Saturday night, I was up every hour or so with the crampy exps., and to pee. Still thinking nothing of it- but I did mention it to Matt in the morning. As I was checking E-mail, I realized that they were coming every eight minutes or so- still assuming that I was nowhere near to birth, just getting ready. They didn't take any thought at all, so we just went about the day as usual. Though they did get closer together, I wasn't having any bloody show (which I had early on with both boys), though I did lose another glob of mucous (which I also thought nothing of, since I had been losing little bits for weeks). Also no diarrhea- but I was peeing a lot (again, that was "just because I was drinking lots of water" :). I vaguely thought that I might birth in a few days- this was just a gradual warm up... I would "really" be in labor when the bloody show and diarrhea started :).
I was really sleepy, and decided to take a nap- which slowed things down a little. See? I wasn't in labor...
'Round about 2 p.m., I finally started thinking that *maybe* I was in early labor- which is when I posted to the cbirth list about it- fully assuming that I would be writing back later to say that I was going to bed because things had stopped...
About quarter to three, I lay back down for another nap and slept for about half an hour- again deciding that I was not in labor, since the exps. slowed way down. Then tried to get the boys to nap at 3:30- but they were too rambunctious and I had a couple of expansions that made me breathe pretty heavily, so I gave up the nap idea.
At fourish, I suddenly realized *I WAS IN LABOR*- things just really went into high gear. I had begun to have the exps. every few minutes, so I put Matt to work filling the labor tub. In the meantime, I rubbed my lower belly with arnica and clary sage oil- it felt wonderful! The expansions were getting pretty intense at this point. I also rubbed my lower back, which was pretty achey- I did a pelvic press on myself, and as the exps. died down, I would slide my hands firmly down my hip bones. I found that my favorite place to be was in the bathroom, standing holding onto the changing table. I held the railing really firmly, and pressed my chest into it, while doing a standing squat. I *had* to look at the sky through the exps.- if I closed my eyes, or looked down, they *hurt*- looking out the window kept me feeling that they were just intense. I still didn't feel that I was that close, because during transition with my others, I vocalized *a lot*.
Finally, the tub had enough water in it to get in. The first exps. in there was *IMMENSE* and almost bowled me over. I either sat or kneeled in the tub, and leaned forward, pressing my face into it during the exps. I felt the need to be perfectly still, so when William decided to join me, I got more uncomfortable... I finally had Matt take him out (by being bribed with candy! All this time, Max was watching TV). I got out and spent some time in the bathroom, then went back to the tub. But I started to feel like I had to poop (and was thinking "OK, so how many times have I laughed when a woman insists she has to poop when the baby is coming? But *I* am not that close!"), So went to the toilet- no poop. I ended up staying in there at my favorite spot, and was overwhelmed with curiosity about what my cervix felt like (lots of virtual strangers have had their hands in my yoni - why not me?). I reached in and felt a rim of cervix and... the baby's head and hair!! It was still behind the cervix, and I didn't have a clue how dilated I was, but thought, "well, it's at least halfway". I told Matt about feeling the head, and he thought that was cool. (He asked if it had long hair like a girl or short hair like a boy- just to be silly. ;) I said that I couldn't tell and that I had no idea how far along I was...
Right after he left, I realized that I was really close. I got a catch in my throat- and thought that my body might be close to pushing. I told him that when he came back (with William)- and suddenly, my body just took over and began pressing down on the baby. I started to involuntarily groan, and my whole body was pushed into a deep standing squat- it was amazing and so powerful that I was in awe, which kept me from being totally overwhelmed. He left with W. to tell Max to come up- Max came and said that he would have to cover his ears, because of the loud noises (though I wasn't making many, he remembered the last time)- then he said "I'm outta here!" and went back down. Matt went out to tell him that if he wanted to see the birth, he had to come as soon as we called, but to stay down there if he wanted to.
