Celebrating Auggie's birthday today, I cannot believe he's three!! I have spent the last many months working on a drawing of a photograph captured by my doula the moment he was born, and reminiscing on his birth. My memories of the whole experience are so vivid to me. Here's a glimpse into what my 2-hour labor home birth felt like:
6pm - Watching Cars and eating English muffin pizza’s with
Lucy (my oldest, who was almost 4 at the time) and Greg. Having really strong Braxton Hicks and not wanting Lucy to crawl
on/cuddle me during the movie.
8:30pm - Getting a killer massage from Greg after he put Lucy
to bed.
9:30pm - Having a super weird sensation in my abdomen and
heading up to bed.
10pm - Lying down, contractions getting stronger. Realizing this is it.
Calling Greg on my cell phone (he was downstairs playing
poker on the internet) telling him he needs to call the midwife. Greg comes up, asks me if I’m sure it’s
labor, and I agree to wait for a few more contractions to confirm it’s the real
deal. Contraction hits. “CALL STEPH” (our midwife).
Flurry of Greg getting the pool ready downstairs, coming up
to check on me, and making calls, while I labor on the toilet and then on the
glider in the nursery. Oh my glory,
these contractions are stronger than any contraction I ever had with Lucy. Doula arrives; I am so grateful for her
presence. Water breaks while on the
glider. Time to head downstairs.
Practically running down the stairs to try to make it to the
couch before another contraction hits, and barely making it. It is so dark and peaceful. The birth team quietly arriving, and I need
to hold hands. Holding Karen’s
hand. Then my mom’s. I remember a contraction that I could barely
stay on top of, it almost swept me away, and afterwards my mom commenting that
she didn’t even realize I was having a one.
My doula sitting on the couch-turned-bed (futon) with me, and the
gentleness of her knee touching my thigh literally making my contraction less
painful.
Starting to feel lots of pressure. Birth team suggests I head to the pool but I
don’t want to move. Asking if it will hurt less in the pool, Karen laughs and mentions
something about an “aqua-dural.” Sitting
up and have to hold my tush off the bed with my arms during a contraction
because I am practically sitting on this boy’s head. Steph is here, her presence unannounced. I
say “hi” on my way to the pool.
Stepping into the pool, instant relief. Greg getting in behind me. Trying not to push because I hate the
sensation of baby moving down. My body
does it anyway, and slightly panicked, I announce, “I’m pushing!” to which my
midwife calmly answers, “okay, great!” My
sister arrives and I barely register she’s here because I am in such a
zone.
Feeling the burning ring of fire and realizing he’s almost
out, and thinking “how could this be happening already!” Greg reaching down, instructed by the
midwife, and guides his head out as I feel a tremendous release. Baby’s head is out. Midwife tells me I need to push him all the
way out. More pushing and instinctively
saying, “Where’s my Auggie? Where’s my Auggie?” as I reach down to pull his
tiny, slippery little body up out of the water.
12:03am - Taking a moment to hold my baby close as I catch
my breath after that whirlwind of a labor.
Then holding him out so I can get a look of his face, and thinking that
he looks familiar. Like I already know
him.
