My due date for Rud was August 11th, but he decided to not wait that long and graced us with his presence on August 6th, five days early. Here's how it all happened.
Kip had been planning on going out of town for some work training August 1-5, but a few weeks before the planned trip he decided he should cancel the trip because he was concerned the baby might come early and he wouldn't be here to support me through labor and witness our baby's birth. I told him he was silly and was insistent that he should go on the trip. Until about a week before he was scheduled to leave. I started having more consistent feelings of "ickiness" and started to feel like the baby might come. I still wasn't too concerned though, so we decided to spend a whole day in prayer about it. After that day, I felt strongly that he should not go on the trip. He had been more than willing to cancel his plans before our day of prayer, so once I told him how I was feeling he quickly changed his plans, cancelled his trip, and stayed home with us.
We spent that week doing family activities and last minute preparations for the baby. Rud was born on saturday night, and the thursday before, we went downtown to watch Shakespeare in the Park. That involved walking a mile to the T station, sitting on the ground for about five hours and then walking a mile home. I guess doing all of that got the baby moving, because on friday morning I woke up and had a bloody show. Since I had not experienced that when pregnant with Lucy, I quickly called my midwife, who, after asking me a series of questions, concluded it was most likely my mucous plug coming out, and it was nothing to be worried about, it was just my body preparing for labor. I was convinced contractions would begin imminently, and an hour later when I went to my chiropractor I told her I was in labor. She did some last minute adjustments. There also happened to be another midwife at the chiropractor for her appointment, so I described my symptoms to her and she had the same conclusion as my midwife. So, I spent all day friday waiting for labor to begin, but it never happened.
Saturday morning we woke up and had a nice family breakfast and around lunchtime we met a friend in Harvard Square to get some maternity pictures taken. Just in time, it turns out! We had a lot of fun walking around a park taking pictures and playing in a fountain. I mentioned to our friend that I might have the baby that night since I was still feeling icky, but none of us really believed it and we all laughed about it. After the photo shoot I decided I wanted to walk a mile to Central Square to get ice cream at a local place called Toscanini's. I had been craving their orange cardamom chip ice cream all summer, and there is never a better time to justify eating ice cream than when you're 10 months pregnant in August! So we walked a mile to Toscanini's only to discover they didn't have my flavor, and I had to settle on salted caramel instead.
We sat down to eat our ice cream on the lovely green leather couch in Toscanini's and suddenly I had a pain the lasted a few seconds and then went away. I looked at Kip and said, "I think that was a contraction!" That was around 4p.m. We took our time and finished our ice cream and then started walking home. I had another contraction and stopped on the side walk to lean against a store front and relax through the pain. It wasn't so intense that I had to stop, but the Bradley classes I took with Lucy taught me to relax my body during contractions so the uterus can do it's work. So that's what I did.
I had 2-3 more contractions on the walk home, so I started to think it could be real labor. I was definitely experiencing the first emotional signpost of early labor, because I was really excited. We both were. My biggest concern was that I still had a couple of freezer meals I needed to make before the baby was born, so I sent Kip into Whole Foods for a few things and I kept walking home. When we both got home we put Curious George on for Lucy and we started making Lasagna and an Enchilada casserole. I was having contractions while cooking, so I had to pause every once in awhile to relax, and then I went back to cooking!
We were measuring contractions with a handy dandy contractions timer app on my iphone, and it made it so easy to track the contractions. They were coming slowly and irregularly - every 10-20 minutes, so I started to doubt that I was actually in real labor. We fed Lucy and put her to bed around 6:30, but she knew something was going on and would not settle down. She just sat on the edge of her bed and cried. Kip decided it was time to call our friends to come pick her up for the night, so we got her out of bed, put more Curious George on and waited for Braden and Stephanie to arrive. They picked her up around 7:30 and took her to their house for the night.
She left and we sat down to relax. I told Kip that it might be real labor since I had had two contractions in the past 15 minutes, so we might have a baby by 5-6a.m. But I still wasn't sure. I guess having Lucy gone helped me to relax and focus, though, because she hadn't been gone long when contractions started coming more frequently and started getting more intense. I jumped in the shower to relieve the pain and stayed there about 30 minutes and had quite a few contractions. The heat and water didn't stop them, so I knew then that this was the real deal and we would have a baby soon.
After getting out of the shower things got serious. I moved to the second emotional signpost and I was getting serious! Getting through the contractions was taking work. And they were also getting really painful and I was finding it hard to relax through them. I leaned against the wall; I leaned against Kip; I sat on my ball; I laid on the bed. Every position I tried hurt and I was struggling to relax. My fabulous husband was a great coach and helped me get through each contraction with encouraging words and physical and emotional support.
