Eva's birth
It is amazing how much time one can spend holding and looking at a new baby. I want to say I have been terribly busy since Eva was born but I have probably spent most of my time just looking at her. Well some people have expressed interest in hearing the birth story so here it is. It is a tad bit long.
I started having contractions a couple of days before I went into labour but they were really mild. I wasn't sure if they were real or just Braxton-Hicks so I just ignored them. On Thursday they started getting closer together but were still about 30 minutes apart and didn't really hurt. I was driving and doing other things during them so I figured they were not real. But later that night I had the whole bloody show thing so I knew that labour would start soon. I called my midwife and looked at one of my books and both said that I could still have a week or two. I was trying to tell my midwife that I really felt like I was going into labour but she said my contractions were still pretty far apart. I was searching through my house trying to find a watch to time them but soon found out that neither James nor I own a watch. I started to complain that I was going to have to use the oven timer to time them.
Since I was planning the whole home birth thing there were a lot of things that I needed to have ready so I started running around my house trying to get it all together just in case. I wasn't planning on having her for another 2 to 3 weeks. First babies are supposed to be about a week late not two weeks early! Around 11 or 12 (I think) Nicholas came over to keep me company. I would say around 1 a.m. my contractions got really bad. For some reason I decided the only place I could be comfortable was bent over my kitchen counter with a pillow. Eventually someone called my mom and my midwife (Juliet) to tell them they should come over. I don't remember when Rachael arrived. Sorry, I was not in the best frame of mind to remember such things. My contractions were still shorter than what most womens are but I was in active labour. When Juliet arrived and checked me I was at 6 centimeters. After she checked me I was shaking really badly and asked why since I wasn't cold. Juliet said I was in transition. James convinced me to lay in my bed instead of standing in the kitchen. Which was probably a good thing. I don't know how long I was in bed but my contractions started to get a lot worse.
Around 6:46 I suddenly had to go to the bathroom so badly. I got out of bed as fast as I could and went into the bathroom. Juliet knocked on the door and came in saying that she I didn't need to go to the bathroom but that the baby was coming. I told her no that I just had to go really badly. But I was wrong. She left to go get a few things and James tried to come in but I pushed him out of the room. Juliet returns and soon after I am pushing the baby out. I ofcourse yelled the typical things. I don't want to do this anymore. Make her stay in. I am never going to have sex again. I can't really remember the pain at all. I remember that I was in a whole lot of pain and that it burned so badly but I can't really remember the feeling. I begged the baby in between pushing to just give me a little break before making me push again. It is funny because in movies and such you always hear someone telling the mom when to push but in reality, at least with natural child birth, you don't have a choice. When your body tells you to push you are going to push. There is no choice. I had heard people describe labour as two steps forward and one step back but I was not prepared for that. I would push her out a bit and she would just go back in some. Which made me angry. I know that I was screaming a lot but I couldn't help it.
After a bit the bag of water starts to push out. My water never broke during labour so she was born with a caul. It is an old wives tale that this means the baby will be lucky. At this point I am standing/squating in my bathroom holding onto the sink and the bathtub. I reached down and felt the bag of water which was really, really gross. So I did it again later. Then only 29 minutes later Eva was born. Which was the biggest relief in my life. I was so happy it was over and so happy to hold her. I couldn't believe what I had just done. I gave birth to a baby in a bathroom. Juliet quickly placed the baby on my tummy and wrapped us both in towels so we could go lay down in my bed to let everyone come see her. Everyone came into see her, took pictures, and James cut the cord. Which he didn't want to do but I told him he didn't have a choice in the matter. Then everyone had to leave so I could push out the placenta. At first I was on my back trying to do this but it was really ridiculous. I told Juliet I was going to stand up and push it out. I could not imagine trying to push out a baby on my back if I can't even push out the placenta that way. Once again I was really angry because I just went through having a baby I thought it was really unfair to make me push something else out of there.
I passed the baby on to James and went to wash off in the shower. Then I walked into the living room to reclaim my baby.
Everyone keeps saying I had a really short labour. An easy birth. It did not feel that way to me. But Juliet did tell me that since my labour was so short that my contractions were more intense than most. It was the most ridiculously painful thing I have ever gone through. But I would probably do it again :)
I did have a slight tear but it wasn't bad enough to require stitches and is just about healed now and I had a really sore throat from screaming. Because I did scream a lot. Sadly a few days later we did have to take Eva to the hospital because she had jaundice and had to sleep under the UV lights. This upset me so much. I had a home birth to avoid the hospital and then we had to go stay there. But she is okay now. And I am still happy I had the home birth. I could not imagine going through that in a hospital. I don't think I could of been nearly as comfortable in a hospital bed as I was in my own bed. I do feel a bit bad for Juliet because my bathroom is really small. But it will be fun to tell my daughter that she was born in a bathroom.
So far everyone who has seen her has commented on her full head of hair. Which I am so happy she has. Bald babies are not cute. Honestly I don't think any babies are cute except for mine. I also received two compliments for carrying her instead of carrying a car seat around. I don't understand why people would carry those. They are big and bulky. And it is better for the babe to be held in someones arms. I also received a compliment for nursing her in the waiting room at the hospital today. I was really nervous about doing this in front of people but James urged me to do it and a lady said she was happy to see me nursing her.
So we are all doing well. And I am so happy that the home birth was perfect. I guess I could not have had a better birth. It was short, at home, and I had several people around that I cared about. James helped out so much during the contractions. I don't think I could of handled it without him. And Nicholas and Rachael were great. Thank you both so much for bringing food and such. That made things so much easier.
