Here's my birth story in words. I wish I could write well enough to compete with the drama of the video! But here's the details anyway :) .....
Haleh Nancy is our fourth child (third birth since our daughter Myah is adopted) and our first waterbaby! As labor began to pick up around 5 in the evening, I walked in big loops outside in the pouring rain. We live in the tropics in a little wood house by the ocean, so this was a really memorable way to labor. When I was good and sure that these contractions would bring the baby, I came inside and took a cold shower that felt so warm after my cold rain bath. By this time it was almost dark. I curled up in our papasan chair for a bit, then crawled into bed for some extra comfort. Since we live rurally, my brother-in-law had offered to host the birth at his home in the city in case we needed to transport to the hospital. (In fact, we planned to stay at the hospital for a night following the birth to rest before the trip home.) Kris and I wished at this point in labor that we could stay home, but got the family and bags loaded in the car anyway and started off. The bumpy 45-minute trip was really tough to endure, as I had feared. It was such a relief to finally arrive at a dim and quiet room where my Gentle Birth Pool was being filled! Labor took its time, I thought, especially for a third time around. I was 6 centimeters dilated when our OB arrived at 9:30 pm, and spent a few hours in laboring quietly on the bed while the pool was being perfected. Contractions were different than in past labors- I could feel my uterus lifting and felt the lateral muscles widening. It was a powerful sensation but not painful. (These sensations continued until transition). I got in the birth pool around 1 a.m. maybe. It felt amazing! So weightless and the perfect temperature. I told Kris that I felt that I was cheating, and that I thought maybe I would skip transition altogether and the baby would just kind of slide out. He was dubious, and said, “Well, I’m still going to look for a very strong emotional signpost marking transition!” All the ladies in the family came in to see me then, and Kris took some photos and video. At around 2:30 a.m. I felt like I was ready to progress faster and the contractions felt the same as they had for a while. I agreed to be checked again, and since I was still 7-8 cm, I was ready to have my water broken. This was easy and comfortable, and contractions did come harder but I was still able to sleep between them. Around maybe 4:00 a.m., I got back in the birth pool. 15 minutes or so later, I started sobbing right after a contraction. Kris was right, and I was definitely in the transition stage! We labored for about 30 minutes more, with Kris holding my head as I floated in the water. (He had a very sore wrist for a week afterwards!). My very sensitive OB waited until she heard me saying “I can’t do this anymore!” and gloved up to assist the birth. Contractions were a bit confusing at this point, some as much as 7 minutes apart, but some only 2 or so minutes. With some I wanted to push, and with some I wanted to cry. It was so wonderful to be in the water and moving freely, sometimes floating, sometimes curling up in a ball and pushing. Though I was surrounded by family, I was able to feel safe and focused in the birth pool. What a relief as I felt the baby’s head finally slipping in to the birth canal. I could finally believe that we were almost there! A bit of hair showed, and soon baby’s head was crowning. I panted and tried so hard not to push. I remember saying “I want to push the baby out!!” again and again. Finally the baby’s (HUGE) head was born gently, our OB maneuvered the shoulders which were a bit stuck, and with another push and a cry, its whole wonderful body was out! Kris checked…and said “It’s a little girl!!” We all laughed and cried and rejoiced. She didn’t cry at all for the first few minutes, though she was as healthy as can be. She just cuddled close and gazed at me with wide open eyes. I named her Haleh Nancy – I got to choose since she was a girl! She was born at 5:08 a.m. on February 9, and weighed 9 lb 12.5 oz. What a beautiful gift from God!
