There was a show tonight on KUOW, our local public radio station, that featured a story about Birth. It featured Tina Cassidy, author of Birth: A Surprising History of How We're Born, and included interviews with doctors, midwives, doulas, historians, parents and kids. There were real-life stories about the birthing process and it seemed very geared towards the "natural birthing process".
I sat next to a woman at tea on Saturday who is in her 2nd year of residency as an OBGYN. We talked about Fen's birth. I think back about it each year on Fen's birthday but I guess it never sunk in just how lucky we were until she explained it to me.
My labor started out and I didn't even know. My water had not broke but I did lose what is called the mucous plug - I like to compare this to the stopper in a bath tub. It is pretty common and it means you will probably begin labor in the next 1 to 5 days... For me it was the following afternoon. I had experienced Braxton Hicks for more than a month prior and the contractions were pretty noticeable. My belly would become hard like a bowling ball and then stay that way for 3 or 4 minutes but never with any pain. These contractions were a little more local and I definitely noticed a difference. I called my mom and she was kind enough to time them since I apparently didn't think to buy a clock with a second hand prior to my due date... My contractions were fairly close together and they were lasting a little while but I was able to talk through them. My midwife said to call her when they got farther apart and shorter. She showed up a few hours later and it was official - no more pre-labor - this was the real deal.
I had a doula and a few others with me and we were at home. My first exam showed I was already at 3 centimeters!
Generally, during the last month of pregnancy, the baby becomes "engaged". Doctors and Midwives measure this in "stations" - zero station meas the baby is ready to come out. Fen was at a -1 a week prior to labor. This was a very good indication that we would be in labor soon. Unfortunately, I was as far out as I was tall. Fen had a swimming pool and decided to swim back up just before labor to -3. This was cause for alarm and my midwife instructed me to remain lying down for the rest of my labor. Huge bummer. I had really hoped to walk off my contractions but alas, I would be doing this lying down.
Labor was fun. Most people tell me I am insane. I was really psyched though. This would be the one time in my life where I had to let go and my body would do it all for me. I imagined ocean waves during my contractions. My fingers and toes would extend during each one. I kept imagining everything flowing out of my limbs. It was surreal. I didn't mind people talking around me. I enjoyed it. I wasn't scared or nervous.
Every three hours I was three more centimeters. I remember my doula telling me at 6 centimeters that I had done it. She told me it wouldn't get any harder than that... We got to 9.5 centimeters and everything sort of stopped. My water hadn't broken and there was big debate on what to do.
I tested positive for Group B Strep. Group B Strep, also known as Beta Strep or GBS is a bacteria that can live within humans. About 25% of women are carriers of this bacteria and don't even know it. It is only a problem during birth. While it isn't a super scary thing it can cause issues and doctors/midwives take additional precautions especially when breaking water.
There are two midwives at my birth now - mine calls in an assistant at 7 centimeters just in case. The two of them decide to break my water. I am in transition by now and am not 100% aware of what is going on in between my contractions. I am mostly sleeping and saving energy.
I feel my water break and then within a second, everything changed. There was a different tone and I was told to immediately move to knee-chest position. Not really understanding, I did what I was told. The next thing I heard was someone calling 911. An ambulance was on it's way and I was going to the hospital. Again, I barely knew what was happening.
We got to the hospital and I remember feeling relieved when they said I was going into surgery. At this point, I was tired. Everything turned rapidly and my perfect labor suddenly became a nightmare. I won't give you the details of how my midwife kept Fen from coming out during our travel time to the hospital but you can imagine. The hospital allowed my midwife in the surgery room and everyone else stood right outside. My greatest fear was that they would open me up before the anesthesia kicked in... They assured me it would be okay and sure enough, I remembered nothing after that.
I missed my child being born and I missed the first breast feeding. Fen was born the following morning at 5 a.m. and I was awake by lunch. I remember looking over a checking to make sure he was mine. There was this perfect little babe with a full head of hair and the most perfect little head. He was 8lbs 13oz and 22 inches long. I am sort of glad I didn't have to push him out!
Up until now, I really had no idea how lucky we were. This resident I had tea with looked at me and said, "you are really lucky he is alive". I looked it up and this is what I found:
Prolapsed cords occur in 1 of every 1,000 births and when the umbilical cord prolapses, it may constrict so that the fetus's blood supply is cut off. We had an "overt" or obvious prolapsed cord and immediate delivery, almost always by cesarean section, is necessary to prevent the blood supply to the fetus from being cut off.
This mothers day was a little more reflective for me after learning how "lucky" we were. While Fen has contributed to my early gray hair and migraines, in the end he is a pretty cool kid. Some might say he is a miracle :)
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