We found out we were pregnant with Emery on our once in a life time trip to Italy. I was immediately sicker with her than with Caleb which took a lot of fun out of traveling abroad. I may finally be able to look the pictures we took there. Before this I haven't been able to look because the association made me nauseated...but such is life.
Now Caleb came at 34 weeks with a labor lasting 2 hours from the start, water breaking to birth. It was very much a TV birth. We really didn't want Emery to come that early so we visited a doc and a midwife (hoping we could still birth at home). The doc put us on progesterone shots to help stop early labor and then cleared us to birth at home!
We took the shots until week 34. I read online that most people taking progesterone to stop early labor, began labor 1-2 weeks after they stopped taking the shots. At 36.5 weeks I had not started laboring and we had made it to the "legal to birth at home" mark. At that point I was 2.5 weeks more pregnant than I had ever been and I was ready for her to come ASAP.
I had gotten in my head that she was going to come on May 1st and as May 1st rolled around I was more and more convinced. That morning I was having light contractions but consistent 15 min apart. I decided not to go to work and to stay home and see what happened. I let my midwife know and she told me to come in and she would check if things were happening. I was 3cm dilated when she checked me out that afternoon. I was still having consistent mild contractions. This was all totally new for me since I didn't have any of this experience with Caleb.
I had given up hope that she would be coming that day when 6pm rolled around. I had been eating dinner with Caleb at a meeting John was having and my contractions started to pick up, they weren't strong yet but they were feeling about 5 min apart. I texted my midwife told her I was going to start timing the contractions and tell her what was happening. Caleb and I walked home and I put him to bed and started to time my contractions. They were ranging from 3-6 min apart lasting about 1 min. I called Katrina and told her she said she would head over. Everyone arrived around 8pm and we got things set up. Filled the pool, picked up toys and shipped off our toddler to a friends house. Katrina checked me out again and I was 4cm almost 5cm so my contractions had been doing things. John and I took a walk and I felt like I had a few stronger contractions we came home but then everything slowed down. Katrina told me lay down and try to rest. I went to sleep around 1am. And so did everyone else. 9am the next morning nothing was really happening I was having contractions but they were very sporadic and I had not dilated anymore. Everyone left and I told Katrina I would keep her updated.
John took Friday off we were still hoping something might happen. We took Caleb to the park and I walked and walked. Still nothing. I kinda gave up after that.
Sunday May 4 we borrowed Frozen and watched it as a fam. While the movie was on my contractions began to get closer together. I didn't say anything because I wanted to be sure this time. So I timed them without mentioning it John. I timed them for about an hour and they were 2-3 min apart and 1 min long but still not very strong. I called Katrina she came over but didn't call everyone else (I didn't want the crew to come over for a false alarm again) She checked me out I had not dilated anymore than I had on Thursday and as soon as she arrived my contractions slowed way down. We chatted for a bit and we decided nothing was going happen so Katrina went home.
I had steady contractions off and on for the rest of that week. It was totally killing me. My emotions were all over the place. I felt like a first timer. Having all this pre labor, no baby, the pregnancy taking so long. at this point I was 5 more weeks pregnant than I had ever been and everything I had read indicated to me that I would have begun labor 2 weeks ago.
At 39 weeks and 2 days I was laying in bed. It was Mother's Day so I was sleeping in and John was watching Thomas with Caleb. I rolled over in bed and had wicked pain in my abdomen. I thought "that hurts, I wonder if that is a contraction, nah that is not what all the other ones have felt like" and drifted back off to sleep for a min. I had another pain it woke me up and I thought "that really hurts I must be laying funny" and attempted to wiggle to find a better spot. As I was moving there was a pop and my water broke. I leapt out of bed and headed to the bathroom while hollering at John my water broke.
Caleb then came into the bathroom and handed me an envelope and said "here go mama" John had instructed him to give me my Mother's Day Gift when I woke up and he did :)
I called Katrina at 7:55 and she said okay I will be there in an hour is that okay and I said yes. I called my Doula and she said the same. I hung up called my mom and left her a message since she was at church saying "hi mom it's Melissa, my water broke, Happy Mother's Day" While this was happening I was having fairly intense contractions but I didn't really want to admit that.
Meanwhile John was getting Caleb ready to go and waking up our housemate telling him he might want to get ready to go. But as I was wandering from room to room I realized I should say something so everyone could get here. I told John things were happening fast. He called our friends to get Caleb and they got here in like 2min and then told our housemate uh you might want to hurry this baby is coming fast.
I called Katrina and said they are coming hard and fast and she said I am getting in the car now. John promptly got the pool set up and started to fill it, moved vehicles, picked up and other various things. I having contractions that I wasn't sure even how to handle I was mostly walking around in a daze. I was having a hard time believing that it was really happening.
Katrina and Barbara arrived. Katrina gave me an exam and I was 8.5cm dilated. She quickly said lets get in the pool. I went and got in the pool and had about 3 more contractions and then I said I am ready to push. (I emotionally was not ready and the thoughts in my head were. You just told me like 2 min ago I was 8.5cm and I don't want to tear I can't push. I AM NOT READY) But my body was totally ready and on the next contraction I couldn't not push my body was making this happening. On the second push Katrina put the mirror down and I could see her head. John felt her head and then I pushed again and her head was out. Everything slowed down (it felt like a long time even though I am sure is was seconds) and my next contraction took a long time to come. Katrina said so are you going to do anything. A few more seconds passed while the contraction was building and then I pushed out the rest of her body. She was immediately in my arms. She arrived in an amazingly jammed packed one hour at 8:55am weighing 7lbs 6oz and 21in long.
It was so wonderful being at home, we immediately got to relax in our bed and hold our little girl I am so glad we were able to birth at home. I suppose only having a labor of one hour helps too ;)
