With my due date still two weeks away, after a full day’s work and a good amount of walking (Judy’s orders), I went to bed at 7pm. At 10pm I awoke to use the restroom and was startled to find some pink on the toilet paper. I wondered if this was “bloody show” and I was excited to think that this could be the start of my journey to meet my baby. After calling my mom and husband to report what I’d seen, I stopped to notice that the menstrual cramp feeling I’d had on and off over the past few days seemed to be starting and stopping at regular intervals. I decided to start timing the onset, wondering if they could in fact be contractions. They were coming 4 minutes apart but were not yet painful.
My husband arrived home at 11pm and by then the contractions were becoming a bit stronger. I decided to call Judy to let her know that I thought I might be beginning labor. Judy instructed me to get a good night’s sleep and call her in the morning. She also suggested taking a bath to see if the contractions stopped. Once in the tub, the contractions slowed slightly but kept on coming.
After the bath, I tried to lie down but at this point the contractions had become strong enough that I could not get comfortable while lying down. I decided I’d have to stay up and move around. I moved to the living room and spent most of the next few hours kneeling on my knees against furniture or the birthing ball or sitting on the birthing ball, while listening to the beginning of the music playlist I had put together. While I labored my husband showered and shaved off the goatee he had been growing. I had told him there was no way I was birthing our baby with him looking like that.
Around 2am we called Judy for clarification on when we should make our way to the birth center. She said the contractions should be 2 minutes apart and lasting for a minute for an hour. My contractions weren’t quite there but they were coming 2 minutes apart and lasting about 45 seconds. The hardest part about laboring at home was not knowing how far I had progressed. The level of pain was becoming quite intense and it was becoming difficult to breathe through the contractions. I was afraid that I might only be 2 centimeters dilated and that the pain would become much more intense. At one point it crossed my mind that perhaps my husband should just take me to a hospital so I could get an epidural. Though I did not mention this to my husband. I had learned in birth class that moaning deeply would help my body open. It was the only thing I found myself able to do to ease the pain and get through the contractions.
Around 3:30 I could not get comfortable in any position and I had a bit of a panicky feeling. I was beginning to feel a lot of pressure and only wanted to sit on the toilet. Despite his arguments that my contractions hadn’t met the pattern Judy described for an hour, I made my husband call Judy back and describe what I was feeling. She told him that we should come in.
Up to this point, my husband still expected labor to take quite a long time and didn’t believe that I was very far along. I had to tell him to hurry up so we could get going. We arrived at the birth center at 4am. Judy brought me into the exam room and did an internal exam. I was dilated to 8 centimeters. Judy helped me down the hall to the red birth room. Because I was already feeling a lot of pressure she had my get on my hand and knees with my rear in the air to relieve some pressure.
My husband hooked up the iPod and resumed playing my playlist while Judy, Jessica and Laura readied the birth tub. Judy checked me again and I was nearly complete. My water broke right after the exam. I then moved back to the toilet and labored there until the tub was ready. By the time the tub was filled at 5am, I was fully dilated. With my husband sitting on the ledge behind me, I got into the birth tub.
As soon as I lowered my body into the water I could feel my entire body relax. Even though it was time to begin pushing, the warm water slowed my contractions to 5 minutes apart. Pushing was the most intense feeling I have experienced. Every fiber of my being and every muscle in my body contracted while I let out involuntary groans. Unbelievably, I actually started to doze off in between contractions. The warmth really helped me relax while I was not pushing.
When the baby’s head began to crown, Judy had me reach down and feel the hair. The baby certainly had a lot! As the head came out Judy had me push down on it to help direct it. At this point, having the baby sitting in the birth canal between contractions was incredibly intense and felt like a strong burning sensation. Once the head was out it was time for the shoulders to pass through. This was the most painful part and caused me to yell out! But it was over quickly and the next thing I knew, Judy had caught our baby girl and handed her to me. I held her, still floating in the water, while my husband and I caught our first glimpse. She had her little lower lip sticking out with an expression on her face that said she wasn’t pleased; however, she did not cry right away. The cord was short so Judy clamped the cord and my husband cut it. They wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her back to me for us to admire a bit longer. When it was time for me to deliver the placenta I passed the baby to my husband. It only took a couple more contractions and it was out. I was then helped out of the water and into bed where I began breastfeeding my little girl.
After less than 8 hours of labor, at 5:40 am, Makenna Ruby was born into the water while the song “One”, sung by Warren Haynes (a cover of the U2 song) played. There was very little blood and I was lucky not to tear. The entire birth couldn’t have gone more perfectly. I am still in awe of the experience we had at Sage Femme. After so many appointments and classes at the birth center, my husband and I truly felt at home there and had the utmost confidence in Judy and her team. I hope to have the opportunity to deliver future babies at Sage Femme and can only hope for another birth as magical as Makenna’s.
