Community Birth Story: Henry Philip
Two Rivers Childbirth

Community Birth Story: Henry Philip

As told by Nicole:

This birth story starts before conception. After 5 long years of trying for a successful pregnancy my husband and I decided to try an IVF procedure. We desperately wanted to be parents and this was our last option before proceeding down the path of adoption. After a month of daily injections on 7/30/13 I had my egg retrieval, and 12 eggs were retrieved and inseminated. On 8/4/13 I had 2, 5 day old embryos transferred.

After a grueling 2 week wait I couldn’t wait any longer, and took a pregnancy test. It was positive, but we didn’t celebrate until the doctor confirmed the pregnancy a few days later. No matter how many tests I took I couldn’t believe it! We had 1 strong embryo implant successfully. We were so happy!!

One of the good things about fertility treatments is you get to have lots of early ultrasounds. I probably would have been nervous early in, but we got to see our baby grow weekly. We found out we were having a boy at 15 weeks, and knew his name already. You think a lot about baby names when trying for a baby for 5 years. From that point on our peanut was known as Henry Philip. Henry for my husband’s grandfather, and Philip for my father.

I started planning my ideal natural birth. Since we started with IVF a natural birth was really important to me. We hired a great doula and I put together my birth plan.

Unfortunately, Henry had other plans. We found out he was breech at 35 weeks. I did all the stretches and different techniques I could find online to flip him, but what finally what worked was seeing a chiropractor for a few sessions. We thought we were back on track, but at 37 weeks my blood pressure started to go up. I took a preeclampsia test, and thankfully it was negative, but I went on bed rest to try to keep my blood pressure in check. On 4/11/14 at 38 weeks my blood pressure was still going up, and another preeclampsia test was ordered for me to complete over the weekend. We started talking about inducing at this point which I really didn’t want to do, but Henry was still in the right position so I was told it looked favorable. On 4/14/14 my

Preeclampsia test came back positive. They completed another ultrasound, and over the weekend Henry also decided to flip breech again. He needed to come out for my health and his. We scheduled a C-section for the next day. I was really depressed to miss out on my natural birth experience. I spent most the rest of the day crying.

In the morning on 4/15/14 at exactly 39 weeks we went to the hospital to check in. I had somewhat resigned myself to the C-section overnight, and knew what to expect. I was ready to have my baby and move past the birth. We went back to the OR at 2pm. I sat at the end of the bed while my back was injected with the numbing agent. From that point on my body felt very heavy and cold. A sheet was put up at my chest so I couldn’t see anything. My husband sat next to me and held my hand. Though I couldn’t feel any pain, I felt immense pressure and a pulling sensation. After what seemed like a long time I felt really strong pulling and I heard Henry cry. I couldn’t see him, but my husband stood up and got the first glance. They brought him over to me soon after. He had a thick head of dark hair, and he looked a little angry at being taken out of his nice warm womb. I cried tears of joy. I felt such strong love for him immediately I was completely overwhelmed. He was 7lbs, 2oz and 21.5″ long.

 

I insisted he stay with me through most of recovery even though that wasn’t the norm. Breastfeeding wasn’t natural for him right off probably because of the C-section meds, but he was nursing well within a few hours, and we are still going strong at 1 year now. Although recovery from the C-section was hard, and very painful, I’ve stopped mourning missing out on my natural birth. Sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. I still got my perfect baby that I waited so long for in the end.

 

I am very thankful for modern medicine. It allowed us to have a biological child, and to experience pregnancy which I really wanted. It also brought our baby into the world safely. I am hopeful that if we are lucky enough for a second child that I may still get to experience my natural birth.

———–

Click HERE to learn more about the Community Birth Stories Project or to submit your own birth story.

Community Birth Story: Charlotte Elise
Two Rivers Childbirth

Community Birth Story: Charlotte Elise

As told by April:
This is the story of my homebirth after two cesareans. The reason for my first cesarean was “suspected big baby” at 39 weeks after my OB told me that he could “induce and you can labor for 24 hours and end up with a cesarean anyway or just have a cesarean.” After my cesarean, he informed me that I had made the right call because “no baby bigger than 6 pounds will ever go through you.” The reason for my second cesarean was reaching 42 weeks with no signs of labor and an unfavorable Bishop score for induction. She ended up in the NICU despite being a 42 week baby and we both said we were never doing that again. In fact, for many months, my husband Stephen wanted to be done having children altogether.

