February 24, 2011: Happy Birthday!

 Wednesday morning, the 23rd of February, I realized that I was having contractions. They weren't strong at all, so I thought they were just BH. As the day progressed the contractions builded. At 11pm, I decided to try to sleep, I was up and down, up and down couldn't get comfortable. Took a bath, didn't help much. By 330am, I realized that THIS was it. My thoughts were to labor at home as much as possible, which I had. But these REALLY painful contractions started fast, and by the time they got going, I was having them 2-4 minutes apart, so instead of having my doula meet me at my house, I had her meet me at the hospital.

I called my midwife and let her know, we all thought I was FAR into labor since my contractions were so close together.

We got at the hospital at 430am, I was pretty devastated to hear I was only a four! Why was it so devastating? I had been a 3 for three a few weeks. I got over it, obviously and continued to labor. I was checked again at about 830am. My midwife amazingly told me I was a seven cm! Woohoo. Right before she checked me, I told my Chris and Rosemary, my doula, if I was still a four I might just have to get an epi. They were THAT strong and coming SO close together I wasn’t catching a break at all! No wonder I wasn’t catching a break, my body was working really hard to get through this quick labor. My midwife thought I was laboring pretty quick too, and checked me one more time at 8:50 or so. Amazingly I went through transition faster that I expected. I was already a ten. I pushed hard for a good while, and through a mirror I watched her being born at 9:06am. Chris, was so happy, I think he might have even cried some, he cut the cord. He later told me, that watching me labor was one of the most intense things he's ever witnessed.

When we got home Saturday I looked at my birth plan, it went nearly exactly as I wanted it to, except a few things. We really didn’t have enough time to need aromatherapy or massage therapy. Zen Garden was playing on my lap top, but really I was so zoned out into my contractions, picturing Lily being born, I didn’t even notice the music. I also rented a tub, waste of money! My midwife wanted me to wait until I was at least 6cm to get into it. So, when I was at a seven Chris started pumping and filling the tub. By the time it was situated I got in there and felt the urge to push, but I was hot in the tub and wasn’t comfortable at all in it! I felt like I couldn’t grip anything and a squat was all I wanted to do.

So there she was, my little baby girl. Born at 9:06am February 24th 2011 weighing in at 8 pounds, 19 3/4 inches long.

So there it is my short fast labor. Amazingly, she nursed for the first time just 40 minutes after she was born. Even lifted her head almost immediately.

She is just so perfect, I’m so inlove!

I prayed for nine months that God would allow me the strength to go through labor without the help of medications and pain meds. I have grown even closer to God through me and Lily’s labor and delivery. God has given me the body and to make another human being. God is good, amazing.