Our birth story reminds me of something from the movies. The difference is that in the movies we probably wouldn’t have been going all-natural. We were going to Labor of Love in Dunedin, FL for our prenatal care and that’s where we planned to give birth. Our little girl was due July 20th, 2014, just two days after my husband, Zach, and I share a birthday. On Saturday, the 5th, my mom and sister had a family baby shower planned for us at their house in Vero Beach. Since our due date was a few weeks away and we’d been told countless times that your first baby often comes late we had no worries about making the two and a half hour drive from Zephyrhills. On Friday, the 4th of July, we packed our labor bag in the car with our other luggage, just as a precaution, not expecting to need it!
Saturday morning, my mom and sister fixed brunch for all of us before the shower. It was a small get-together with just my mom, dad, sister, brother, his fiancé, my husband, and me. Around 12 o’clock we gathered in the living room to open gifts from everyone there and one’s sent from family out of town.
I was sitting next to Zach, who had started to doze off, when just after 2 o’clock hit I got this sudden feeling of urgency and like I needed to pee really bad. I stood up quickly and rushed to the bathroom and right as I got there it happened. My water broke! I was in complete disbelief!
I cracked open the door and called to Zach. He was half asleep so it took a few times, but when he realized I wasn’t coming to get him he came to the door. I don’t know what kind of face I was making, but when I told him I thought my water broke he got a look of complete surprise mixed with excitement and panic. He didn’t believe me at first, but when he saw the huge puddle on the floor he went into what I would call “rescue mode”. He immediately called Labor of Love and got a hold of the midwife on call, Charlynn. She told us we needed to find a local midwife to check and see how far I was dilated. So, Mom and Zach looked online to find one and came across Mary Rainer of Birth Blossoms. Turns out she was available and only thirty minutes away! Zach, my sister, and I quickly piled into the car and headed out. When we arrived at her house around 3 pm she came outside to greet us and my first thought was, “I’m really going to like her.”
When Mary checked to see how far dilated I was already three and a half to four centimeters! We called my parents to let them know we’d be laboring at the house and to ask them to clean their tub for a water birth. I wasn’t having strong or regular contractions yet so we headed back to the house to monitor and wait. When we arrived it made us laugh to see my dad outside mowing. We teased that he was nesting. Once we got inside we gave Mom the list of things we would need and she and my brother’s fiancé left for the store.
Around 4pm the contractions really started to pick up, but I was still pretty comfortable. I tried to drink as much water and orange juice mixed with coconut water as possible to stay hydrated.
My sister, Lydia, was a big help with that. It was fun trying different positions to see which ones were the most comfortable. I found that I felt the best kneeling at the end of Lydia’s bed, leaning over it, and hugging a pillow.
When Mary came to the house we all found out that I was GBS positive and we began to discuss antibiotics. An issue immediately arose because I am allergic to the contents of the antibiotic that is usually given for GBS and Mary didn’t have another with her at the time. Keep in mind, we had no idea I was GBS positive before this, but Mary was so relaxed about everything and it helped me to do the same. We weren’t worried much at all. Charlynn suggested that we get a little frisky so my body would produce more oxytocin and bring the baby faster, lowering the risk of the baby getting GBS. It worked! Within minutes I was feeling very strong contractions!
By 8:30 I was stepping into the big garden tub in my parents’ bathroom. The relief was instantaneous. At this point my body was already used to the rhythm of the contractions, each followed by what felt like a power nap, but the warm water definitely helped. At first I didn’t want Zach to get in the tub, I suppose because I wanted to get comfortable and see how it felt first, but it didn’t take long before I wanted and needed him to lean on.
I kept my eyes closed for the better part of labor because it helped me focus, so I have no idea who came and went while I was in the tub, but I remember meeting Mary’s daughter who brought an antibiotic that I wasn’t allergic to. I had never met her before but she treated me like a sweet friend of hers. At some point Kerry, a doula, came to assist, she was also a great blessing the entire time as well as my sister who was taking pictures and videos.
