Miss Charlotte -- Your Birth Story
First of all -- I'm still in awe that this second baby girl is already here. And that she's already 3 weeks old. Goodness, time waits for no one.
When we found out that we were having another baby girl, many times after we would announce, the same question would arise: And which hospital are you delivering at? Home.
And every time, sheer terror would be on those faces. Well, maybe not every time, but that generally was the result. The occasional person would be head over heels as they too had a home birth, and therefore, they knew what was ahead for us.
Many times I questioned myself, many times I would ask Jesse, should we really do this at home? Of course, his answer every-time was -- we will go wherever you want to go. And many times he would say to me -- don't feel like you have to do this at home, it won't make you any less than. Because I had made the decision, I felt like I had no choice but to now deliver at home... of course, no one was putting that pressure on me, other than myself.
Around 36 weeks I started getting slightly painful braxton hicks that were back to back for over an hour, and lasting around a minute long. It made me go into slight painic, as I was certain that I would go over my due date. I was no where near ready, and the thought of this baby coming at 36 weeks? Thankfully those contractions subsided, but that next day I did some serious shopping and made all the "stations" in our house, including packing up my hospital bag and babies hospital bag too -- just in case.
____
On July 6th, I had a midwife appointment at 4:30 that afternoon. At that point I was 39w3d. As we walked to the office, I had asked Jesse if we should try the stretch and sweep. At my last appointment (the previous week) my midwife asked if I wanted to have the baby that weekend, because she could make that happen. I smiled, knowing how badly I wanted this baby, but my mama heart knew that "we" weren't ready quite yet. Sure, the "stations" were all set at home, the instructions were all laid out for the hubs, and mentally (after watching many home birth videos) I was ready... yet, I wasn't 100% ready. So, at the July 6th appointment, my midwife asked if I wanted to be checked. My last pregnancy I was never checked, and at this point I knew personally that my cervix was VERY soft... so I was curious to see if I was dilated at all. Sure enough, she checked and I was already 5cm!! With the contractions, back pain, and how low baby was, the midwife said that if I was to do a stretch and sweep, it could very well put me into labour that night.
I so badly wanted to go into labour naturally. At 35 weeks I started to take evening primrose oil, I kept up with my daily walks, drank raspberry leaf tea, ate SO. MUCH. PINEAPPLE, and the other obvious labour encouraging techniques like: foot massage, sex, hot baths -- you get the idea.
At 39w3d I felt like "we" were ready. I was ready to meet this new life, and I felt in my mama heart that this baby was ready to meet us too. So we went ahead with the stretch and sweep, and headed home, anticipating what was ahead for the next few days. When we got home, I obviously went online to read other experiences on stretch and sweeps, and after reading that many had false labour, cramps, contractions, and no labour... then had to have more stretch and sweeps... I didn't get my hopes up. Instead, I went on an intense hike up the hill close to our house, and really powered up that whole hike. Breathing in heavily, and feeling my body go through the contractions and cramps -- I started to feel like my body was getting ready for something. There was slight bleeding which was normal, and cramps all night long. I took a bath with some salts, and popped some tylenol and went to bed.
July 7th, 2016 (the next morning)
6:30am Got a full nights rest, and with the weather being so kind, I was able to get a great sleep. The cramps and braxton hicks were still around, but nothing too painful. I quickly went to go pee, and sure enough -- hello mucus plug! I actually had to google that too as I never lost mine in my first pregnancy. There it was though, and after reading some more, I also read that they could be lost multiple times. Oh pregnancy... you tricky thing you.
7:30am Jesse leaves for the gym and work, and Clara and I get ready for breakfast. I quickly pulled out my contractions app to see what my body was doing. After 5 minutes, I got that pop-up that tells you to "get ready to go to the hospital", well, I've had that many times before, so I shrugged it off again.
9:00am The contractions start to get a little more intense, but I was certain that if this was anything, it was just false labour. However, at this point, I was starting to find it a little difficult to concentrate on Clara and hesitantly texted Jesse to tell him to come home.
