Aleta’s Accidental Homebirth [planned for a birth center]
Our little Hadassah was due Monday, August 12th so at my midwife appointment on Thursday the 15th I asked her to go ahead and strip my membranes. By then I could tell my body had been working towards labor for a week, I was 3cm dilated, and I hoped if my body was ready a sweep could be the push over the edge to start real contractions.
7:30pm that very night I was calling my midwife to say I was having contractions 3-5mins apart and of good strength. My husband, Paul and I got back to the birth center (which was about 45mins away from our house) around 9:30pm.
Contractions continued throughout the night but not as regular or strong. I felt awkward at the birthing center through no one’s fault but my own. I felt everyone was waiting on me and I could not relax into labor. After a restless night for me – up and down, in the tub, out of the tub, on the toilet, pacing - my midwife checked my progress and at my request did another sweep. I had maybe progressed from a 3 to a 4 but not much. She said I might go into active labor that afternoon and be having a baby that evening or it could still be pre-labor and might be days. Not what I wanted to hear! Since I preferred to be at home laboring in comfort, we headed back there. As soon as we got in the car, I had an intense contraction seemingly picking right back up where they were the night before. They continued on the drive home as I relaxed more and more.
Paul slept when we got home (Friday morning, the 16th now) but I couldn’t. With every contraction I had to get off the bed and move because of how intense they were. Running on a broken night of sleep, the overriding thought in my mind was a discouraged "I cannot last several days of this!" I also felt unsure of myself because what if this was indeed still pre-labor and I was just a weakling struggling with a little pressure. I tried to eat and drink water as contractions continued and increased in intensity all morning. At my midwife’s suggestion, Paul helped me do miles circuit to make sure the baby's head was settled firmly on my cervix.
By noon, I was lost to life and stopped making decisions that required more than “yes” or “no.”. I took the contractions one at a time if I thought about more I got overwhelmed. Paul suggested I call my mom or the midwife but I didn't know what I would say. Everything seemed basically the same - same timing - just stronger intensity. And the intensity I was worried I might be mentally dramatizing because I knew I was tired. He called my mom anyway and she gave him ideas of ways to help me like offering food and water, and using stair steps to continue encouraging labor along.
At 1pm I was impatient and felt like something had to change. I couldn't continue this way and I felt the hopelessness so common in transition. I told Paul to get our stuff, we were going back to the birthing center. I sat down on the toilet to empty my bladder one more time before we left. Just before I got up, I was working through another contraction, looked out the window and whispered "God help." I felt like I had nothing left. No hope for an end. No strength to keep up this work. At that moment I also felt a definite urge to push and I instinctively reacted. Baring down a little I heard a pop as my water broke into the toilet! Oh, I got excited! Things were changing! Paul was talking to the midwife on the phone to tell her we were heading back her way. I yelled from the bathroom, "We aren't going anywhere!" Though unplanned, the midwife started driving to our house instead of the birth center and stayed on speaker phone with him. I had him help me onto the floor. My hands were on the shower floor and I occasionally pulled on the shower bar to squat even deeper. My knees on the edge of the shower and my feet on the shower mat under me. I think - admittedly I am a bit fuzzy on the exact timing - but I think I spent about 20mins, maybe 6 or 7 contractions, to push her out as Paul caught her following the directions of the midwife! I delivered the placenta on the shower mat and he put it in a mixing bowl. Then he handed me our beautiful little girl! She and I got settled on some towels on the bed. 30mins or so later the midwife arrived. Such an amazing adventure!
