BrandiL
10-22-2002, 11:08 AM
Gabriel’s Birth Story
I want to get this all down on paper before the details of Gabriel’s birth become any foggier in my mind. The mind is so amazing – I had already forgotten the sensations of labour by the time I held my baby in my arms the moment after he was born. I have difficulty recalling things in chronological order but I will do my best so that this story makes some sort of sense. Time really didn’t mean anything to me when I was in labour. I wasn’t working by the clock – my mind instead measured time through the intervals between contractions. Hours seemed to last only minutes – and I was grateful for that because it turned out to be a much longer labour than I had anticipated.
On September 24 2002 I was a very frustrated pregnant lady. I was way past any due date that had been given to me and I was absolutely convinced that this baby was never going to be born. I was approaching the 2 week past due mark which is the cut off for having a home birth and this was causing me a lot of anxiety. My midwife scheduled a fetal assessment to make sure all was well with the baby. So Kort, Sydney, Gayle and I went to the Health Sciences Center for an Ultrasound and a Non Stress Test. The Ultrasound went really well and everything looked great with the baby. She (the tech) estimated the baby’s weight at about 7 and a half pounds. The Non Stress test also went well and Gayle pointed out that I was having some pretty regular contractions, but at that point I was not really feeling them. We went home comforted that the baby seemed ok, but still frustrated that we had to continue waiting.
As it turned out, we did not have to wait very long. I woke up at about 1:30 a.m. on Septemeber 25, 2002 with regular contractions. They were enough to prevent me from going back to sleep and they were coming about every 8 minutes or so. I kind of felt hungry so I went downstairs and had a banana and a big glass of water. I decided to have a bath to see if the contractions would maybe slow down or stop so I could go back to sleep. I sat in the tub for about half an hour and continued to have contractions in the water. I got out and told Kort that I thought I was in labour. Then Kortney started timing the contractions. They were regular and getting closer together all the time. I tried dozing off in between contractions for as long as I could but it soon felt unbearable to be lying in bed. I asked Kortney to go and get my exercise ball because I thought it might help. I put it beside my bed and rocked back and forth everytime I had a contraction. I remember that Sonia had suggested putting a hot water bottle on the ball and sitting on it to help with discomfort. She was sure right – that felt great! I kept the hot water bottle there as long as I used the ball. In between contractions I rested my head on the bed and tried to sleep a bit.
Sometime in the wee hours in the morning, I asked Kort to call Gayle (our midwife) because the contractions were about 5 minutes apart and were really strong. She came over as quickly as she could and wanted to check to see if I was dilating at all. I was at a stretchy three centimeters at that point. I continued to use the exercise ball for a long while after that. At some point in the morning, I also asked Kort to call Sonia, but I am not sure when exactly. We discussed whether to send Sydney to school that morning because she really wanted to be home for the birth of the baby. Gayle commented that she guessed the baby would be born by lunchtime. We decided to keep Sydney home and Gayle set up our bedroom for the birth.
I remember that the exercise ball wasn’t making me feel better anymore at some point in the morning and I really felt the need to be upright and walking around. I had been drinking and eating a bit up to that point but I felt the need to have something more in my stomach. I went down to the kitchen, ate some fruit and a granola bar, and drank water and Gatorade. In between contractions I paced the floor. During contractions, I found that the handle on my Stove was the perfect height to brace myself against when I was having a contraction. I would just lean over the stove and concentrate on breathing. I remember making a joke that this was the most I had ever used my stove – so my sense of humor was still intact! I was starting to feel tired and Gayle suggested that I should try to get some rest since I had been up for most of the night. I agreed and tried to doze in bed between contractions for a few hours. Gayle and Sonia both decided to run some errands while I was asleep and I didn’t wake up for about an hour anyway. I think it was around 11:00 am. By lunchtime, I was having trouble coping again so we called Gayle and Sonia to come back.
I went back to the kitchen so that I could get back to my trusty stove handle!! At some point, I decided to get in the shower for a while and someone suggested that I sit on the exercise ball while in there. That felt pretty good for a bit, but I wanted to be mobile again so I got out of the shower and you guessed it – went back to the stove! I stayed there until the mid afternoon and both Gayle and I were noticing that the contractions were slowing down and not as intense as they had been before. I think this was around 3:00 p.m. Gayle decided to check and see if I had been making any progress. I was still at 3 centimeters. I was so disappointed. I remember thinking that all the hard work I had been going through was for nothing. I inwardly questioned my ability to go through any more labour because the contractions had been so intense; I had been up for hours and was totally exhausted. We were all shocked that I hadn’t made any progress – even Gayle had been completely fooled by this “false labour.” The contractions didn’t completely stop, but they spaced themselves out to about 15 minutes in between each contraction. They still felt really intense to me though, and I still had to breathe through them. Gayle told me to drink a few glasses of wine to help me relax and to try and get some sleep. She left at that point and told me to call her when the contractions picked up again. She also told me that she fully expected that I would have to call her by that evening. I sent Kortney out for some wine and Sonia stayed with me while he went out.
