Thursday, November 10, 2022

 

It was a typical morning with Aron, my almost 2 year old toddler, walking around and playing outside. I thought the Braxton Hicks contractions that I had been feeling for the past week were getting a little more consistent. Being two weeks out from my due date, I didn’t think much of them, they weren’t intense or painful. On the way to our 4pm midwife appointment, I noticed they started feeling lower and more crampy. I filled Dorothy in on the early contractions and how good I was feeling, and even worked out that morning. She asked if I wanted my cervix to be checked, I agreed thinking that Kyle, my husband, would’ve wanted to know. Turns out I was 6cm dilated! (The same thing happened with Aron. At my 41 week OB appointment, I was 6cm with him too. Even though I didn’t appear to have steady contractions at the time.) My water broke during or right after the check. There was so much fluid! Excitedly I texted Kyle right away, and then Jeanne, my mother in law, who would be picking up Aron. Then called my mom on the drive back home. I sent out a text to a handful of friends for prayers. 

 

I got home at 5:30pm, Kyle had gotten home just 5 minutes prior. He was quickly setting up the birth pool. I finished packing an overnight bag for Aron. Aron and I ate dinner with me timing out contractions that were getting much more consistent about 3-5 minutes apart. I let Dorothy know to come over. As Aron was leaving with Jeanne they started intensifying. With Aron gone, my body got right to work. 

 

Dorothy and her assistant, Violet and Lydia, arrived at 6:30pm. They set up and checked on me. I labored on the birth ball for 30 minutes, listening to the relaxation tracks, before the pool was ready at 7pm. The hot water felt amazing and eased the pressure of the contractions. Focusing on my breathing and keeping my tone low really helped. I was so grateful to have my husband, Dorothy and her team for support during them. I remember asking them if they were ready for the last few pushes. They laughed and agreed they were ready when I was. Feeling her little head crown was such a powerful moment, realizing she was on her way out and I was almost done. The contractions were intense pressure but not really painful, the mindset I had prepared helped me through. After a few short pushes, I caught her underwater in my arms. Dorothy easily unlooped her umbilical cord that was wrapped once around her neck. In euphoric awe I lifted her to my chest. Molly Amina was born at 7:22pm. 

 

We relaxed in the pool for a bit enjoying her first small cries. She nursed for a minute and then dozed off. It was hard, I think more so mentally, to tell my body to continue to push the placenta out. Kyle cut the cord once it had turned white. With that detached, I handed Molly off to Kyle, got out of the pool, and into bed. There was no rush and we welcomed the calm approach that was so drastically different from Aron’s hospital birth I had previously. 

 

Molly weighed 7lb 3oz and was 21” long and perfectly healthy. We got to see my circum vallate placenta, which never hindered her. After being so kind by getting me toast and juice and settling me in with some nice padsicles, Dorothy and her team left around 10pm. Leaving Kyle and I in awe of how smoothly having a baby at home can be.