Our son came into the world on Oct. 31, 2012! The labor was a quick and intense 8 hours. My contractions started at about midnight and hit so fast and furious that I jumped out of bed and was throwing up at every contraction and unable to peel myself off the bathroom floor. In a moment of weakness I begged my husband to take me to the hospital for an epidural despite our well made plans to have the baby out of the hospital with our midwife. He had a hell of a time even getting me into the car to go to the birth center (four hours - no joke).
Both my husband and our midwife were nervous that I was in so much pain and continually throwing up so early on in the labor. They assumed that I must only be about 2-3 cm at this point and could not believe that I had already dilated to about 7-8 cm. This information gave us all assurance and confirmation that I could make it the rest of the short way through labor.
Over the course of the next few hours I fell into a groove with the pain and eventually felt the natural urge to push. Unfortunately, with every push our son's heart tones kept going down and we knew that he was in distress. It was a stressful and very painful pushing period because time was of the essence and we all knew that we had to act fast. Our midwife was amazing and very prepared. She unwrapped the cord from around his neck when his head was delivered and began to work with his little blue body to get the mucus out of his lungs and the color into his body. He started breathing and she put him on my stomach.
That moment was surreal and I just kept staring at him in awe. I could not believe he was real and he was ours. It was a moment too big for words.
The struggle of labor was not over as my thin cord broke leaving the placenta still attached inside. The last thing I wanted to hear at this point was "PUSH," especially after being told that I would not have to push again until my next labor. I had done all of this out of the hospital and without pain meds and did not want to have to go to the hospital now to get the placenta removed. Our midwife gave me herbs to release the placenta and after about 15-20 mins they did their job. Then I prayed that somehow I did not tear and miraculously I didn't, so no stitches were necessary.
Our son's birth was a beautiful, and scary, and miraculous event and I am so glad that we did it the way that we did. My labor most likely would have ended as a c-section or at least an episiotomy in the hospital, and I am thankful to have safely delivered him naturally without any of those interventions.
PART II : After the Birth
We came home from the birth center a few hours later, baby in tow, and having not slept for 24 hours. Unfortunately all the stress and lack of sleep took its toll and I developed mastitis (a breast infection) that is like having the flu and elephantiasis at the same time! My sweet baby and husband were my greatest comfort during this time and despite all of the physical pain I knew that I had been part of a great miracle every time I looked at our little one's face.
I never get tired of that story. It was another miracle from God.
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