Well this is the second part of my girl's birth stories. This is the story of my second daughter, Rowan, born at The Baby Place in 2011. Again my way of saying thank you to all the amazing midwives at the birth center.
Rowan's birth story
With your second child you always hear things like, you probably won't be past due, this labor should be easier, etc. With my first daughter, ada, I was 1 week past due when I went into labor, and my labor was 23 hours. So I was very much hoping that these things would be different about my second. But alas I watched my due date come and go with no baby. I had a lot more pre labor symptoms with my second. For a couple of weeks I had pre labor, and even lost my mucus plug 9 days before my daughter was born. For weeks i was expecting her to make an appearance, but the waiting continued. Some days I was ok with it, other days my emotions would get the better of me and my frustration would boil up. You start to feel like maybe you will just be pregnant forever! But finally it happens just when you start to think it never would.
I went to bed on Saturday night dreading the morning. I was past due and I really didn't want to have to deal with everyone we would see on Sunday. I didn't want to deal with all the snide comments or have to explain over and over again why we are not considering induction. But I got lucky. I had just gotten up to go to the bathroom. I had gotten back into bed but hadn't fallen asleep yet when I started to feel fluid leaking. I got up and rushed back to the bathroom as the leaking increased until my water fully broke when I sat on the toilet. I was so relieved to know that things were finally happening. It was about 1:30 am. I woke up Marcus to tell him what had happened and called Jerusha our midwife. She asked me what color the fluid was and if I was having contractions yet. I told her it was clear and I was having some contractions, but they were only mild. So we did a little packing and few last minute things (marcus actually went to the office) then tried to go back to sleep.
I woke up around 7am and decided to take a shower. I had gone to sleep on a towel because I was still leaking fluid, but when I got up my towel was streaked with green. I didn't want to panic so I took my shower then called Jerusha again. She said to go ahead and come in and she would listen to baby and just make sure everything was ok. So we headed into the birthing center at 8am. Jerusha checked all my vitals and listen to babies heart rate. Everything was fine. She assured us that just because there was some meconium present did not mean that baby was in distress. She said that since i was having contractons that it would probably be this afternoon or evening. So we headed back home.
My parents were staying with us and they had gone to church and taken Ada with them. Marcus and I went for a walk and hung out around the house. It was going to be a very hot day so we had to limit our walks outside. I was having contractions but they were still mild and far apart. I disliked having to deal with my water having ruptured, but at least I knew things were finally happening. My parents and Ada came home and we all just hung around the house. My contractions were getting a little stronger but still about 20 minutes apart and still easy to ignore. Around 5pm we started to get dinner ready and my contractions moved from 20 minutes apart to 10 minutes apart and I had to start concentrating more to get through each one. After dinner my contractions moved to 5 minutes apart. I thought this was perfect timing. If i labored a few more hours at home we could put Ada to bed ourselves then head into the birthing center after awhile. By 7:30pm I wanted peace and quiet and to be alone. I was having to really focus to get through each contractions. Things were progressing. Marcus was able to put Ada to bed (with very little help from me)then we headed for The Baby Place.
Once in the car my contractions moved to about 3 minuets apart. I had considered trying to stay home a little while longer but at this point I was glad we were going in. We got to the center and got to our room. They were busy that night. They have 3 birthing rooms and all of them were full that night. We got settled and Jerusha checked all our vitals again, and also checked my cervix. I was at 5 cm, but she said it felt like my water was still intact. She said she thought I must of had two bags of water and only one had ruptured. She filled the tub for me and I got in within a few minutes. At first the water felt too cold. I started to shiver and shake. This could have been because I was hitting another point of intensity on my labor, but the too cool water didn't help. Marcus added some more hot water and the warmth helped to relax me. We hadn't really been timing contractions, but Marcus would time one every now and then so we could tell how close together they were. Though I didn't need a watch to tell you they were very close together and I was entering transition. Everything around me was blurring and I was just focused inward. I would be just thinking random thoughts, almost dreaming, during contractions, then I would have one that would be very intense and it would sort of bring me back to reality. During those really hard contractions i would focus on what was happening inside me, and at times i could almost feel rowan moving down lower through each contraction. I sat in the tub holding Marcus' hand and riding the wave of my labor as he spoke word of comfort and encouraged me to drink sips of water. A midwife would come in occasionally and check baby's heart rate. Other than that it was just Marcus and I in the peace and quite.
I had been in the tub for about 1 1/2 hours when I began to feel like I needed to push. It started out small. In the middle of a regular contraction I felt the urge to push, then it went away as the contraction subsided. But I could tell I was coming back, so to speak, and I was becoming more aware of my surroundings again. Then another contraction and the same thing happened only this time the urge lasted longer and was strong. By the next contraction it was a full on pushing contraction. Marcus left the room to get one of the midwives. I could hardly believe I was entering second stage labor already. I remembered with Ada how we thought we were really close but I still labored for 4 more hours. I was hoping this wasn't the case, but I knew what the urge to push was like and this was the real thing!
Jen one of the student midwives came back in with marcus to listen to the baby's heart rate. They had just delivered another baby minutes before so the others were still occupied. Jen then told me that Jerusha wanted me to get out of the tub. I had bled a lot with Ada and if the same thing happened this time it could cause a problem if I was in the tub. They wanted me to lay on the bed on my side so that it would lessen (slightly) the urge to push. So between contractions we moved on to the bed. Jerusha came in with in minuets. I pushed for only 15 minutes and Rowan was born at 10:49 pm, and luckily no excessive bleeding this time! I remembered with Ada how there had been a whole team of midwives when she was born. This time it was only Jerusha since all the other were still occupied, but somehow I liked it better. It was quite and intimate. Marcus, myself, and Jerusha experiencing a little miracle. Jerusha gave Rowan to me immediately and laid a warm blanket over us. I began to nurse her as we waited for the cord to stop pulsing and for the placenta to be delivered.
Rowan was awake, alert, and never left my arms for about 1 1/2 hours (except a short time for Marcus to hold her). Marcus sat next to us in the bed and we marveled together at our new little girl and at such a quick and easy labor compared to my first labor. The midwives made us some scrambled eggs and toast which we enjoyed at 1am! Then Jerusha came back to bathe Rowan and do her newborn exam. She was 8 lbs 3 oz. And 21 in. perfectly healthy. Afterwards the three of us all laid down together in the bed and slept till morning.
There is nothing quite like the experience of having a baby. Something that is work, pain, joy, and awe all wrapped into one. I felt that this time I was able to enjoy my little girl more. I knew what to expect a bit more, and of course I wasn't exhausted from a 23 hour labor! When I saw my little one for the first time I was again reminded that I chose to give birth to her in this way and in this place, not for me, but for her. This was her experience too and I wanted both of us to experience it unhindered so that we had the best chance for optimal health and bonding. I couldn't have been more pleased with our experience.
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