Ahlia's Birth Story

"Thank you" goes to my midwife apprentice, Janna Grapperhaus, for the labor notes that helped me detail this story. :-) Please feel free to ask me any questions about my pregnancy, labor, or delivery! You may comment here or contact me directly (see the About Me page).

baby shower, 2/14/10

Mon, 3/15/10 - Some surges/contractions in my lower back kept me up for a couple of hours. Finally fell back asleep after listening to my HypnoBirthing Rainbow Relaxation a couple of times. In the coming week, braxton hicks cx continued as they had for weeks...

Fri, 3/19/10 - Weekly checkup - 2 cm dilated, 20% effaced, 0 station. Cervix in a posterior position. Getting increasingly difficult to be comfortable sleeping.

Mon, 3/22/10 - Had some minor swelling over the weekend and gained 5 lb! Midwife wanted to see me. BP normal, 128/70. Need to push fluids and protein. 3 cm dilated, 50% effaced, 0 station, cervix more anterior. Great progress!

Tue, 3/23/10 - Saw a pink tinge of "birth show" late morning and increase in cervical fluid. Feeling a good bit of downward pressure after a surge. Could it happen in the next 2 days? Still no name chosen... Are we really going to be the parents of two any time now???

Thu, 3/25/10 - mw appointment. Actually, I'm 2 cm dilated. 3 cm measurements (above) is a different type of measurement (external vs. internal os). But... 70% effaced!

Fri, 3/26/10 - Sent Zyler to Grandmom's house until Sunday and Jason and I went out to eat at the Outback. My plate included: 6-oz sirloin, sweet potato, mixed veggies, and we shared a very rich peanut butter pie dessert. I really shouldn't have... I was so full! Also saw my friend J.B. there. She was not in a very good place emotionally, but as we chatted outside, she encouraged me and J. to "dtd" (abb. for "do the deed") that night. I had already been considering... maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow? We came home and did decide to, before retiring at 11 PM (2300)!

So, I put in my Rainbow Relaxation CD...

@ 2315, I had a couple of Braxton Hicks type contractions, and I felt a tiny "gush!" It was so small, that I wasn't sure if it was amniotic fluid or any other type of fluid... but I went ahead and called my midwife, Janna. At the time, she was an advanced student being supervised by 2 other women for my pregnancy who are both CPMs and CNMs. (I had a lot of knowledge and expertise at the ready!) She called them to check in and formulate a plan. We had tested with a couple of pH strips and determined that most likely my water broke! It happened that quickly. (J. said later that it was perhaps a coincidence. Did sex really get labor going?? Yes, I believe it did!) The "head" supervising midwife agreed that Janna should go ahead and come to my house to check things out. We agreed to let Jason sleep so that at least one parent was rested. He can be real sleep-deprived grump, anyway. :o)

Sat, 3/27/10, 0135 - Janna arrived. FHT (fetal heart tone) 126, baby LOP (left side, slightly posterior), ctx 10-15 minutes apart, lasting 30 seconds. Once again, as with baby Z., all ctx are felt in my very lower back near my tailbone... I stayed downstairs to labor while we let J. rest in our bedroom. I had to keep going in the room, though, to get labor supplies and woke him a few times.

After much debate, it is finally decided to do a sterile speculum exam to determine for sure if my water had broken. I would have preferred not to, but the supervising midwives wanted to be sure if the "clock" had started ticking or not so we could do everything possible to not need to do a hospital transfer at 12 hours out... So I got our dog, Indy, outside to get him out of the way.

0230 - sterile exam, lots of fluid pooling, vernix is visible (which I now realize I saw in my "earlier" waters), confirmed also on pH test that my waters had broken. Pulse 88, BP 128/82.

There was also debate about an induction via castor oil. Again, my caregivers were uneasy about my water being broken and the "clock" (I was also GBS+), and the supervising midwife really preferred induction via castor oil. In the end, I agreed to it. Janna uses herbs and homeopathy to induce so I had what you might say a triple whammy! I didn't mind too much this type of "intervention" (OK, I did mind the castor oil later on!), but I still wonder what my body might have done on its own...

