I awoke after a nap Monday evening feeling quite different, in an altered state of sorts; one of an embodied hyperawareness. I was also feeling "crampy," and it was indeed the beginning of my labor. I noticed the cramps were coming with a rhythm and noted they came about every 15 minutes, so I ate as much protein as I could and waited for Andy, my partner, to get home.
I was so excited and knew in my heart this would not stop until there was a baby to meet. Contractions got as close as ten minutes but I knew the only thing to do was try to sleep. The birth center prepared me well for how to handle early labor. I was actually able to get decent sleep that evening, and awoke to only strong contractions about every half hour. I woke up and went about the business of the day, despite contractions getting closer. I was able to eat three hearty meals throughout the day, thank god, because I was going to need all the fuel I could for what was coming!
Night drew on and I settled into the contractions, lying on my side and trying to relax through them, taking advantage of every one. They were fairly strong now and I signaled Andy to call as it was time to get to my birthing place. We arrived at the Birth Center about 1 am, and Aszani was there to greet me. We chose our room, created a sacred space, and Aszani checked me finding I was completely effaced and 5cm dilated. Great! I continued with my labor taking advantage of all the great props they have to ease discomfort. Then came the best prop of all, the birth tub!!! Ahhhhhhhh- How incredibly divine, I spent a good two hours in there, trying to relax into my contractions as best I could. I loved the squat bars mounted on the wall. By the time morning had come, I was ready to find out my progress. My spirits fell hard when I found out I was only 6 cms dilated. Five hours of steady hard contractions and only 1 cm of progress!!!
We decided to break my waters as I was eager for action. I went immediately to 8cm and so for the next few hours I felt the contractions I'd been wondering about, because the ones in the tub felt all too easy. Aszani coached me on various positions to try during contractions, but still a rim of my cervix was not dilating. She decided to get proactive and this is where things got real intense for me. As I would contract, she would try to move the remaining stubborn anterior lip of my cervix over and ask me to push so the baby's head could come down. This went on for some time and I was getting extremely tired by now. Aszani asked me to get on my hands and knees; she was going to try to move the baby because the position of the baby's head was not square over the cervix and was not allowing the baby to come down, no matter how hard I tried to push it through. The baby allowed Aszani to turn her and within 10min I was fully dilated. Then I started to like pushing as I could feel the baby moving down! Within an hour our baby girl, Gemma Norel, was finally born, at 1:16pm on Wednesday afternoon.
I am so happy and relieved that we chose the Madison Birth Center as our place to bring this baby into the world. I know that in a hospital setting my labor would not have been met with the same patience, support, and trust that Aszani and the wonderful birth attendants ceaselessly provided. Days after the birth, when Aszani came to our home for the three day check up, she confirmed that in a hospital, due to the baby's positioning, my labor would almost certainly have ended in a Cesarean. My heart skipped a beat knowing I was that close. Aszani and all who attended me that unforgettable day were truly my heroes.
Night drew on and I settled into the contractions, lying on my side and trying to relax through them, taking advantage of every one. They were fairly strong now and I signaled Andy to call as it was time to get to my birthing place. We arrived at the Birth Center about 1 am, and Aszani was there to greet me. We chose our room, created a sacred space, and Aszani checked me finding I was completely effaced and 5cm dilated. Great! I continued with my labor taking advantage of all the great props they have to ease discomfort. Then came the best prop of all, the birth tub!!! Ahhhhhhhh- How incredibly divine, I spent a good two hours in there, trying to relax into my contractions as best I could. I loved the squat bars mounted on the wall. By the time morning had come, I was ready to find out my progress. My spirits fell hard when I found out I was only 6 cms dilated. Five hours of steady hard contractions and only 1 cm of progress!!!
We decided to break my waters as I was eager for action. I went immediately to 8cm and so for the next few hours I felt the contractions I'd been wondering about, because the ones in the tub felt all too easy. Aszani coached me on various positions to try during contractions, but still a rim of my cervix was not dilating. She decided to get proactive and this is where things got real intense for me. As I would contract, she would try to move the remaining stubborn anterior lip of my cervix over and ask me to push so the baby's head could come down. This went on for some time and I was getting extremely tired by now. Aszani asked me to get on my hands and knees; she was going to try to move the baby because the position of the baby's head was not square over the cervix and was not allowing the baby to come down, no matter how hard I tried to push it through. The baby allowed Aszani to turn her and within 10min I was fully dilated. Then I started to like pushing as I could feel the baby moving down! Within an hour our baby girl, Gemma Norel, was finally born, at 1:16pm on Wednesday afternoon.
I am so happy and relieved that we chose the Madison Birth Center as our place to bring this baby into the world. I know that in a hospital setting my labor would not have been met with the same patience, support, and trust that Aszani and the wonderful birth attendants ceaselessly provided. Days after the birth, when Aszani came to our home for the three day check up, she confirmed that in a hospital, due to the baby's positioning, my labor would almost certainly have ended in a Cesarean. My heart skipped a beat knowing I was that close. Aszani and all who attended me that unforgettable day were truly my heroes.
