I started having contractions Monday... about every 20 minutes. I know they weren't doing anything. I was too comfortable for being 9 months pregnant.
Friday they started to get a little more annoying... I had trouble sleeping. Went to see my midwife Bonnie and I was about 3 centimeters dilated but no effacement. This didn't mean anything to me. With my last baby, 6 years ago, I was 3 centimeters dilated for 3 weeks.
Saturday we planned on camping but I didn't want to go anywhere. Wanted to stay close to home. We parked our motorhome across the street along with a couple of others. We partied and cooked outside that night. I spent a lot of time at home because I really wasn't in the partying mood. I was fine as long as I was sitting but as soon as I stood up a contraction would hit. I could still walk through them. I had a feeling the baby might come before morning.
My sister and her husband came over. They stayed 'til 11. I told her I thought I might be in labor. Tim (my husband) and the kids came in the house around 11 and he got the kids to bed. Now ... after my sister left... and all the kids were in bed... the contractions really kicked in.... the party was still going on across the street. We made sure all the windows were shut and closed the curtains. We didn't tell anyone we were having the baby at home.
I stayed in my room and kinda' rocked on hands & knees.. on my bed through a few contractions.. 15 minutes apart still and not very painful.
12:32... contractions got harder and went to 5 minutes apart.
I laid next to my husband in bed.. my back to his chest ... while going through transition. I just kinda laid there in a trance like state ... staring at the ceiling and my whole body started to shake.. but I was still pretty calm.
... then I had about a 10-12 minute break to rest up. I tried to calm myself and relax as much as possible before the next contraction.
When the next one came... it hurt like hell! I got up on hands& knees.. leaned into my husband's shoulder and moaned and groaned through the whole thing.. which was about 2 minutes. As soon as it was over I had to go to the bathroom.
I sat on the toilet and did my duty then the next one hit...I yelled LOUD through the whole contraction and couldn't move...thank goodness the windows were closed or I would have woke the neighbors. How did my kids sleep through it??? all but one.. my 13 year old daughter Rebekah heard the whole thing and had fun imitating me after it was all over with. My husband told me I had to get up cause I couldn't have the baby in the toilet and he couldn't reach to catch it. I yelled "I CAN'T!!"
He leaves and comes back with my daughters favorite quilt. Tells me to squat down and have it here on the blanket. I said "I can't have the baby on Kakie's favorite blanket!" I run to the bedroom. I'm on hands and knees on the bed.. trying to get comfortable with pillows. My husband ..the quick thinker.. went and got my gymnastic ball .. threw a sheet over it and I leaned on that while he was behind me to catch the baby. I couldn't believe it was going this fast! We have a mirror on our headboard and I could see everything.
Tim was on his way to the bathroom to get some toilet tissue for me... he was trying to keep my bottom as clean as possible and that's when I felt the baby start to move down. I yelled, "NO, it's coming!!".... I started growling and grunting like some kinda wild animal ..LOL!! He stayed and the baby moved down slowly.
Next thing he says... I can see HIS eyes... the head was halfway out.. playing peek-a- boo so I pushed a little more and he said he had the head in his hands. I could see the baby in the mirror. He could feel the cord on one side of her neck, but not the other. Then I said here comes the rest... and the baby just slid out the rest of the way and was laying on the bed.... 1:05 am September 2nd. The cord was loose around her neck and was easily unwrapped.
Tim was checking her out and I rubbed her back and started talking to her then she started breathing. She never was purple or blue. She was pink right from the start... all the way to the tips of her fingers and toes.
I laid down with her... she wanted to nurse right away. I started breastfeeding her while my husband went to get the kids. The were very surprised and couldn't believe I was laying there with a big smile on my face after just having a baby. When Mariah was about 1/2 hour old I decided to get up on my knees and see if the placenta was ready to come out. My kids scattered. I sat up.. put Mariah back on my breast and out it came. ... clamped and cut the cord.. then put the afterbirth in a plastic bag.
My husband took the table cloth and top sheet off the bed.. washed my legs off and kept me and Mariah supplied with nice warm towels right out of the dryer. We put a cotton cap on her head and kept her blankets and towels warm with the dryer. She never got chilled or cold. Also she nursed for 2 hours straight.
The kids went back to bed and Tim, Mariah & I snuggled up and went to sleep around 5:30 am.
We weighed her at the post office in the morning around 9am and she weighed 6lb 3oz. Later we found out that the party didn't turn in 'til around 12:30.. I can't believe no one heard me. The next day, we sure surprised them all!!
:-)
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