Opal's birth story

Be forewarned-- I wrote this over a period of a week or so, sometimes with one hand. If it's disjoint or confusing or contains typos, bare with me. And it's a birth story. So it may be a bit much information. If that kind of thing bothers you, then don't read it.


I awoke shortly after 1 am on Monday morning (I'd gone to bed around 11:30), unable to sleep because of painful contractions, a symptom I'd been experiencing for days on end, so I didn't get my hopes up. I laid in bed for an hour, glancing at the clock every time the strong tightening pain would cut into my drowsiness. They went from six minutes apart to every four minutes. I got up to empty my squished bladder, drink some water and walk around a little to see if that might abate them. Over the next hour, they did lessen some, so around 3:30, I tried to get some rest with no luck. The contractions just returned stronger, and I finally got up around 4:30, ate a bowl of cereal and peach and got a few things in order, just in case.

I kept praying that I would know when to call. I hated the idea of getting to TMC (the Midwife Center) and having labor stop/being sent home, infantless, as had happened with Abigail. We were already into the third day past the due date, though, and this was the first time I started to feel really very desperate to be done with this pregnancy, to be holding my baby girl. I didn't know how many more sleepless nights I could endure-- due to contractions rather than a newborn. I sobbed. Contractions were now coming an average of two minutes apart and lasting one minute, even when I was on my feet, and I started having to bend over to breathe through them. I was starting to feel a lot of pressure. Encouraging. A little after 6, I woke Mike and told him we needed to call E. She was scheduled to come at 8 anyway. We'd just ask her to come early. At around 6:35, I talked to the midwife on call (Kara), who asked about my contractions, how long it would take us to get to the Center, etc. We said we could be there in 40 minutes. She said either she or Kathy would meet us there. I think I would have been happy with any of the midwives, but I was especially excited to hear Kathy's name. We had such pleasant experiences with her for our other two Midwife Center deliveries.

In our rushing around, we had woke the kids, so we got to fill them in on what was happening. I told them E was going to stay with them and that when we saw them again, we might have their baby sister. Abigail laughed giddily at this. We left the house a bit before 7, in time for some rush hour traffic, but not too bad. The light rain seemed appropriate for how I began to feel at this point- hopeless and discouraged. My contractions had now slowed to around eight to ten minutes apart. They weren't quite as intense.

We pulled into the "Delivery Zone" at 7:15 and knocked on the door, but no one else was there yet. A woman from billing pulled up, let us in, and got us situated in the Forest Room. Kathy came in shortly and asked if birth was imminent. I told her my contractions had died down considerably since I'd called. I was especially let down when she checked me and told me I was only 2 cm dilated (the midwife at my appointment last week told me I was 3!). I'd thought for sure the contractions I'd been having the past couple of days had been doing something! Kathy was so reassuring though and made it sound like I was just where I was supposed to be. After I got an IV put in for penicillin (since I was GBS positive), she asked if I'd like to get in the jacuzzi, and I thought, why not? I figured the heat might bring on contractions, but they only seemed to weaken more. I didn't stay in for long. To say I was feeling discouraged at this point was an understatement.

At around 9, Mike and I talked about what we wanted to do because it didn't seem like labor was just going to start up again on its own. We decided to discuss our options with Kathy and ask her about possibly trying natural induction. Even if we went home and rested, I didn't want to risk the same routine again, especially with the baptism scheduled for that weekend and family coming into town. Kathy was so encouraging and positive as she went over our options: take some Benadryl and get some rest, try to get the contractions going with a cycle of breast pumping and walking, induce labor through breaking my water and committing to having the baby within 24 hours (even if that meant having to transfer to the hospital), or a combination of the last two. Mike and I talked about it and decided to give the pumping and walking a try.

They made us a nice breakfast of omelets and English muffins with jam, and after that, Jamie (a midwife intern) brought me an electric pump. I was so glad Jamie was there (in addition to Kathy and a nurse, Priscilla), as I'd loved her the two times I'd had her for appointments. I was to pump one side for 15 minutes, pump the other side for 15 minutes and then walk for 30 minutes, and so on. Immediately, contractions picked up again. After we completed one hour-long cycle, we started another. When we got to the second cycle of walking in the light rain, contractions were coming every 2 minutes and were lasting longer and longer. I was putting all of my weight on Mike as I'd stop to try to breathe through them. They were getting bad. We were getting some looks.

