Drumroll please...My birth story

Middle of the night on August 1st I wake up to light contractions...I can't sleep so I decide to take a bath and a Tylenol PM to see if I can get the contractions to stop so I can get some sleep.  I am thinking about how tough labor will be if I start out exhausted but am also in disbelief that they are contractions. The bath works, and I am back in bed asleep...I wake up on August 2nd and get around, the contractions continue.  They are about 7 minutes apart and not really increasing in intensity.  I text my midwife, Ginger,  and let her know what is going on and we decide it would be good for me to go on with my day and I agree to keep her updated.  I go to the gym and walk...do some laundry, clean up the house, etc...I try to do what I tell all my clients to do...IGNORE the contractions as long as you can.  I think to myself, I am sure I will have the longest birth ever! I text my doula, Brenda,  and let her know what's been going on, by this time it's a bit after 1PM and the contractions are about 6 minutes a part and increasing in intensity along with some more pelvic pressure.  At this point I begin to realize, OH CRAP, this is it.  I will have my baby soon.  I text my husband and ask him to come home from work as soon as he can cause I am beginning to feel a bit lonely and just having him near I feel I will be able to cope better.  I light candles, play my birth play list, and try to relax and think about holding my sweet little one.  I am excited.  I pray. I ask God to guide us and to protect us.  To give wisdom to everyone involved. Russ gets home and we both are a bit in awe about the whole thing.  Things begin to get a bit more intense and I start walking like crazy around the house!  Russ says, "You are starting to walk faster and faster should you call Brenda to come yet?"  I sort of laugh but realize he is right...I need her.  At this point I am at a 5-1-1.  My back hurts.  I talk to Brenda at 7:30pm and she tells me to get in the knee chest position on my bed  and she will be at our home in an hour...I go to our room, turn off the lights, listen to some music, and try to relax my body.  The hour goes by so fast!  Before I know it Brenda is at my side.  I am currently rocking on the birth ball, she gets me on the bed in knee chest position and it HURTS!  I know that is good though, it's opening up my pelvis so baby can rotate and my contractions are really working for me. Just knowing she's there is helping me.   Ginger arrives around 9:30pm.  I am excited again!  I am happy she is here.  She checks me and I am 4-5 cms and 90% effaced and baby is low (I knew that already!!) .  I felt a bit annoyed I wasn't further along but Brenda reminds me the effacement and station are what we are looking for...Ginger also calls Kristine, another sweet midwife who is willing to help...Pretty soon I know I will have all my team around me and I feel so loved. I walk and lunge...lunges suck, but I know they are powerful.  I call Brenda a mean doula as she encourages me to lunge!  My contractions get to 2-3 minutes apart.  I told myself I wasn't going to moan, but I do.  Russ is preparing snacks and coffee and in between contractions I am able to chat and enjoy my company.  I feel so safe.  Brenda gives me a double hip squeeze.  AMEN.  It's amazing.  The ball is no longer comfortable, there is just too much pressure.  Around 10:20pm my lovely friend Heather arrives.  She is photographing the birth.  When I see her I tear up.  Having her near knowing she will be praying and supporting me makes me feel so loved.  By this point I am beginning to feel very nauseous and Brenda gives me a cold wash cloth.  It's so refreshing.  My body feels like it's on fire.  I dry heave and nothing comes...it really hurts to dry heave.  Just more pressure...At 10:45 Kristine walks in.  Finally. My whole birth team is there.  As Russ has called them the past 9 months, the A-Team.  Gratitude busts inside me.  I can't believe these women would come all this way to help me through this.  I walk with Russ, he encourages me.  We slow dance.  I feel unsure of myself.  He reminds me this is what I was created for. I guess I sort of believe him but deep down I just feel unsure about the unknown. At 11:20pm I get on the bed and try a number of positions.  I remember really beginning to feel "in pain".  Up to this point I felt like it was something I could control but now it's getting so intense I feel like crying and making it all stop would be nice :) I rest, really rest in between the contractions.  