The Home Birth Story of The Dactyl

 

This labor and birth experience was almost the exact opposite of my 1st baby, as far as sequence of events goes. Piggie came at 38 weeks, this one came a day shy of 41 weeks. With my first, when contractions started, I went into active labor that day and had my son 16 hours later; with this one, it took 5 days in my mind. Those first few days were filled with anxiety, stress, worry, and frustration. The last day or two, a peaceful feeling came over me and I knew my baby was coming and my body wasn't failing me. In hindsight, it all worked out perfectly and my baby came when he and my body were 100% ready. I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful birth experience.

Wednesday 23rd: Contractions started around 1AM, just like with Piggie. Luis and I were very excited. My mom came and got Piggie in the morning, and contractions were coming about every 3-5 minutes around 8AM with good intensity. My midwife Alison came over, but unfortunately, by afternoon my contractions started fading away. I was so tired, I just wanted to sleep. When I woke up around 4PM, they had stopped.

Thursday 24th: Contractions started around 3PM and lasted until around 11PM, never getting closer than 5 minutes apart. If I got up and walked around, they would fade. They would come on when I was laying in bed on my left side. Baby became really active at 11PM. I could actually feel what felt like a hand behind my pubic bone, which I thought was really weird that a hand would be down that low where his head was.

Friday 25th: Woke up around 4AM and thought my water had broken. It actually was only leaking.

Saturday 26th: Signed a waiver that I was choosing to not transfer to the hospital since it had been 24 hours since I had been leaking amniotic fluid. This stressed me out, even though I knew what my body was doing was all completely normal and safe. I likely drove my midwife and her assistants crazy during this time. Each one of them had conversations with me of reassurance and encouragement. They were also coming by daily and checking my blood pressure and temperature, and checking on baby. All signs were a go, so I didn't feel any need to transfer to a hospital. Contractions came and went, but no baby. I sat in the shower that night and talked to my baby. I told him I was sorry for stressing him and that I was ready for him and for whenever he wanted to come, that I would wait patiently. I had a feeling he would be coming in a day.

Sunday 26th: I felt the urge to walk. I went to the park twice with my family and walked in circles while Piggie played. Walked up and down the little hills at the park and the steps on the jungle gym. I didn't tell anyone, but I just knew he was coming that night. I didn't want to get anyone excited if I was wrong.

7-9PM: I bounced on the yoga ball, contractions kept coming. Family was sitting all around me watching tv, but I didn't say anything. Everyone left, and Luis put Piggie to bed.

11PM: Contractions were 3 minutes apart and making me uncomfortable enough to feel the need to just start walking around and bend over on the sofa or table when they would come on. Went to the bathroom feeling like I needed to have a bowel movement, and my water broke for real this time. I just remember thinking "Hell yes!" I told Luis to call Alison cause it was definitely happening.

Between 11:30-12AM: Contractions were every minute and a half. I didn't want them to stop this time, so I welcomed them. I would squat every time one came on and rock my body back and forth. I felt the baby so low. I asked Alison to check me not long after she got there, and I was already between a 7 and an 8. I told them I thought it was a good time to fill the tub up. I just stayed in my room where it was dark and paced back and forth, squatting in my bathroom and tried to remain quiet since Piggie was in our bed sleeping.

Sometime until 2AM: The water felt amazing. I panicked at first, thinking my contractions were going to stop, but they came back and were very strong. Alison assured me they weren't going away this time. I started to get scared because I remembered how painful pushing was with Piggie. I was feeling like I was going to have a bowel movement and Alison told me that was a baby, not poop. I stalled through a few contractions cause I just kept thinking "Shit...I don't want to do this. I can't do this." Alison told me that when I was ready to be done, the baby would be born, and until then I would just keep having contractions. I most definitely did not want to remain pregnant and in labor, so I started focusing on how happy it would make me to be able to call our family and let them know the baby was here. I wasn't necessarily having pushing contractions, but it felt good to push. So every contraction, I grabbed hold of Luis on the side of the tub and pushed.

I could feel the baby coming down and then going back up. My legs were sort of cramping up so between contractions I tried straightening them out some. The sounds I was making made me start laughing until I couldn't breathe because I remembered how Luis told me that I sound like a whale during the pushing stage. He said that if we lived at the beach, there would be a whole bunch of beached whales because I call them during labor. Luis and I could hardly stop laughing before another contraction came.

As baby was coming down, I remembered the same physical sensations I had had with my 1st birth, except it felt a bit more bumpy. His body didn't feel like it came out as smoothly as Piggie's had. It was because he had come out with his head a little to the side and had both arms up and crossed (so I did feel a hand a few days before!). But oh what sweet relief it is to push out the baby's body, and the pain is instantly gone! They told me to pick up my baby; I looked over and my baby was under the water facing me. I scooped him up, so relieved it was over. Not much later the placenta came, we cut his cord, and I got out of the pool. It was perfect timing, because Piggie had just woken up.I learned a valuable lesson with this labor: labor and birth are not always linear. It doesn't always start and finish in one go. It can start and stop several times before baby makes an appearance. All labors and births are different and don't follow the same pattern. Our bodies and babies work together so smoothly when we allow them to. I'll always remember this birth experience with as much fondness as I did my first birth, even though it took just a little longer!