Once we returned to TMC, Kathy and Jamie were smiling really big, pleased that our attempts to progress labor were clearly working. I needed a second dose of antibiotics through my IV, and while I sat on the bed breathing through contractions, we noticed they were getting further apart again. I was so worried they'd just taper off again, and we'd be back where we started. When Kathy returned, I expressed my concern and asked if she'd check me after the IV was finished. I was really curious to see if these doozy contractions were in fact making progress.

After Kathy left the room, they started to pick up again very quickly on their own, and I hardly had a chance to recover at all between them. I was breathing pretty heavily at this point, pressing my head into a pile of pillows on the bed and trying to alleviate some of the pain by rocking on a birthing ball. After a few more of these, I think I let out a grunt-y noise, and Mike asked if I felt "pushy." "Soon," was all I could get out. Mike asked me if I wanted him to go get somebody, and I nodded as I tried to control my breathing. A couple of minutes later, Kathy, Jamie, and Priscilla all entered the room and began to ready a few things. Priscilla disconnected the IV and I managed to get myself onto the bed on my back. Jamie checked me and said I was at 6 cm, 80% effaced, and my waters were bulging-- the 6 cm was not was I was hoping to hear with how imminent I felt labor was, but I was at least making progress. Little did I know, our daughter would be born within 25 minutes.

Jamie asked if I wanted her to break my water, which would likely help to speed things up. At this point, I was so ready for the pain and the birth to be over... anything to help. Once she did, things intensified. I told them I wanted to change positions, so they helped me turn onto my side. After a couple of contractions, I felt like pushing. My arms began to feel tingly, I was breathing so heavily. I kept trying to slow my breathing down, but my whole face started to feel numb, too, so they gave me a carbon dioxide mask (apparently, I was getting "too much oxygen"). Mike held it up to my face. Kathy told me later how she was touched to tears that he held my cold washcloth to my forehead with his forehead so he could still hold my mask and give me an arm to hold. That strong arm was so comforting throughout that whole final stretch.

Now, every time I had a contraction, I knew I needed to focus and push. Our girl was so close. They kept telling me, "Relax. Just let her come down." I was trying so hard to just relax and listen to what they were saying. But there's a point when pain just seems to take over. I remember telling Mike I couldn't do it, just thinking it would be so much easier if they could just cut her out of me (not that that had ever been an option at TMC), even when I was this close. This seemed to be taking so much longer than with the last two.

Finally Jamie told me there was a flap of cervix that was holding the baby back, so she then held it aside while I pushed. And after three pushes and the loudest screaming I'm sure I've ever produced, our girl was on my chest, all covered in vernix. She was a bit blue, as the umbilical cord had been wrapped around her neck, but she was fine and pinked up quickly. Those dear dark eyes looking up at me were the sweetest sight. SUCH an amazing feeling. Truly the best. (She was born at 12:55 pm.)

I got a couple of shots of pitocin, as they said I was bleeding a lot. Jamie brought me the little pan with the placenta and showed me the cause of our concern in early pregnancy. There was the hematoma, about the size of a large fig-- much smaller in size than it had once been. But our fighter of a girl was finally here, arriving in her own time. In God's time. It turned out to be the perfect time, as we didn't even have to stay the full 12 hours post-birth as GBS positive patients are required (which would have put us there until 1 am). We got to leave a little before 6 pm. Due to hurricane Sandy, which, fortunately, didn't turn out to be more than some rain, they wanted to close the Center by 7 that evening. So the kids were still awake when we arrived home. Our newest member was welcomed by her older siblings and the Wards and a sweet "Welcome Home Opal" sign, which E helped the kids make.

Even though we experienced some scares along the way and had to wait a little longer for her, we had another positive birthing experience. I couldn't have hand-picked a better birthing team. I was thankful to have them all there, helping our sweet babe into the world. Especially my incredible husband. Seeing him hold another of our children makes me overflow with love. He's a wonderful dad. The best husband. We are so blessed. Our family of six.