Birth Story of the Week- Stephanie + Bennett

This week Stephanie shares her story of a peaceful home birth. 

We often hear about birth not always going according to plan or preference but sometimes it does! With support from her loving partner and trusted midwives, her baby was indeed born before lunch. Thank you for your submission!!

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On January 3rd, 2018 I woke up at 11:45pm. I went downstairs to go to the washroom and while in there I noticed some discharge. I didn’t think much of it, only that I would mention it to the midwife at my appointment in the morning. I went back upstairs and was lying in bed. I started to feel cramps in my lower abdomen. I was sure that they were just Braxton hicks. As I was lying in bed the cramps were strong enough that I decided to get up and walk around. Before I went downstairs I sat beside Forest and told him that I was having Braxton hicks and that I was going to go downstairs to walk around. 
 

I sat on the couch downstairs and put my feet up. I decided at around 1:30am to start to track how close I was having the cramping. Forest came downstairs to check on me around 1:40am. When he came into the room I told him that my contractions were about 30 seconds long and I was having one every 2-3 minutes. We were both still thinking that I was just having more Braxton Hicks.

At 1:49am, Forest and I talked about possibly calling the midwives and letting them know what was happening. Forest called the pager and spoke with one of our midwives on the phone. She asked to talk to me and while I was talking I had another contraction. Our midwife then decided that she was going to come and check my cervix and decide what to do after that. I was feeling nervous, and unsure if I was in labour or not. I didn’t want her to come out in the middle of the night to tell me that I was having Braxton Hicks. Forest looked at me and smiled and said “we could have a baby before lunch today!” While Forest and I waited for our midwife to come I spent a lot of time on the birthing ball, bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth. 

 

Our midwife arrived around 2:30am. When she got there we talked about how I was doing and what I was feeling. I laid on the couch and she checked to see what was happening. I think we were all shocked when she said that I was 6cm dilated! I looked up at her and said “does that mean I am going to have a baby today?” She smiled and said “yes, you will be having your baby today.” Our midwife commented that she could feel the top of the baby’s head, but that my water sack was still intact and she could feel that as well, she told Forest he could start setting up the birthing pool. I continued to sit on the birthing ball, with each contraction Forest would put pressure on my sacrum. He started to set up the birthing pool, helped move furniture around and still continued to help me through each contraction. I would look at Forest, smile and nod to communicate to him that another contraction was happening. When the tub was full our midwife let me know that I was able to get into the tub now if I wanted to. I decided that I wanted to spend a little more time on the birthing ball. When I decided that I wanted to get into the tub, she suggested that she check my cervix before I get into the tub. This time when she checked me, I was 9cm dilated. My water still had not broken. Our midwife had told me that she could break my water for me now. I was a little nervous and decided that I wanted to wait a little bit longer. I did get into the birthing tub though.

While in the birthing pool I had trouble at the beginning finding a position that was comfortable. I finally found that if I rested my upper body on the side of the pool and resting my legs down in the water. Forest continued to help with set up for delivery, but was still there for each contraction. I remember that for a couple of contractions he was too busy and didn’t make it back and feeling proud of myself for being able to ride out the contraction by myself. But I really did like it better when Forest was there. Again, I wouldn’t use words to get Forests’ attention. I would just nod to him, it was like he continued to check on me even when he was busy trying to get other things done. Forest and our midwife would sometimes talk to me or ask me questions. Most times I would just not bother answering. I knew that Forest would know what was best for us. At one point our midwife asked if I had any urge to push. At this time I did not so she suggested that she could break my water and that might make things progress. I agreed. Once she broke my water it felt like a huge release of pressure. I continued to labour in the birthing tub. I could hear talk about calling the second midwife in. She asked both Forest and I if it was okay if a student attended the birth. I nodded. I finally felt the urge that I needed to push, and she said to follow my body’s lead and do what my body needed. During some of my stronger contractions I would push with the contraction. Forest would hold my hand or continue to put pressure on my lower back, he was truly the biggest help in the house. By this time in labour, I hardly opened my eyes. When I did open my eyes I was searching to look at Forest for reassurance. The second midwife arrived, and so did her student. I faintly opened my eyes and nodded towards them. She said “You know we are getting close to the end when the second midwife arrives.” I am not sure when, but at some point during active labour our midwife checked me again and noted that part of my cervix was in the way for the head to move into the birthing canal. During a contraction she reached up and moved the piece of cervix out of the way. It was very painful, but worth it for sure. With each strong contraction I would push. While I was pushing I would start to feel really light headed, and sometime I would feel like I was going to pass out if I continued to push. I told them how I was feeling. Forest brought me some apple juice to help with my light headedness. Our second midwife commented that if I did faint “we would all get excited for a couple minutes, Forest will catch you and then everything would be okay again.” At one point after a contraction I remember that I stated that I didn’t think that I could continue on, I didn’t want the pain to come back. Everyone encouraged me to continue and believed that I could continue. I then remembered that Karen had told me about part of her labour when she felt the same way and she continued. That gave me power and hope that I could be successful with the birth I wanted. After I had a few more contractions in the tub, our midwife decided that it would be best to bring me out of the tub and onto the couch. With their help I moved to the couch. I felt like I wanted to stay in the tub, but it was for the best for me to come out of the tub.

