Brother’s birth began on August 10, 2004. That morning I lost some of my mucous plug which seemed to initiate a series of contractions throughout the day. Despite the fact that it was already 16 days past Brother’s due date (yes, 16 - that’s not a typo)I didn’t put much hope in these contractions because they were extremely light and irregular. However, around 7:30pm the rushes settled into a steady pattern occurring every 15 minutes and lasting about 40 seconds. My expectations began to rise. It was difficult to go to sleep but I tried my best knowing I would need rest for the labor ahead. The last contraction I remember feeling occurred at 2:30am.
For the better part of the 11th my body resumed it’s normal 9+ months pregnant state sans contractions. Then at 7pm a familiar tightening in my belly caught my attention. Easily 10 minutes apart and lasting only 20 seconds or so there was no need to get excited though it was hard not too. By 11:30 the contractions had increased in length to 40 seconds and though light were coming regularly every 5 minutes. As before I knew better than to stay awake, so to bed we went. Sleep was sporadic until 5am when the contractions stopped.
August 12th came … and went. Apparently, Brother was taking a little break.
The morning of August 13th, Will treated me to breakfast at the Cracker Barrel then at 11 my midwife treated me to a special blend of Herbal Chinese Tea (guaranteed to produce a baby within 24 hours… HA!) That evening, just after we’d put Sister down to sleep, again with the contractions. Light and short but a regular 5 min apart. We went to bed but awoke around midnight to discover that number had shortened to only 3 min between each one. This was surely “it.” At 4am my full bladder begged to be emptied and a slight bit of bloody show would have convinced me this was the “real thing” except … all contractions had ceased, again.
The next morning all my convictions about the evils of induction had unceremoniously left the building. My breakfast consisted of milk, a dohnut, a round of the noxious Herbal Chinese Tea and several drops of cohosh. Despite my efforts nothing happened until 7pm on the dot (Can you see a pattern here?) They were puny little contractions 30 seconds or so every 15 minutes. I threw up my hands in disgust and went to bed.
My body woke me at 10:13 with a tightening that lasted at least 60 sec (This was new.) and then another 8 minutes later, just as long, and another, and another. Finally! These required some concentration. Now we were getting somewhere. Sometime in the night, Will recorded that I ate some toast and took a warm bath. We tried to sleep but were up at least once every hour as the contractions remained strong and steady throughout the night. By 6:30am there was no point in staying in bed. My body needed to move. I got up and wandered about the house stopping every 6 min or so to relax and allow my body to work. Will brought me some honey toast and kept me supplied with water.
Sister woke a little after 7. I wish I could remember what she did during this time but labor requires focus so all I have to go on are the notes that Will faithfully scrawled in between taking care of me and taking care of her. I imagine since Sprout was very popular with Sister during that period that she probably cuddled up with her cat and a sippy cup of milk in front of the television and allowed the haze of slumber to slowly fade to the tune of “Dddd-ora. Dddd - ora. Dora, Dora, Dora the Explorer!…”
Around 8:30am, I returned to bed. The rushes were starting to wear and I needed to be in a place where I could completely relax. I remember thinking how very nice that I didn’t have to deal with any wires or monitors or getting the doctor’s “permission” for this or that. Instead I listened and responded as my body told me what to do. “Move… sit… rock… sway… kneel … stand very still…”
As I scan down through the record Will kept, it is interesting to see the pattern. Not every contraction is the same length. In some cases there is a variance of some 30 seconds but I notice that after several long clustered rushes there was often a break. Four to six short ones with more time in between. Then a long one with a long break, then a couple of short ones closer together. Labor would be impossible if it ran at full intensity for the duration so like waves that bring in the tide it advances in a steady but delightfully varied way.
I eat as I am hungry - a banana, ramen noodles, more toast - with plenty of water. All this water, of course, means many visits to the restroom. Sitting on the toilet seems to intensify the contractions but rather than dreading that consequence I look forward to it knowing that intensity often equals progress.
Sister leaves with Aunt P. around 10:30 to go to church and I think to myself how wonderful it would be for Brother to be born on the Sabbath. Apparently, some part of me was still aware of and monitoring her presence because as soon as she leaves everything begins to happen much more quickly. I roam the living room searching for a comfortable spot. I use the opportunity between each contraction to move to a new place or change to a new position. It is not written on Will’s notes but I remember talking and laughing between rushes then stopping at the first twinge of tightness, drawing into myself as the contraction grew, washed over me then subsided to nothingness. I remember easily picking up the conversation until the next wave.
Having read extensively of Dr. Odent’s success with water births, we had rented a birth pool and set it up many, many days before in our guest room. I never knew for sure whether I would use it or not but I wanted it there… just in case. A little after 1pm, it was no longer a question. I needed to be in the water. But first, I asked my midwife for an exam. I knew that sometimes getting in the water prior to 4 or 5cm could slow or even stall labor altogether. Having waited so long I wanted to avoid that at all costs. I waited fearfully. In my head, I heard, “3cm.” With my ears, “7 - a very stretchy 7. You can get in if you want.” Yes! I went to the restroom one last time and was on my way to the pool when with a slight pop my water broke. (Hmm, how do you suppose one gets amniotic fluid out of the carpet?)
2:10 found me (finally!) in the glorious water. It was as if my body had whispered its needs before but now spoke them clearly. The water made it so easy to move this way or that - so easy to reach just the right position.
Transition occurred at 2:15. I remember it clearly. It enveloped me in one overwhelming contraction. It was the one moment of the whole labor that I thought, “I want to go home.” I grasped the side of the pool, looked up helplessly into Will’s eyes and realized, “I am home.” At the very next contraction, I could actually feel Brother begin to descend. It was an incredible sensation. No one told me the moment his head emerged, I knew and I reached instinctively to touch my son for the first time. One last push and the midwife gently brought him to the surface of the water and placed him in my arms. His eyes were bright, taking in this new world around him. He did not cry. We sat that way for many minutes and not until Will lifted him out did he utter a sound which is, I think, a testament to how he felt about being born in the water.
Brother’s official birth time is 2:38pm, August 15, 2004 which technically means I was in labor for about 115hrs or almost 5 days. It does make measurements seem silly, doesn’t it?
(You can click on each picture for a larger image. Thought I’d give you a choice on that one since not everyone wants to be flashed with picks of a necked lady in a birth pool.)
There’s another picture here.
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(Yes, I really did post this in the wee hours of the morn for those of you paying attention. Hopefully, I’ll be back soon to post more of your regularly scheduled randomness.)
