SULA'S BIRTH STORY

I had been having some braxton hicks contractions on and off for about 3 weeks but nothing too painful. I continually asked my midwives and other mothers how I would know when I was in labor. Most said you will know when it happens and others said I wasn't sure if I was in labor or not until the active labor started. So with each feeling I would wonder, is this it? At 12AM Wednesday December 2nd, 2009 I started to feel a lot of significant cramps both in my lower front and lower back areas. I didn't want to alarm Damien if they were false so I decided to walk around and go sit on the couch in the family room. Everything I read said they aren't real contractions if they go away or change with movement. However these were the real thing, I was in labor! I stayed out in the family room for about an hour and a half but they were so close together and really quite painful so I went to lay in bed next to Damien. That didn't help the pain any so I thought a nice bath would help. I woke Damien to tell him what was going on. He was excited and immediately woke up and grabbed a pen and pad of paper to track the contractions while I was preparing the bathtub. The warm water really helped with the contractions. From the moment the first contraction came my sense of time was gone! What seemed like minutes were hours. The first contractions I had were 4 minutes apart and lasted for one minute (that is the point you are suppose to call the midwives). When Damien told me that I laughed and said ya right they are only lasting a few seconds you don't need to call it's too early. He walked out of the bathroom and called the midwives (good thing too!). After he called and they said they were on their way he went to the garage and pulled out all the supplies we had collected over the past several months.

Jennie was the first to arrive, she arrived around 3AM. Damien and Jennie didn't leave my side the entire time! Damien and Jennie prepared the birthing tub by placing big pillows in the bottom and draping thick blankets over everything and then covering the entire thing with a massive sheet of thick plastic. The tub was filled with water and ready for me to get in. I labored in and out of the tub depending on how I was feeling. Labor is an amazing event as the contractions truly come in waves and when the wave goes down it was as if it never existed- absolutely no pain. With each contractions I would breathe these deep slow breathes really focusing on breathing and getting trough the wave. By the time Jennie arrived the contractions were about 2 minutes apart and lasting for one minute. So basically I had one minute of pain and one minute to relax. I tried to stay as calm as possible and it really helped. I remembered the midwives telling me that with the first birth labor usually last about 24 hours. It thought oh my goodness if this is early labor I don't even want to know what active labor is like. Jennie checked to see how dilated I was and at 3AM I was 4cm. Everything was progressing so well.

Heather and Ellie arrived about 4:30AM and provided support to myself and Damien. They told me my early thoughts about early labor was false that I never experienced any of that instead I went straight into active labor. Ellie said the contractions won't get much worse than this which was good to hear. Heather and Ellie stayed in the front room and chatted with us, read a book, and knit while they waited for the big moment to arrive. Each contraction became more intense and there were periods where the intensity was so high I would think how much longer can I handle this level of pain? Damien was such an amazing support to me. He stayed so calm and never left my side. He would rub my back, hold my hand, lay next to me, talk to me. I could not have asked for a better partner through this. About 8AM the pain had significantly increased so I asked Jennie to check me again. She said I had progressed to about 5cm. I totally lost it, emotionally. The intensity of the contractions and the closeness was so hard and I just remember crying and telling Damien I didn't want to do this anymore. Then I remembered Jennie telling me at an earlier prenatal appointment that the only way out it through. That helped some. The most difficult part for me was not the pain for that was clearly getting through. It was the not knowing that I struggled with. The how much longer will this last that I kept wanting to know but couldn't. I went back into the tub and tried to find a place of relaxation and calmness to get through the contractions. Damien said I fell asleep for about an hour waking with each contraction, breathing through it and then falling back asleep. He couldn't believe what was going on but Jennie explained that women do extraordinary things to get through the pains of labor.

About 10AM the pain had peaked and it was so intense that I was crying and telling Damien there is no way that it could increase. The contractions were not letting up it was one on top of the other with no resting time in between. I asked to be checked again even though they just checked me two hours prior. Jennie checked me and thought I still had some time to go but I knew that couldn't be because it was so intense. For Damien that was the worst part of all the labor pains because he said I was in so much pain and he couldn't do anything to help. The contractions wouldn't stop or break for any amount of time. Ellie decided to check me and she said I was ready to go that I had fully dilated. Damien said I better get in the tub if I wanted to do a water birth because he knew our baby would be here soon.

I stepped in the tub just after 10AM and around me were Damien, Heather, Ellie, and Jennie. This was it in a little bit Damien and I would be parents. Ironically it wasn't the pain that was challenging at this point but the thought of how is it possible to push a baby out that kept racing through my mind. Ellie told me "you can do it!" Every time I said no or I can't they all said yes you can! Each time I would said ouch they would turn it into out. I started telling the baby to come out. What a great support team. With everything I read, heard, researched, etc. nothing prepared me for the moment of truth I was now fully immersed in. I pushed with everything I had the full length of the contraction (which was mainly a lot of pressure at this point). After a few minutes of pushing my water broke. After that I changed positions with Damien on one side, Heather on the other and Ellie and Jennie were ready to monitor progress and catch the baby. Poor Damien and Heather I squeezed their arms so hard I feel bad. They all watched as I pushed Sula into the world. With each push she would move a little farther out and then retract back. I was so afraid she would go back in and not come out (rational thoughts were not present at this time). I pushed and pushed and pushed as hard as I could and then before I knew it her head was out. One more push and her body was out too. I did it! Damien and I were so proud and excited to meet Sula. It was the most incredible moment of my life. After 41 weeks of growing her in my belly and wondering what she would be like she arrived. I was so overwhelmed as one minute I was pushing with all my might and the next Sula was here! Life is amazing!

Labor is hard but the reward at the end makes it worth the work. I had the most amazing experience being pregnant that I am in a way sad for it to end but the new journey of being a mama is so very exciting. I would absolutely recommend a natural childbirth to anyone. The pain was intense but nothing more than our bodies can handle. Having a birth at home allowed us to relax, be in our own element, walk around during labor, have control over who was around, and be at home afterwards. Damien is the love of my life and I couldn't have imagined sharing this experience with anyone else. Our love created such an amazing little girl. He is my rock and was exactly what I needed to get through labor and delivery. Heather, Ellie and Jennie are the most amazing midwives in the world! I would recommend them hands down to anyone who is pregnant! Overall I could not have asked for a better experience. Thanks to everyone who helped us bring our daughter into the world.