Every blessing you pour out, I’ll turn back to praise.*
Starting around 3pm on Friday, I began to feel uncomfortable and a bit edgy, like labour was imminent. I knew Midwife Vanessa would want a heads-up on how I was doing, and soon after Ben got home I gave her a call to let her know I had been feeling uncomfortable and to perhaps expect a summons in the night. She ended the call by saying, “see you soon!”
Friday night is our date night, so while Ben gave Nikki and Michael their baths and tucked them in, I cooked a very mild curry to give me energy for the work I felt was ahead of me.
Ben and I chatted and ate while I sat on my birth ball which he chivalrously pulled up to the dining table for me. That was the extent of our date since I wanted to get the kitchen cleaned up a little and I wanted Ben to inflate the birth pool the rest of the way, put the liner on, and fill the pool with six inches of water so it would be easy to top up when it was time for me to jump in. I also asked Ben to take a picture of my 40 week + 4 day bump.
I went to bed before Ben was done with the pool. My plan was to listen to the hypnotherapy tracks on my mp3 player and try to get as sound a sleep as possible – usually I drift right off to sleep while the lady reminds me to 3-2-1 Relax. Because of the contractions, I heard every single word of the hypnotherapy for the first time! The main benefit – which was a big one! – were her reminders to breathe deeply down into my abdomen.
In through the nose, out through the mouth. That’s how I got through the contractions as I lay on the bed conserving my energy through the night. I did get up several times to use the toilet and sip some homemade labour-aid drink. Contractions were becoming more and more intense. Eventually I got to the point where I couldn’t lie still through them anymore, no matter how deeply I was breathing or how much I reminded myself to relax.
When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say, Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be your name.
Around 4am Saturday morning, I used the toilet again. This time there was some diarrhea and a bit of blood when I wiped. Midwife Vanessa had told me to call her if there was any blood, so I woke Ben up at this point and told him to call Vanessa and tell her that I had seen some blood. She asked if she could speak with me, so I briefly described my labour to that point and she said she would come by to check on me.
Vanessa arrived at 5am and by that time I was on my hands and knees in the bathroom, and very glad I could start squeezing Ben’s hand and sharing the labour with him at this point. He went down to open the door for Vanessa and brought her up to me. She listened to me through a contraction and said I could get in the pool soon, so when that contraction ended we headed down the stairs to the birth room!
Again I got down on my hands and knees, this time on the plastic next to the pool. I went through contractions squeezing Ben’s hand, concentrating on my breathing, and waiting for the pool to fill. When the water in the pool was deep enough, Vanessa took off my socks and she and Ben helped me into the pool. This was around 5:30am.
In the back of my mind, I knew labour was not progressing as quickly as it had with Michael. Also, Vanessa was a bit concerned about Baby’s heart rate since it was on the low side. After a few contractions, Vanessa asked me to get back out of the pool so she could do an internal and see what she could find out about how Baby was doing. I agreed to the internal, and she said that there was still a lip of cervix, the waters had not broken, and that she would like me to lay down through the next contractions. I did not want to have to go back upstairs, so I opted to lay down on the plastic next to the pool in the birth room. Ben and Vanessa covered me with towels for warmth.
I think I had maybe eight contractions laying first on one side and then on the other. It was around this time that I started making low noises as I breathed out, and it was also around then that Midwife Heather came to help Vanessa. Our friend Carrie arrived fifteen minutes after that in order to be there when Nikki and Michael woke up. Carrie told me later that Nikki and Michael woke twenty minutes after she arrived, or around 6:45am, which is normal for them.
My heart will choose to say, Lord blessed be your name.
Vanessa let me get back in the pool, and she suggested different squatting positions for me to try. I started thinking about my long labour with Nikki and all the different positions I tried before I ran out of strength and was taken to the hospital for a ventouse delivery. That would not be a convenient outcome this time around, so I asked Vanessa if I was going to be able to do this. She told me I was opening up and that I was going to birth this baby beautifully. Along with Ben’s encouragement, that was what I needed to hear.
I started following Vanessa’s example and holding my hand down to my perineum at this point. This is one of the strategies to protect the perineum from tearing, and I found it encouraging because I could feel myself opening as well.
Still, I couldn’t feel Baby’s head, and the sack of waters had not broken. Vanessa and I had a quick discussion where I asked her if we should break the waters. She said it could go either way – quicken up the labour, or if Baby wasn’t ready it could cause distress and slow down the labour, but with more painful contractions. She checked Baby’s heart rate and told me my baby was happy, so I decided that it was better Baby was happy at this point.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed be your glorious name!
Two contractions later and I felt the waters break with a gush! That was an extra long contraction, and it ended with Baby’s head pressing on my perineum. Burn burn burn! Short break and then with the next contraction I birthed the baby – head, shoulders, bottom… then she floated face up through the water and I picked her up and held her to my chest. She was beautifully covered in vernix and a lovely pink color. She also started crying loudly straight away!
Vi had arrived!!!
With our permission, Midwife Heather asked Carrie to bring Nikki and Michael in to the birth room. Michael had been standing at the banister for the past half hour looking down toward the birth room and wondering what was wrong with Mama. He hadn’t cried, just been concerned. I was happy to reassure him that all was well. Nikki reached out and gently touched her new sister’s hair. Ben made the necessary introductions.
Vanessa told me that when I felt the next contraction I could just gently push the placenta out. When it came she placed it in an ice cream container and it floated in the pool, still attached to Vi. A little placenta boat. Ben clamped and cut the cord, Carrie took Nikki and Michael back upstairs, and I handed Vi to Ben.
I was taken upstairs to bed and inspected. I have a small first degree tear which is healing now with bed rest and frequent applications of MediHoney.
I was in established labour by 1am, so we are calling this a 7 hour labour. Day two and I have taken three doses of Panadol to relieve muscle pain. I am also a big fan of Accident Cream – it eases muscle pain and smells lovely at the same time.
We are all getting a lot of sleep. Vi is feeding well and overall seems very peaceful and content. We are so blessed to have her join our family!
* lyrics :: Matt Redman
