Living in Joyful Chaos: Oliver Matthew's Birth (long version)

Monday, April 1, I was very sleepy. I'd some mucus the night before and through the morning but nothing else. The man had been at work but got home around 5 and we went out to do some shopping and then went to Abuelo's and split a quesadilla and a chocolate eruption cake. Yum! I was very tired and in retrospect I should have stayed home and slept, but one last night out with the man before babe arrived was nice.

After we got home the contractions were a bit stronger but not regular or even that close. I lay down and tried to rest while the man got the kids to bed.

I woke at midnight to a contraction. After a couple of contractions about 10 minutes apart I decided I would wait until 1 to wake the man and call the midwife. The next contraction changed my mind. Woke the man and called L (the midwife).

L arrived about 1 am. I was sitting on the birth ball between contractions. I could not sit down during them. I got up and paced during them and then sat down again when they were over. Contractions got closer and stronger not long after L arrived the contractions were 4 min apart lasting over a minute. L was timing them. I remember thinking that it seemed so much longer between when she told me how close they were. I was still chatting between. I'd never felt the need to vocalize in labor before. I did this time. At first I just breathed loudly, by the end I was really yelling. I was hungry so the man made me some of these awesome No Bake Energy Bites. He and Cora ate most of them. :P

I got in the shower for a bit. Then went to the bedroom. The man helped my by doing the hip squeeze durning contractions. I tried sitting on the ball during a contraction and found that very uncomfortable. I spent much of the time kind of in a knee chest postion on the bed. Around 3 or 3:30 I started feeling pushy during ctx. I was having a lot of pain low in front and L said that was likely from a cervical lip. So I didn't push just tried to ride the ctx. I remembered what it was like having someone move that lip and I wasn't anxious to have that done again.

Nothing was comfortable. My back ached and the pain in front made it hard to deal. If the man wasn't squeezing my hips during a ctx I just could not keep it together. I was really yelling/growling during contractions by this time.

So I got in the shower. That didn't help much. The man was a trooper and was there to squeeze my hips with every contraction. I'd been giving little pushes while in the shower. By 5 I was done. Exhausted, it was on the tip of my tongue to say "Take me to the hospital and let them cut me open. I'm done". The contractions during that time brought me to tears and I was really screaming. L could tell I was at the end of my stamina. She asked if she could check to see if there was a cervical lip. I fought that for a couple contractions. Poor L, she wanted to help me so badly and I was not being cooperative. I wanted to do it all myself without help. It was hard to give in and consent to the help I needed. I finally let L check for the lip and there was one, just as she'd suspected for two hours or more. She offered to help get babe's head over the lip and a VitB shot.

I got the shot and a couple ctx later I felt better. Not so worn out and that I could make it through. We were so close after all. I consented to the help with the lip. It was just as bad as I remember. After that things got moving but even so this was my longest second stage ever. Babe was trying to get turned around and OH MY! Did that hurt! It was odd to feel him moving so consciously with real purpose trying to get in the correct position. Poor boy had a bruised forehead and ear from that.

I got out of the tub and was going to try and make it back to the bedroom. Instead I sat on the pot during a few ctx and pushed. I stood up and pushed more. The 'ring of fire' was the worst I'd ever felt. I pushed slower than I would have otherwise. I know L was applying counterpressure so I wouldn't tear. I was doing the same in front because I was really worried I would tear this time. If we had pictures of that scene I'm sure it would be funny. There were five adult size people and a preschooler in our little bathroom. :)

Babe's head came slow and the mw remarked that the head was big. Once the head was out I could tell he was stuck. L said what I knew I needed to do, get on my hands and knees. Down on hands and knees I went and the L eventually had to reach in and grab him while I pushed with all I had. And then some! I remember L asking someone the time. 6:36 am April 2.

When L passed him to me between my legs I noticed immediately that he was floppy and said so. L said she knew. It was strange that I felt a bit panicked, but my voice sounded calm to me. It didn't take long for him to perk up, but those seconds were slightly terrifying. While still on the floor I looked to see if we had a boy or girl. I stood up and held babe face down on my forearm with his head aimed toward the floor to get him breathing well. There had been meconium in the water that was slightly worrisome. Once he was breathing very well and his color was good. I sat back down on the pot so I could comfortably look at my baby.

He had lots of vernix which surprised me. We'd thought he was 'overdue' but the vernix contradicted that. He wouldn't breastfeed right away. Unlike my other babes he just wasn't interested. He also didn't open his eyes. These things bothered me a little and I worried. I didn't really relax until he'd nursed. The cord was quite short. I was holding him just barely up to my breast and the cord was taut.

The placenta came awhile later, I'm not really sure of the time.

It took awhile but we eventually got settled in bed. Babe finally nursed. I've never felt so utterly exhausted or beat up from a birth before- except perhaps after my first. It was more from the bruising I had on my thigh and ankle from the varicose veins I get during pregnancy. All the movement had irritated that. The long pushing had physically worn me out, but the pain from the bruising was more difficult to handle.

Mw called it right after he was born and said he was 10lbs. She was only half an ounce off. :) He was a pound heavier than my next largest baby. We didn't settle on a name for a few days. Oliver was 9 lbs 15.5 oz, 22 inches with a 15 in head.

Pics again:

Me just shy of 12 hours before Oliver was born