Birth Story #2: Mr Happy Feet’s Almost Unassisted Waterbirth

I thought I’d get Mr. Happy Feet’s birth recorded before I did #3’s. Here-in follows his birth story.

He’ll Come When He’s Ready

I was convinced that Mr. Happy Feet was going to arrive early probably because my belly was so much bigger (or at least felt like it was) than it had been with Mrs. Sayuri inside. I even had my midwives believing this.

It wasn’t until I finally resigned myself to the fact that he was going to come when he was ready that he did. I had been stressing every day that he was past my due date – hoping that that day would be the day. Each day that he didn’t come felt like an eternity. My in-laws were down visiting and I wanted to have this baby before they had to fly back.

Mr. Happy Feet was born at 41 weeks and a few days gestation.

In The Wee Hours It Begins

On March 2, 2009, I woke up at 4 am to mild contractions while in bed. I didn’t bother to wake Hubby yet, because it was early and I wanted him to get his rest. My contractions or waves were coming every 10 minutes between 4:00 and 5:15 a.m. After lying on my side timing contractions in bed for a little over an hour, I got up to go to the bathroom. I noticed some tell-tale bloody show at 5:20 a.m.. I felt certain that this was going to be the day of his arrival.

I didn’t bother going back to bed. I got up and went to the living room. Because it was still so early in the morning, I didn’t want to call the midwives yet (this birth we were working with a pair of midwives, Marie Tyndall and Rebecca Turecky). I sat down on the couch, popped in a birth video (It’s My Body, My Baby, My Birth) and watched that while I went through contractions. At some point I started using the birthing ball, which was a great help and relief – I love that thing!

Making Progress

My contractions picked up to every 5 minutes and then slowed down to every 7 to 8 minutes. By this time, I am guessing around 6:30 am, I called Rebecca, who lived about 2 1/2 hours away, to give her a heads up so she could start coming our way. I tried to get in touch with Marie by phone, but she was not answering her cell or home phone, so Rebecca said she would get the news to her.

I called my mom next to let her know that I was probably going to have the baby that day. The plan was to have her come over and help with Mrs. Sayuri while I labored, so she got herself ready and headed out the door. By the time she got there,  Hubby had been up a little while and Mrs. Sayuri was just waking up. My mom cooked us up some french toast for breakfast. I was laboring in the living room on the birthing ball, trying to breath my way through the contractions. Mrs. Sayuri ate some breakfast and I was only able to get down about half a piece of toast before I lost my appetite completely. Food was the last thing I wanted then.

Almost as soon as Hubby woke up he got started on readying the birthing tub. He wanted to get it started filling ASAP because it took at least an hour to fill and then heat up and by that time I had already been in labor for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. I told him I wasn’t sure if he needed to do that yet, but he wanted to be ready and I didn’t have the energy to put up much of a fight anyways. I just let him to do what he felt best.

After trying to eat a little breakfast, I called Rebecca again to see where she was in her commute. I got her voice mail. I figured she was in the mountains somewhere in transit where there was not good reception. I hung up and tried to call Marie. I managed to get a hold of her this time but was surprised to find out that she didn’t even know I was in labor. Apparently Rebecca had been unable to get her on the phone like me and had left several voice messages for her, but Marie  had failed to check her messages at that point. I told her about how my labor had gone thus far and she asked me when I thought she should come over. I said something like at least in half an hour. She got held up in coming.

After I got off the phone with Marie, my contractions picked up more. Hubby asked me if I wanted to get into the tub, which was just ready. I expressed uncertainty. I moved into the birthing room where the tub was and sat down on the rocking chair we had set up in there. That did not feel very comfortable and so I said I’d try getting in the water. He helped me into my bathing suit.

Into The Water

Soon after I got into the tub and was trying to handle each contraction as they came stronger and stronger, Mrs. Sayuri hopped in for a little swim time with Mommy. I remember going through a contraction and having to make sure her little head didn’t dip below the water as she splashed about me. When I started moving into Transition, Mrs. Sayuri got out of the water.

An Almost Un-Assisted Childbirth

My pressure waves (contractions) felt almost overpowering. I was being very loud. My in-laws and my mom were out back in our patio and they could hear my screaming and moaning. They were afraid that the baby would be born without a midwife present. After a very loud scream they thought I’d had him, but I hadn’t. About then is when Marie came walking through the front door. As soon as she heard me she picked up her pace. She quickly set up her equipment and assessed the situation. She later told me that when she heard me as she was coming inside she said to herself, that baby is coming! She arrived only a half hour before he was born.

My water broke in the water at the peak of a very strong wave. It was like a loud popping between my legs. It’s an interesting feeling to feel your membranes rupture so forcefully while in water. Not long after this I started feeling the urge to bare down and push. Hubby hopped into the tub to support me. I was worried about my perineum tearing so I held back on the pushing. Marie checked my progress and reassured me that I was fully dilated, stretching beautifully and I was not going to tear. I tried to push slowly and not force his progress but let him ease out as naturally as possible. His head came out with a strong contraction and a loud scream.

I expected the rest of him to slide out after his head had been birthed, but it did not. Marie reached her hand down and slipped a finger in to release a slightly stuck shoulder. Then, before I knew it, I was holding our beautiful baby boy in my arms.

Rebecca came walking through the door seconds after he was born. Turns out she had been stuck in traffic due to a bridge-jumper suicide off of one of the main bridges coming into town.

I was helped out of the birthing tub with baby in arms and led to the bed. There I delivered the placenta and put Mr. Happy Feet to my breast  for the first time. I felt very strong after pains during the 24 hour period that followed. Marie left me some homeopathic drops to help counter them.

Hubby cut the cord after it had stopped pulsing.

Mr. Happy Feet was born at 10:52 a.m. on March 2, 2009. He weighed 9 lbs 4 oz. and was 21 inches long.

He Caught Us By Surprise

His birth was 7 hours from my very first contraction to his birth – about half what his older sister’s had been. It went so fast that we didn’t get to video it like we had wanted to, and we weren’t able to get any pictures of me in labor, like we had hoped. Even though it is often said that your second one is likely to be twice as fast as your first, I didn’t expect it. Seven hours felt really quick.

Hubby did manage to snap a photo of Mr. Happy feet in my arms minutes after the birth. I think exhaustion is written all over my face in this photo.

We were all surprised by the size of our big boy!

Rebecca checking his heartbeat with her pink stethoscope. 🙂

We adored him the second we saw him.