Full Circle Midwifery

The labor and birth was amazing.  It was much better that I ever expected.  I had scattered light contractions throughout the day on the 15th starting after my appointment with Patrice.  I wasn’t actually even sure they were contractions, but I assumed they were because I had been bleeding since the 13th (we weren’t ever sure, I guess, if it was bloody show or low lying placenta tearing away.)  I decided to go to bed and make it with a plastic sheet just in case, then no contractions for a couple hours.

Finally at 3 am I woke up and started having more major contractions and woke up Mike at 3:30 to call Patrice and Mike’s sister to watch Violet.  I stayed in the bathroom until 5:00 when Patrice arrived for fear of peeing all over.  Sometime between 4 and 5 I think my water broke.  I ate a little but then contractions started getting bad.  I sat at the edge of the bed breathing and closing my eyes just waiting for things to get really bad since my previous labor was 15 hours and very painful with hip and back pain.  This labor was all in my abdomen.

Patrice checked me at 5:38 and I was 5 cm.,  by 6:10 I was feeling nauseated but never did throw up.  I just remember thinking that it was starting to be really hard labor and preparing to deal with it for a long time when I felt myself start pushing at 6:25.  Strange since I was still sitting up.

Patrice and Barb prepared the bed and I laid on my side and pushed a few more times.  I was surprised to hear Ava making noises with only her head and upper body out and that she was already out.  Patrice then told me I could wait for another contraction or just open my legs to get her all the way out.  So I opened my legs laying on my back and she slipped out.  Violet got to see her baby sister born too.

She was born at 6:36 am.  7 lbs, 15 oz, 21 inches long.