Birth Story

My midwife appointment last week was so interesting!

Not only is this baby head down already (which could change, and isn't usually a big deal at 34 weeks) but he's also dropped and engaged into my pelvis. Gage was also dropped at this point, and stayed head down until birth. This baby loves to "tent", by pushing his bum out on one side and his feet out on the other side. He gets mad at me if I "tickle" his feet and goes on a rolling angry rampage. lol. I think I'm in a bit of trouble with this one!

I know when this little one is born, I'll probably write out and blog about my birth experience. I thought it might be a good idea to write about my birth experience with Gage too.

I'm going to do a homebirth (hopefully a waterbirth) with this baby and we are using our local midwives this time around, compared to the OB/GYN we used last time.

Gage was a bit of a surprise. I spent about 30 minutes trying to convince Stu that the pregnancy test did not have 2 lines, but only 1 1/2. We find this funny now, but at the time I was serious. Once I finally accepted that I was indeed pregnant and that "false positives" are not very common, I sat on my bed in a daze. I called my best friend (who freaked out more then I did) and then finally my mom. I made her tell my dad (while on the phone with me) because I was terrified that he'd be disappointed in me. I think they came around and became excited for a baby way faster then I did.

It didn't take long after the pregnancy test to start feeling the ill-effects of the pregnancy. I was violently sick for every single day of the 9 months. I had to go on sick leave because my work was completely not understanding of my being sick constantly. I was given a desk outside the washroom at work, which helped, but I was constantly in trouble for how often I had to leave my work to go get sick. By the end of the pregnancy I was still throwing up constantly, and it got so bad that while throwing up, I would also pee myself because of all the weight of the baby sitting on my bladder. I swore off children at that point. lol.

Having never known differently, I went to my family doctor for the beginning of my pregnancy and then was referred to one of the local OB/GYN's. Both Stu and I found him nice enough, and Stuart having previous children had gone down the OB road before. Our appointments were mostly spent waiting for our appointment, then we would get 10 minutes with the Dr. He'd ask us the same questions he had weeks prior, asked how I was feeling, felt the baby's position and then left with a smile. He never remembered our names.

At the time, it was what we knew, so we were cool with the entire process. I was okay with the fact that it would likely not be my OB that delivered Gage.

I went onto maternity leave approx 2 weeks before my due date. I suffered from back pain (although compared to this pregnancy, it was pretty mild!) and spent my first few days on mat leave wrapping presents and planning Christmas. I think I cleaned our cupboards too, in my nesting fury. My OB just happened to go on family vacation a week before I was due, and left me in the hands of the other OB sharing his office. He was also very nice. My last appointment was with him, and when I told him about the constant back pain, he checked to see if I was dilated. I was surprised to find that I was already sitting at 3cms, and the OB swept my membranes, telling me I should go into full labor in 24 hours. I went home, waiting, and the next day my mom called me on her way home from work and I said "I have more back pain" and I had lost a small amount of my mucous plug. She decided to come get me and take me to dinner at her house (so I wouldn't have to cook) and later told me she thought I would be miserable when she picked me up.... instead she found me sitting cross legged on the floor wrapping presents, totally fine.

That night I went to my parents house, had dinner and kept feeling the constant back pain. Everything else seemed normal. Then I went pee and lost my plug completely, which totally panicked my parents. We decided to pick Stu up from work at 9pm and go to the hospital just to be checked out. If they sent us home then no big deal.

I walked into the L&D ward and went "I think I'm in labor" and every nurse rolled their eyes at me. I was completely fine, not in any obvious pain and smiling at everyone. The nurse that checked me was flabberghasted when she checked me and I was already 5 cms. She told us we would be admitted to a room and then we needed to walk around to try and get some contractions. We did, with my mom and my dad, for about an hour and a bit. I got a few contractions, but nothing regular. Just a lot more back pain. My dad drove me nuts while I was walking, he was far too positive and excited to be allowed near a laboring mom-to-be and I decided if I had to walk around, I would do it in the area he wasn't allowed. lol. Stu and I decided we would get my mom for when I was ready to push, but it would just be he and I laboring until then. I remember sitting on the bed in my room and while suffering from back labor, I made Stu rub my back for what he claims "hours". I was pretty pleasant still at this point, and only got snippy when Stu told me his hands needed a break and were "tired" in which I replied "your tired!?!?"

Stu kept getting mad at me, because I would be in a bit of pain and then as soon as a nurse showed up I'd smile and go "I'm okay!"... for whatever reason. It must have been a pride thing? Either way, that went right out the window when the attending OB came and checked me, found I was 7cms and then broke my water. I kept asking for an epidural, and both the OB and the nurse kept saying "are you sure? You're handling things beautifully!"

