So as most of you know, I had planned a natural waterbirth at my midwife's house. Angelo was due May 15th but he has arrived not even 24 hours ago! Here is MY experience. :)
So once I hit the 39 week mark I decided to start drinking my red raspberry leaf tea more mainly cause I didn't drink it as much as I planned to during my pregnancy although my prenatals contained some in them. I don't believe I've mentioned the tea in any of my other posts, but this kind of tea is supposed to be really good for toning the uterus and is known by other people's experiences for fast and easier labors. It's also very good for milk production, and many other things. Reading about it, some people say it will do nothing if you start taking it too late and I didn't drink much during my pregnancy at all! But at 39 weeks I had 2-3 cups per day which is when I personally noticed things starting to happen. Could be coincidence but I believe otherwise!
So it started off where I was just getting loads of Braxton hicks contractions which had no pain what so ever. Around 9 pm on Mother's Day I timed them just to see and they were about five minutes apart but lasting different times. Then they eventually tappered off although I was still getting a lot.
In the evening of May 9th I was still getting braxton hicks but started getting a slight pressure like pain that came with them although it still wasn't really painful and they were ten minutes apart. I went to bed with them and woke up May 10th with them. After a shower they tappered off and disappeared for at least two hours.
At 6 pm on May 10th I got the contractions again but this time I noticed a pain that started from my lower stomach and rose up with each one. They were about ten minutes apart lasting different amounts of time. I told my midwife and she said it is possible I was in early labor or pre labor. So I went to bed and was able to sleep some. Midwife said to try and get good rest just in case. So I did. Even though I woke up after four hours and then two hours. But still had good rest.
So morning of May 11th was my midwife appointment and my contractions hadn't been tappering off when I did anything so I felt they were more real especially with that rising pressure feeling with each one. Anyway the midwife said it was possible I'd be going there later that night if it was really early labor but we decided to go to the appointment still anyway. Found out I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced at that time. So I was in early labor! I'm assuming my early labor started at 6 pm on May 11th because that's when they stopped tappering off entirely and started progressing slowly as time passed.
ANYWAY throughout the day they started moving closer together and that day we went to the park and walked a bit. Thats when my walking really slowed down through them. So I knew they were getting more intense.
After the park we headed home because Anthony's mom had arrived and they brought furniture and spent time unloading that. As time passed I kept timing the contractions with my app and kept updating my midwife. Soon enough they became SO strong I had to seriously work through them. They started being 5 minutes apart lasting about 70 seconds at 7 pm on May 11th. Midwife wanted me to time them and after only a half hour of those they went to 2-3 minutes apart lasting over 70 seconds. I didn't even have the 5 minute ones for an hour which is what they suggest before you leave for birth! Thats when the midwife said to leave by 8 pm!
So we gathered everything and went. At this point I had been on all fours coping through them with deep moans. I rode like that the whole way in the back seat of the car too. The deep moans really helped me get through each contraction. As Anthony drove, he ended up being pulled over by a cop. Of course, I wasn't paying attention to much because I was focused on my own thing and literally didn't care what anyone was thinking.
The cop comes up to the car right as I entered a contraction and from what I heard she wasn't able to escort us but she let us go being that I was in labor, but I recall she said not to speed anyway. Of course I wasn't focused on the conversation so I could be wrong.
We kept going and arrived at the midwife around 9:15 pm. She checked me to see where I was at and while I was expecting like 5cm...I was at 7-8 cm dilated and already entering transition stage. After that we continued and I stayed on all fours and got some back massage from others to help me as they got the tub ready and filled. Once the tub was filled, I got in and just stripped all down because it's what was comfortable(sorry if you didn't wanna know that, but I'm not holding anything back). They left Anthony in there with me and after awhile I got upset cause whatever he was doing wasn't helping and I yelled at him to go away and get out!(now if I remember I think I got mad cause he started looking at his phone). Maybe I didn't say those exact words, but something like that. He just had no clue how to treat a woman in labor! Lol.
After that he left and the midwife came in to replace him. Eventually Anthony came back and got in the tub with me. He helped give me support on my back and made it more comfortable for me. And seems that someone had given him advice to be of better help which I really appreciated!
When we were in the bathtub, shortly after that I figured I couldn't cope with the pain through moans anymore and thought I had to push. So I started pushing which felt better but then I got sick and threw up the Subway I had earlier before we left not knowing I'd progress so fast. At that point we had to get out of the tub even though I didn't wanna move...but couldn't have a baby born in water like that..so hadda get out and they cleaned it and while that happened I tried out the birthing stool and leaned my back against Anthony. Then my midwife suggested moving to the bed where Anthony would get more back support for himself. So that's what I did cause I didn't want Anthony to be too uncomfortable trying to make me comfortable.
I ended up staying on the bed and not getting back into the tub when it was ready because I really didn't want to move. So I ended up pushing him out on to the bed.
It was very interesting...indescribable...but I gotta say all the pushing felt good and it was one of the quieter phases of labor I think. When his head crowned I knew the burning I felt is what's known as the "ring of fire." It seriously feels like a ring of fire! But gladly after that my hardest part was over. He actually arrived with the broke water since my midwife broke it and somehow it was good that it didn't break earlier cause the cord was around his neck in a way that was pinching the cord and she was able to help guide me to push him out. Those last five minutes were scary for her she said, but I did it!
Anyway...once he popped out they laid him right on me and he was just sooo slippery and Anthony says he was flopping like a fish after he was born. But as we were holding him we just couldn't believe he was actually real..like HE'S ACTUALLY HERE! Then so we were just holding him and waiting for the cord to stop pulsing and Anthony actually cut it. Then all we had to do was wait for the placenta. Wasn't bad at all.
After awhile of holding Angelo I got more cleaned up and took a shower. The midwife weighed him and measured him. He was 7lbs 12.5oz and 20 inches long and born at 12:06 on May 12th.
We stayed the night at the midwife's house and I slept with Angelo on my stomach and I surprisingly got some good sleep even though I thought I wasn't gonna be sleeping.
The hardest part for me was breastfeeding...I think he was just super tired from the labor though because now he's been breastfeeding a little more on a good timing! So yay!
After waking up at the midwife's they made Anthony and I breakfast and the midwife did the filing for the birth certificate and social security. We also changed his diaper which was loaded and as that happened he had more come out! Who knew a newborn could carry so much poop? Lol. Anyway we got Angelo dressed and in the carseat and then headed home. (:
Also, to add, I only pushed for about an hour and twenty minutes which apparently is really good for a first time mom. I got one minor tear that needed no stitches, and he was also a posterior baby in which cases you'd normally have really bad back labor, but I had no back labor!!
And THAT was my experience. :)
Ps- I have been writing this since yesterday so it's not posted as soon as I wanted to, but kind of understandable with everything I've had to do.
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