All of a sudden, the baby just came flying about half-way down (hey, wait, I am still waiting for bloody show to tell me I am in labor!:)- It was incredible, just this sudden intense pressure. I pressed my hand to my crotch, feeling a little liquid coming out and called, "Matt! Now!" He came running in and asked me what I needed, if something was wrong... All I could say was "BAAAAAAABYYYYYYY!". I was still standing at the changing table, and William investigated between my legs when Matt told him the baby would be coming soon. Matt put his hands between my legs, to be able to catch the baby (I shoved them away- I wanted *nothing* near there!), and asked if I wanted to move, since I was pretty far from the ground. I told him I wasn't sure if I could (the head was so close to crowning), but I waddled to the birth room, while holding onto my crotch (I really really wanted to catch the birth on video! and we did!). I kneeled on the futon, over the pile of rags and blankets there. Matt and William turned the video camera on, and then started to play across the room- Matt did not realize how close the birth was! He suddenly did and ran to get Max when he saw the head was emerging.
I was on hands and knees, while holding my crotch with one hand. The pressure was incredible, and I pressed onto the head some to keep it from coming too quickly. All this time, though my body was doing everything instinctively, I had a little logical voice going in my head- "now, should I press on the front of my yoni, or the back? When the head comes out, I will feel a pop! and that will be such a relief...". I also had the presence of mind to move my hair, in case it was in the way of the camera.
Then her head *did* come out, and it *was* a relief :). I had to move all of the way up onto my knees so that I could see her over my belly, and I watched in amazement as the head slowly turned as the body rotated- all the while feeling it turning inside me too. No need for "assisting the rotation" here! I wasn't even touching her. Then the baby just slid out, landing right on the futon- I was close enough to it that she didn't have far to go, but I did have my hands on her. I just looked at her for a few moments, lying there all purple, with the umbilical cord wrapped over her shoulders.
Then I picked her up- deliberately, though unconsciously (I know, it doesn't make sense, but that is how I remember it) covering her bottom up with my hand. I didn't want anyone to know what the sex was until I had some time with the baby. I unwrapped her cord from around her, and held her, watching her gurgle a bit, then cry a little. I put a blanket over her, then noticed a big piece of mucous in her mouth, so I sucked it out with my mouth and spit it out- I didn't even have to think about it. It was just the natural thing to do. She cried a little more after that, but quieted down as I kissed her and talked to her. It was so wonderful to be able to see her change from purple to a lovely rosy pink- beautiful! Matt was taking some photos, and the boys were gathered around looking at the baby. Max asked what the sex was, and Matt told him we didn't know yet. Matt looked at her face and said "Oh, you look just like your mama!". We both *knew* she was a girl the moment we saw her, but didn't have the proof of looking yet. A few minutes later, I checked under the blanket, and all I had to say to Matt was "OH! Matt!!" to confirm that we finally had our Eudora. I realized we hadn't looked to see what time she was born, and Matt estimated that it was about 5:50 - which makes it less than two hours from when I realized I really *was* in labor!
She decided to nurse then, and would not let go except to change sides until over two and a half hours later! So, I ended up sitting in a soggy place on the futon all that time, but I got pretty comfy with some pillows Max brought in- and of course I had Dora to gaze at! She is incredibly healthy- pink, alert, and breathing wonderfully. When everyone was out of the room, I decided to push with one of the exps. I was having, and the placenta came out. I didn't even look at it- it was between my legs under a blanket, and it didn't need my attention right then.
After about two and a half hours, I got a little tired of sitting attached to the placenta via the baby (I didn't mind her nursing, of course!), so I cut the cord- it had finally stopped pulsing, even at her belly. Matt made a couple of placenta prints and drew some cord blood out. She stopped nursing then, so Papa finally got to hold her while I washed the blood off of my feet- and then I tidied up the birth room... :) Matt said that I looked like I could run a marathon- I feel like it, too!
We had some dinner, then went to bed. I was up and down a few times with Dora to change her multitudes of meconium diapers (after the first time of cleaning it up off of her legs from having her just wrapped in blankets, I put her in some really soft diapers- it definitely made it easier to clean her up). She got pretty loud at one point, so I moved to the other bed, so she wouldn't wake anyone up. I did get some sleep, but my afterpains got pretty intense and I was woken by them. Motherwort tincture helped a little, but I finally took a Motrin, and that helped a lot. I am barely bleeding at all, and I have *no* evidence that I just gave birth- not a scratch. My yoni isn't even swollen! A nice change from the other times (one episiotomy, one with skid marks and swelling).
Dora has spent all of her time in my arms, sleeping and nursing... and nursing in her sleep... This probably could have been typed faster with two hands, but I am not letting her go yet!