9:30am He comes home, we hang out for a little bit... trying to figure out if this was the real thing. We also figured that if anything, (we) he should maybe set up the stations, I went and had a shower and got ready... how awesome is that?
10:30am We finally both agree to call the midwife, just to see what she has to say, and if I was actually in labour. At this point, the contractions were 3 minutes apart, but the pain still wasn't the labour pain that I remembered from being induced with my first. It felt like (stronger) braxton hicks... I had to breathe through a few of them, but surely, nothing was comparing to those intense induced contractions.
11:00am The midwife arrives, she quickly checks the babies heart as soon as she comes inside. Baby was happy, in a great position, and off we went upstairs to see if I was in fact in labour. After checking me, she smiles and says, "well, you're very much in labour! You're around 7cm, and this baby will likely be here around lunch time". HA! I brushed that off, and put back in my mind that this baby wasn't going to be here until later that evening, or maybe even in the wee morning...
11:30am The in-laws arrive to watch Clara.
Okay, so lets the pause for a second. Look at this picture... Does this look like a woman who is currently in "transition" labour? I put this on instagram: "This is what #homebirth looks like"
Because you know what? When I think back to this labour... THIS is what I remember so clearly. I remember the sun, gently warming up the sunroom, laughing thinking, heck if we're going to do this at home, why not right in here? I remember hearing the birds softly chirping, and the light breeze blowing through the leaves. I remember hearing my daughter laughing with her Nami and Pop-pop in the backyard. I remember Jesse laughing with the midwives as they all ate watermelon (myself included). I remember going onto my pinterest page and reading all my inspiring affirmations. Reminding myself that I'm able to do this.
My body was made to do this,
and my heart...
my heart was so very ready to meet this new baby girl.
The midwives checked babies heart every 15-20 minutes or so, but for the most part just left me alone. Which is what I wanted. I wanted to sway, breathe, and feel the surges come on alone. In the hospital I didn't know that a nurse had to be with me at all times. It was awful. I felt like I couldn't labour with someone watching me every moment. There was a moment where she left the room for a second, and I remember crying, saying to Jesse: "This is so hard". This time around, Jesse would come and check on me, tell me how amazing I'm doing, and kiss me here and there... but, for the majority of the time, I was alone. I was able to go upstairs by myself, and just labour alone.
This is what the midwives set up looked like. They had supplies in the event there was an emergency, but reassured me that although they set these stations up, it's a rarity that they have to use it -- but they were ready.
Around noon I was busy doing the stairs, lunges, squats, swaying, and feeling my body slowly prepare for what was ahead. There wasn't a time from 9am to 1pm where I sat down to relax... I just kept going, walking around, making sure that baby kept moving down! When I think back, I don't really recall the contractions being that intense, but when I look back at the videos, they did make me stop and breathe. A few times Jesse caught tears, but as they came, they quickly left within a minute, and as soon as they left, it's almost as though I forgot about that last contraction. Natural labour is quite something... I was mainly distracted by eating, drinking lots of water and gatorade, and watching the leaves dance on the trees outside. As I write this, again, I feel so lucky to have been able to experience something so beautiful... Looking back at these pictures... Goodness... what an adventure.
Pinterest, and instagram were my go-tos. Funny how simple words can encourage you to keep going. My midwives were also cheering me on, telling me that I was doing amazing, but for myself... just simply reading something alone, while I went through a surge... it just made it that much more powerful for me. Minutes later, I felt this urge to go into the tub. After the midwives asked me if I felt any pressure, it's like my mind went into high gear and suddenly I felt the "transition".
Into the tub I go, Jesse by my side, and still, no fear of having this baby at home.
