Catching Up!

Happy Valentine's Day!

A beautiful gift from my sweet husband

And then....


In the very early morning on Sunday, February 15th, Brendan’s story begins. I had been having very mild contractions all week--they would start in the morning about 10 minutes apart, and then slow down and stop in the afternoon. On Valentine's Day, they didn't stop, but they weren't getting any stronger either. Then, I woke up at 1:30 in the morning with suddenly strong contractions about 4 minutes apart. At 2:30, I woke my husband up because I needed his help to focus.

We had taken Bradley classes, and the techniques they taught us really helped. It was time & money well spent! I had a very long labor with my last little one (who is now almost 15!) and I didn't want to rush to the hospital. I got in the tub for a while, took a shower, and tried to relax through the contractions. When they were 3 minutes apart at around 5:00, we figured we should get to the hospital.

We got to the hospital around 5:30, and they admitted us right away. I was dilated to 3, and totally effaced. (I had been almost 3 at my last appointment, but not effaced.) Contractions were strong and 3 minutes apart. They said as long as I wasn't taking any meds, that I was free to move around the room and even walk the hallway if I wanted. I only had to be on the monitors 30 minutes of every hour and a half. We walked some, I used the rocking chair, and we slow danced, jr. hi style, through the contractions. Sean was absolutely amazing. I was much louder than I thought I would be, wailing and moaning through the contractions, but in between when the pain was gone, I found it easy to relax. The bed was the last place I wanted to be! I found the bed to be the most painful and uncomfortable place to ride through the contractions and I tried to stay as far away from it as possible.

By 8:00, I was at 5. I was pleased with this progress, as last time I took hours and hours just to get to 5. At 10:15, the midwife stopped in and I was at 7. She decided to break my water since it hadn’t happened yet. That was when it got really tough. Everything sped up and got more intense. I went from 7-10 in just 45 minutes. The contractions were right on top of each other, and the breaks I had used to relax in between were suddenly gone. This was the hardest part for me. I was blubbering and telling Sean that I just couldn't do it anymore. I just wanted to go home and have a break! The midwife came to check on us and as she walked in the door on this scene said, "Sounds like transition to me!"

At 11:00, I was ready to push. The thing was, I was terrified to push because of the pain. The midwife encouraged me to push past the pain, but it was really hard for me. I remember telling her, "I'm really trying to listen to you!" After all, I didn’t want her to think I was being rude! :) I had fallen hard on my tailbone when I was 5 months pregnant, and apparently this was what was causing the pain to increase so much when I pushed.

In spite of my struggle, Brendan was born at 11:20. The most amazing thing happened at the end. We hadn't discussed this in advance, but after his head was out, the midwife asked me to lean forward and grab the baby. I thought she was delusional. But, I decided to do what she said. As I leaned forward, she got his shoulders out, and I reached down to scoop him up and pull him onto my chest. It was the strangest and most beautiful moment of my whole life.

What a difference this was from the birth of my first son. Last time I labored for 28 hours. After my water broke, I still had 18 hours to go. The long labor was difficult, and I ended up with an epidural for the last 4 hours. I don’t even remember the end except that I had no idea where or how to push, and my son’s heart rate kept dropping, necessitating a vacuum extraction. Following delivery, he had low blood sugar and trouble maintaining his body temperature. The nurses kept taking him away for several hours at a time to prick his heels and warm him up. It broke my heart.

This time, due to the Bradley classes, Sean and I were very well prepared, and had a “toolbox” of relaxation techniques to help us through the contractions, as well as the Bradley “road map” so we could see the end coming. I held on to the knowledge that the pain was temporary. Because we were both drug-free, Brendan and I had no complications, and further, we had so much more freedom of movement and to eat and drink both during and after labor. What a difference! I walked to post-partum, I felt good, and my baby was not medicated or subdued in anyway. Sean noticed a huge difference in the nursery…Brendan was very active and alert in comparison to the other two babies, who were both C-section.

Everyone said that natural childbirth can be so empowering for a woman. This is true, but it was even more empowering for our marriage. Getting through those contractions one at a time together was the most amazing experience. Sean was so strong and steady through it all, even when I felt as though I was going to lose it in all the pain. Looking into his eyes and being able to feel his touch were so centering. And being able to hold our little one at the end was absolutely indescribable. Brendan came into this world Sunday, February 15, 2009, 7 pounds, 13 ounces, 19 inches.