Fast forward to right before my second daughter’s second birthday, I got my big fat positive. Although we had been talking homebirth and planning it, the second I saw that second line, I admit to having second thoughts. I just didn’t believe I could do it. After all, my body just doesn’t work. It doesn’t go into labor.

My pregnancy was mostly uneventful and yet full of one God thing after another. We had a limited ultrasound around 22 weeks to determine the placenta’s location. I was so anxious for this ultrasound as the placenta’s location could very well determine whether or not I could have this baby at home. I went to the ultrasound by myself and just prayed the whole way there for peace and wonderful results. I asked the tech to check the location first as I really didn’t care about anything else. And my placenta was as far away from my scar as it almost possibly could be. What a huge relief and what an answer to prayer. I also managed to remain firm in my resolve not to find out the sex of the baby although I was positively convinced that I was having a boy.

I kind of suspected (although I was really hoping that I was wrong) that I would go post dates. 40 week appointment came and went. 41 week appointment came and went. 42 week appointment came and went. It’s hard to believe how long 2 weeks can be, but those last couple of weeks were longer than the entire pregnancy. I could just feel my baby getting bigger and my doubt growing. My body was meant to do this. Except maybe it wasn’t. Maybe my body is in the 3% of women that actually need a cesarean. The constant questions of “Aren’t you afraid of what might happen to your baby?” and “When are THEY going to induce you?” and “When does this get dangerous?” wore on me and I just wanted to be done. At my 42 week appointment, I asked to be checked. I was so convinced that this was never going to end and that my body wasn’t working and I just needed encouragement. 3-4 cm?! I had never been that dilated before! I asked to do a membrane stretch and sweep. My midwife gave me some castor oil to take home. And then I waited. Nothing still.

I kept feeling like maybe my baby just needed a little kick in the rear to get out of there and I had really really hoped that the membrane sweep would have done it. But no. Stubborn little one remained firm. I decided to take 1/2 ounce of castor oil (which is 1/4 of the recommended dose) and then take a nap. Most lovely nap followed by the most rude awakening.

Labor hit me like a truck (or that’s what it felt like). From the time I woke up to a contraction to when I started pushing, my contractions were 60 seconds long and 60 seconds apart. There was no early labor for me, it was just hard. I texted my mom to come pick up my older two girls (we had initially planned for them to stay with me but my instincts told me that they needed to go) and texted Nannette that I thought I was in labor. She told me that she would come in an hour because “sometimes castor oil can cause false labor.” I remember thinking that there was NO way this was false labor and that she better get there sooner than an hour. Stephen asked if he should fill the tub and I said “no, it’s not time yet.” He, being the man that he is, got right on that and started filling the tub. Nannette checked me soon after she got there and I was already at 7cm. She showed Stephen how to do the hip squeeze and instantly labor got more bearable. I got into the pool on my hands and knees and although slightly better, I still felt so out of control. I started praying for control and asking Nannette and Stephen to pray out loud. The pain didn’t go away, but the peace was there. Grace, our birth assistant, came in sometime during this time and was a rockstar. There’s a reason she’s such a fabulous doula. She got right in my ear and just talked me through it.

And then all of a sudden, I HAD to push. I’ve never ever felt a sensation quite like that. I remember looking at the clock and thinking “It’s only 9pm! It’s only been 5.5 hours There’s no way it’s time for me to push!” and telling Nannette that it was too soon. And that I couldn’t do it. She told me, “but you already are! You are already past the point!” I reached down and felt the baby’s head RIGHT there. Sack still intact. I tried to break it thinking that it would help things be over sooner. No dice. It was strong! But feeling the baby’s hair beneath that strong sac. I will never ever forget that. Nannette moved away to do something and Stephen got behind me to rub my back and then my water broke in the water. Stephen sounding a bit stunned told me, “Um, I think that was your water.”

