Gemma's Birth Story

I woke up at 1am Monday with strong contractions. I had several false starts by this point and even at 40 weeks and 3 days I wasn't fully sure that this was anything more than more pre-labor once again. By 3am I was still having contractions, though not terribly consistent, and decided to sit in a warm bath for comfort and to see if the contractions would slow or stop. The bath helped tremendously with pain relief, although the contractions weren't terribly difficult at that point.

Around 3am I threw up and then was able to sleep for a little while on the couch. I listened to music and tried to relax, and only had a few contractions here and there. I texted Heidi, our doula, around 4am to let her know what was going on in case things progressed quickly. Around 6am I threw up again and knew at that point that this was the real thing and our baby would probably be born today!

My parents were staying with us and thankfully were able to take Aveny to my in-law's house for the day so David and I could focus on labor and preparing to go to the hospital. For several hours the contractions kept coming with irregularity and though they were getting more intense I wanted to make sure we didn't go to the hospital too soon.

I called my midwife around noon and she suggested to head to the hospital to get checked since contractions were coming 5-10 minutes apart and I needed to give them full attention at that point.

We checked in to Labor & Delivery around 2pm, and I was still wary as to whether or not we had arrived too soon. When the nurse said that I was 4cm and 80% effaced I was thrilled! I was tired from being up all night, but felt that I could do this and that this labor was moving along with such ease.

I decided to stay in the room instead of walking the halls. I think I needed to become familiar with the environment and was satisfied to manage contractions either on my hands and knees in the bed or sitting on a yoga ball while pulling on a scarf that Heidi had tied to the hospital bed. Pulling with my arms during contractions brought so much relief. A few times I began to cry and laugh with the realization that we were having a baby!

The nurse returned after a couple of hours and said that whenever I was ready I could call her to check my dilation again. I asked to be checked then, and to our surprise I was already at a 7. I still didn't feel like labor was terribly difficult at this point, and got so energized knowing that my body was working so efficiently to open up for the baby. David made sure to feed me crackers, honey and plenty of fluids to try to maintain my energy.

My midwife, Cathy, arrived about an hour later and found me to be 9cm. I was just short of shocked that I had progressed so far with such little intensity and proclaimed to everyone in the room that this was the best labor ever!

At that point I got in the birth tub that David and Heidi had set up earlier. I was in and out of the tub a few times to use the bathroom. I tried at one point to get out of the tub and manage contractions on my hands and knees in the bed. I absolutely hated being out of the tub and quickly got back in. The water made everything so much more bearable.

Contractions started picking up in intensity and closeness and were becoming difficult to manage. Cathy suggested I reach down and see if I could feel the baby’s head. I felt it and freaked out! We were having a baby! I started moaning between contractions that I wanted to be finished and that I wanted to get the baby out. Cathy checked me and found that I was about 9.5cm, with a bulging bag. She asked if I wanted her to break my water and I said YES–I wanted to do anything to get this baby out.

The last couple of hours were so difficult. I felt I had been in labor long enough, and wanted to just be finished. I wanted so badly to push, but physically couldn’t do it. I was exhausted and kept asking to hold Aveny and for someone to get the baby out. I desperately wanted the comfort of mothering the child I already knew and for the pain to be taken away. The intensity of the contractions lingered into the space between them and it became difficult for me to relax at all.

I remembered from my first labor how much kissing David in between contractions helped me to relax, so that is what we did. While he was sitting on a stool outside of the tub, I stayed in the tub and leaned forward over his arms. After a while, though, my frustration resurfaced. I was so deep into my physical and emotional exhaustion that I felt this would never end and I needed relief. I began to ask for drugs to relieve the pain. Cathy said that at this point it was too late and that I would be ready to push at any minute. David kept telling me over and over that I didn’t need medicine and I could do it just as I had done before. I don’t think I believed anyone. I just wanted relief.

Cathy sent the nurse to get a drug called Nubain that was supposed to help me relax a little bit in between contractions. The door had barely shut behind her when I felt the baby descend into my pelvis and began to push. I think all I needed to complete my dilation was to feel a little bit in control. Making a decision to get medical pain relief– even though that was not in my plan at all–gave me an emotional sense of being in charge of my labor.

While still leaning forward on David’s arms I began to push with as much force as I could muster. I felt the baby coming down and the “ring of fire” that many women describe. I felt the head crowing and reached down to touch it. Later, Cathy and Heidi said that as the baby was descending they could see its eyes blinking and looking around while under water. Once the head was fully out I felt the cord around the baby’s neck. It was loose so I wasn’t really concerned, but that gave me an extra boost to push hard and get the baby out quickly. And quickly it came! After only six minutes of pushing, the baby was born into the water and I scooped it up. I leaned back on the tub and Cathy took the baby for a moment to unwrap the cord. She set the baby on my chest and for the first time I looked to see that I had just birthed a beautiful baby girl! She cried out for the first time several seconds later, and finally my relief had come.