0235 - 2 oz castor oil in root beer float

0250 - Hibiclens wash (for GBS+ treatment)

0258-0400 - series of herbs and homeopathic tinctures

0310 - FHT 136

0330 - 2nd dose - 2 oz castor oil in root beer float

0345 - ctx 8-10 min, 30-40 sec

0400 - FHT 142; ctx 6-8 min, 30-45 sec

0420-0435 - ctx were clearly picking up... I'm doing the low moaning with each one, as I had experienced with Z. Here is where I got queasy and tried to ignore my tummy cramping. Then I decided I really should let Janna know, and she got a pail for me "just in case." I'm lying on the couch listening to lovely Hypnobirthing music this whole time, and all of a sudden, good thing that pail was there. Up came that second root beer float! Poor Janna said she had quite a time cleaning the castor oil out of the pail! At this point my ctx really pick up and become much stronger and closer together.

Around this time (I think) I actively thought I might be in that intriguing "transition" period. I actually remember hitting that wall that some many women speak of and thinking during some ctx, "I don't know if I can do this!" I didn't tell Janna my thoughts as I was trying to stay "in my zone."

0430 - I believe this is when we woke Jason and told him to get the birth pool ready!

0444 - Janna calls supervising midwives; ctx 4-6 min, 45-60 sec

0500 - start moving upstairs! Had some strong ctx leaning against the walls... Janna canceled Jason on the birth pool set up. :( No time!

0523 - I got on the bed and Janna finally had a chance to check me. I'm at 10 cm, but with a fat cervical lip. I was really wanting to push, but she tells me to blow through the ctx so as not to tear my cervix and try to get the swelling on my cervix to reduce. I tried hands and knees but it was really uncomfortable during a ctx, so I get on my right side. While on hands and knees, though, I urinated a lot. I actually was a little confused as to what type of fluid it was... It surprised me so! But I remember Janna reassuring me that it was OK; the baby was descending. This was a relief as I had had a bit of anxiety about making sure my bladder was empty since it had gotten so full with Z's birth that I could not push him out without a straight cath.

Jason tries to call the 2 photographers we had lined up but neither answered their phones...

0535 - Midwife #2 arrives. Janna still telling me to blow through my ctx. Can I strangle her instead? ;-) FHT 136; ctx 3-5 min apart. J calls my mom to let her know "it's time." I wanted her to be able to be there to experience a normal birth. She thought he meant I was just going into labor, though, so she and dad were taking their time...

0543 - FHT 145

0545 - FHT 140s; midwives see small bits of baby hair at ctx peak! Can I get this baby out yet??

0554 - Midwife #1 arrives; Janna reduces the cervical lip by pushing it back over the baby's head. I actually felt a bit of relief in the pain when she does this. Time to actively push! I'm still on my right side...

0555-0603 - FHT remains in 130s-140s

0606 - FHT 150s; baby is crowning! The stretching of that tissue is such an intense feeling!

0608 - FHT 130s

0610 - FHT 110; full crown!

0611 - Mom's here! My dad stayed downstairs but she called him up. Poor Daddy, hope it wasn't too traumatic and awkward for you. At that point, getting ready to push her out, I don't think I would have cared what blood relative would have walked in.

3/27/10 0613 - I remember baby Z pretty much shooting out, but Ahlia's head came out and her body stopped! Her chunky shoulders were stuck... I looked down at my midwives, like, what do I do? Midwife #1 asked to give a big push, and Janna helped wiggle her shoulders out. My sweet Ahlia is in my arms! She still didn't have a name at that point, but "Baby Girl Kite" was good enough at the time. :)

0614, Mamma & Baby Girl

I did receive a 2nd degree tear once again due to her chunky shoulders. Midwife #1 kindly and lovingly sutured me, and from what I can tell I have healed well!

I felt tired after laboring all night, but not even close to the fatigue I felt after the 15+ hour labor with Z when I was in "transition" for probably 10 hours!

Ahlia received a healthy exam with 8 and 9 apgar scores.

1200 - Finally, the effects of the first castor oil dose! I spent a half hour on the toilet, almost 6 hours after Ahlia's arrival! Ugh.

What an empowering experience! I still can not put it adequately into words. I felt very empowered with an almost natural birth with Z, but something about having her at home made a big difference. I trust birth, and I trust home birth is very safe for "low risk" pregnancies, so I know we made the right decision... It was not a decision made just for me to have "the comforts of home." I wish all women could better understand their options! I truly believe more women would choose birth with a midwife, be it at home or in a birth center.

Thank you, Janna, for everything! And thanks to the supervising midwives and all who helped us along the way. It was big journey for me and a quite stressful pregnancy. Now, the real fun - the infant stage (again) and raising a brother and sister! Ahlia, you are 5 weeks old now and have brought so much joy to our household already! Our family is so blessed!! Thanks be to God!

Zyler 27 months, Ahlia 1 month. He loves cuddling "Baby Sister" :)