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| 39.5 weeks |
1. When are you due?
I was one of the firm believers that due dates are never right and only serve to give the desperate-to-be-comfortable pregnant women false hope. Therefore, I determined to forget the date associated with Emmaline's birth (to no success, I might add) and simply respond to everyone's questions about when she was going to be born with the safe and quite vague answer of "oh, sometime in March".
So when the morning of "the pie in the sky" day arrived and I had my first real contractions signifying the beginning of early labor, you better believe I was put to shame. Well, not really. I was actually too focused on the overwhelming excitement knowing that Emmaline was starting to wiggle her little way into this world. Furthermore, we were in Fayetteville and my plan was to give birth in Charlotte, which was a two and a half hour drive away. This was not the time to try and prove my "babies are not born on their due date" theory. Thankfully, my contractions were slow and far enough apart to allot us plenty of time to pack up and travel to my parents house in Charlotte. Little did I know my 30 hour wonder-filled adventure had just begun...
Tip #1 Choose a hospital that is supportive of your birth preferences and has a low c-section rate. Work with a midwife if you are planning on going unmedicated or as natural as possible.
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| On my beloved ball |
2. Labor-aid by the Fire
On Emmaline's presumed date of arrival, Jared and I drove to Charlotte, ate a spicy meal at a Mexican joint (which only seemed to give me heartburn and not stronger contractions), and went to my 40 week OB appointment. Much to my dismay, I was only 1 cm dilated and the baby was not engaged. I promptly instructed Jared to go to the store and buy me a whole pineapple while I downed a large amount of raspberry leaf tea and went for a brisk waddle in the neighborhood. Nothing happened...until, you guessed it, I got in bed for the night. At 10:30 pm the waves started coming and this time they were ones I could not ignore. I took out my handy dandy contraction timer app and started practicing some different coping methods. I found that leaning over the side of the bed and making low guttural sounds was very helpful in handling the peak of the contraction. After several hours of this, I woke my sister, Bethany, at 4:30 am and asked her to make me a concoction called labor-aid while I worked through contractions on my birthing ball by the cozy fire. Tiger, my parents dog, kept a watchful eye on me from his position on the couch. It was all so peaceful and surreal. She was coming! I felt things were progressing quite nicely when all of a sudden after nine and half hours of 50 second contractions every 5 minutes the clock struck 8am and my contractions disappeared...
Tip #2 Labor at home as long as possible before going to the hospital to avoid unnecessary interventions and be put on the clock. It is important to have a calm and relaxing environment and to not feel rushed.
Tip #2 Labor at home as long as possible before going to the hospital to avoid unnecessary interventions and be put on the clock. It is important to have a calm and relaxing environment and to not feel rushed.
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| The drill that helped move me into transition |
3. Climbing Stairs
Of course this is when my husband had to wake up and as sweet as he is, it was not easy convincing him that I had been in labor all night long when I seemed perfectly fine at the present moment. I suppose he had gotten used to me "crying wolf" so many times during the 3rd trimester that he just gave me a tight hug and said, "Keep trying to ignore those false labor symptoms, honey. You'll wear yourself out before it's the real deal." Now it had been perfectly fine for him to say that all those other times I had "been in labor", but this was the REAL DEAL. We decided to hit some hills to see if we could get things moving again. At noon, the waves were back and Jared kicked into gear as the most incredible coach and comforter. During this part of labor I watched some of Anne of Green Gables with my mom and sis (while on the ball of course), took another walk with my man, got in the Jacuzzi for a bit, and well, six hours later the time and pace of each contraction had not changed. Jared suggested I try taking a nap to prepare myself for the long night ahead, but as soon as a laid down, the pain quickly became almost unbearable. I jumped out of bed. At this point I decided it was time to call upon my dear doula, Carrie-the-Great (seriously, she was the greatest doula ever). I told her I wanted longer contractions and a shorter amount of time in between them. (Okay, maybe what I really wanted was for my baby to come out. It was TIME). Carrie arrived in a flash and after applauding me for the way I was using my coping methods effectively to manage the pain, she suggested challenged me to go climb my parents staircase to see if it would help me progress. As I was innocently thinking, ok, after this next contraction, I will try to climb a few steps she proceeded to clarify that I must climb the stairs during my contractions, not in between. As you can see, I could not have accomplished this feat without the help and encouragement of my best friend who took each step of the way with me--up and down. And well, folks, let me just tell you, less than a couple hours later my contractions were closer, longer, and stronger and we were confident it was time to go to the hospital!