Around 9:15p.m. he called our doula to give her a heads up and she wanted to listen to me through a contraction. That was silly because I'm silent during contractions. I internalize everything and stay really focused, so she couldn't tell how progressed I was by how I sounded. She told us to text her when we left for the birth center (Since she was a free doula provided by the birth center through their grant, she didn't come of the house).
I thought it would be awhile before we left since I wanted to do most of my laboring at home and contractions were still 6-7 minutes apart. Based on contraction timing, we still had lots of time left. However, based on intensity and my emotional signposts, we didn't have a lot of time. After one incredibly painful contraction where I couldn't relax at all, I told Kip we needed to go. I was feeling lots of pressure and I started doubting I could keep going. Third emotional signpost - self doubt. I thought it might be transition since I was doubting myself, but I was doubting that too. We left our house at 10:00 p.m.
Since the birth center was only three blocks away I thought I might walk there when labor started, but once I was in labor that idea quickly fled. We got in the car and drove and I had one contraction in the car. As we were walking up the steps into the birth center I told Kip, "I'm afraid they're going to tell me I'm only dilated to 5 and I can't keep doing this for another 5-6 hours." And even then, I thought that might be transition, but I was also terrified it wasn't. We got inside and the midwife on duty examined me and said I was dilated to an 8. Thank God!
We walked upstairs and went into our room, and things started moving quickly. All I knew is that there was a flurry of activity. I heard the doula say she was going to get the bath going since she knew I was interested in a water birth. I saw the nurse and midwives talking. They were deciding who would stay with me since all three rooms at the birth center were full of laboring mamas - something that rarely happens! We got the last available room that night. Kip was getting our stuff set up. And every time a contraction started I would yell "contraction" and head to Kip and lean against him to get through it. The midwife told me she had to break my water to check for meconium (since the presence of it would mean a transfer to the hospital). She broke it and it was clear, so I was cleared to get into the bathtub. I walked to the tub, stripping as I went (loss of modesty = birth is imminent!).
Before labor I wasn't sure if I would want a water birth or not, but once I got in the tub I never once considered getting out. The water felt so good and immediately helped relieve the pain. I wanted to push, but didn't know if I should. The midwife was down on her knees by the tub and I asked her how long it would be. She said soon. I looked at her and asked (probably in an unfriendly tone), "Does soon me 15 minutes or three hours?" She very calmly and kindly assured me that she was already in her birthing attire of pants and long shirt sleeves and it's a hot outfit that she wouldn't get in it unless it was going to be really soon. I asked her if I could push and she said in her super soothing voice, "Beth, we're just waiting on your body to do what it needs to do, so if you feel like it needs to push, then push."
So, I started pushing. I was feeling the ring of fire and it was burning! I looked at Kip and said "I hate pushing. People lie when they say it feels good - this does not feel good." He didn't respond. I probably sounded like a crazy person and he didn't know what to say. I felt the same way when I gave birth to Lucy. I really have no idea why people think pushing feels good. I assure you - it does not. I also told him that I didn't think the baby was going to come out - that I didn't think it would fit. Again, a crazy person.
I gave one hard push and let out a giant scream. I apologized for it because I'm not a screamer, but everyone assured me screaming is good. I don't really agree, but I completely forgot about good pushing form with chin down and holding my breath, so the result was a loud scream. I was working hard! The very next push, the baby came out and Kip and the midwife caught him and and put him on my chest. It took all of 5-6 pushes for the baby to be born!
We left our house at 10p.m., I was in the tub for 15-20 minutes, and our baby was born at 10:50 p.m.! Seven hours of labor and it was over and we had a baby.
He let out one loud cry and then just snuggled up against me and was quiet. And I was the first one that noticed he was a boy and I announced it to everyone. Kip had to double check and confirmed I was right.
{Minutes after Rud was born}
I stayed in the water until the cord stopped pulsing and Kip cut it, and then I got out of the water and went to the big full-sized bed to deliver the placenta. It didn't take long, and then the nurse quickly changed the linens and Kip and I laid in the bed together with our new little guy while I drank orange juice and ate a peanut and jelly sandwich my doula made for me. Rud did the crawl to start nursing, and nursed for a very long time and did a masterful job of it.
{He was so calm after being born}
Things could not have gone better. Around 2a.m. they finally got around to weighing him and doing the Apgar. He weighed 7lbs 7 ounces and scored a 9 on the Apgar. I had one tiny, tiny tear, but it was nothing to be concerned about.
{snuggling together in bed}
{A proud Daddy}
We slept at the birth center and went home the next morning, and I was on my couch with my new little man by 8:00a.m. The nurse and midwives told us that we were the last couple to arrive that night, the first ones to have a baby, and the first ones to leave. It was perfect.
{A healthy baby}
{9 hours old - coming home from the hospital in his special hat and blanket I made for him}
