy hair!

Then I got to start packing. We hadn’t done any of that yet! I was so convinced that she would be late that I hadn’t made it a priority. I was having mild contractions, nothing major at all, but still leaking a lot of fluid. Grant got home, the babysitters arrived, we finally finished packing and saying goodbyes to Corban (who had gotten very clingy and obviously knew something big was happening), and headed out the door. I was so nervous about leaving Corban. He had never spent a night away from me, so I guess I was anxious for both of us! I could hardly believe that when I came back home, I would have a new baby. Life would really never be the same.

We stopped at Walgreen’s on the way, mainly to get some bottled water. Grant ended up buying a load of candy, too (great for celebrating once she was born). Once at the hospital, Grant was uploading some CDs to his MP3 player so we could have music without the boom box in the hospital room. I was uncomfortable, but still not in significant pain. We got into the hospital around 6:00.

The unit was quiet, I was instructed to change into a gown, and basically we were left alone. A nurse finally came in to start the processing paperwork, and she told us there would be a shift change at 7:00. The contractions were picking up in intensity, about every 4-5 minutes, but I was coping very well. Our nurse for the evening, Judy Lassiter, came in to meet me, and she continued with the paperwork, questions, etc. I told them I would need an IV for the antibiotics for Strep B, but it was not a rush for them. Dr. Hill showed up in the room around 8:00, examined me and said I was 3 cm dilated, 70% effaced. He told me he’d give me till morning to see if I needed Pitocin.

Finally I got the monitors off and the IV in and was able to get out of the bed to move around. I headed immediately to the bathroom, and the contractions picked up as soon as I was standing. By 9:30, I was really concentrating on breathing and relaxing through contractions and was in a lot of pain, wondering if I could really do this natural childbirth thing. I told Grant I wanted to get checked, and that if I wasn’t making GOOD progress, I was seriously considering an epidural. He summoned Judy and she checked me immediately. I think we were all surprised when she announced 6 cm! Whew, I WAS making progress. At that point, I knew I could hang in there awhile longer.

I had decided that sitting on the bed was the most comfortable position for me. Grant sat behind me so I could lean on him during contractions and between them he rubbed my back with this heavenly lavender vanilla massage oil from Bath and Bodyworks. As the contractions swept over me, I put every ounce of concentration I could muster into relaxing all the muscles in my body and visualizing my cervix opening like a flower. Transition seemed like it lasted forever…..I was shaking and sweaty and convinced that I couldn’t stand another minute of pain, and at 10:30 I demanded to be checked again.

Whoa, 8-9 cm! I was almost there!!! The nurse kicked it into high gear at that point, saying she was calling Lois right away. I was confused…Lois???? I thought she was out of town. Oh, she was back and was planning on attending my birth. Thank God!! Why didn’t anyone tell me this earlier? (I later found out that Lois was not informed of how fast I was progressing and was extremely sorry that she wasn’t there to help out. She loves attending natural births and I was one of her few patients having one).

I had another urgent need to use the bathroom and managed to make it there in the few seconds between contractions. As I sat on the toilet, I could feel my body starting to push. I wasn’t doing it on purpose, and I really couldn’t stop it! It was the strangest feeling. I made it back out to the bed and told Grant we’d better get Judy in there fast.

She came in to check me again (about 10:40) and said I was fully dilated! She told me to try not to push and to pant through contractions. Lois should be there soon! Boy, that was the hardest thing ever…..to keep from pushing. My body rebelled against me and I just could not control it, panting though I was. Judy was preparing the room for delivery because she could tell I wasn’t gonna last much longer. Another nurse, Martha, came to assist. I think it was a few minutes till 11:00 when Judy determined that baby was coming NOW and I might as well push with all my might.

So I did. My goodness, the intensity of those few moments. I thought I couldn’t bear the pain, but it was exhilarating to know that I was delivering a precious baby and that my body was doing exactly what it was made to do. Marissa’s head came out and unbeknownst to me, the cord was wrapped around her neck. Grant could tell something was wrong because the color of her head was not normal; it was quite purple. Despite his immediate concern, he managed to stay completely calm and just followed Judy’s example in urging me to push.

Judy swiped the cord off Marissa’s neck with one finger and just stated firmly, “Push now, get that baby out.” I had no idea anything could be wrong, but I pushed as hard as I could and she slid out. At that very instant, Lois arrived. Marissa was handed up to my chest for a few seconds…It barely registered in my mind that she wasn’t the right color or crying….she was gurgling and wet and had so much hair and all I could think was “I did it! I did it! Thank God it’s over!”

Then I realized that Grant wasn’t cutting the cord, that Judy did it and then took Marissa away. After turning her upside down and patting her, she started crying. They got her under a warmer for a few minutes while Lois checked me out. I had a minor tear which required a few stitches (my goodness, the shots to make me numb were so painful!) and thankfully that was over quickly.

Marissa was doing fine and was brought over to me to nurse. Lois and Judy, after insuring everybody was okay, left us in peace to have some bonding time with our precious new daughter. She took to nursing right away and Grant and I just looked at her and marveled at how perfect she was. We were both still in a bit of shock at how fast the labor progressed…..we knew it would be faster than Corban’s, but we truly had no idea the total time would be just 8 hours 20 minutes. Praise GOD!!!