Monday, February 22nd, was just a normal day for me, or so I thought. I went to work, taught my class, graded a few presentations, and cleaned up my desk a bit in preparations for my final days at the office. You see, I was scheduled to work through the end of that week and my baby was due the following week, so it was preparation time indeed! I felt that the baby had dropped that day and I found myself waddling around campus a bit more than usual, but that was to be expected as I was approaching the 39th week mark. After work that day, I went to my usual Monday chiropractor appointment and then on to my prenatal yoga class. At the chiropractor, the office staff commented on how my belly was sitting a bit lower than it had the week before and they were all placing bets on when our little one would arrive. I told them I was pretty sure it wasn't going to be that week...I mean, I had 4 days left of work and I really wanted to wrap things up and walk away with a clean slate. Besides, I had a prenatal massage scheduled for Saturday, and that sounded so very lovely. At yoga, I felt so motivated and so strong. My body had been craving the workout all day and every stretch felt so good and so empowering. As we squatted and held our goddess poses, I pictured myself laboring and breathing through contractions and I heard the verse that would become my mantra go through my head: "I can do all things through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13, NIV). That evening at home Dan and I went about our usual business. I put my tomato and pepper order together for my summer garden, while Dan worked and played on his computer. It was a low-key and relaxing evening.
Around 10:30 or 11:00 that evening as we got ready for bed, I had my first sign that labor was nearing. I lost a bit of my mucus plug along with a bit of bloody show (for those who are unfamiliar with the events of childbirth, I realize this may sound disgusting, but it is in fact a normal part of the birth process). The sight of the blood brought a bit of a giggle to my lips as I sat in the bathroom a bit shocked and unsure of what to make of it. I told Dan and also told him that this happens to some women weeks before they actually give birth, so it may not mean anything. I then proceeded to call my best friend and we giddily discussed what this could or could not mean for the timing of this impending birth. After getting off the phone with her, I texted my midwife, who promptly called me and wanted me to tell her all the details. She told me to go to sleep and call her in the morning to tell her if anything changed. So, with strict instructions to myself to not get too excited and to simply go to sleep, since I had to work in the morning, I willed myself to sleep.
Around 12:30 am I woke up to my first contraction. It felt like a strong menstrual cramp, a feeling I know well, and a feeling that I hadn't felt in over 9 months. (I didn't realize until later that the full moon peaked over our house within 15 minutes of my first contraction! I LOVE this, as last spring I had really been trying to sync my cycle with the moon cycles! The fact that my labor started at the peak of a full moon tells me that my attempts were at least somewhat successful!!) I slept off and on through continued light contractions until around 5:00 am when I felt that they were getting a bit more regular. At that point, I downloaded an app and started timing them. After an hour of contractions that were lasting about 30 seconds and coming every 5-7 minutes, I figured it was time to wake Dan and let him know that our baby was probably on the way. He was so calm as I told him, which didn't surprise me as he is always calm in situations like these. We got out of bed a bit later and he made me a big bowl of oatmeal with raisins, walnuts, and molasses to give my body a bit of energy for the events ahead. I then proceeded to email work and tell them that I would not be teaching my classes that day--or the rest of the week--as I was HAVING A BABY!!! I talked to my midwife around this time as well and she told me to stay active, rest when I needed to, and eat. That all sounded good at the time, but within an hour or so the contractions were reaching a level of intensity where I was ready to move upstairs and stay there. I had anticipated and somewhat worried about this moment. I knew that once I was ready to go upstairs that I would stay there for at least a week (more on my postpartum convalescence in a later post), and I worried that when the time came I wouldn't want to commit to going up those stairs. However, when the time actually came, that thought was nowhere to be found. All I could think about was that my back was hurting with each contraction and upstairs sounded far more comfortable than the couch. So, up the stairs I went and stayed. I think this was around 10:30 or so in the morning of Tuesday, February 23rd.
I proceeded to labor and work through contractions upstairs while Dan got the birth tub ready and a few of the other supplies pulled together. With the baby coming a week early, we were mostly ready, but not quite. Dan had to run to the hardware store to buy a hose and faucet adapter for the birth tub and there still were a few things that I hadn't checked off the birth supplies list. It all worked out in the end, though, and we realized later that there was no need to rush any of these preparations as we were in this thing for the long haul!
One of my midwives stopped by mid-afternoon with a missing piece for the birth tub and while she was there she checked my vitals. All was well with me and Baby and so she left me with instructions to try a few different positions and to rest as I could through contractions. The midwives told us to stay in touch and they would return when the baby was closer. By 4:00 pm or so, Dan and I felt that things were picking up quite a bit. Our doula came about 4:30 and Joanna, our apprentice midwife, came around 5:00. Once Joanna was there, she once again checked my vitals and listened to the baby's heart. After confirming that all was well, she knelt down in front of me to break the news to me that neither Dan nor Anna, our doula, knew how to tell me---Jeanne, our other midwife, had to attend another birth and she was sending a backup midwife to us in her place. At this point, tears began to uncontrollably stream down my face. I logically knew and told myself that everything was going to be OK and that I wasn't actually that upset by the news. However, my body and emotions were acting separately from my mind and the tears continued to fall. I knew that it wasn't worth my energy and effort to dwell on it, though, so I said, "OK," and continued laboring on.
My labor was not easy, really at any point. I had been having back labor all afternoon and around the time that our doula arrived, the back labor intensified. We found that the only thing that relieved the pain during these contractions was to have either Dan or Anna push on my hips throughout the contraction. It was amazing how much relief this gave me! As labor continued, Dan and Anna took turns helping me with this (for which I was so very grateful!!). Shortly after the midwives arrived, they had me get in the birth tub. They hoped it would be a pain reliever and also get me moving in a different position. I had hoped for this as well, but was unfortunately surprised to find that because of the back labor, the water did little to relieve the pain. It was hard for Dan to push on my hips during contractions while I was in the tub. Because of this, I spent a lot of time on my hands and knees while in the water, which was only somewhat comfortable. Around 6:30, my wonderful chiropractor paid us a visit. My emotions got the best of me again as I heard her voice in the entryway and saw her face when she got to the top of the stairs. There was something so comforting about having her there with me, even if it was only for a short time. She had seen me more than my midwives throughout this pregnancy and she knows my body so very well. It comforted me so much to know that she might be able to help my baby come faster, safer, and maybe with less pain. After her adjustments, my contractions intensified for a bit. Baby and my body were trying so very hard to progress, and they were, but rather slowly!