Eva Marie. Born 10/20 at 7:15 a.m.
6 lbs and 3 oz
19 in
I started having contractions a couple of days before I went into labour but they were really mild. I wasn't sure if they were real or just Braxton-Hicks so I just ignored them. On Thursday they started getting closer together but were still about 30 minutes apart and didn't really hurt. I was driving and doing other things during them so I figured they were not real. But later that night I had the whole bloody show thing so I knew that labour would start soon. I called my midwife and looked at one of my books and both said that I could still have a week or two. I was trying to tell my midwife that I really felt like I was going into labour but she said my contractions were still pretty far apart. I was searching through my house trying to find a watch to time them but soon found out that neither James nor I own a watch. I started to complain that I was going to have to use the oven timer to time them.
Since I was planning the whole home birth thing there were a lot of things that I needed to have ready so I started running around my house trying to get it all together just in case. I wasn't planning on having her for another 2 to 3 weeks. First babies are supposed to be about a week late not two weeks early! Around 11 or 12 (I think) Nicholas came over to keep me company. I would say around 1 a.m. my contractions got really bad. For some reason I decided the only place I could be comfortable was bent over my kitchen counter with a pillow. Eventually someone called my mom and my midwife (Juliet) to tell them they should come over. I don't remember when Rachael arrived. Sorry, I was not in the best frame of mind to remember such things. My contractions were still shorter than what most womens are but I was in active labour. When Juliet arrived and checked me I was at 6 centimeters. After she checked me I was shaking really badly and asked why since I wasn't cold. Juliet said I was in transition. James convinced me to lay in my bed instead of standing in the kitchen. Which was probably a good thing. I don't know how long I was in bed but my contractions started to get a lot worse.
Around 6:46 I suddenly had to go to the bathroom so badly. I got out of bed as fast as I could and went into the bathroom. Juliet knocked on the door and came in saying that she I didn't need to go to the bathroom but that the baby was coming. I told her no that I just had to go really badly. But I was wrong. She left to go get a few things and James tried to come in but I pushed him out of the room. Juliet returns and soon after I am pushing the baby out. I ofcourse yelled the typical things. I don't want to do this anymore. Make her stay in. I am never going to have sex again. I can't really remember the pain at all. I remember that I was in a whole lot of pain and that it burned so badly but I can't really remember the feeling. I begged the baby in between pushing to just give me a little break before making me push again. It is funny because in movies and such you always hear someone telling the mom when to push but in reality, at least with natural child birth, you don't have a choice. When your body tells you to push you are going to push. There is no choice. I had heard people describe labour as two steps forward and one step back but I was not prepared for that. I would push her out a bit and she would just go back in some. Which made me angry. I know that I was screaming a lot but I couldn't help it.
After a bit the bag of water starts to push out. My water never broke during labour so she was born with a caul. It is an old wives tale that this means the baby will be lucky. At this point I am standing/squating in my bathroom holding onto the sink and the bathtub. I reached down and felt the bag of water which was really, really gross. So I did it again later. Then only 29 minutes later Eva was born. Which was the biggest relief in my life. I was so happy it was over and so happy to hold her. I couldn't believe what I had just done. I gave birth to a baby in a bathroom. Juliet quickly placed the baby on my tummy and wrapped us both in towels so we could go lay down in my bed to let everyone come see her. Everyone came into see her, took pictures, and James cut the cord. Which he didn't want to do but I told him he didn't have a choice in the matter. Then everyone had to leave so I could push out the placenta. At first I was on my back trying to do this but it was really ridiculous. I told Juliet I was going to stand up and push it out. I could not imagine trying to push out a baby on my back if I can't even push out the placenta that way. Once again I was really angry because I just went through having a baby I thought it was really unfair to make me push something else out of there.
I passed the baby on to James and went to wash off in the shower. Then I walked into the living room to reclaim my baby.
Everyone keeps saying I had a really short labour. An easy birth. It did not feel that way to me. But Juliet did tell me that since my labour was so short that my contractions were more intense than most. It was the most ridiculously painful thing I have ever gone through. But I would probably do it again :)
I did have a slight tear but it wasn't bad enough to require stitches and is just about healed now and I had a really sore throat from screaming. Because I did scream a lot. Sadly a few days later we did have to take Eva to the hospital because she had jaundice and had to sleep under the UV lights. This upset me so much. I had a home birth to avoid the hospital and then we had to go stay there. But she is okay now. And I am still happy I had the home birth. I could not imagine going through that in a hospital. I don't think I could of been nearly as comfortable in a hospital bed as I was in my own bed. I do feel a bit bad for Juliet because my bathroom is really small. But it will be fun to tell my daughter that she was born in a bathroom.
So far everyone who has seen her has commented on her full head of hair. Which I am so happy she has. Bald babies are not cute. Honestly I don't think any babies are cute except for mine. I also received two compliments for carrying her instead of carrying a car seat around. I don't understand why people would carry those. They are big and bulky. And it is better for the babe to be held in someones arms. I also received a compliment for nursing her in the waiting room at the hospital today. I was really nervous about doing this in front of people but James urged me to do it and a lady said she was happy to see me nursing her.
So we are all doing well. And I am so happy that the home birth was perfect. I guess I could not have had a better birth. It was short, at home, and I had several people around that I cared about. James helped out so much during the contractions. I don't think I could of handled it without him. And Nicholas and Rachael were great. Thank you both so much for bringing food and such. That made things so much easier.
Eva Marie. Born 10/20 at 7:15 a.m.
6 lbs and 3 oz
19 in