Tip #3 Invest in a doula. They are worth every penny and will help keep things calm and normal for you and your husband, especially if it is your first child. Many doulas are also willing to negotiate their price, as well.
Tip #3 Invest in a doula. They are worth every penny and will help keep things calm and normal for you and your husband, especially if it is your first child. Many doulas are also willing to negotiate their price, as well.
4. A Dream Come True
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| Christmastime prebaby |
Tip #4 Try to have a good handle on your contractions by way of practicing your coping methods before you head to the hospital. The goal is to not get frazzled in the change of environment and forget what breathing methods and positioning work best for you.
5. Jared and the Jets
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| My mom and Jared giving me a pep talk |
Tip #5 If you decide to use the birthing tub, make sure the jacuzzi jets are pointed down
6. The Love in the Room and the Man behind the Curtain
After the epic tub fail, my midwife arrived on the scene and asked me if I felt the urge to push. I did not, but I thought I would go ahead and practice different pushing positions in hopes of igniting the urge. Unfortunately, the one position I did find the most comfortable caused Emmaline's heart rate to go down significantly, so I had to quickly move to my back. Ugh. I didn't like the feeling of being in bed, but at that point, my midwife thought it would be best. (Looking back I am so thankful she made me or she would not have been able to easily cut the umblical cord that was wrapped tightly around Emmaline's neck.) So anyway, I'll keep it short and sweet even though it was long and sweaty and the most exhausting and difficult part of the whole journey. I believe one of the reasons for this was that I did not prepare for this phase like I prepared for the rest of labor. I just assumed it would be the easiest phase and wouldn't take much concentration. Boy, was I wrong. For many of you, this may have been true, but in my case, I had to really focus on breathing in coordination with my contractions and pushing. This is truly when I lost all track of time and place. I knew that God was going to take care of me and that He was in control of that very moment. He was gracious to give me several minutes between contractions where I could actually close my eyes and sleep. I also realized no one could help me push this baby out...no one could relieve me from the race and carry me across this finish line. It was up to me to exhort enough physical energy and force to bring this baby into the world and it felt nearly impossible. However, it was simply beautiful and thrilling at the same time. I remember looking around the room at the faces I loved...my husband whispering in my ear how much he adored me....my mom squeezing my hand and praying...,my sister's smile of reassurance...my doula's calm confidence in me...and then there was the voice coming from behind the hospital curtain shouting, "C'mon Chi-chi! You can do this!" It was my Dad. It was so special hearing him in the background cheering me on. "Here she comes! Here she comes!" My midwife caught the slippery little bundle and placed her on my chest. I was at the finish line and it was glorious!
Tip #6 Prepare to push! Read stories of how it feels...learn about the ring of fire...get an idea of how to breathe...watch educational videos...every little bit of learning could help make it easier for you!
7. Getting Acquainted
At 4:34am on the morning of March 14th, little Emmaline Joy made it to our arms at last.
She was seven pounds and one ounce and had the biggest, brightest eyes you had ever seen.
After my family went home, the nurse escorted us to the room where we would try to rest for the remainder of our stay. I will never forget the feeling of being wheeled out of the birthing room down the hall with my little bundle of joy. Emotionally, I felt victorious. Physically, I felt like I had been hit by a Mac Truck.
Spiritually, we were overwhelmed with thankfulness to the Lord for His provision and care.
Soon our little family of three was headed home. Our life would never be the same...
Tip #7 Be sure to have snacks on hand. I was ravenous and ate several granola bars immediately after she was born. Also, have your husband be ready to do skin-to-skin in case you need to focus on delivering the after birth and recovering.
Tip #6 Prepare to push! Read stories of how it feels...learn about the ring of fire...get an idea of how to breathe...watch educational videos...every little bit of learning could help make it easier for you!
7. Getting Acquainted
At 4:34am on the morning of March 14th, little Emmaline Joy made it to our arms at last.
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| Peaceful |
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| Giving Daddy a Hug |
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| Sleepy Smiles from l-r Dad, Mom, Jared, and my sister |
She was seven pounds and one ounce and had the biggest, brightest eyes you had ever seen.
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| Family pic as we transitioned to our new room |
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| This is the look she had on her face when she came out |
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| Leaving the hospital |
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| Miss Emmaline Joy Decker |
Tip #7 Be sure to have snacks on hand. I was ravenous and ate several granola bars immediately after she was born. Also, have your husband be ready to do skin-to-skin in case you need to focus on delivering the after birth and recovering.
