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| I then lay down and had a nice break having only a handful of contractions (alignment plateau) for about 30 minutes. I got in the bath (safe because my water was not broken) at 10:20 and things got going again and I really began to vocalize. Sitting backward on the toilet felt wonderful�something about not having pressure under my bottom, the cool of the porcelain, and being able to rest on the tank. By the time I got back to the bedroom at 11:00, I had to consciously relax during contractions with double-peaks, but was fine and chatty between. I snacked on orange and ham slices and drank grape juice. I began to really have back labor (I believe that the baby was posterior-- |
Five days later, on what seemed to be just another uneventful day (23 April, 2002), I was on the phone reassuring (in this case) my sister that nothing was happening (about 1:00pm). No sooner had I hung up and entered the shower than I began to experience contractions�real ones that started in my lower back and reached around to squeeze the now enormous bulge in my belly. After the shower, I decided that I would get up and around to see if they continued or went away. When I got home, I called Pie to tell her that contractions had been about 8 minutes apart for the last hour and a half or so even while walking around. When I described the sensation, she confirmed that it sounded like the real thing and that I was safe to start calling people. It was now about 2:30 p.m. When I called John at school, I heard everyone respond to the news with an excited, �WOOHOO!� I decided to catch up on laundry and get some cooking done for the people that were coming. I probably should have rested and slept during this early labor, but I guess I was going through last-minute nesting. My father got home at about 4:00. and John arrived home soon after, very excited. We ate a light dinner of tuna and spinach salad. I had a roast in the oven for later and was prepared to labor about a day or so, so I was surprised when I went to lie down and couldn�t sleep because of the increasing strength of the contractions. My sister, Vanessa, and my friend Stephanie, who would be acting as doula (woman�s helper), arrived around 6:00. My midwife, Pie, arrived with her daughter at 8:30, having kept tabs on my progress by phone throughout the afternoon. After listening to our heart tones and taking my blood pressure, she pronounced us to be doing just fine. I wanted to walk around for a while, so I dressed and we went outside. During our walk past the end of the block and back, I stopped repeatedly to lean on John because of one-on-top-of-another contractions. Pie�s assistant Laura Bettge, a doula and message therapist, arrived at 9:00, after the walk. |
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| God heard our prayers and the ER doctors determined that she was healthy and had not aspirated any of the meconium. But the physicans chose to admit her overnight for observation in the NICU. John made sure they gave her no feedings, shots or ointments, but only a bath. I went up as soon as possible to cuddle and nurse my new daughter. She nursed like a pro! I only vaguely knew what I was supposed to do, but she taught me. I nursed her every couple of hours until the paperwork was finished and she was discharged at noon. John's brother and sister and their families had came down and were with us when we brought her home. Once she was home, we nursed and dozed off snuggled together, a practice that we would continue to enjoy for many months. |
| her back to my back--during this time) and I got on my hands and knees and swayed, rhythmically, side to side with contractions. I also knelt on the floor with my chest on the bed and rocked my bottom side to side. Vocalizing felt good and I tried to keep the moaning long and low. The pain moved lower and lower and I had a harder time staying on top of contractions coming only 20-30 seconds or so apart. Laura applied counterpressure to my sacrum, which helped. I kept thinking that it was going to get harder or more painful and waiting for that moment everyone talks about when you say to yourself (and maybe everyone else), "I can't do it. I'm done. I don't want a baby anymore!" But it never came. I know my God was there, helping me and keeping me.
Between contractions I snacked on cheese slices. I swayed for what seemed like forever (maybe 45 minutes) before lying down on my side. At that moment the sensations changed (I believe she turned anterior--her back to my front) and almost immediately I felt the urge to push. With that first push, my water broke with a big POP! Thankfully we had already dressed the bed. There was a little meconium (the baby's first bowel movement) staining in the water. After the water broke, Pie checked to make sure I was fully dilated, which I was, before giving me the okay to push with the urge. It was amazing how strong the contractions were and how my body just took over. I did not expect the pushing phase to come on so quickly and in retrospect, eating cheese so late in active labor was not a wise decision as it caused me to be very congested. It took me a while to get the hang of how to effectively push, but I was glad that I had so much support and was surrounded by people who believed in me. It was also helpful (because of congestion and the more limited capacity of my lungs to breathe deeply) to be allowed to push for how long and hard I could, but not to a counting of 10. Once I got the hang of it, things started really moving. I pushed for only a little more than 30 minutes and at just after midnight, I breathed to avoid deliberately pushing and just let the contractions finish pushing the baby's head out. Pie suctioned our baby's mouth and nose, as there was quite a bit of mucus, then unlooped the umbilical cord from around her neck. Then I had to push out her shoulders. This may have been the hardest part of pushing. After exerting so much energy and working so hard to get her head out, I had little strength left to push out her shoulders. It took several short pushes to free them and then her warm, wet body just slid out. Immediately I held her and just thanked God for my miracle. A baby girl! I kept repeating, "Hi sweetie! Thank you Jesus!" I couldn't believe she was really here. It was 12:07 a.m. on 24 April 2002. But, she didn't cry. Or squeak. While holding her, I rubbed and patted on her trying to get her breathe, but she just wouldn't take a deep breath. Pie was awesome. She positioned our baby girl and suctioned more mucus. I do not know how much of it mighthave been my own, if any. Pie gave her oxygen and also some herbals for stimulation. Her initial health appraisal scored a 6 on the Apgar scale of 1 to 10. My dad, John, and Stephanie were all praying for her, that God would cause her to breathe deeply and pink up. Pie continued to work on the child we had named Murren Nohah and asked Stephanie to call 911. Her oxygen level was good even though she wasn't breathing well because her cord was still attatched and my blood was oxygenating hers. When the ambulance arrived, about 5 minutes later, Murren was looking much better. The midwife thought it would be good to go ahead and have her checked out at the hospital so John, Vanessa, and Stephanie went with her. Once again, the Lord granted me peace in my spirit and I just knew she was okay. I stayed home with my dad and Pie to clean up and take in some more fluids. |
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| "Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?" says the LORD. "Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?" Isaiah 66:9 |