Minutes go by, and we were a snap. My water broke! Or did it? The midwives come upstairs to check, and sure enough it did. They knew the baby was coming, and starting getting prepped up. 1:15pm The contractions are now white knuckling, Jesse asked if I wanted Clara near me, I said yes, and off he went to go get her. She, being her empathetic passionate little self , was immediately concerned when she saw me. I knew that as badly as I wanted her there, her little heart wouldn't be able to watch mommy go through the pain that was about to come. Jesse took her back downstairs, and as soon as she left, I felt two more powerful surges. After those, my body took over. I told the midwives that I wanted out of the tub, I wanted to go on our bed. Again, they knew that with this sudden change, this baby was arriving in just minutes.
7 minutes later, 3 pushes, Miss Charlotte was born at 1:38pm on July 7th, 2016. Weighing 6lbs 13oz 19 inches long... Watching back the video, the shock that I have as I grabbed my little babe and brought her to my chest... it was just too good to be true. She arrived, she was healthy, she was...
so so...beautiful. My little gift, a precious gift from HIM. Praise God!
Jesse brought Clara to come see her new sister within minutes of her being born, and my heart swells watching our faces on video. As much as I remember those first few moments, it was so overwhelming, and filled with so much emotion. It was such a euphoric moment...
The hours after birth, and the first couple of days are filled with so much richness...
The next blog will talk about the recovery/ postpartum, and how being at home made all the difference for me this time around. Also, having my placenta encapsulated...
Thank you for reading,
with love,
@simplelifewife
When we found out that we were having another baby girl, many times after we would announce, the same question would arise: And which hospital are you delivering at? Home.
And every time, sheer terror would be on those faces. Well, maybe not every time, but that generally was the result. The occasional person would be head over heels as they too had a home birth, and therefore, they knew what was ahead for us.
 |
| Canada Day! 38w5d |
Around 36 weeks I started getting slightly painful braxton hicks that were back to back for over an hour, and lasting around a minute long. It made me go into slight painic, as I was certain that I would go over my due date. I was no where near ready, and the thought of this baby coming at 36 weeks? Thankfully those contractions subsided, but that next day I did some serious shopping and made all the "stations" in our house, including packing up my hospital bag and babies hospital bag too -- just in case.
____
On July 6th, I had a midwife appointment at 4:30 that afternoon. At that point I was 39w3d. As we walked to the office, I had asked Jesse if we should try the stretch and sweep. At my last appointment (the previous week) my midwife asked if I wanted to have the baby that weekend, because she could make that happen. I smiled, knowing how badly I wanted this baby, but my mama heart knew that "we" weren't ready quite yet. Sure, the "stations" were all set at home, the instructions were all laid out for the hubs, and mentally (after watching many home birth videos) I was ready... yet, I wasn't 100% ready. So, at the July 6th appointment, my midwife asked if I wanted to be checked. My last pregnancy I was never checked, and at this point I knew personally that my cervix was VERY soft... so I was curious to see if I was dilated at all. Sure enough, she checked and I was already 5cm!! With the contractions, back pain, and how low baby was, the midwife said that if I was to do a stretch and sweep, it could very well put me into labour that night.
 |
| July 4th 39w1d |
I so badly wanted to go into labour naturally. At 35 weeks I started to take evening primrose oil, I kept up with my daily walks, drank raspberry leaf tea, ate SO. MUCH. PINEAPPLE, and the other obvious labour encouraging techniques like: foot massage, sex, hot baths -- you get the idea.
July 7th, 2016 (the next morning)
6:30am Got a full nights rest, and with the weather being so kind, I was able to get a great sleep. The cramps and braxton hicks were still around, but nothing too painful. I quickly went to go pee, and sure enough -- hello mucus plug! I actually had to google that too as I never lost mine in my first pregnancy. There it was though, and after reading some more, I also read that they could be lost multiple times. Oh pregnancy... you tricky thing you.
7:30am Jesse leaves for the gym and work, and Clara and I get ready for breakfast. I quickly pulled out my contractions app to see what my body was doing. After 5 minutes, I got that pop-up that tells you to "get ready to go to the hospital", well, I've had that many times before, so I shrugged it off again.
