On Tuesday October 7th I started having painful but irregular contractions. I felt like every time I tried to time them they would completely stop. While I laid in bed that night to get our 2 year old Lennox to sleep, my husband Logan and I talked about how I was 41 weeks.  How no one thought my pregnancy would go this far and what would happen if I made it to 42 weeks. If I had still not had the baby, what would happen. I jokingly, since I’d been 5cm dilated and 95% effaced for almost 2 weeks,  mentioned how there was a blood moon that night and how awesome it would be if I went into labor.  Logan responded by telling me “it’s after midnight. It’s too late to have a baby” and he has to get sleep for work the next day. I laid awake till a little after 1 am reading home birth stories and looking at pictures before finally falling asleep.

I was awoken at about 3:30am on October 8th with an extremely strong urge to pee. When I sat up to go to the restroom I felt a little gush then a strong contraction that immediately told me “this is it”. The first thing out of my mouth was “Oh shit”.

Logan sat up and asked me what was going on and I told him to go back to sleep. I got up and went to the bathroom then grabbed my phone to head to the living room and time contractions. Within a min of being in the living room I hear a loud crash and then screams of pain from Lennox. As I run to my bedroom I see Logan picking Lennox up off the floor. I rushed over and grabbed Lennox from Logan and ran to the kitchen so I could see what had happened.  Lennox had fallen off the bed and busted his mouth on my night stand. As I stand holding him at the kitchen counter, cleaning the blood off of him, BAM! A contraction hits me to the point I needed to bend over. Logan grabbed Lennox and again asked what’s going on. I tell him I’m having contractions and need to call the midwife.

"When I sat up to go to the restroom I felt a little gush then a strong contraction that immediately told me 'this is it'.  The first thing out of my mouth was 'Oh shit'."

3:52 am I call Mary, my midwife, and tell her it’s time. She says she’s on her way and tells me to call my doula.

3:54 am I call Sam, my doula (who is also one of my best friends), and tell her it’s time. She was then on her way over.

4:00 am I text Daphne, another friend and doula, to let her know so she can head over.

Contractions were 1-2 min apart and were lasting 40 to 50 seconds. As we waited for my team, Logan started filling the pool and I started putting plastic sheets and regular sheets on the futon. Sam was the first to show up and started helping set up and moaned through contractions with me. Shortly after she arrived contractions got harder and closer together. Mary showed up at 4:35am and began setting up. The pool was barely full but I needed to get in. I got into the pool at 4:45. By that time everyone was there, including Mary’s assistant Kerry.

"Sam was the first to show up and started helping set up and moaned through contractions with me. Shortly after she arrived contractions got harder and closer together."

I felt I had been doing really well, so far, at moaning through contractions and not yelling. I think what helped me with that is knowing my 7 year old Alani was still sleeping and that I didn’t want to wake her up.

5:00 am contractions got even closer. Almost back-to-back and I labored on hands and knees till about 5:28. That’s when I felt my water break. After that, all hell broke loose and transition hit. I no longer felt like I was doing a good job.

At 5:40am my body started to spontaneously push itself. I was a hot mess yelling and no longer being quiet. I felt as though I was falling apart physically and mentally.

*This part is short as I mentally don’t remember too much beyond the pain*

5:43am while still on hands and knees, the head became visible and then contractions just stopped. They didn’t stop long, but to me, it felt like an hour.

5:46am contractions came back and I pushed the rest of the head out. After that contraction my mind and body spoke to each other and, with instinct, I flipped over to a reclined seat position and waited for the next contraction.

"After that contraction my mind and body spoke to each other and, with instinct, I flipped over to a reclined seat position and waited for the next contraction."

5:48am I reached down and pulled my baby up to my chest. He didn’t make a sound but had eyes open and was just looking around. Mary listened to him and said he was fine.

5:58am I delivered the placenta. Like my other births, I had a nice big placenta but Mary was amazed at my 35 inch long cord. We placed my placenta in the bowl I received at my shower. After my placenta was out, the pool water turned a dark red color. Mary asked Kerry to give me a shot of pitocin to help my uterus contract. I could tell something was going on and told Mary that my body was still contracting stronger than it should. My body was still involuntarily pushing.

6:04am Mary told me I needed to get out so she could check me. I handed Logan the baby and was escorted to the futon a couple feet away. I was pleased to find out I had no tear and did not need stitches.

6:29am Mary and Logan started the newborn exam while I rested and drank some Gatorade. He was a big boy at 9lbs 9oz 21in. Our biggest baby.

"He was a big boy at 9lbs 9oz 21in. Our biggest baby."

Somewhere between 6:40 & 7:00 am, I was laying on the bed, with my new baby by my side, and I continued to have the unbearable contractions and pushing. I couldn’t take it any longer so I told Mary to please make it stop. To find out what was going on Mary had to do an “in-depth exam”. To everyone’s surprise she started to pull out huge clots. I felt myself get weak and I remember hearing Mary calmly tell her assistant to call 911. As she continued to pull out clots and massage my uterus while pushing on my stomach Mary remained calm.  She got the hemorrhage to stop before the paramedics arrived. By the time they arrived I felt better.  So they checked my vitals. All looked good and they headed out. By that time Alani was awake and getting ready for school so I wanted her to come out and meet Lincoln for the first time. She loved him instantly. So did Lennox, who, by the way, was awake and present the whole time!

By 8:00 am everything was calm, Alani was gone on her way to school. I had sent texts to let grandma’s know he was here.  We nursed twice by then and everything was good… Until Mary said I needed to try and go pee before she could leave. I sat up to go to the restroom and got a little bit dizzy. I sat for a minute and when I felt ok I stood up and headed to the bathroom. I sat on the toilet but for some reason I couldn’t go. I started to get dizzy and nauseous again and called for Mary. I told her I couldn’t go but needed to get back to the bed. I stood up and started walking. Next thing I remember is waking up on the bathroom floor, smelling something awful, with Mary and Kerry kneeling next to me.  I had fainted. 

 After laying on the floor and drinking a cup of Chai tea, I got up and was helped back to the futon. I was then placed under orders to not get off the futon and I would now have to pee in a bed pan. After a while, and still no pee, Mary said she might have to catheterize me. I was terrified.  I was extremely sore down there and didn’t want anything or anyone to touch me. I begged her to give me more time, so she did. I tried and tried to pee with no success. Mary started to get the catheter supplies ready. As I was on the verge of tears, I attempted to roll to my side and as I did the pee came out. Yay!

After that, I was in the green. By that time, Sam had come back to help out (not sure when her and Daphne left). Sam made me an everything bagel with butter. It was yummy. Then sam, Mary and I had roast beef sandwiches on a bagel.  We chatted for a while and at noon Mary and Sam left.  And I got to nap with Logan, Lennox and Lincoln.

I couldn’t have asked for a better birth team and support system.