Years ago I became obsessed with reading birth stories. I found hundreds online and I would read a few every day. I loved learning about all the different experiences, the different “normals” for people, and getting a peek into one of the most important times in a human life. Reading these birth stories was part of what inspired me to become a doula. After I gave birth to Sweet Pea, I wrote nearly three pages detailing the whole event and my feelings about everything that happened, and I have told my birth story many times. However, for me, the birth was a private event, and I don't think I want to share it with the world wide web in its entirety. I will share that it was a challenging, joyous, and powerful experience for me, and leave you with these facts:
Our baby was born Thursday, February 26, at home in the water.
She weighed 8 pounds, 4.5 ounces, and was 22.5 inches long.
Her heartbeat was checked regularly with a Doppler throughout labor, and I had one blood pressure check but those were the only monitoring methods my midwives used with me besides watching and talking to me.
My birth attendants were: my husband, my sister, my best friend, and my two wonderful midwives, one of whom came straight from another birth to be with me, while pregnant herself.
Labor began with my water breaking a little after 1:00 A.M. Around 3:00 or 4:00, contractions started to get hard. Around 5:30 I got into the tub in our dining room, about two hours later I started feeling “pushy,” and at 8:50 A.M. I pushed her out! It was one of the shortest labors I have been to.
Like you I love hearing others birth stories and sharing my own. Talk about a short labor! My first and second were the shortest I have heard of. My second baby boy was born on March 1, 2010. I started feeling crampy when my husband got home from work at 8pm. While he ate his dinner I called the hospital (unfortunately we don't have a birth center anywhere close or even a midwife) and the nurse asked if I had any contractions yet. I said I hadn't had any I was sure of and then immediately recanted as I had one and told the nurse I would be on my way in. I told my husband to put my bag and the car seat in our car and went to the bathroom. While grabbing my hair brush from the bathroom closet my water broke and I started to get strong contractions, jumped in the car around 8:55pm, checked into the hospital at 9:15pm, baby Barrett was born at 9:25pm, 8lb even, 21 inches. I'm the hospital record for fastest delivery at 10 mins and also the runner-up with my first baby at 11 mins.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed this blog, thanks for sharing
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