9:00am The contractions start to get a little more intense, but I was certain that if this was anything, it was just false labour. However, at this point, I was starting to find it a little difficult to concentrate on Clara and hesitantly texted Jesse to tell him to come home.
9:30am He comes home, we hang out for a little bit... trying to figure out if this was the real thing. We also figured that if anything, (we) he should maybe set up the stations, I went and had a shower and got ready... how awesome is that?
11:00am The midwife arrives, she quickly checks the babies heart as soon as she comes inside. Baby was happy, in a great position, and off we went upstairs to see if I was in fact in labour. After checking me, she smiles and says, "well, you're very much in labour! You're around 7cm, and this baby will likely be here around lunch time". HA! I brushed that off, and put back in my mind that this baby wasn't going to be here until later that evening, or maybe even in the wee morning...
11:30am The in-laws arrive to watch Clara.
 |
| 11:00am 7cm (2.5 hours prior to delivery) |
Because you know what? When I think back to this labour... THIS is what I remember so clearly. I remember the sun, gently warming up the sunroom, laughing thinking, heck if we're going to do this at home, why not right in here? I remember hearing the birds softly chirping, and the light breeze blowing through the leaves. I remember hearing my daughter laughing with her Nami and Pop-pop in the backyard. I remember Jesse laughing with the midwives as they all ate watermelon (myself included). I remember going onto my pinterest page and reading all my inspiring affirmations. Reminding myself that I'm able to do this.
My body was made to do this,
and my heart...
my heart was so very ready to meet this new baby girl.
The midwives checked babies heart every 15-20 minutes or so, but for the most part just left me alone. Which is what I wanted. I wanted to sway, breathe, and feel the surges come on alone. In the hospital I didn't know that a nurse had to be with me at all times. It was awful. I felt like I couldn't labour with someone watching me every moment. There was a moment where she left the room for a second, and I remember crying, saying to Jesse: "This is so hard". This time around, Jesse would come and check on me, tell me how amazing I'm doing, and kiss me here and there... but, for the majority of the time, I was alone. I was able to go upstairs by myself, and just labour alone.
This is what the midwives set up looked like. They had supplies in the event there was an emergency, but reassured me that although they set these stations up, it's a rarity that they have to use it -- but they were ready.
 |
| Noon - an hour and a half before baby |
An hour later, 1:00pm comes rolling around. I asked Jesse what time it was and he showed me. 1:00pm... I knew this baby wouldn't be coming around lunch time. I gave myself a little pep talk when I went back upstairs, and then pulled out my phone to look at my inspiring quotes.
Into the tub I go, Jesse by my side, and still, no fear of having this baby at home.
Minutes go by, and we were a snap. My water broke! Or did it? The midwives come upstairs to check, and sure enough it did. They knew the baby was coming, and starting getting prepped up. 1:15pm The contractions are now white knuckling, Jesse asked if I wanted Clara near me, I said yes, and off he went to go get her. She, being her empathetic passionate little self , was immediately concerned when she saw me. I knew that as badly as I wanted her there, her little heart wouldn't be able to watch mommy go through the pain that was about to come. Jesse took her back downstairs, and as soon as she left, I felt two more powerful surges. After those, my body took over. I told the midwives that I wanted out of the tub, I wanted to go on our bed. Again, they knew that with this sudden change, this baby was arriving in just minutes.
 |
| 1:31pm |
so so...beautiful. My little gift, a precious gift from HIM. Praise God!
Jesse brought Clara to come see her new sister within minutes of her being born, and my heart swells watching our faces on video. As much as I remember those first few moments, it was so overwhelming, and filled with so much emotion. It was such a euphoric moment...
The hours after birth, and the first couple of days are filled with so much richness...
The next blog will talk about the recovery/ postpartum, and how being at home made all the difference for me this time around. Also, having my placenta encapsulated...
Thank you for reading,
with love,
@simplelifewife
