Contractions

Things are starting to settle down and I thought it was about time that I posted our birth story.

I awoke at 4:30 am on Tuesday morning with contractions. They were not strong but fairly consistently 5 minutes apart. I waited until 5:30 to wake dh up and we continued timing the contractions and I called the midwife around 6 to tell her I was in labor. We also called my in-laws to come over so they could watch the kids. Around 7 or so the contractions started spacing out more although I was still having them. Dh decided to stay home from work and we went for a leisurely walk around the neighborhood. We returned to the house and I really didn’t feel like eating but enjoyed a smoothie.

The day progressed slowly with just enough contractions for me to know I was in labor but but nothing serious enough to feel like I was down to business. I occupied myself with watching Pride and Prejudice (the A&E version). I made it through the first of the 2 disks and then just as I was putting the second disk in the contractions starting coming on hard. It was around 2 pm. Just before 3 I told dh that if the contractions continued like this we should have the midwives come. He recommended that I call them right then. So I did. After that point the contractions really kicked into high gear. The first midwife got there around 3:30 and then the other one got there around 4. I was handling the contractions pretty well with only a few of them getting away from me. Dh was a tremendous help to me in helping me to moan low and encouraging me that I could in fact do this and that I was made to be able to birth babies.

We tried using a birth ball which helped a little bit until I had a really long and very hard contraction in which my composure really left me. Soon after this I had them check me and I was at dilated to 7 (which is the same place I’ve been whenever I’ve asked to be checked with my last 4 births). The sensation to push closely followed but I seemed to be having trouble keeping my legs opened so I tried standing up with dh holding me which really helped me open up. My water burst at this point. (At the same time the phone was ringing — it was my sister calling to check on us — but we didn’t answer. It was 5:30.)

I moved onto the birthing stool and all of a sudden something clicked in me and instead of feeling pain and resisting it, I felt pressure and started working with it. I started just blowing and pushing very controlled until the baby eased out. She was born at 5:38 pm. I did not tear even a little bit! (Which I have everytime before.) This was the most amazing birth!

May God be praised! Every birth is such a miracle! I praise him and am so grateful for each of the 5 babies he has allowed me to birth. That life could be grow within my body for 9 months and come forth into our family in such an amazing way — who but God could have designed it?