Eleanor Iris was born on Tuesday, April 26, at 3:47 am. She is a healthy, happy baby and both she and I are doing amazingly. Here is her rather verbose birth story :)
On Monday morning, I went to my regular midwife appointment. I was just past my estimated due date and discouraged about having rather strong prelabor for more than a week. When I found out that my cervix was only a fingertip dialated and still thick, I began thinking more seriously about natural induction, though I wasn't ready to discuss Pitocin. I went home thinking that I would try to hurry things along more if she didn't come soon.
That afternoon, I nursed Tristan down to nap as usual after taking my normal daily dose of evening primrose oil. Contractions started, stronger than usual and with a focal point lower on my belly. They continued all afternoon, growing slightly stronger, and I began thinking that this was really it, though early enough that I was not at all ready to think about the hospital yet. We dropped Tristan off at his grandma's to play and possibly stay the night. Around dinner time, I called Sheila, the midwife on call who also happened to be the midwife who helped catch Tristan, and told her that we might be having a baby tonight. She said that I should call her when I was ready to go to the hospital.
Contractions continued, progressing slightly. After a pregnancy craving-inspired dinner at Wendy's (baked potato and chocolate frosty), we decided to go back to grandma's. I was thinking that things were sufficiently slow that we would want to take Tristan home, but Jon thought otherwise. We went over and I laid down with Tristan until he fell asleep, then went into another bedroom to labor with Jon's help. The contractions were more painful, including some back labor, but they began spreading out. Jon was able to nap a bit and, a little before midnight, I got a bit of a nap too. Rather painful contractions woke me up about a half hour later and I shortly decided that I wanted to go to the hospital. I did not think birth was imminent, but, being GBS+, I knew they wanted me there in time for antibiotics.
We called Sheila, who called the hospital to let them know I was coming and tell them to call her once we arrived. En route, we called Jaime and Sarah to come as well. We arrived around 1:45 am and they did some routine external fetal monitoring and ran in the antibiotics. Jaime arrived during the IV and was there in time to hear Kathy, our labor and delivery nurse, proclaim that I was 100% effaced, but only 1-2 cm. I was so disappointed and kicking myself for going in so early. The contractions were also becoming harder and I wondered how I could get to birth if they were this painful this early. Kathy decided to wait to call Sheila until I got further along.
I was having a hard time staying in bed with the contractions; Ellie was so active that she was really contributing to the pain of them and I was feeling them in my tailbone. I took off the monitor (Kathy wasn't too thrilled when she found this) and sent Jon to ask about filling up the bathtub. I got in as soon as the water was run and focused upon relaxing through the contractions. Very soon, I found that they were becoming a lot stronger and, with each one, I braced myself by pulling up on a bar at the side of the tub, taking the weight off of my pelvis. I was having a hard time dealing with the pain at this point and kept thinking, "if I can just get to 5cm, I will ask for Nubain". Contractions started coming closer together and I began having the urge to poop; I was so constipated-feeling at this point, that I really didn't care if I went in the tub and I very, very carefully tried to relax my bottom with each contraction. Of course, this wasn't constipation; it was the baby moving lower. The pain started getting really intense and I started yelling with the peaks of the contractions. Jon and Jaime were both very supportive, telling me how well I was doing, holding my hand, and giving me water to drink. At this point, I had only been in the water for twenty or thirty minutes.
I felt that I couldn't handle the pain any more and quietly asked for Sheila to come. Jon ran out to tell the nurses and Kathy came in to check my cervix. She ran out quickly, saying behind her that I was 7cm dialated. Almost immediately after she left to call Sheila, my body began pushing, though not too strongly yet. Kathy came in and told me that I needed to get out of the water; she knew birth was coming and said that she did not have enough experience delivering babies to do a waterbirth. Reluctantly, I got out of the tub and slowly went into the main suite, to the bed (along the way, questioning another nurse who told me I couldn't deliver standing up, as I was bracing in the bathroom door frame). I made it to the bed and braced against it with another contraction, and my water broke with a splash. I got up on the bed, on all fours, and pushed. Kathy told me something about not being able to catch the baby in that position and got me to lie on my side. I pushed again and felt my pelvis coming apart. She told me to push gently to avoid tearing and I somehow managed to. I felt her head pop out; there was a pause, then the rest of her followed. We had only been at the hospital about two hours.
I cried, a mixture of love and relief that the birth had gone so quickly. She only fussed a bit and latched on to breastfeed like a champion. Shortly after the birth, Sheila came in, then Sarah. They'd both missed it.
She weighed in at 7 lbs, 11 oz and measured 20.5" long. We were fortunate to be able to leave around noon, when she was just eight hours old. She and I are both recovering very well. I did not tear at all and am all around surprised how much easier this birth was than Tristan's, and how much more mellow Ellie seems.
