My last month of pregnancy with Zuzu was challenging. I was so looking forward to meeting my first baby (who I thought was a boy), but it seemed so surreal at the same time. However, I was beginning to grow uncomfortable- everything in my abdomen/pelvic area seemed to be stretching and I could definitely feel it. I had to use the restroom about 7 times per night. Sleep was restful if I laid on my left side (laying on your right side cuts off major vessels in a very pregnant woman).
I could walk for short periods of time and then needed to rest. One thing I plan to do differently with this pregnancy is exercise intentionally and vigorously, especially in the last trimester!
I remember I did not want the baby to come on my birthday for more than one reason. And the Lord answered my prayer. Then, two days before the due date, I woke around midnight with a contraction that hurt. This was unusual. I had been having the typical practice contractions for months, but this was different.
Twenty minutes later I awoke with another one. I breathed through it and fell back asleep. This continued throughout the night with contractions about 20 minutes apart. When my husband was leaving for work in the early morning hours, I told this might be the day. He was excited and said to call him anytime.
Sometimes contractions were 15 minutes apart. I praise the Lord I was able to sleep in between them. Somewhere along the way I began laboring through the contractions on my hands and knees. I had heard it provided relief, so I tried and it did. I labored that way most of the morning.
Around 10AM, I felt the tightening in my abdomen and the accompanying pain and rolled to my hands and knees. As I did so, I felt a warm gush and headed for the bathroom. I thought it might be my water breaking and after watching more of it coming out, I realized it was! I was in labor! I was so excited, I could hardly contain it.
My doula had instructed me to contact her immediately if the amniotic fluid appeared greenish since that indicates meconium and can be dangerous for baby, but I saw that it was more of a whitish, clearish color. Another answer to prayer.
When my husband came home for lunch, I told him what was going on. He was so happy and called his work to let them know. He got the rest of the day off and the next ten days, actually, which was a blessing. He then left to run last minute errands, as we had been preparing for a homebirth.
While he was gone, I couldn't wait any longer, I decided to set up the birthing pool and fill it with warm water. As soon as that was done, I stepped carefully in. By this time, my contraction had been about 10 minutes apart for a couple hours. I already called our doula and let her know. She said to call when I was 5 minutes apart.
The relief and relaxation I felt as I climbed into the pool was wonderful. I had only been in there for about five minutes or so when Joel got home. And I noticed my contractions were really starting to pick up in frequency and intensity. They had jumped from 10 minutes to 3 minutes apart.
Joel wanted to get some things wrapped up and set up, but every time I had a contraction, I cried out for him. He basically did not leave my side from then on. Little did we know we would still have to wait 9 more hours before our baby arrived. It was 3PM.
Our doula arrived around 4PM and set up some herbs and other things for the homebirth. At this point, I could only really focus on my body and what was happening there. The pain was worse than I had imagined, but I still wanted to do it naturally as I had read it is better for the baby and the mother.
During my pregnancy with Zuzu, I had been introduced to hypnobirthing. I liked the way it helped me breathe calmly and slowly and it taught me to consciously relax my muscles. However, I do not know if I would recommend the CDs and books because it moves into some New Agey types of things which I am not into.
I practiced trying to relax. It was fine in between contractions. I could talk. I could walk. I could think. During contractions, I just clung to my husband's neck and tried to make it to the end of the pain. I wanted to scream, but we had talked about how screaming will only stall labor and will not help. So, the alternative was low moaning (like a cow mooing). This type of verbalizing is supposed to help one's cervix open up. I don't know if it helped mine.
Dilation was a slow process. They say it is typical for a first time mother to dilate at approximately 1 cm per hour. I was not prepared for this at all. You know you have to get to ten cm. When she checked me, I was at 5. Then, by 9 pm, I was at 9 cm with a lip. A lip, I discovered, is not a good thing. She asked if she could try to move it aside. I was desperate so I said yes. She tried. Some people think that is painful, but for me, the contractions trumped any other pain I might have felt.
I could not eat either once I hit 3 minutes apart around 3PM. Or drink. I think I had a tiny bite of apple and a couple sips of grape juice during the last 9 hours of natural labor. NOT good. NOT enough calories or energy for my body to do hard work.
Around 9PM, lip or no lip, I began pushing. I wanted this baby OUT. It didn't feel great to push, but it felt like I was finally getting somewhere. Then, it did feel somewhat good to push and we found out soon that she had moved down about 1 inch in 1 hour of pushing.
