Selahs birth story!!!
I was 40 weeks 6 days and it was Thursday the 16th of August. Justin had a softball game at 8:30. The kids and I decided we would go watch daddy play to get out of the house. We left the house around 6 or so and we went and got adjusted first. We needed a quick dinner so we went through the Mcdonalds drive through. Such awful labor fuel! I remember having several braxton hicks in the drive thru but didn’t think anything of them. I had been having so many braxton hicks the last few days. We went to the softball game and the kids and I had fun watching daddy play. I enjoyed talking to Erica and some other ladies on the bleachers. Throughout the entire game I was having pretty strong and what seemed to be regular braxton hicks. I never timed them. I pretty much just ignored them and wrote them off as more practice contractions and sat on the uncomfortable bleachers tolerating them and enjoying myself. We left and on the way home I remember having a few that made me wonder if this could be the start of something. They seemed to be a little stronger than usual. We got home and tucked the kids into bed and I laid down to go to bed. By this time it was probably close to midnight. I decided to time these contractions before falling asleep to see if they were regular at all. I had about 6 that were around 8 min apart so Justin said we needed to hurry and try to get some sleep just in case this was it. They were still pretty mild at that point but I was getting pretty excited and then realized there was a few things left to do to prepare for her birth. As we laid there I was telling Justin things like don’t forget to air up the tub a little more before you add the water and don’t forget the floor plastic and the liner.. etc. I tried to get some sleep and around 4:30 am got out of bed. I couldn’t sleep through them anymore. They were getting painful and I knew this was it! I went into the living room and labored a little on my own. I called my mom and told her it was baby day!! At this point I was timing them at 3-4 min apart still fairly mild but I couldn’t speak through a contraction. I woke up Justin and told him it was baby day and I needed him to call the midwife. We called Beth and she was on her way. Then we decided to wake up Justin’s mom to help get the tub ready. At some point Noah and Olivia woke up and Justin was laying with them to get them back to sleep. So that left Elizabeth and I to prepare the tub. I was useless every 3-4 min so this was definitely not ideal. I decided maybe Erica could help so I told her to go ahead and head over. Nikki the midwives apprentice and Erica got to my house at the same time, then Beth and Rachel the midwives arrived around 5 am. I labored on my bed with my birth team around me during contractions I was on hands and knees leaning over a pillow just breathing deeply through them. Beth checked me and I was 5cm, and Selah was at +2 station. I labored all over the house, the freedom to move was the best feeling. My contractions spaced out a little but got stronger. I walked around squatted, bounced on my ball between contractions, and labored on my knees with my arms on the couch seat. I got sick twice during my labor. That was the worst! Throwing up during a contraction is not fun! Justin was sick because of nerves and all until about 9:00 then I decided I needed him with me. Up until then I was content laboring and not being touched just being on my own. I was finally able to get in my tub and the warm water felt amazing. It was still a little early to get in and stay in so I was in and out of the tub a lot while my labor progressed. Beth checked me again a few hours after the first time and I was 6cm. I remember refusing to be discouraged and then begin picking the midwives and apprentice’s brain on different positions and ways to help things along. Beth said the more it hurts during a contraction the more its doing. She said there was nothing holding me back from dilating my cervix was very soft but still a little posterior. So I was determined to do everything in my power to make labor harder so it would be faster. I kept moving laboring on the potty a little then walking then laboring on my ball or leaned over my bed then squatting. I wanted a cold rag on my head and neck almost constantly so that kept Erica and Justin busy. I knew keeping moving would be best. I remember several times thinking that I can do this because I AM doing this. Justin was sitting at our desk chair beside our bed and at this point it was getting closer to the end. I was moving between hands and knees on the bed laying my face on a pillow to the edge of the bed leaning over it swaying my hips back and forth. At this point I had been vocal during contractions for a while. Low deep moans got me through each wave. I remember being burning up hot during a contraction but freezing in between. Several times i turned my fan off and on. I was beginning to get so sleepy so I tried to just rest between contractions desperate for this to be over so I could take a nap. I said so many times “I just want to sleep”. I think thats what kept me going at this point, knowing as soon as it was over I could curl up and take a nap with my new baby. I got in the tub and my contractions were getting very intense at the peak of each contraction I would start to grunt and my body was starting to bear down. Beth checked me and I was 9! I went from 6 to 9 fairly quickly and she said there was basically nothing holding me back from being a 10. I just had a little lip left and it was soft. The birth team began to prepare everything for her to arrive. My mom arrived right around this time! Just in time for her birth. With each contraction the pushing got stronger and longer. My body just did it automatically. So I started to intentionally push along with the contractions. I was leaned over the tub holding my mom and Justin at 11:48 her head was born. When I was pushing her head out the intensity of it made me lift my bottom out of the water. So once her head was out I couldn’t go back in the water. While we were waiting I looked down between my legs but couldnt see her head because of the way I was positioned. I told my mom that beth was pushing on her but it was really just the pressure of her head being out. I waited for the next contraction holding my mom and Justin in a standing position at 11:50 I pushed the rest of her out and the midwife caught her and I reached down through my legs and pulled her up toward me. I had done it! She initially let out a scream. I got out of the tub and sat on the floor with her next to the tub she stopped crying and I asked if she was okay. Rachel quickly realized the cord was around her neck. As soon as that was off she suctioned her a little and Selah started screaming and screaming. Beth said talk to her, so I begin to talk to her for the first time. Still shocked and amazed at what had just happened. I said how much she looked like Noah and pointed out that she actually had hair!! She was still screaming so I tried to nurse her. She wasn’t interested so I just held her and talked to her. She had pooped all over me and her so we were both covered in black poop. I asked if I could get up in my bed with her, I wasn’t very comfortable on the floor. The team helped me onto my big tall bed with my new baby. Justin climbed in bed next to me with tears in his eyes and held his baby girl who was still attached to the placenta that was still in me. Her laying on my stomach was making the cramping even worse so he held her while I delivered the placenta. Beth helped me deliver the placenta and then checked and told me I had no tears except these 2 tiny places that were almost like little slits but they would heal pretty quickly. Everyone left the room and Justin had a few moments alone with our new baby girl. After our alone time we had our celebration bath with flowers and I quickly bathed afterward. Rachel did her newborn exam on the end of the bed and weighed her. She was 6lbs and 18.5 in long. Noah was in and out of the room during the whole process but Olivia barely wanted to leave Selahs side. She was so amazed with her and wanted to see everything that was going on. The kids were right in the next room while she was born. Elizabeth, my mother in law, had them and didn’t realize Selah was coming at that point. My mom made me a scrambled egg and cheese sandwich and I ate that while beth went over all of the postpartum things with me. I made sure and got a picture with my midwives and apprentices before they left. Finally around this time I could lay down and try to nap with my baby! I was so thankful my mom and Justin’s mom were there to help with the older kids while Justin and I slept. I had done it! I had a vbac at home and was finally able to take my nap. Each of my deliveries were vastly different and I can say without a doubt this was the best experience.
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