I moved to the couch. I wasn’t sure how much longer it was going to take or how far the baby had moved down. I asked and she told me that if I continued to work hard that it wouldn’t be too much longer. I remember that being a big motivator. While I was laying on the couch each contraction got harder and I would push a little stronger. During the down time, I would glance up to look at Forest. Knowing he was there and holding my hand was so reassuring. I continued to push with each contraction. Our midwife commented that the baby was still behind my pubic bone. She said that I would be able to feel the difference when the baby moved past the pubic bone. She was right! When the baby moved it felt like we were getting closer to meeting our baby. Forest and the midwives continued to encourage me on each push. I can remember opening my eyes at one point and noticing that one of my legs was pushed up against her upper arm and my other leg was being supported on the back of the couch by the student midwife. I was shocked at how strong she must have been to support my leg with me pushing as hard as I thought I was pushing. During one of the breaks from a contraction my midwife went into the dining room to do something, when I could feel another contraction coming I called for her to come back to me. It is crazy that the midwives become people that you trust so much and that I really did rely on for everything during delivery. Finally it was coming to the last few pushes, encouragement and excitement was in the air. I could hear in Forest’s voice that we were so close to meeting our baby. The midwives did warn me that soon I would feel burning, as the baby was coming out. She also asked that I listen to her and stop pushing when she told me to. She was trying to reduce the risk of tearing. I followed her voice. I was getting really tired. Baby was coming out! I had to stop and wait for another contraction before I was able to push the baby the rest of the way out. One last big push and the baby was out! 

Our midwife caught the baby on the way out and placed the baby on my stomach! It was such a magical moment! All of the pain and pressure was over. I was holding my baby! I asked if it was a boy or a girl. Our second midwife just mentioned that they were just trying to get the baby’s colour good before they would turn the baby over. She reached over and moved the baby on my stomach. Our baby started to cry, I looked up at Forest with tears in my eyes. Forest also had tears in his eyes. Birth is truly amazing! Forest was able to feel the last pulses of the umbilical cord. He was also the one who cut the cord when they were ready for that. I asked about the delivery of the placenta and if it was going to hurt or not. Our midwife explained that the placenta didn’t have any bones and was not going to hurt. She was right, it felt like it just slid out. They looked up and announced “its 6:56am, the time of the baby’s birth.” After the placenta was birthed, she checked me for any tears or cuts. She found a first degree tear on my perineum and a small tear on my labia. Neither required stitches so I was happy. As the midwives cleaned up, Forest and I sat in awe looking at our son!

I asked to look at the placenta so they brought it over to the couch and walked me through the different parts of the organ. It was so incredible to see the organ that was connecting Bennett and I together for the nine months that I carried him. I was so thankful for them to share their knowledge with me. Afterwards they ran a healing bath for Bennett and I. She helped us into the tub and helped me with Bennett in the tub, I was nervous to hold him too low in the water. I came out of the tub and Bennett and I went back to the couch. By 9am, the birthing tub was gone and the house was back to normal. The midwives said goodbye. Forest, Bennett and I were starting our journey as a family together!

I'm so excited to be sharing Birth Story of the Week as a regular feature! 
This project is about bringing our stories together and providing a wonderful resource for new and expecting families in our community. All births are wonderful and should be celebrated, no matter what type of birth (home, hospital, midwife/ OB, doula supported or not) if you would like to share your birth story please email it to info@nestedbirth.com a photo or two would also be great.

Stories will be featured on my social media platforms and blog. My hope is that we can educate families on the options available in our community, provide healing and empowerment through sharing and of course CONNECTION.