My God shall supply all my needs, according to His riches in glory.
On 7 February at around 1130am, I started feeling cramping pains. Nothing particularly regular or painful, though I did have to breathe through a couple of them. I continued as normal, but I asked Ben to help me pack a hospital bag before we went to bed.
At 2am 8 February, my waters broke, waking me from sleep. I woke Ben at that point, and then again a half hour later because I was pretty sure I was having contractions. Ben moved furniture and started inflating the birth pool. Ben also called my amazing doula, Nicky Wesson, and she agreed to come straight away. My contractions were around 2 minutes apart.
At 3am I woke Ramona, a friend licensed as a midwife in the US who was staying with us, to give her Nikki's baby monitor as Ben and I were both labour-focused at this point. Ben called the Birth Centre. Both of my assigned midwives, Emma and Tanisha, were with women in active labour, but they would send two other midwives. And they told Ben to call the paramedics if I started feeling like pushing.
At around 0330 I threw up. My mind told me this was transition, so I asked Ben to get Ramona. I asked her to tell me what was going on since I had just thrown up. She told me that it is often a sign of transition, but it was really quick, so it could just be a sign of labour. The next contraction came and I was pushing. She asked if I felt that down low; I said 'yes.'
Ben had just filled the birth pool to the minimum, and Ramona said I could get in, 'because this is definitely not early labour.' She and Ben managed to pull my socks off between contractions, and I was immediately more comfortable in the water. Nicky arrived soon after I entered the birth pool.
At 0345, midwives Caroline Flint and Sangeeta Freeman arrived. Sangeeta checked the baby's heart tones which were excellent and my blood pressure which was also good. Labour was extremely intense, and neither Ben nor Nicky left me for a moment. Ramona brought hot water to top up the pool, and she also managed to take some photos. Here I am at a pause between contractions, with Sangeeta, Nicky, and Ben.
At 0502, Michael arrived and I picked him up out of the water.
He will give His angels charge over me.
Michael had not yet realised that he was no longer in the womb and that he needed to take his first breath. So the midwives took him, rubbed him with a towel, removed mucus from his mouth, and administered a couple puffs of air. Ramona called the paramedics just in case, but Michael was breathing on his own before she was off the phone with them. You can see from the photo that he was pretty un-phased by the drama.
Jehovah Jireh cares for me.
My daughter, Nikki, woke at 0600, and Ramona brought her in to meet her brother. Nikki and Michael met over a breakfast of breast milk.
After Nikki finished nursing, Ramona took her to begin her morning routine. This is a picture of Nikki with Ramona just before Ramona left the next day.
We were glad Ramona was here for the labour and in the hours immediately after, when she spent time with Nikki and gave Ben and me a chance to bond with our son.
On 7 February at around 1130am, I started feeling cramping pains. Nothing particularly regular or painful, though I did have to breathe through a couple of them. I continued as normal, but I asked Ben to help me pack a hospital bag before we went to bed.
At 2am 8 February, my waters broke, waking me from sleep. I woke Ben at that point, and then again a half hour later because I was pretty sure I was having contractions. Ben moved furniture and started inflating the birth pool. Ben also called my amazing doula, Nicky Wesson, and she agreed to come straight away. My contractions were around 2 minutes apart.
At 3am I woke Ramona, a friend licensed as a midwife in the US who was staying with us, to give her Nikki's baby monitor as Ben and I were both labour-focused at this point. Ben called the Birth Centre. Both of my assigned midwives, Emma and Tanisha, were with women in active labour, but they would send two other midwives. And they told Ben to call the paramedics if I started feeling like pushing.
At around 0330 I threw up. My mind told me this was transition, so I asked Ben to get Ramona. I asked her to tell me what was going on since I had just thrown up. She told me that it is often a sign of transition, but it was really quick, so it could just be a sign of labour. The next contraction came and I was pushing. She asked if I felt that down low; I said 'yes.'
Ben had just filled the birth pool to the minimum, and Ramona said I could get in, 'because this is definitely not early labour.' She and Ben managed to pull my socks off between contractions, and I was immediately more comfortable in the water. Nicky arrived soon after I entered the birth pool.
At 0345, midwives Caroline Flint and Sangeeta Freeman arrived. Sangeeta checked the baby's heart tones which were excellent and my blood pressure which was also good. Labour was extremely intense, and neither Ben nor Nicky left me for a moment. Ramona brought hot water to top up the pool, and she also managed to take some photos. Here I am at a pause between contractions, with Sangeeta, Nicky, and Ben.
At 0502, Michael arrived and I picked him up out of the water.
He will give His angels charge over me.
Michael had not yet realised that he was no longer in the womb and that he needed to take his first breath. So the midwives took him, rubbed him with a towel, removed mucus from his mouth, and administered a couple puffs of air. Ramona called the paramedics just in case, but Michael was breathing on his own before she was off the phone with them. You can see from the photo that he was pretty un-phased by the drama.
Jehovah Jireh cares for me.
My daughter, Nikki, woke at 0600, and Ramona brought her in to meet her brother. Nikki and Michael met over a breakfast of breast milk.
After Nikki finished nursing, Ramona took her to begin her morning routine. This is a picture of Nikki with Ramona just before Ramona left the next day.
We were glad Ramona was here for the labour and in the hours immediately after, when she spent time with Nikki and gave Ben and me a chance to bond with our son.