Brenda is massaging me and pulling out the doula bag of tricks.  I remember when I would have a contraction and she would squeeze my feet, it felt soooo good!  I stay in the bed for 30 minutes and then go walking again.  Brenda takes my hands and she leads me on a walk through the living room.  Walking through the contractions.  Russ takes over and I soon find myself puking in the bathroom.  It hurts to puke I tell myself again, so much pressure!! On August 3rd, 12:15am, they suggest I get in the shower.  It's so nice.  I feel so refreshed and it takes the edge off of the contractions.  15 mins later I ask Ginger to check me.  7 cms and fully effaced.  Praise God!  As I lay on the bed Heather reads scripture and prays for me.  It's comforting.  So glad she's there.  I see Brenda sitting by the bed and she gives me the foot squeeze, ahhhhh!  I have a really strong contraction and run to the toilet.  Just sitting there in the dark feels good.  I don't know why but it's my favorite place.  It's only there I feel I can truly let myself go. I really really want to meet my baby!  At about 1:45am I begin to fell "pushy".  It's just this uncontrollable urge to push, the pressure and contractions are so intense.  Squatting and sitting on the toilet feels natural.  My midwife asks me if I am pushing on purpose of if it's spontaneous.  I tell her, "It's spontaneous!!!"  Ginger and Kristine prepare a syringe of Evening Primrose Oil to ehlp my cervix melt away.  At this point I seriously want my water to break.  I can feel it tighten and tighten with each contraction and for me I feel like if it broke it would be so much more comfortable.  I beg Ginger to break my waters.  She does, and I find relief.  She tells me I am a 9 and hopefully the EPO will melt away the remaining bit in a few contractions.  Pressure, pressure, pressure....Brenda and Heather encourage horsey lips, or as Heather puts it, motorboat!  Something we did at her birth!  I don't feel like a dork.  It helps me be able to not push and let my body do what it needs to do.  I go back to my dark bathroom.  Russ is with me but honestly I don't remember what he is doing or saying.  With each contraction I feel like I want to push.  I squat.  It feels best.  It's 2:15am and I keep squatting in the bathroom and want to push.  Ginger and Kristine give me the go ahead.  It feels so good to push.  Thank God!  At this point it's  2:35am and Kristine checks for the baby's heartbeat, he is moving down so fast its hard to locate.  They change my clothes so it's easier and cooler...I am burning up! Our bathroom is a bit crowded so we move to the bedroom.  I squat and Russ holds me up from behind with his arms.  Within minutes Finn arrives at 2:47am!  I am overwhelmed.  I didn't realize he was coming so fast.  I was prepared for a long time of pushing but I was determined!  I remember thinking I can't imagine not being able to push the way I wanted.  Squatting felt so right.  It's what I needed and no one told me no.  I knew he was a boy all along but we confirmed it, Samuel Finnigan Whitesides, 9lbs 1oz.  I was shocked he was so big!  Words couldn't describe how good it felt to hold his cute little body in my arms.  I feel over joyed and excited.  I am so proud of Russ.  He was so loving and comforting through the whole thing.  I get on the bed and Finn goes to town.  He is hungry!  He has so much hair and is so dang cute, I want to eat him up!  It's takes a while for my placenta to come out which is quite annoying.  Finally it does and I feel so good, I am not pregnant anymore.  What I remember most about after Finn was born was the awesome sandwich Brenda made me and snuggling my little one!  I feel so nice being in my own bed.  Knowing I can fall asleep after all that hard work and not have to get up to go anywhere.  All is good.

My labor and birth was great.  I felt quite weak after though because of blood loss but kept hydrated and took care of myself by the help of my husband, family, and friends.  Waking up that morning next to Finn was so special!  He was so cute! I am thankful for a really quick active labor for a first time mom.  I am so glad I did a natural, home birth.  It was hard, but it taught me so much about myself and really was something I personally needed to do.  If God gifts us another baby, I will do the same again.  It's an experience I will never forget!