Sunday, February 20, 2005

I went into Labor on Feb. 15, around supper time (5:30 pm). I knew they were different contractions and hurt. But I really didn't say anything to anyone... afraid they would just peter out. It was bed time and I looked at hubby and said: "Do you know how to get your body to go into labor?" He looked at me with that "look". I said: "tell yourself there is no way in heck you will go in labor with the bad cold and cough that you have." As I had been coughing and felt so miserable for the last 3 days.

He got all excited and said there was no way he could sleep. I lied to him and said they weren't bad and that *I* was going to sleep. I wanted him to get some rest, and I wanted to work with the contracts on mine own for awhile. As soon as he was out, I snuck out of bed and did some rocking thru the contractions, then I laid on my ottoman (the footstool for my glider) and worked thru them. That ottoman was one of the best tools I had during this labor.

11:45 pm my water broke. I decided to wake hubby and get the midwife here. She lives 2 hours away. My other attendant (a friend and chiro), was to get back home at 12 midnight. So we called her too, but was unable to get ahold of her.

Labor was a lot of work. Especially when so many fears and people's words come back to you. I have heard so many: "you can NEVER have a child naturally." My 2 dd got "stuck" pretty far down, so I was so scared that I would get stuck there again. This fear didn't come out until I was pushing. I was so afraid that everyone was telling me baby was coming, but they were lying to me somehow.


I had a cervical lip that was giving us problems. So my midwife applied GLA (like evening primrose) to my cervix and my chiro explained over the phone a pelvic pressure (pelvic press) that would help open the cervix up. WIth these two things, baby was soon past the cervical lip.

We did get a hold of my friend/chiro at 5:30 am and she came into the house and started making noises and "dancing" with me. It was really great to have someone that did the "song and dance" with me and she gave me energy, when I was feeling so tired. She helped me know what noises helped baby come down. The midwife would tell me to breath, and my friend would breath, helping me to "get" what the midwife was saying.

I got to a point when I felt like giving up. Like things were not progressing. My midwife must have felt this. She asked if I felt I was progressing. I looked at her and said: "NO." Both of my labor supports looked worried at this (knowing that your mind can do some wild things). So my midwife told me to feel baby's head inside of me as I was pushing, and I would feel his head come down. So I did. And he was moving!!!!! This was my motivation.

I rubbed his head as he crowned. Oh, such an awesome and inspiring thing! As soon as he was born, the midwife passed him between my legs (I was leaned forward) and I got to check out all his little parts. I got to hold, kiss, and love him FIRST!!! He wasn't sucking, and the midwife said that one lip had come out first and then his jaw (like his mouth was open). My friend the chiro did some cranial sacral on him and soon he was nursing like a champ!!


Oh yes, his name is Isaac Jaben (meaning: Laughter, God has created). He was my BIGGEST baby so far 8 lbs 8 oz 21.5 inches long. Born Feb 16th at 10:06 am. Lots of black beautiful hair (I could feel it as he was crowning)! I didn't tear at all, he came soooo Slow! Almost excrusiatingly slow. His big blue eyes are looking at me this very moment. He seems so alert, such a beautiful color, so calm. Wow!

We had told NOBODY that we were doing a homebirth, and have had SOOO much positive response. My mom, who I thought was against homebirth was thrilled!! She said that she was so proud that I could go out and do what I wanted. My 92 yr old grandpa was thrilled. He had been so mad at the Drs. for not letting me even try.

I do have to say, that I think I would have been a failure if I had been at the hospital. I needed all the cheerleading I could get, and I had it at home, but if anyone would have given me any negative feedback, I think I would have listened to that more.

They took so much time with me at home. I found that even though I *thought* I could do it on my own, I needed the support of the two women that just kept telling me it was going to happen. I could do it. I found it very encouraging to look over at my midwife throughout the labor and find her praying...

My 4 kids got to watch their brother come into the world. My dh even said that the three oldest kids got down on their bellies so they could have a bird's eye view. I have never seen kids bond to a baby so quickly. That night dh held his newborn and rocked in the glider, and said there was nothing better in the world....


For those of you that don't know my story. I had 4 c-section because of a "prominant sacral". I found out that I did have a tailbone that was very tucked in when I was pregnant with baby #5. She passed away at 16 weeks, and I went and got an x-ray. We found out that my sacral had been broken when I was a little girl. One chiropractor said he didn't think it would be possible for me ever to have a natural birth with that pelvis, so I went looking somewhere else. I found a chiro that said, she thought I could. She did cranial sacral, kinselogy (sp?), and the Thomas method (drop table method) on my tailbone and got it to come out to a better position. I also did one hour session of myofacial massage around my c-section scar. The massage therapist said this released the tailbone too.

I did have a lot of pain as my sacral and tailbone moved, and they are sore today, but nothing according to a c-section!!!

I feel so free, so thankful, and so very blessed.

Ruth

Momma to 6
5 on earth
1 in the arms of Jesus www.annalilyheaven.blogspot.com