The Birth Story

Troy and I wanted to share with you the story of Elliot's birth. Thanks to all of you for sharing in our joy!

I woke up on Thursday morning around 2 AM and noticed I was having some contractions that were very mild but felt different from the Braxton Hicks contractions I had been having for weeks. Uncomfortable, I moved from the bed to the couch and woke up around 5:45 AM unable to sleep anymore but not in labor. I went to the bathroom and noticed some bloody show (which I had never seen with the other pregnancies) so I was very encouraged.

I had my 40-week appointment that morning, so I woke up Troy and we decided to get to our appointment early just in case anything happened on the way (we live 1 hour and 20 minutes from the birth center. We left the other kiddos with my mother and drove to Savannah. Since we were there an hour and a half early, we walked around the center of Savannah hoping to encourage my body to progress.

I can summarize the next few hours of the day as “checking in with the midwives.” At 10:30 AM they checked the baby’s heart tones and did a cervical check. I was almost at 4 cm and 80% effaced and contracting every 5 minutes. The midwives wanted me to stick around Savannah to see what happened. Troy and I went to have lunch and then walked around the center’s nature path for about a half hour. I was checked again around 1 PM and I was still at a 4 but was “softer” so we were encouraged to do some more walking. We went to a mall and did holiday shopping and it was then that I felt that the contractions were getting stronger, and I was getting a little tired from all the walking.

We came back to the center, and I was checked a third time. I had progressed to a 5 but was not in active labor. Troy and I are convinced the midwife took pity on us and did a little “investigating.” The midwife adjusted my belly to encourage the baby line up with the cervix and she felt the baby’s head with her finger and said, “Wait a second, do you feel wetness?” I said “maybe” and sure enough, my water broke and she said “and now you’re at a 6 and you’re not going home!” This was around 3:30 PM.

Troy and I moved back to the birthing room, and just like with Annika and Samuel, once my water broke, the labor progressed quickly. I labored on the toilet for a few minutes and then the midwife set up a birth ball and pillows. I labored there on the ball for about an hour and then I really wanted to labor in the birth tub. The delivery nurse filled the tub and I went in around 5:15 PM. I had labored in a tub with the other births, but this time, the tub was so refreshing and relaxing I worried for a few seconds that it would stall out my labor. But it actually did the opposite. With minimal discomfort, I progressed to fully dilated by 5:45 PM. Around then I had three strong contractions in row (which I guess was transition ha ha) and I told Troy to get the midwife because I felt an urge to push.

I have to say that pushing was the only part of the birth process where I began to feel strong pain and self-doubt. We decided at that point we would try to birth in the tub. The midwife encouraged me every minute of this time and she and delivery nurse encouraged Troy to sit behind me as a support and it was so helpful. I tried to allow my body to gently release the baby through the birth canal and out, but that was proving to be very difficult. I felt the “ring of fire” and knew the end was close, but couldn’t seem to get the baby’s head to pass. The midwife helped by holding the cervical lip and his head was through. But he still wasn’t coming out…his shoulders were stuck! So the next few moments were a bit of an acrobatic feat. The midwife said “we have to get this baby out,” instructed me to turn around in the tub onto my hands and knees and with one strong push, our son was born!

Elliot James arrived into the world on November 13, 2008, at 6:22pm. He was 9lbs 6oz, 21 inches. His head is 35 cm and his shoulders 36.5 cm.! (hence the slight pause in his birth).

We stayed the night at the birth center and returned home the next day around 2 in the afternoon. I have nothing but praise for the birth center and staff. They helped make this birth be such an empowering and happy occasion. The only intervention I needed in the whole process was some stitching to repair some tearing from the birth. Elliot and I were given the space to bond immediately, which was combined with having close attention paid to our health over the course of the first evening. It was wonderful to feel cared for, safe, and calm throughout the whole experience.