And then the head was out. We rushed to get out of the pool as it wasn’t done filling (try getting out of a tub with a head between your legs) and I put my hands on the side of the bed and out came the baby. I pulled baby up to me. And then looked to find a penis. Except there was no penis. Holy moly, we have a third girl! She was so slippery and slimy and yet so delicious and amazing and beautiful. I was in so much shock that I had actually done it. She latched on right away and we just laid skin to skin and I stared at this amazing amazing new baby. I couldn’t believe how much I loved her. I couldn’t believe that I had done it. That my body DOES labor. That it DOES birth. This amazing new BIG baby. Grace weighed her and as I saw her strain to pull her into the air in the scale, I knew she was big. And then this: “Ten pounds, fourteen ounces.” My first labor, about 5.5 hours long, and out came an almost eleven pound baby girl: Charlotte Elise.

I did end up transferring to the hospital to be treated for blood loss and a tear caused by Charlotte’s hand being by her head when she came out, a decision that I do not regret one bit. We were home in less than twenty four hours and then Stephen kept me in bed for over a week while he cooked and cleaned and took care of our older two girls. The recovery was an absolute breeze compared to the surgeries with the girls.
It’s weird to me that so much of my labor felt like a blur. I don’t remember how badly it hurt but I do remember Nannette reading a Bible verse out loud to me from the cards I had on the dresser. I don’t remember how much I wanted it to be over, but I do remember Grace telling me “You wouldn’t let your girls say I can’t, so I’m not going to let you say it!” after I kept saying over and over again “I can’t do this.” I cannot thank Nannette enough for giving me a chance when no one else would. I gained an amazing friend in her through my pregnancy and birth. And in her words, “a part of me that I didn’t even know was broken became unbroken when I did this.”

———–

Click HERE to learn more about the Community Birth Stories Project or to submit your own birth story.

Community Birth Story: Clara
Two Rivers Childbirth

Community Birth Story: Clara

As told by Mary:

I conceived Clara between a LEEP procedure to remove pre-cancerous cells, and the follow up from the procedure. I had been told to not get pregnant for 3 months so my cervix could heal properly. God had other plans! The Monday before Mother’s Day 2014, is when I took a home test. I hadn’t felt ill or anything, just had a feeling to take a test. Lo and behold, positive. I took another one when I got home from work to be sure. It was positive again. A wave of emotions came over me. I walked down the stairs to tell my husband but I just couldn’t find the words. When he asked why I was being so weird, I threw the test at him.  So romantic.

We went to the midwife to confirm the pregnancy 6 weeks later. It felt like forever. Hearing her little heart beat for the first time was the most magical experience of my life. Pregnancy was wonderful and terrifying. I had morning sickness, a car accident at 30 weeks, was high risk for miscarriage because of my LEEP, insane heartburn, and hospitalized with chest pains at 38 weeks. I was so anxious something was going to go wrong and overly cautious about everything I did. However, the LEEP was a blessing in disguise. Because I needed my cervix checked more regularly than a “normal” pregnancy, I had many more sonograms than a “normal” woman would. I got to see her grow and develop on the black and white screen every few weeks. It was amazing.

My Friday due date came and went. The most eventful thing that happened that day was a pedicure. My midwife had swept my membranes the day before and beside a little cramping, nothing. I was planning to work up until baby decided to come and was working 10 hour days at 40 weeks. My blood pressure had risen (I had normal BP throughout pregnancy), and my midwife said my body was telling me to slow down and I needed to stop working. We set a plan to induce at 41 weeks and 3 days. I was bummed, I really didn’t want to be induced medically. I had planned a natural birth; and while I know things always don’t go to plan, I was disappointed in my body. This is my first pregnancy so I didn’t know what my body would do. The next week I spent nesting thinking, today could be the day! The Thursday after my due date (40 + 6), I went for another appointment. She swept my membranes again and I expressed my desire to not be induced. She suggested to drink some red raspberry leaf tea. I had two cups that evening.

