Madison's Birth Story

Thursday morning, March 26, I began a natural induction, taking some herbs, walking, and such for about 4 hours. I'd gone to see Carolyn the day before and discovered I was 90% effaced and 2.5 cm dialated. I had felt as if I'd been in "baby" labor for weeks, just slowly making progress and going from patient to frustrated at the drop of a hat. :) Anyway, Carolyn said that if my body was ready then the herbs would help get things started. We would just wait and see. :)

Around 5 o'clock that evening my pressure waves picked up to about every 5 minutes but they were never too painful, lasting only several seconds, maybe 30, with a few hitting a minute. Around 9:30 I was ready for bed and so asked Sean what I should do, call Carolyn or just go to bed. His response, to call and just see what she said. She told me to walk around for 15 minutes since I'd been sitting at home, watching a movie, to see if anything changed but that she thought maybe this was it. :)

I walked and yep, the intensity did increase but I was still a bit doubtful that what I was experiecing was seriously labor.I called her back around 10:00 and we decided to head on over for the night.

Jeremy was still awake since I'd mentioned earlier that possibly I'd have to run him over to his dad's that night if I was going to have the baby. He seriously thought I meant I'd for sure have the baby and actually called me a liar when I told him to go to bed, so an hour later he was very excited to jump in the car and meet his dad.

Jeremy actually asked me if he could say a prayer while we were in the car. "Thank you God for my little brother or sister. Thank you for my brother who is going to be another brother, and I'm gonna be another brother..." :)

We got to Carolyn's around 11:00 and she checked me, 100% effaced and 3 cm. So, I'd made a little progress and was actually impressed that I'd gained .5 a cm in a day. Yeah! Still, I just couldnt believe we'd have a baby that night.We all laid down, just waiting to see what would happen. Sean was asleep in no time, snoring. :) I finally drifted off to sleep, waking up a few times to go potty, and thinking I was such a failure for not making any progress and that we'd probably just go home the next morning as paranoid parents, still pregnant, waiting on this baby. :)

However, right around 3:00 am I awoke to a pain in my side. I thought it was from the way I was laying so I flopped over to the other side and then I had a pretty intense wave. I sat up, breathing, not really knowing what to do, but hoping it was the start of something big. I had about two more waves, very quickly together and it was right around then that Carolyn came in. I was up out of the bed, wanting to move, but not really knowing what I wanted to do. In the hospital I'd been in the bed, but this time was different, I had freedom. :)

I was checked again and was at 8 cm. Wow! I couldnt believe I'd slept through it all. :) We put on a hypnobabies cd and I instantly missed my bird. Rod and I had listened to those cd's almost every day together for weeks and I guess I'd associated him pretty closely with them. :)

It was then that we moved to the tub, which felt really nice, waking me up and bring me into the next moment. It didnt take long to reach 10 cm and I had always thought your baby would just fall out at 10. Nope, not this one, she actually wanted me to push her out. :) Pushing was probably the hardest part for me. It's an experience you're never asked to participate in until you reach this one moment and is so unique, so special, that I seriously dont think it can ever be taught to anyone, just experienced and then later talked about. :)

I must say, I was given some great insight this pregnancy about praying while giving birth and it really was an amazing moment when I brought that in. I began thanking God for the waves and instantly the focus shifted from myself and my situation to something so much greater than myself. It then shifted to my baby to which I began telling her, "I love you, I love you, I love you." I wanted my baby to hear this over and over and over again, not just my yells and moans. I believe I also even asked her a few times to come on out.

I got out of the water and ended up next to the bed, squating, and this is where my baby was born. :) Sean was always with me. I couldnt have moved without having him near me. No one spoke much, which was what I needed. I needed to focus on my every moment but I was always so aware of those that were near me. They never left me and it made all the difference.

Madison was born at 4:35, Friday morning, March 27. The moment was full of everything all rolled into one. It's as if I was finaly aware of being just in the present, there was no yesterday or tomorrow, just right then and there. We stayed 4 more hours, checking the baby and myself, eating breakfast, getting all the new instructions on mine and Madison's care, and then around 9:00 that morning we headed for home. I actually kept forgetting that I'd had a baby that very morning and kept wondering why I was being so whimpy and sore. :) Today I feel almost 100% healed and back to my normal self.

Wow, my baby is finally here. :) Thanks to everyone who shared this pregnancy and birth with me. You are all so special to me. I love you, and I cant wait to just keep sharing this little one with you!