Maddie's Grand Entrance

Totally entranced by others birth stories & the Mommypotamus blog I decided to do my birth story.

Here's the story of Maddie's Grand Entrance.
(the story is sorta in pieces because it was all kind of a blur at some point)

First let me say, I'm not a "fluff & stuff" kinda girl. I'm a "just the facts, matter of fact" chick, it's just how I'm wired. Just so you know when you read this story.

It all begins on Monday July 5th. I am 3 days late but that's okay because my midwife had said that first time moms usually birth later rather than earlier.

It's about 10 pm and I start to feel kinda crampy and not so good. My body is beginning to begin the process by cleaning out my system (vomiting and BM's-I would have loved for someone to have given me a heads up on this part). We know it's the beginning and I need to try to relax so I get in the bathtub first. Chet goes to bed to get some rest as well. The bath feels great but I just can't get comfortable. I call Sarah (my midwife) she gives me some options...take benadryl, drink a little wine, and try to rest. Okay, I'll try. We have no benadryl but happen to have some wine. So I have a small glass (I do not like wine at all & now I hate it after it came back up later). And get in the tub again. All the while I am calling my dear friend Carrie to ask her questions about what to expect. I still can't get comfortable and tell Carrie when I was in the tub it just felt like I couldn't quit peeing (I thought the baby was pushing on my bladder so much that it was making me pee). She told me that maybe my water broke. So, I used the swab I got from my midwife and sure enough my water had broke. I have no idea what time it was because I am not even caring about the time. I call Sarah again, she says time the contractions. So, I begin that. And every time I talk to Sarah I end up using the bathroom again and my body is still getting things out of my system. What in the world is going on....

I go lay on the couch. Can't get comfortable. I wake up Chet. It's about 1 am he calls his parents and tells them to be on standby (they have to travel 5hrs to get here). I call my mom (this is her 1st grandchild) and let her know that it's beginning, but don't get too excited just yet because this could take a while.

I was probably overreacting but those contractions seemed close and long. So, we call Sarah again (about 2.am.) and she says to go ahead and come to the birth center. At this time we get everything and head out. On the way we call some friends to have them feed our dogs and while I'm leaving a message Chet stops at a stoplight. It's 2 o'clock in the morning there are no cars and I am in labor. So, I yell "don't stop just go". Our friends have that recording and later play it back for us to hear. Too funny!

Chet calls his parents, I call my mom, and my dear friend Carrie to tell them to make their way to the birth center
We get to the birth center and the first place I go is the tub. It felt so good. All was well with the world. In the room Carrie sits by the tub and Chet is hanging out with my mom. We are laughing and joking. Life is good, this labor stuff is easy peezy!!

Well, I don't know when things changed but they did. Those contractions kept coming and coming. It seemed like they would never stop. At one point I am yelling "I just want a break, just give me a break". I am yelling loudly through those contractions. The other midwife Christy has to remind me several times to "go lower" with my voice. I try.

I remember my hip feeling "out" and I just kept it by the tub jets. So, they called Dr. Cindy (the chiropractor) to come adjust me. I was glad she was there but at the same time I did not want to get out of that tub. I did get out, she adjusted me and things were better.

While in labor at one point I just started "saying ho, ha, he" in a sing song voice through each contraction. It turned out that I sung my in-laws to sleep while they were in the waiting room.

There were many times I asked Sarah to just "get it out, please get it out"! I also remember asking them if the baby was there yet, and their response was "not yet". And then I just made the "Fu" sound. My mom was in the room & I don't ever use that word but it almost slipped out! That lead to a conversation in the room about people who don't normally cuss, cussing during labor! That was kinda funny.

Then it was time to push. Oh man, that was a crazy feeling. I was trying to focus.
Here came the baby on it's way out. I could hear Sarah, Christy, & Carrie saying things like "good, that's good". So I keep on pushing, they keep saying positive things. At one point someone says something about "not crowning yet". I stopped and said "What, you guys keep saying good, that's good, it's coming, doesn't that mean it's crowning?". They said "not yet, but almost". I then said "LIARS, you are all LIARS".

I remember them saying "Margo, reach down and touch your baby's head". I said " I can't I'm trying to focus". Well, the water got cool and the baby just wasn't getting past a certain point so Sarah said we were going to get out of the water and make a small cut to help the baby come out. At this point I think I had pushed for over an hr (they don't show that in the movies or on TV, it's 3 pushes and out comes a baby).

So, we get out of the tub, Sarah makes a small snip during a contraction and out comes baby @ 10:24am July 6th. chet got to catch. He was so proud! They put baby on my chest (we chose not to find out the sex ahead of time, we wanted to be surprised) and I asked my husband "what did we get?". He announced it's a girl!! We had my mom cut the cord (she has not ever had children of her own, my brother and I are adopted) and that was such a cool thing for her.

All was well. Maddie was healthy, labor was over, and we were now a family of three!!
It was a tough but wonderful experience. God and a little ignorance on my part allowed me to power through to the very end. So thankful for my wonderful husband who helped me in the most intense times, for my friend Carrie who sat by that tub and encouraged me the entire time (8hrs), and my sweet mom for just being there and loving every minute of the whole process. My midwives, Sarah & Christy were phenomenal. Sarah was truly a godsend.

That was 10 months ago. After people learning I did a natural childbirth (some are super shocked-which I have to say I always think is a little amusing)they ALWAYS ask, "would you do it again"....and I always say "YES"!