Kissed my husband goodnight that night and went to bed. I had cramping since I left the midwife’s office but I didn’t think much of it because I had false labor the weekend before. I didn’t sleep well as the cramping got stronger and more consistent. My husband woke at 4:30am to go to work. He kissed me goodbye and left by 5am. I didn’t mention the cramps because I didn’t want him to stay home for a false alarm. I stayed in bed, and by 6am, decided they were strong and consistent enough that I should start timing them. I timed for an hour and called my midwife at 7am. She suggested to keep timing (they weren’t close enough yet) and through our conversation she realized I was home alone. She said it sounds like labor and I shouldn’t be alone. I called my husband to come back home (he works an hour and a half away) and called my mom to come up. We live almost an hour from close family and friends. While we know our neighbors a little, I didn’t feel comfortable asking any of them to come over. Usually, we just pass a friendly wave, nothing more. I knew if I had an emergency they would help but I decided to labor alone until my mom and husband came. Laboring alone was wonderful and scary. Our dog lay with me on the bed and stayed calm (which is surprising, he is usually a spaz). We have a yoga ball, so I changed positions on that and the bed every 30 minutes or so. I had my phone and kept relaxation music and YouTube birthing videos running as I took each wave of contraction with breathing I learned from a doula. I focused totally on the labor remembering that each contraction brought me closer to finally meeting my baby. My mom arrived to the house around 9:00 am and my husband around 9:30 am. I was proud of myself for laboring alone and was ready to meet this baby. I had trouble timing my contractions alone as they got stronger because I had to focus on riding the pain out instead of the distracting timer on my phone.  I had given up timing them until my mom arrived. She helped me time them and we called my midwife as they were about 3-4 minutes apart. She said to head to the hospital.

I wanted to shower and my husband had to pack his bag. The shower felt so wonderful with the contractions. I was in a little of a daze but I just had to blow dry my bangs. Both my mom and my husband said I was nuts.  Whatever, we all have our thing right? My water broke as I was getting dressed out of the shower. No gush that you see in the movies, just all the sudden I was leaking everywhere. We got to the hospital and checked in around 11am. I could not relax at the hospital. While everyone was great, it just wasn’t home. All the noise, people coming in and out of the room, machines, were all very distracting. I couldn’t focus and the pain was rising. I couldn’t figure out my breathing. I decided to ask for an epidural. My midwife encouraged me to labor longer without it until I was 3cm dilated. She kept up the encouragement, soothing and calming me. She was so wonderful.  My mom and husband stayed in the room and continued to help me through my labor too. I continued to remind myself that every contraction brought me closer to Clara and my body knew what to do. At 1:00 pm they said I was ready for the epidural. The epidural didn’t take until 2:30pm. We had to wait for the doctor, then had trouble getting it done because I had such good posture, she couldn’t find the right spot in my spine. Also, it was so hard to sit curled over while the contractions came. It felt like the whole thing took all day. Once the epidural took, I laid down and was finally able to relax. Music continued to play and I was able to close my eyes. My epidural was one where you can control the medicine, so I was able to still feel the contractions, which is what I wanted. I continued to dilate quickly now that I was able to relax.

Soon, I felt the need to push. My mom gave me oxygen, while my husband and the nurse helped to hold my legs. Clara had dropped and was ready. I pushed for 45 minutes, it felt like it was only 10 or 15 minutes. My midwife offered me a mirror but I denied it. I regret that now. But, I did feel Clara’s head as she started to come through. 2 hard pushes and she was out at 4:30pm! I never felt so powerful or full of love in my life. My midwife gave her to me immediately. She was perfect. I couldn’t believe I just pushed this little human out of me. She looked up at me with her beautiful eyes and it was love. She did pass meconium on me but I didn’t even care. We did skin to skin for a bit and let the cord pulse. Once it was done, my mom cut the cord. They took her and cleaned her and me. She was 8lbs 13oz and 20 inches of perfection. My husband held her as they continued to clean me up after I passed the placenta. I only tore a 2 degree. I was amazed how quickly she came and how my body knew exactly what to do. I later found out the cord was around her neck once and her body once. Thankfully, my skilled midwife knew exactly what to do and it was a non-issue. Clara’s APGAR scores were 8 then 9. I also had a tear in the upper part of my placenta, which if she hadn’t come out when she did would have meant more problems and probably medical intervention. I was again amazed how beautifully and non-dramatic everything went.  My husband said it was so much calmer than he expected (you know all that screaming you hear on TV).  She latched right on to feed and nursing has gone wonderfully for us. We spent the next hour alone with her as a family to bond.  She is now 6 weeks old and we are so enchanted with her. My birth was powerful, awesome and beautiful.

———–

Click HERE to learn more about the Community Birth Stories Project or to submit your own birth story.