After nine months of not drinking any kind of alcohol, the wine sure knocked me out! I was relaxed enough to get some sleep in my rocking chair and we sent Sonia home to get some rest. I stayed in the rocking chair and relaxed for a few hours. The contractions kept coming every 15 minutes or so for a long time. Kort and I decided to call my mom and ask her to drive the four hours to get here in case something were to happen and we needed someone to look after Sydney. Then around 7 pm or so, the contractions started coming closer together again and they were getting more intense. I decided to crawl into the bathtub to try and relax. My husband and my daughter stayed in the bathroom with me and after about an hour I asked Kort to call the midwife back.
My daughter was so brave and amazing at this point. I know I was making a bit of noise with each contraction and she didn’t get scared or freak out because of it. She asked me if it was hard work and I said that it was. She got a face cloth, put it on my forehead, and asked if that helped me to feel better. I told her that it did, but in actual fact it was her presence there at the time that was making me feel better. It was a great reminder of why I was going through all of this hard work again. The midwife arrived at about 8:30 or so, and I stayed in the tub for another half-hour after that. My daughter stayed in the bathroom with me and the midwife still trying to help anyway she could.
Around 9 p.m. I wanted out of the water because I really felt the need to be mobile. My midwife decided it was time to see if I had made any more progress. I braced myself to be disappointed again, but thankfully I had made some progress and was at about 5 cm. We decided to let the midwife break my water to speed things along a bit. I also asked Kort to call Sonia back at some point. I spent the next few hours in my bedroom pacing back and forth and leaning over my dresser or using Kort for support through my contractions. I was semi-aware of what was going on around me as Gayle once again set up the room for the birth and as Sonia arrived. I was also getting increasingly vocal with the contractions.
I know that my mother arrived about an hour before Gabriel was born, and I know that at some point Gayle had called a second midwife to assist with the birth, but I didn’t even open my eyes to acknowledge that either of them were there. I was far to busy trying to handle the contractions which at this point were really intense and close together. I know I had to use the bathroom and that the contractions felt twice as intense while I was on the toilet. It was at this point that I started feeling the urge to push. Gayle helped me over to the bed where Kort sat behind me and I leaned back into him for support. Gayle checked me and told me there was still a bit of a lip and that I should wait. She asked me if I was ready to do this, and I remember saying that I didn’t think I would be able to do it! I waited as long as I could (I think one or two contractions was all I could take) and then said that I had to push. The urge was just too intense and my body was doing it whether I wanted to or not. I did have enough of my senses about me that I remembered my daughter wanted to be there when the baby came out. She was sleeping on the couch downstairs with my mom and Sonia went to get her. She was in a really deep sleep and they had trouble waking her.
continued in part 2
I want to get this all down on paper before the details of Gabriel’s birth become any foggier in my mind. The mind is so amazing – I had already forgotten the sensations of labour by the time I held my baby in my arms the moment after he was born. I have difficulty recalling things in chronological order but I will do my best so that this story makes some sort of sense. Time really didn’t mean anything to me when I was in labour. I wasn’t working by the clock – my mind instead measured time through the intervals between contractions. Hours seemed to last only minutes – and I was grateful for that because it turned out to be a much longer labour than I had anticipated.
On September 24 2002 I was a very frustrated pregnant lady. I was way past any due date that had been given to me and I was absolutely convinced that this baby was never going to be born. I was approaching the 2 week past due mark which is the cut off for having a home birth and this was causing me a lot of anxiety. My midwife scheduled a fetal assessment to make sure all was well with the baby. So Kort, Sydney, Gayle and I went to the Health Sciences Center for an Ultrasound and a Non Stress Test. The Ultrasound went really well and everything looked great with the baby. She (the tech) estimated the baby’s weight at about 7 and a half pounds. The Non Stress test also went well and Gayle pointed out that I was having some pretty regular contractions, but at that point I was not really feeling them. We went home comforted that the baby seemed ok, but still frustrated that we had to continue waiting.
As it turned out, we did not have to wait very long. I woke up at about 1:30 a.m. on Septemeber 25, 2002 with regular contractions. They were enough to prevent me from going back to sleep and they were coming about every 8 minutes or so. I kind of felt hungry so I went downstairs and had a banana and a big glass of water. I decided to have a bath to see if the contractions would maybe slow down or stop so I could go back to sleep. I sat in the tub for about half an hour and continued to have contractions in the water. I got out and told Kort that I thought I was in labour. Then Kortney started timing the contractions. They were regular and getting closer together all the time. I tried dozing off in between contractions for as long as I could but it soon felt unbearable to be lying in bed. I asked Kortney to go and get my exercise ball because I thought it might help. I put it beside my bed and rocked back and forth everytime I had a contraction. I remember that Sonia had suggested putting a hot water bottle on the ball and sitting on it to help with discomfort. She was sure right – that felt great! I kept the hot water bottle there as long as I used the ball. In between contractions I rested my head on the bed and tried to sleep a bit.