I have to say the worst part of labor was not being allowed to push even though it felt like the baby was ready to pop right out! I still wasn’t fully dilated, but didn’t have far to go. Since I couldn’t push I tried to focus on my breathing during that time. Somewhere in there both Zach and Kerry did hip squeezes and that brought quite a bit of relief for awhile. At least twice, Mary had me check to see how far effaced I was. I felt what I knew was the baby’s head, but it was so soft it didn’t feel like a head! Then about 10pm I was finally 10 centimeters and 100 percent effaced and when Mary said I could push, I got this crazy feeling. It was like the feeling you get when you come to the end of a workout or a run and you know it’s the last stretch so you get this burst of energy and determination!
At one point I started to feel the pressure differently, so I said, “I think I have to poop.” They all assured me that it was just the baby, but I insisted that I had to go. So I got out and sat on the toilet only to be proven wrong, but the good thing is that getting up and moving seemed to help move the baby along. Up to this point I’d been laboring mostly on my hands and knees in the water, but sometime after I got back in I tried standing with my foot on the side of the tub, switching sides occasionally. I had a brief moment when I lost focus of my breathing so they gave me oxygen. That stuff is amazing!
I remember getting frustrated at some point because I felt like I was losing more energy than I was making progress. Not long after that Mary told us she wanted me to move to the bed to push the baby out because she was having trouble getting her head out past my pubic bone. So during the next break between contractions they wrapped me up in a towel and whisked me to the bedroom. Everything felt so laid back and slow-paced up to this point, but now it seemed like there was a flurry of activity around me. Now I kept my eyes open because I was afraid I’d miss something important!
As soon as I laid down they propped me up on pillows and helped me stretch my knees up to my shoulders. It couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes before I could feel her head emerging. I was exhausted so I had a hard time feeling when the contractions stopped and it was discouraging when I’d feel her head come out a little more and then go right back, but I remembered learning in birth class that that was normal. I remember everyone cheering me on and Mary told me to feel the baby’s head. When I felt it I thought, “How is that tiny thing having such a hard time coming out?” I didn’t realize until after she came out, that was a very small part of her head.
Finally I felt this incredible burning pain and heard Mary telling me to keep pushing. So I held it for as long as I could and at 11:04 out popped the baby. Mary immediately placed her on my chest. Hearing her little cry was the craziest thing. She was warm, wet, and perfect. I suddenly forgot how tired I was because there on my chest was our little Adisen Grace! I remember Zach leaning over, kissing me, and telling me he was proud of me, just like he’d been telling me throughout the whole labor.
Turns out, Adisen’s left hand was on the side of her head when she came out. As if her head didn’t feel big enough already! So, her soft head had an imprint from her fingers and a ring around the top from where I stopped pushing after it had started to come out. It surprised me just how soft her head was when I picked her up off my chest to change her position and the side that was down had flattened! Those things disappear with time though, so we weren’t worried. It was amazing to see and experience just how well designed her body was for being born and mine for birthing her.
After what felt like a few minutes, but was really more like 40 we were in awe once more as Adisen crawled her way to my breast to feed herself! I knew she was an incredible little human from the beginning, but seeing that just proved it all the more! After awhile Zach cut the cord and Kerry took the placenta and showed Lydia how to store it for encapsulation. At some point Mary stitched up the tear I didn’t even realize that I had; 12 stitches total. We left the little bit of vernix that was on Adisen and it absorbed pretty quickly. Zach got to weigh Adisen; 7 pounds, 8 ounces. Then Mary checked all her vitals and measured her at 19 and ¾ inches.
After a little while my mom, dad, brother, Jethro, and Brittany were able to see her. Both Mary and Kerry stayed to make sure I ate and that everything was normal.
Then Kerry left and finally Mary was able to leave sometime after 1 o’clock, I think. Eventually it was just Zach and I lying in bed with our little baby girl. We were both exhausted, but amazed at what we had just experienced. It was incredible the way God worked every detail out just perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful birth story.
A special thanks to my family for allowing me to randomly give birth at their home, and to Mary and Kerry who never treated me like a patient, but like family! Zach and I are eternally grateful for the love they showed all three of us!