Reflections of a Princess: ... the musing and meanderings of a daughter of the King ...

Tomorrow Joey will be one. But if you want to get really technical, he’ll turn one in 5 1/2 hours. It’s crazy to think that a whole year has passed by. He was this tiny little baby and now he looks like such a little boy! Looking at the pictures from his first month he almost doesn’t look like the same child!

It’s been a year and one thing I have yet to do is write his birth story. So, what better way to celebrate Joey’s first year of life than to recount his entrance?

Joey’s Birth Story

Joey’s original due date was November 10th, but considering that tomorrow is the 20th he was obviously late. Joe had scheduled his time off, my parents were going to be in town from the 12th to the 17th, and there was a full moon. It seemed like the perfect timing for a baby to come.

We were so eager for this little guy to come that to take my mind off the waiting I made a mini scrapbook to document the waiting. I ended up having to add extra pages. But looking through it over and over, I wrote things like “You can come any time!” and “Aren’t you ready to come out?”

Two Days Overdue

By November 13th, I was 100% effaced (a softened/thin cervix) and my midwife said I just needed some hormones for contractions.

On November 14th, I had my first set of contractions that continued for 2 1/2 hours and then stopped.

Huge!

November 15th, I realized the pattern was contractions for a few hours at night and then…nothing. Even then they’d come in waves, sometimes very strongly others not so much. I thought for sure I’d go into labor that night.

But, no, I didn’t. By the 16th, I’d lost my mucus plug and was having contractions every 20 minutes, but never progresses any closer until they dropped to one or two an hour.

“How much longer can you stay in there?” is what I said on November 17th. A week past his due date and I knew he’d have to come out eventually, but when? I woke up a lot at night and starting timing the contractions around 2am, which were about 8-10 minutes apart and after having one significant contraction around 3:30am they waned.

On the 18th, I went in for my non-stress test. I hadn’t slept well the night before waking up with 2-3 contractions an

Non-Stress Test

hour. I was sleeping on the couch sitting up, leaning against the high arms because it helped the contractions be less painful than laying down. Joe sat in the chair next to me timing contractions. Everything went fine with my non-stress test. My midwife examined me and I was only about 1/2 to 1 cm dilated, which I was disappointed by. I thought I’d be further along, but no. So we went home.

November 19th we went back to visit the birthing center to see if there was any more progression. There was, but only by about a centimeter or so. Even

Contraction Time

more disappointed, I was really beginning to wonder if Joey was ever going to come out. I was still having contractions, but not regularly. My midwife said to just relax, take nap, and try some of the natural ways to stimulate contractions. So, I did…or at least I tried. I made myself one of those tasty castor oil smoothies and worked on some other things and just waited.

At this point, I knew if Joey didn’t come soon I’d have to be induced, which neither Joe or I wanted. We went to bed the same way we did the night before on the couch with Joe timing my contractions, which were finally in a pattern working their way closer and closer together. Joe and my mom kept asking me if I wanted to go into the birth center, but I said no because I didn’t want to go and find out I was only 3cm or something and have to wait around or be sent home. But when my contractions were getting closer to 5 minutes we called the midwife and she just said for me to relax and keep her updated.

Not two minutes later my water broke at 10:25pm. For the first time in a few days I felt a huge sense of relief, emotional

Roberta the Midwife

and physical! The pressure was different. So we called the midwife, Roberta, back and she said, “Okay, you should come on in.” We called my mom who picked us up (my dad had to go back to SC by this time) and we drove downtown to the birth center. Now, this highway that I’d been on a hundred times before was the worst ride of my life. I felt every single bump in the road, even the tiniest ones. I’d never even noticed the road was bumpy, but trying to relax through the contractions was harder at this point. This was one of the few times I yelled in labor. The only thing I really remember saying was “Change lanes!” My poor mom was trying to be calm and careful, but every lane felt the same.

Finally we made it to the birth center, where Roberta met us outside. It was all very surreal. (By the way, I had hoped it would be cool when Joey was born. I mean, it was November, but San Diego had been having so warm weather except for that night when it felt freezing to me.)

Breathing

Joe walked with me into the center while my mom parked the car. Roberta examined me to find that I was fully dilated! So, the tub was filled and I hopped in with Joe. My friend Ann arrived shortly after as my other support.

It wasn’t too long before I was ready to push. From that point on I was focused on pushing, breathing, and relaxing. It felt more natural than I had imagined. I had wondered what the urge to push would feel like and if I’d remember the method we’d learned in our Bradley class to handle it. But I did, and while the task wasn’t easy it definitely wasn’t as hard as I’d imagined. No walk in the park, but not the worst thing ever either. Later Ann and my mom would say that I looked so relaxed between contractions it looked as if I was sleeping.

After almost two hours of pushing, Joey’s head finally started to appear. It was exciting and scary at the same time. The

midwife had a mirror so I could see his head and it was so weird to think my baby is finally coming out! I was most excited about seeing what his little face looked like. In those final pushes, I tore…twice. Ouch, I know, but honestly I don’t remember even feeling the tear. I do remember seeing blood though. With two more pushes Joey was out and in my arms.

It was the most amazing feeling ever. Just this huge physical sense of relief and after months of waiting and waiting to meet this little guy he was finally laying there in my arms. He was so calm and quiet wrapped in my arms with his eyes wide open looking at me and his daddy. So precious.

I didn’t find out until later that I had been pushing for 2 hours, if I had known that or seen a clock I’m pretty sure I would have gotten discouraged and lost my focus. But one of the amazing things about labor is the weight loss! Just standing up to get out of the tub felt so different…it felt good. No more pressure. Oh, and the adrenaline! While my mom and Joe were ready for sleep (and within an hour or so both were asleep in the room,) I was so excited that sleep wasn’t even a thought. Joey was finally here!