Sometime in the wee hours in the morning, I asked Kort to call Gayle (our midwife) because the contractions were about 5 minutes apart and were really strong. She came over as quickly as she could and wanted to check to see if I was dilating at all. I was at a stretchy three centimeters at that point. I continued to use the exercise ball for a long while after that. At some point in the morning, I also asked Kort to call Sonia, but I am not sure when exactly. We discussed whether to send Sydney to school that morning because she really wanted to be home for the birth of the baby. Gayle commented that she guessed the baby would be born by lunchtime. We decided to keep Sydney home and Gayle set up our bedroom for the birth.
I remember that the exercise ball wasn’t making me feel better anymore at some point in the morning and I really felt the need to be upright and walking around. I had been drinking and eating a bit up to that point but I felt the need to have something more in my stomach. I went down to the kitchen, ate some fruit and a granola bar, and drank water and Gatorade. In between contractions I paced the floor. During contractions, I found that the handle on my Stove was the perfect height to brace myself against when I was having a contraction. I would just lean over the stove and concentrate on breathing. I remember making a joke that this was the most I had ever used my stove – so my sense of humor was still intact! I was starting to feel tired and Gayle suggested that I should try to get some rest since I had been up for most of the night. I agreed and tried to doze in bed between contractions for a few hours. Gayle and Sonia both decided to run some errands while I was asleep and I didn’t wake up for about an hour anyway. I think it was around 11:00 am. By lunchtime, I was having trouble coping again so we called Gayle and Sonia to come back.
I went back to the kitchen so that I could get back to my trusty stove handle!! At some point, I decided to get in the shower for a while and someone suggested that I sit on the exercise ball while in there. That felt pretty good for a bit, but I wanted to be mobile again so I got out of the shower and you guessed it – went back to the stove! I stayed there until the mid afternoon and both Gayle and I were noticing that the contractions were slowing down and not as intense as they had been before. I think this was around 3:00 p.m. Gayle decided to check and see if I had been making any progress. I was still at 3 centimeters. I was so disappointed. I remember thinking that all the hard work I had been going through was for nothing. I inwardly questioned my ability to go through any more labour because the contractions had been so intense; I had been up for hours and was totally exhausted. We were all shocked that I hadn’t made any progress – even Gayle had been completely fooled by this “false labour.” The contractions didn’t completely stop, but they spaced themselves out to about 15 minutes in between each contraction. They still felt really intense to me though, and I still had to breathe through them. Gayle told me to drink a few glasses of wine to help me relax and to try and get some sleep. She left at that point and told me to call her when the contractions picked up again. She also told me that she fully expected that I would have to call her by that evening. I sent Kortney out for some wine and Sonia stayed with me while he went out.
After nine months of not drinking any kind of alcohol, the wine sure knocked me out! I was relaxed enough to get some sleep in my rocking chair and we sent Sonia home to get some rest. I stayed in the rocking chair and relaxed for a few hours. The contractions kept coming every 15 minutes or so for a long time. Kort and I decided to call my mom and ask her to drive the four hours to get here in case something were to happen and we needed someone to look after Sydney. Then around 7 pm or so, the contractions started coming closer together again and they were getting more intense. I decided to crawl into the bathtub to try and relax. My husband and my daughter stayed in the bathroom with me and after about an hour I asked Kort to call the midwife back.
My daughter was so brave and amazing at this point. I know I was making a bit of noise with each contraction and she didn’t get scared or freak out because of it. She asked me if it was hard work and I said that it was. She got a face cloth, put it on my forehead, and asked if that helped me to feel better. I told her that it did, but in actual fact it was her presence there at the time that was making me feel better. It was a great reminder of why I was going through all of this hard work again. The midwife arrived at about 8:30 or so, and I stayed in the tub for another half-hour after that. My daughter stayed in the bathroom with me and the midwife still trying to help anyway she could.
Around 9 p.m. I wanted out of the water because I really felt the need to be mobile. My midwife decided it was time to see if I had made any more progress. I braced myself to be disappointed again, but thankfully I had made some progress and was at about 5 cm. We decided to let the midwife break my water to speed things along a bit. I also asked Kort to call Sonia back at some point. I spent the next few hours in my bedroom pacing back and forth and leaning over my dresser or using Kort for support through my contractions. I was semi-aware of what was going on around me as Gayle once again set up the room for the birth and as Sonia arrived. I was also getting increasingly vocal with the contractions.
I know that my mother arrived about an hour before Gabriel was born, and I know that at some point Gayle had called a second midwife to assist with the birth, but I didn’t even open my eyes to acknowledge that either of them were there. I was far to busy trying to handle the contractions which at this point were really intense and close together. I know I had to use the bathroom and that the contractions felt twice as intense while I was on the toilet. It was at this point that I started feeling the urge to push. Gayle helped me over to the bed where Kort sat behind me and I leaned back into him for support. Gayle checked me and told me there was still a bit of a lip and that I should wait. She asked me if I was ready to do this, and I remember saying that I didn’t think I would be able to do it! I waited as long as I could (I think one or two contractions was all I could take) and then said that I had to push. The urge was just too intense and my body was doing it whether I wanted to or not. I did have enough of my senses about me that I remembered my daughter wanted to be there when the baby came out. She was sleeping on the couch downstairs with my mom and Sonia went to get her. She was in a really deep sleep and they had trouble waking her.
continued in part 2