I woke up to some annoying contractions at 5:30am that morning, and noticed they were slightly rhythmic; about 7 minutes apart and preventing me from falling back asleep. I stayed awake to time them for about 2 hours while the rest of the house was still sleeping.
When the boys woke up at 7:30, I told Ted that I felt yucky and crampy, and possibly in early labor but to not get our hopes up. So we continued on with our day, doing breakfast, laundry, chicken and goat chores...still timing contractions which were anywhere from 2-5 minutes apart.
It was around 9 when Max randomly barfed everywhere in the boys' bedroom. We still don't know what that was about?? But Ted and I looked at each other like, "seriously, is this the kind of day we need right now?!"
By 10 o clock I was pretty sure that I was in early labor. I really had to convince myself that it was not just in my head, because the timing contractions thing was very unreliable. They were getting stronger, but not closer together or lasting very long. More like bad period cramps. But after another hour, I found myself getting into our bathtub to ease the contractions a bit and help to take the weight off my pelvis. At this point, I think things started to really get going. Ted worked on blowing up the birth pool in the kitchen and filing it with water. I just stayed in the tub and watched Max practice going underwater and holding his breath.
We called the midwife at 11:50, and they got on the road and were here probably 30 minutes later. Upon their arrival, my cervix was checked. I was at a 5-6. Ted got on the phone to order pizza for everyone because we were all hungry. My birth pool was finally warm enough to go in, and I was about to get up to go in because my contractions were worse and I found myself on the bed talking to the birth team and soon launching myself into the pillows and getting onto my hands and knees as a sharp pain shot through my body. I looked down and my water was breaking. I remember hearing them all say something about how I was "dilating the rest of the way"...and "should someone get Ted in the room?"
"Yes! Where's Ted, I feel like I need to push!" He hung up on the pizza delivery service and ran into the bedroom. So then my brain kind of shut off and my body took over and details are a little fuzzy, but I was still on the bed on my knees and was surprised to realize that I was pushing the baby's head out already. Max ran out the room scared for his life. (Sorry kid!) And the baby's little body came out quickly right after. I heard her crying and knew everything was alright. The midwife's student passed her up to me through my legs and I looked at her squishy wet face for the first time :) It all happened so fast.
She was born at 1:09pm. Shortly after, Madeline and I both got to get in the birth pool (after all, it was filled up with nice hot water) and we did an herbal bath and baby float. I cupped her small face in my hands and she floated around like she was back in the womb. All the while licking the air and wondering why it tasted so different than amniotic fluid!
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| Cutting cord |
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| Proud big brothers |
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| 7 lbs 1 oz |
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