Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The birth of Emma Jane

I want to start out this story with a bit of background info. When we found out we were pregnant again, we knew we wanted to have a different experience then we did with the boys. Everything with the boys was high risk...we had a csection and they were preemies. I thank God each and every day that we have the technology available that saved me and the boys but I knew I wanted to experience birth and labour the way mother nature intended it.

With Emma, we found a midwife and doula and we planned an all natural water birth. We spent the whole 9 months of the pregnancy staying positive and visualizing our "perfect birth". We knew it would be hard, but it was what we wanted.

Emma Jane was born on November 30th 2010 at 11:44pm. 8lbs 6oz and 22" long. Here is her story....


I woke up on Monday November 29th at about 5am to tons of cramping. I didn't think much of it; considering I had been in early labour for the previous 4 weeks. I went to the washroom and boom....tons of bloody show. Almost immediately the contractions started. 3 minutes apart and painful..very very painful. They felt nothing like the contractions I had experienced in the weeks prior. I called Dallas...all I said was "It's time". In his sleepy voice, he answered "Ok...I'm on my way".  I called my midwife and doula and told them it had finally started. They told me to lay down and relax for now. So now I just had to get through the next 2.5 hours waiting for Dallas to get home. 

He called me back a little bit later...he was so excited! But...the weather was awful. It was foggy and he couldn't see anything in front of him. As each contraction hit, I wondered to myself if he would totally miss the birth. Kennedy started to wake up so I knew I had to wake up Dallas' mom to help me...at this point there was no way I could care for Kennedy's needs while I was having contractions. She woke up and took care of him while I concentrated on each contraction. 

It seemed like forever for Dallas to get here. He arrived at about 8ish and I was a total mess. I ended up calling my girlfriend Beth to let her know that it had begun as well. She arrived a little bit before Dallas. Once Dallas was home, we called our midwife back and told her that I couldn't talk through the contractions and we didn't know what we should do. She decided to make the trip out here to check me to see what the next step would be. She also brought our doula with her. 

Our midwife checked me and I was only 1 to 2 cm's. We decided to labour at home for a bit longer and wait for other changes to happen. They left at about 10:30 and my 11 my water broke. We called her back and we decided to come into the city and labour at her house before heading to the hospital. So we packed up all our stuff and started the hour long trip to our midwifes house. OMG...there is nothing more painful in the world then being stuck in the car while in labour. The contractions were still 5 minutes apart and I was screaming with each one that passed. 

We got to our midwifes and laboured there for about 4 or 5 hours. I was in every possible position....kneeling, swaying back and forth, squatting, on my side, anything you can think of! Contractions got to about 3 minutes apart for about an hour and they decided to check me again. I was almost 3 cm's. We decided we needed a new game plan. It was still too early to go to the hospital so we made our way to a hotel. 

So Dallas, our doula and I checked into the hotel at about 5pm that might. 12 hours after labour started. I went into the shower almost right away and was in heaven! We spent the next 18 hours in the hotel labouring. During the night, I would lay down and "sleep" in between contractions. They were 10 minutes apart at that time. I was exhausted but I knew I was doing what had to be done to bring Emma into this world the way we had planned it for the previous 9 months. It was a mind game I was playing with myself. Each contraction brought me closer to my little girl. I felt strong... I felt like a warrior that was in battle and I was going to win...there was no other way it was going to happen. I was going to deal with the pain and I was going to give birth to my girl the way it was intended to be. There was no other option...there was no other game plan...this is the way it was happening and this is why I was fighting with everything I have to stay strong. I was going to give birth to my girl naturally and she was going to be welcomed gently and peacefully. That is that. 

At about 5am things started picking up again (24 hours into labour), so we decided to call our midwife. She came to the hotel to check me again....let me just mention that I HATE internal exams!  She checked me again...24 hours later...and I was 4 cm's. I saw the look in her eyes...she didn't want to tell me. I cried. I cried so hard. She checked Emma again and and she was still doing great. It turns out my cervix was posterior....it was facing my back and each contraction I had was slowly bringing it to the front. That's why I wasn't dilating fast. So we had a decision to make. I could either continue with what I was doing or transfer care to a OB and start a medical intervention. If we continued labouring, there was a chance I would exhaust myself so bad that I would have no energy left to push her out. If we started an intervention, there was a big chance I would end up with a c-section.  We decided to wait a few hours and if nothing changed by 10 or so we would transfer care. 

11 am came around and my midwife checked  me again. Nothing changed. I knew it was over. I wasn't going to get our water birth....everything I was fighting for was ripped out of me. I felt weak..I felt like a failure. I was a total and complete mess. It took quite a bit of time and lots of talking to come to terms that things were going to be ok and that things might not end up the way we wanted to; they would end up the way they were meant to. 

So we went to the hospital and talked to our OB about the new game plan. He wanted a c-section. He was concerned with my previous c-section scar and the fact that things weren't progressing.  We told him that we were not ready for a c-section. Our midwife and doula were the best advocates we could ever hope for. They told him we wanted to try oxitocin (pitocin)  to get the contractions closer together and that we wanted an internal monitor for Emma so I could still walk around. With some hesitation, he agreed. 

Labouring with no drugs and oxitocin is not fun. The contractions are mean...they are hard and vicious and they mean business. At one point, the pain in my incision was so bad that we had to stop the IV. They checked me again and I was between 4 to 5 cm's. We decided to start up the IV again and see if the pain on my incision was getting worse. I ended up labouring for about 5 or 6 hours with the oxitocin with no drugs. Finally around 8pm I hit a wall. Mentally and physically. I was done. I couldn't take the pain. I was exhausted and wanted an epidural. So, they called the anesthesiologist and it took him 6 times before he got the epidural in. It took 40 minutes...contractions every 2 to 3 minutes that I had to sit still for. It was hell. 

Once it was in, I started to feel some relief. I was so exhausted. Every contraction was less and less painful until I only felt the very tip of them. I rested for about 2 hours before they checked me again. At this point, the contractions were every 2 minutes and they were strong...although I could hardly feel them. They checked me and there way no progress. Plus, at this point Emma's stats were starting to fall. It was over. I was done...Emma was done...we were going in for a c-section.

The c-section was routine...I also ended up getting my tubes tied; something Dallas and I talked about months before. Emma was born at 11:44pm on November 30th. 8lbs 6oz's and 22 inches long. Our midwife was in the OR with us. She made sure we still had delayed cord clamping and she continued to advocate our wants for Emma's birth plan. 

Although things didn't end up the way we planned, I am 100% confident that we tried everything possible to bring Emma into this world the way we have dreamed of. I have zero regrets and I wouldn't change anything..or any decision we made throughout the whole ordeal. 



**If you made it through the whole story, thank you! I still can't read it without crying...and it is still hard for me to talk about...here are some pics of our sweet baby girl. Emma Jane completes our family!


Fresh out of the oven!





















Daddy holding his little girl for the first time!
















Mommy and Daddy are instantly  in love...















Mitzi our doula and Heidi our midwife. Couldn't have done it without them! 
















1 comment:

  1. Beautiful Corinne, loved every word of your daughters birth story.
    What an amazing momma you are, truly.
    And as far as my cousin Dallas, what a wonderful daddy too.
    I am so happy for the two of you with your completed family. You have 3 beautiful children who are blessed to have you and Dallas as their parents.
    Parents who would and will do anything for them.

    ReplyDelete