Luca's birth story

Luca Julian’s Birth Story

September 13th, 2010

weight: 8 lbs 10 oz
length: 20 and 5/8 inches

born at 1:55 pm



Contractions started early Monday morning while I was sleeping. I woke up with the first contraction, at 5:25, thinking “oh yes this IS labor, isn’t it?” I had been having regular Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks, and more painful, prodromal labor for days at least, so I had been stressed about whether I would know, but, oh yes, I knew. I hung out in bed, breathing through my contractions and resting, until my husband got up at 6:15 to get ready for what he thought was work. I’m glad he got up then, because it was getting to the point that I couldn’t be still anymore. I needed to move around, but I didn’t want to wake up my husband or daughter before necessary. I knew it was going to be a busy day!



Contractions were about 8 minutes apart from 5:30-6:30, when we all got up. I texted my midwife and got some breakfast, settled Emma down with some Curious George, and directed my husband in some last minute details. He notified work that he would not be coming in, and called my parents and his mother. They were traveling, so they needed time to get there.My midwife suggested I get in the bath to see if my contractions continued to stay regular, and she would start to head our way. I also let my best friend and our birth photographer know, so they could make plans for their days and children as well.



The bath actually made my contractions more intense, so I got out, and settled back on the couch. I was on the internet and facebook between contractions, using the contraction timer website to keep up with the contractions, and just concentrating and breathing during contractions. They were about 6-8 minutes apart at this point.



Everyone started to arrive. Amanda, my best friend, came and took Emma back to her house to play with her kids and our fabulous sitter until my parents got into town. My midwife got there and “evaluated” me (by just seeing how frequent my contractions were and how I was dealing with them.) The birth photographer got there, and settled in. And the midwife’s assistant got there. It was almost comical to see how my contractions slowed with everyone arriving, so we called my parents and Kelly’s mom, and asked them to just hang out in the area and wait before they came to the house. So the midwife and her assistant left to get breakfast, and the rest of us just hung out, I knitted, working on my sweater in between contrations.



Things started picking up around 10:30 or 11:00. I wasn’t comfortable on the couch anymore, and I started to wander around the house. I had some grapes as a snack and used the kitchen counter to squat during contractions. I stopped timing and I stopped knitting at this point. After a bit, the contractions became pretty intense, and I started vocalizing during them. I asked Kelly to call my midwife and let her know she needed to head back soon.



Things started happening faster at this point. Everyone got back, and my midwife brought in the birthing stool. I was so glad to see this, because I couldn’t find a comfortable position. The birthing stool took pressure off my crotch, so I sat on that and leaned on the side of our bed, while someone (lots of different people) put pressure on my back during contractions. This took away the awfulness of the contractions. Amanda and Kelly were trying to cool down the birth pool with ice and cold water since I had made Kelly fill it with hot water. I was finally ready to get in the pool and the temperature was right, so in I went. Right about this time my parents got there with Emma (I had asked Kelly to call and tell them to come but stay outside for a while), and Emma came into the pool with me for a few minutes. She was very excited to be in the pool, and she was bouncing around and climbing over me and around me. It was comical! Her being in the pool with me slowed my contractions down, and I didn’t really like the way the water moved (from her ripples, even though she tried so hard to be still) during the two contractions I had while she was in the pool, so I gave her a 5 minute warning, which probably lasted about 2 minutes, and then she headed outside to play with my parents, Kelly’s mom, and my midwife’s children.



Very soon after this, my contractions picked back up and I started feeling a little bit of an urge to push. I was on my hands and knees with my head resting on a towel on the pool side, turned away from everyone in the room. Occasionally, the midwife’s assistant would check the baby’s heart tones, and everything was going great. I was vocalizing through contractions and resting in between. I let my midwife know I was feeling pushy around 1:00 and started experimenting with that urge. After a few contractions, I felt like something was in the way, and my midwife suggested that I lay on my side and blow through a few contractions to see if I could get past the lip of cervix that was probably there. That was hard, but I made it through a contraction and felt like pushing was more effective after that. My water broke sometime in this time period, just like it did with Emma, and I was glad to hear and see that there was no meconium in my water, since that had been an issue with Emma. I tried pushing while squatting, while, although it wasn’t the most comfortable of positions, seemed to be the most effective. It felt like the baby crowned forever, and I could feel the head halfway out for several contractions. The ring of fire that everyone talks about---well I kept chickening out during the contractions, and I hesitated to push hard enough to get the head all the way out, so I had the ring of fire for probably 5 or 6 contractions. I remember saying “Baby come out or go in, but just PICK ONE.” Everyone in the room said “Come out, not back in!! Just PUSH!” Finally, holding my husband’s hand on one side, and my best friend’s hand on the other side, I felt his head come all the way out. I dropped back into a hands and knees position, and was frustrated that the rest of his body didn’t just slide out. I heard someone mention a shoulder and that I needed to really push again, so I leaned my head against my midwife’s shoulder and pushed, and the rest of his body slid out. I collapsed onto the side of the pool and knew that I was done, and I was so glad. Pushing is so hard for me that it was a huge relief to be finished. I turned over and sat back against the edge of the pool, and my midwife handed me the baby so I could announce the gender. At first I thought and said girl, but my husband told me, “no, look he’s a boy! We have a boy! Its Luca!” I told him to go get Emma from outside, and she came in with him and got into the pool with Kelly to look at her brother for the first time. She kept saying in a little, baby voice “Oh its tiny baby Luca. He’s here!” She wanted to touch him and see him, and still, she was bouncing around in the pool (that was almost too deep for her). I had to have them get out because their motions were painful for me in the water. I was super sore, as I was with Emma. I sat in the pool for a bit, and held him, and then I had to suffer through delivering the placenta (so unfair, by the way, to have to go through labor, and THEN have to deliver the placenta, complete with a little pushing afterwards!). Kelly took Luca to hold while I did that, and then everyone helped me climb out and into the bathtub to rinse off and rest a bit. Luca wouldn’t nurse in the pool--he was so calm though, just looking around and licking and gumming my nipple. After I was in the tub for just a bit, Kelly brought him to me, and I got to nurse him for the first time. Immediately he latched on, and nursed strongly and for a good bit of time. I climbed out of the tub with a lot of help and into the bed, while my midwife measured and weighed Luca. Then we settled into the bed for the rest of the afternoon and evening!



Luca’s birth was a lot different from Emma’s. Although both were exactly what I wanted at the time, I felt much more in control and a part of Luca’s than I did with Emma’s, and I have to wonder if that was because I labored all night, and birthed Emma early in the morning. I felt very out of it, and hardly remembered many details! It was almost like I was drugged for hers, even though I wasn’t. For this birth, I remember specific thoughts during my contractions--I was rational and calm, and in control, and I chose what I was doing and how I was going to do it, and I remember saying “I can’t do this” and when everyone said “Yes you can” I answered “Yeah I know, its just transition. I can do it.” I remember being in the middle of one of my pushing contractions, holding Kelly’s hand and Amanda’s hand, and purposefully not squeezing Amanda’s hand as hard as Kelly’s because I didn’t want to hurt her. I remember having very vivid and real thoughts with this birth and I don’t remember that with Emma.



Homebirth was an amazing experience, and I would not change any of it for the world. It was so peaceful and strong and affirming to be surrounded by my husband and my best friend and my midwife and women that had been where I was before in my own house, with my own things around me, being able to do whatever I chose to do. It was amazing to be in my bed, an hour after the birth. It was such a great experience. I feel so blessed to have had it and to have been surrounded by all my loved ones to experience it with me!