Bren's Birth of Crescent

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This is about birth as an emergence, not an emergency.

Chance and I had both been talking to her, giving her the go-ahead that we were ready as soon as she was. Monday night, we made love using a little castor oil for lube. It was one of those very tender times- it felt extra-special for some reason.

We got up Tuesday morning and had our normal daily routine with the boys and the rest of the house. The usual chasing kids around, feeding them, finding PBS so they can get their daily programming (kidding!).

Most of the housemates went off to school or work. It got very quiet and I realized as I was washing dishes that I had had two of those funny cramps during Zaboomafoo and four during Sesame Street and here was another one, right on time! I was having little crampy sensations every fifteen minutes! I went to the bathroom and noticed some pink stuff on the paper- I decided I must be in labor.

I told Chance that it was time to give the birthing tub a good wash. It took a few times of me telling him before it finally sunk into him that our baby was on her way. Boy, did he move fast when it hit him! He was on the phone lining up an overnight for the boys and out scrubbing that tub before I got done with the bowl I was washing.

I went into the bedroom and started getting things together- digging the receiving blankets and towels out of the closet, clearing off my nightstand and setting out candles and sage...

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Lunch time came and the whole house was back together from wherever they had been. The noise and stress level grew- I had planned to not tell anyone that I was in labor because I wanted to be left alone. I came out to get something (more water?) and sure enough: two of our housemates (who were expecting their own baby in 4 months) wanted to know all about it! Very sweet, but grrrr! I didn't feel like talking about it.

I had Chance tell everyone to GO AWAY! He cooked me a big steak (I insisted- I was HUNGRY!) and I went to bed. I had a long nap- I guess I woke about three hours later.

The cramping was still happening, but it was much weaker and not regular anymore. I made a pot of tea with raspberry leaf, blue and black cohosh, squawvine, and ginger. Nothing changed after a cup, so I had a second cup and rubbed some more castor oil into my yoni. I burned some sweetgrass and said some affirmations that labor would kick in again and my baby would be coming soon. It worked!

I don't know how far apart the contractions were or how long they lasted. I had taken the clock out of my room because it was too distracting. They did start coming closer, lasting longer, and getting stronger. It got dark outside. I tried laboring in the dark- I lit a candle so I could find my chamber pot and kept it burning. The chamber pot made things easier- I was peeing during some of the contractions and I wasn't comfortable on the toilet.

I did NOT like laying down! It made things too intense and painful. I mostly went from leaning over a pile of blankets on my bed, sometimes standing, sometimes kneeling, and half-squatting, half-kneeling on the floor. I walked a little around the room.

Later on, I was more comfortable kneeling on the floor in front of the bathtub. Chance had set up the birthing tub in our room, but it wasn't full yet.

He sat with me during some of the contractions and stroked my back. It felt great mostly- a couple of times it was too intense and he stopped and just reminded me to breathe it out. Never once did he assume to tell me HOW to breathe- bless him!

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Right about the time he got the tub full and warm enough, I had a really strong contraction and I could feel the baby's head starting to come past my cervix. I had to bury my head in Chance's leg to keep from crying. I didn't think it could be time yet- I had been waiting for those non-stop crashing waves and they never came.

I thought I needed to poop, so I got up and tried to lower myself onto the toilet. It didn't feel right, so I stood up and the baby came shooting down my birth canal!

I put my hands down there to hold her back as she came through- Chance was trying to get me to the bedroom to help me into the tub and when he came around behind me, he saw her face! So he put his hands over mine and helped me support her body. Then she was up in my arms and I was standing there looking into her eyes!

Chance ran to get a blanket and I checked to see if we had a girl or a boy- when I saw that she was a girl, I started crying with joy.

Chance helped us to the bed and we waited for the placenta. She didn't want to nurse right away- she nuzzled me and seemed content just to be there next to me.

An hour and a half later, the placenta still hadn't come, so I took some Angelica tincture and had three very painful contractions as it separated and came out. It was HUGE- I have never seen a placenta that big before!

Crescent finally nursed and we both fell asleep.

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No midwife to thank, no one else to give the credit to... The birth was OURS and it felt amazing!

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