Once my water broke my contractions came right on top of one another, and were pretty intense. Stu kept calm and held my hand and fed me ice chips. The OB came back 20 minutes later and went "that sounds much better!" and I replied with "epidural!".

By the time my epidural arrived, I was already feeling the need to push (but I hid that, because I needed that epidural!) and my contractions were coming so fast they gave me the epidural on my side. I assumed it would just be instant relief, but it so wasn't. Right after the epidural, I sent Stu to get my mom, thinking that she wouldn't want to see me in pain so she would be okay after I had the epi. It took another 30 minutes after the epi before I felt my contractions fade, so my poor mom got to see me gripping the bed rail breathing deeply and in pain. I don't remember too much about that part, but everyone says that I was quiet and completely in control.

Once I started pushing, I felt nothing. Completely numb. They tell you to take a deep breath and push as hard as you can. My mom cried from the moment they said "you're ready to push" until probably days later. lol. I was so not wanting anyone to watch anything, but when the nurse announced "he has tons of hair" I was so enthusiastic that I pushed even harder. The OB started to giggle at some point, and I remember stopping and saying "what could possibly be so funny?!" and she responded with "he's wiggling like a fish, delivering himself. All I have to do is catch!"

Gage came out, mounds of dark hair on his little head (really, it wasn't that little) and I was so surprised that I had pushed out a baby I just smiled at him. The nurse took him away, weighed him, and announced him to be 9 pounds, 1oz. We all went "What?!"

I then noticed around this time that the doctor was sewing. I asked if I tore, and she replied with "yes" and I then asked how many stitches and she answered with "I lost count".

I didn't care, because I had Gage and he was adorable (with hair!) and chubby and I just wanted to never let him go. He latched on and nursed right away. I moved to the Maternity ward before the epi completely wore off. Everything was good.

Once in the maternity ward, the epi wore off. I was then overwhelmed with how much it hurt. The nurse on duty was not sympathetic. She gave me tylenol, literally said to me to "suck it up" and left me all alone with my new baby. The next shift of nurses came on later that night and the nurse asked me why I hadn't taken the pain medication (oxycontin, to a nursing mother!) the OB had prescribed. I cried in relief.

I had a horrible recovery. I have a pretty high pain tolerance, and looking back I totally could have delivered without an epidural. Then maybe I would not have pushed a 9 pound baby out so quickly and let my body do things on it's own and not needed stitches. Either way, I swore I was NEVER having another kid.

It wasn't until Gage was about 18 months old that I discovered the art of midwifery. I watched The Business of Being Born and was blown away by these women who choose to go drug free and have these healthy, happy babies in the comfort of their own homes. I started reading on the internet, lurking on Bulletin Boards for baby sites and informing myself. So many mom's I found and talked to had had similar birthing experiences with their first born babies, only to do the homebirth (or birth center) birth process with a midwife the second time around to a completely different experience and outcome. Luckily, Stuart completely agreed with the midwife process. As did everyone else in my family. My aunt is a midwife and doula, and while she lives hours away from me, my family was at least used to the idea and took no convincing. It didn't take us long to become pregnant, and at 34 weeks, I can say so far this experience has been like night and day compared to the OB! My midwives are amazing (I have 3, 2 of which will attend the birth) and I cannot possibly say enough good things about them. I never had to wait for my appointment, and each appointment is about 40-45 minutes long. They aren't hippies, they don't sugar coat anything, and they believe in "informed choice" so everything they have told me has been the honest and blunt.

I'm aware that yes, it is going to hurt. A lot. My biggest pet peeve is when people ask me why I'm trying to be a "hero" or they ask if a homebirth without a doctor is "safe". I've responded with of course it is safe, or I wouldn't be doing it! And 2nd, I'm not at all trying to be a hero. Women have been doing this without medication for centuries. It's the healthiest and safest option for myself and my unborn child to not medicate during labor and delivery. My body was built to birth a baby and I trust that it is fully capable of doing just that.

I'm so excited for my experience with this labor and delivery! While I do have small moments of fear and "it's going to hurt!", for the most part, about 90% of the time, I'm calm and fearless. I just know  I can do this.

While I know midwifery isn't for everyone, I do wish that all pregnant women (or those planning on becoming pregnant) did some digging and even watched the same documentary that I did. Every mother wants what is best for their baby, and while those opinions on what is best may vary (by a lot or a little), we can all agree on the fact that we just want to have a healthy and happy baby in the end. Sometimes the medical interventions that OB/GYN's claim are necessary, are what end up causing the problems we have with high c-section, induction and infant mortality rates.

I can't wait to blog about my experience with my birth experiene with this baby!