BORN TO BE LOVED
Natural Childbirth
ZARA MAELLE RAIN
Zara's Waterbirth Story
At 1:30am on Sunday, April 3rd, I noticed that my contractions were becoming consistent and stronger. It was the first time in the two weeks I was "over due" that I didn't call Faith immediately telling her that "I think this is really labor this time".
I didn't want to wake her up for nothing and I knew she would tell me to eat protein and try and sleep, so that is what I did.
At 8am, we had plans to go to breakfast with my husband's family. My contractions were becoming even closer, though, so I decided to stay behind this time. I kept napping between contractions and eating here and there.
I lost track of time and noticed that my husband still wasn't home at noon. I gave him a call and told him I needed to get home bcause I really thought this was it.
He arrived at 12:30pm. I immediately had a hard contraction that made me scream out in pain. He called Faith as fast as he could to let her know the events of the morning. She encouraged us to go to the house we would be delivering in and told us she would be over shortly to check my progress.
We called two members of my birth team and met them at our house. Faith arrived shortly after. I was 1000% sure she would check me, say it wasn't real, and send us home. But she didn't! I was dilated to 2.5cm and I was so excited!
She gave us some suggestions for different positions and told us to walk around. She said she had another baby to check on and that she would be back in a few hours to check me again. I did everything she suggested while my sister in law and cousin timed my contractions, and time seemed to fly by.
It wa already 6:00pm when Faith got back, followed closely by my doula. Faith checked to see if I was making progress. I was, again, completely sure I wasn't, but she told me otherwise. I was almost 5cm this time!
Faith showed her truly caring side at this moment. I started crying when she finished and she apologized if she hurt me. I wasn't crying though because of the pain. I was crying because I was proud of myself for letting her finish. That got a chuckle out of everyone.
Faith stuck around this time and suggested a new position for me every 30 minutes. My favorite turned out to be lying on my side with one leg on the birthing ball and not hands and knees like I thought it would be before labor.
But I still listened to all the suggestions Faith gave, completely trusting in her skills.
One of my favorite moments during the birth happened during this time. I was lying on the floor and between contractions I started telling my favorite jokes to everyone. I don't think I would have been able to do that if I had decided to give birth in a different environment, or even just with a different midwife who I wasn't as comfortable with as I was with Faith.
Close to 9pm, Faith checked me again, and I was dilated to 7cm and was 80-90% effaced. I had progressed enough to be able to get into the pool! Faith called her wonderful assistants, Annabelle and Cienna, who came to set help set up the pool. I was advised to use the restroom one more time before getting in the pool.
It took me the same amount of time to get from my living room to the bathroom and back to the pool that it took the assistants to get to my house and get the pool set up. The contractions were coming every minute and lasting fifty seconds. I had ten seconds to move slowly in between each one.
Finally I was resting in the pool, and it was so relaxing. Contractions became more bearable. The lights were turned off and the environment became even more calm than it was before.
Faith stayed in the background, checking on me periodically, but mainly letting me 'enjoy' this resting period before the pushing stage started.
Nobody noticed when I got my very first urge to push, which I was extremely grateful for. If somebody had noticed, I would have needed to start working again. But my doula noticed when I had my second urge to push and everything got serious again.
Faith was so helpful getting me to push effectively even when I had had enough. She also had me do a few different positions while pushing.
There were three or four times I tried to not push. But I found out that not pushing isn't really an option when you're in labor.
Faith noticed how discouraged I was getting and that I was ready to give up. She suggested for the first time I get out of the pool and on to the birth stool.
I didn't move. A few minutes later she suggested it again. This time my doula helped me up to get out, but I started having a contraction so I sat myself back down.
The third time she suggested it I realized what
getting out of the pool meant. It meant I would not be delivering my baby in the water which was my goal from the beginning of my pregnancy. This was the only time I didn't do exactly what Faith suggested. My doula noticed a complate shift in my attitude and within 5-10 minutes I had pushed my baby completely out at 12:49am.
Altogether my labor lasted for thirteen hours with the pushing stage lasting just over one hour. It was the best birth experience I could have asked for.
Faith took me on at 28 weeks. The minute I sat down for my interview appointment I knew that I wanted her to be my midwife. She has such a warm, genuinely caring, patient attitude. Plus, she's so knowledgeable about all things birth. She was, and is, the best midwife I could have ever dreamed of having and I will for sure be using her for every one of my future babies.
