Birth Story of the Week- Amanda + Logan

This week Amanda shares the birth of perfect baby boy Logan. 

With an Iron Maiden t-shirt, the support of her husband and midwife and 

some mild food poisoning, she did get the show on the road!  

Thank you for your submission!!

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I worked with midwives for my birth and pregnancy and I had an amazing experience. My midwives  made me feel supported and in control. I contemplated having a homebirth because I don’t feel comfortable in hospitals, but because this was my first child and I didn’t know how my pregnancy and labour would progress I decided the hospital would be the best choice for me and my baby. I didn’t really have a birth plan other then to trust my gut to make decisions as I went along. Ideally I wanted a natural birth but if I felt I needed an epidural then I would go for it.

I had contractions for two days before giving birth to my son Logan. They were mild and inconsistent for the first day so I wasn’t even sure if I was in labour or not. But my husband Rory and I ate Pita’s for dinner the following day that didn’t sit well for either of us, and labour really kick started! Nothing like mild food poisoning to add an extra layer of fun to labour!

I labored at home for as long as I could. Once my contractions got intense and consistent enough I called my midwife (at 1am!) to say that I thought it was time. She came over immediately and checked me and I was already 5cm dilated. When she said it was time to head to the hospital I was so relieved to finally get this show on the road. At this point I had already been in labour for over 24 hours and I wanted this baby OUT.

I arrived at the hospital in my husband’s Iron Maiden t-shirt, hunched over and groaning and we were quickly shown our birthing suite (perhaps my appearance helped speed things along?) The contractions were becoming incredibly intense and I had a hard time sitting still. I breathed out the pain as best as I could, and found moving around on a birthing ball to be the best pain relief. The hardest part was that I was going through labour and mild food poisoning at the same time. I would be sitting on the toilet, throwing up in the garbage beside me and having a contraction all at the same time while my loving husband held my hand and kept telling me that I could do this. Now THAT’S love.

I was losing fluids so fast that my energy level was depleting quickly. I would break out into cold sweats and shiver uncontrollably. My midwife would wrap warm, heated blankets around me and rub my lower back for me while I bounced on a birthing ball, Rory would feed me ice chips and sips of gatorade.

 

The stretch between when I got to the hospital and the time when I could start pushing was the hardest. I labored for almost 8 hours at the hospital before I could start pushing. The birthing ball was by far my favourite use of pain relief. I just kept bouncing and moving and breathing. Bouncing and moving and breathing. My midwife asked if I wanted nitrous oxide at that point and I said “YES!”. While I didn’t find it helped that much with the pain, it was at least a welcome distraction. I remember thinking at that point “why didn’t I ask for an epidural?!” but we were at the point of no return. I just had to visualize putting on my blue-William-Wallace war paint and prepare myself for this battle!

Just when I thought I couldn’t go on any longer, my midwife helped my cervix along to fully dilate and when she said I could start pushing I got my second wind. She had to break my water for me (it was still fully intact at that point). When pushing, I found laying on my back on the bed to be the worst position. I was so uncomfortable. So I tried pushing on the birthing stool on the bed, and gravity helped things along. Then I’d move around to all fours so that I could hold myself up better. At this point I had lost so much fluid that they put an IV in me. I had ZERO energy. It had been a long two days and I felt I had nothing left in me to give at this point. I CAN DO THIS I kept telling myself (in between whimpering to Rory “I can’t do this!”). 

I eventually laid on my back when I couldn’t sit up anymore. When pushing I started to feel immense pressure. Once I could reach down and actually feel the top of my baby’s head I knew I was close. I pushed for almost 2 hours. I let out primal screams that I didn’t know I had inside of me. Rory and my midwife kept cheering me on. I pushed so hard that I popped blood vessels in my face. I suddenly felt this huge release and within seconds my baby was here. My midwife quickly unwrapped the umbilical cord that was around his neck and immediately put him on my chest.

That moment. That moment was the most beautiful thing I have ever experienced. My baby was here. He was perfect. And my husband and I were so emotional and elated. “He’s perfect” I kept saying in between tears. “He’s absolutely perfect”. My husband, my baby and myself were huddled together, crying and smiling and so in love. 

To any women out there who are nervous or scared about the birth experience (as I was) just know this; you are so much stronger than you know. Trust yourself and trust your body. You will know what is right for you and your baby. Surround yourself with people and professionals who make you feel comfortable and supported. Whether you work with Midwives, Doulas or OBs, have a hospital or homebirth, medicated or un-medicated; it doesn’t matter as long as you follow your heart to make the right decision for you. Labour is such a small part of this whole experience. And I promise you; once you hold your baby in your arms everything else just melts away.

I am so grateful to have had such a beautiful experience. Not every woman is so lucky. I don’t take a second with my beautiful boy for granted.

Thank you so much for reading and letting me share my story!

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.