The day before my due date I had really ramped up my witchcraft after learning that I was only 1.5 cm and about 10% effaced at my 39.5 week appointment with the midwives. Around 12:30 am on my due date, I started to feel some cramping and had trouble falling back asleep. Around 1:45 I decided to start timing them because I wasn’t convinced I was actually in labor… once I realized they were consistently 3-5 minutes apart and lasting 45-60 seconds long I decided to wake up Mike to let him know it might be game time. Around that time I also had a bloody show which affirmed I was indeed progressing along in labor. He started moving the birth tub into our bedroom which woke Bradley up! He was so excited that it was baby time that he woke up Arlyn too. They both got dressed in their clothes I had laid out for school the next day.
After getting situated, we decided to alert the birth team around 2:30 since I have a history of precipitous labors. The midwives, my doula and photographer all arrived around 3:45am. At this point my contractions were extremely intense and on top of each other so I knew I was in transition and just so grateful we didn’t wait any longer to have the team arrive.
Around 4am I was checked for the first time and I was completely dilated and baby was at station 0! I was in shock but also relieved since the intensity was unreal. Minutes later I got into the birth tub which felt amazing. The warmth and weightlessness was such a game changers for coping with the contractions. My kiddos changed into their swimsuits and joined me in the tub for a period of time. Once some birth juices started accumulating in the tub they decided to watch/support from outside the tub. Bradley was by my side the entire time being such an incredible support. He would hold my hand, rub my back and assure me that I was doing a great job. Arlyn was amazing too.
Pushing is my least favorite part of birth so this time without the pressure to push on demand or for a certain amount of time, I simply let my uterus push during each contraction without actively pushing. Pulling against a rebozo during each contraction made it more bearable to cope. Around 4:45, my bag of waters was bulging and I asked if I could have it broken. They said, go ahead and snag it with your fingernail and I ended up breaking my own waters. The fluids were clear (no meconium) and I knew that it was time to start actively pushing to get baby out! All I could think of during the next hour was how incredibly grateful I am that our bodies give us a period of rest between each contraction. I was able to completely relax in between which helped me muster up the strength during each wave. Finally at 5:43 baby Adler’s head emerged followed by his shoulders and rest of his body. I was able to catch and lift him to my chest myself which was pretty magical. Still not knowing the gender, Bradley came around to take a peel and excitedly announced that it was a BOY!!