So I labored in the pool face up and face down. I liked floating and laboring in the pool was by far the most comfortable position. However, my doula felt we might need gravity and other positions to get things moving so I got out and tried everything from squatting to one foot up on a stool and rocking, to hands and knees, to laying on my back, to sitting on the toilet. The toilet thing was very painful. I cried through several contractions there. The pain was so sharp.
By this time, I was getting delirious. My husband would tell me to look into his eyes and I could not hold his gaze. I was in an incredible amount of pain. My doula was very hands off, which we knew she would be, but I realized during the labor, I would have wanted a more hands-on coaching approach.
I pushed for another horrible hour at home. I know at some point before this I thought about telling my husband I wanted to go to the hospital. I held off though.
This time, there was no progress at all. And I knew it before she checked me. I felt as though I was pushing against a brick wall. And my strength was waning. I had a thought: So this is why women die in childbirth.
For that last hour, I lost consciousness between every contraction. My doula said this was normal. I did not feel like it was normal. I said, "I can't." And she said, "Yes, you can." It was not what I wanted to hear.
Finally, we looked at our doula and she said, "Yes, two hours of pushing. We are reaching a threshold. Its up to you."
I looked at Joel and said, "I want to go to the hospital."
Because he had heard horror stories, he begged me to please try (to have the baby at home). He asked me to try one more position and he prayed aloud. It didn't work. I wanted to leave. I knew something was not right.
They got me a skirt and a shirt and helped me out to the car where I knelt on the floor with my face in my husband's lap. I believe the bumps on that two-mile ride to the hospital were about the time I started screaming.
This was humbling because I had been determined that I wouldn't be like the women in movies who scream hysterically while in labor. That was hollywood. I was trained in natural childbirth and I would relax and everything would be fine. How wrong I was.
When we arrived, they had a gurney waiting for me (my doula had called ahead). They wheeled me into an elevator and up the floors we went. I was moaning the whole time. I wanted to make sure Joel and our doula were with me.
When we finally got to a room- it was the last room available!- I remember saying, "Just get the baby out. Just get the baby out."
There was bustling and nurses and doctors, lights and tubes and questions. I signed something and they said they were cathing me in case of a c-section. I told them okay, but no c-section. Just use the vac, I said.
It was a shift change. They had to wait til the new doc arrived and I was not happy. I now had an IV, they took my blood, placed on oxygen mask on my face, a monitor on the outside and a monitor on the inside and they had cathed me. At one point they wanted to undress me to put the gown on me and I made it clear that wasn't happening.
Finally the doctor (a male) arrived. I wasn't in the best state to be making new acquaintances, but here we were. I told him to use the vac. He said he couldn't the baby was too far up. He said I would have to push more and when the baby came down he could help with the vac. I was like, Just get the baby out.
When the nurses saw I was having another contraction, they showed me how to hold my legs and yelled, "PUSH!!!!!" I loved it because it spurred me on to action. Energy I didn't know I had suddenly sprang up and I felt the baby move down with each push.
This went on for maybe 6 pushes or so. The last push, I distinctly remember hearing my husband's voice above everyone else's- he called me by his nickname for me and yelled PUSH. That was all I needed. I felt Zuzu's head emerge- such relief after such a time is indescribable. Then, I realized her body was still in, so I gave another push and she slid right out.
"Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus." I kept repeating this phrase. Over and over and over.
Then, they placed her on my belly and she was beautiful and pink and screaming with a head full of black hair!!! Such a moment can only be described as utter joy and wonder.
Someone yelled, "12:07AM!"
And someone else declared, "Its a GIRL!"
Both Joel and I said, "What?" This whole time we were expecting a boy. Haha.
I held her 6lb. 2oz. body in my arms and loved her. She pooped all over me. I didn't care.
I tried to nurse her right away, but it took her about 4 hours to get the sucking thing down.
I did experience some shaking after the birth and I wanted to hold someone's hand and that's about it. Everything else was normal and fine and it was a quick and wonderful recovery. I praise my Lord Jesus.
A shower felt great and the nurses helped me. We spent about 39 hours in hospital because they wouldn't let us leave til Zuzu peed. It took that long.
Joel slept well after the ordeal, but I couldn't sleep for almost a full day after the birth. I admit it was a bit traumatizing. I was thankful for the excellent food at the hospital we were at and I really enjoyed my first meal after the birth- a turkey sandwich and salad.
At the hospital we were blessed with an excellent nurse named Maggie. She was wonderful for us and she showed us how to swaddle Zuzu. Zuzu loved being swaddled for about the first 5 weeks of her life.
All in all, it was a good experience and next time I think we will call for more prayer support and be hopefully less proud about everything. God is in control and He helped me and blessed us with our beautiful daughter, Zuzu.
