The birth of Caleb Samuel

Monday morning (November 4) started like any other day. I was tired, exhausted, and had been up a lot of the night with prodromal labor (the same that I had been having for 4 weeks). I had my midwife's appointment set for 11 am that day and had to also take my mom and sister back to the airport by 1:30. I was disappointed that there had been NO signs of baby and that they would miss it.

Around 9 am, I got a call from my friend Brooke and got the news that she was FINALLY in labor (she was a week and a few days late at this point). I think that call got me so excited because, I kid you not, bloody show right after I hung up!

 James drove me to my midwife's appointment at 11, where Erica R (the midwife) stripped my membranes. Almost immediately, I started having contractions about 5 minutes apart. I didn't pay much attention to them because, well, let's face it, I had been having contractions for weeks already and I was afraid to get too excited about it. I made a follow up appointment for a stress test that Friday and went home to get my mom and sister.

 Once we got home, I started feeling the periody crampy types of contractions, but again, didn't want to pay too much attention to them. James was going to go back to work, but I asked him to just take the rest of the day off because I was afraid of driving my mom & Ashley to the airport with both boys alone. On the way, we stopped at the Tractor Supply Store to get Jacob a birthday present from my mom and Ashley. I started timing contractions in the store and noticed they were coming around 4 or 5 minutes apart. We quickly got out of the store and on the way to the airport so we could say goodbye. I could barely make it in and out of the airport, where we usually wait for mom to check in and go through security.

 After leaving there (around 1:30 PM) I called my friend Jenn and let her know we would need help with the boys. I still wasn't admitting I was in labor, but at the very least, I could rest that afternoon and have them settled if need be. We got home around 2 pm, I packed their overnight bags (just in case) and Jenn came and picked them up around 2:30. I was upstairs when she came over and as soon as I walked down the stairs and saw her I just started bawling. Not sure why, but that moment told me that "this was it".

 James and I hung out at the house where I labored on and off of the birth ball, in child's pose, and laying down. I kept trying to move through them so I could gauge how intense they were. We called the hospital around 4 pm and let them know I was having contractions and that we thought this would be it. Erica R (midwife) told me to get into the shower and let the water do some nipple stimulation. And BAM. There they went. By 5 pm, the contractions were on top of me, to the point that I was crying through them, tense, and couldn't let them do what they needed to do.

 We decided to leave the house around 5:15 and were in the car on our way by 5:30 (after our friend Brad stopped and filled up James' car with gas!). I don't remember the two previous car rides from the first two labors, but I remember this one. I was in PAIN. I couldn't relax and I just kept crying! I was in denial that I was in labor, but James just kept saying "I hope you are crying happy tears because we are meeting our baby today!"

 We met our doula (Kendra) at the front entrance of the hospital and SLOWLY made the trek to Labor and Delivery. At this hospital, you have to go down the elevator, down a long hallway, and back up another hallway. I remember standing in the middle of the elevator with the doors open, James and Kendra waiting outside for me, but couldn't move because I was in the middle of a contraction. "Nothing to see here folks! Just a lady in labor!"

 We arrived at the hospital around 6 pm. There was no triage, but upon seeing me, my midwife knew I was in labor. We were put into an over-flow room, which was set up for recovery. There was a lot of hustle and bustle trying to change out beds and get computers and baby monitors in the room.

 The first check was around 6:30 pm and I was at a 4.5. Disappointing. However, with each contraction, my midwife and Kendra kept reminding me to relax my shoulders. Kendra's hands on my shoulders through each contraction was a perfect reminder to relax and to give into the contractions.  Once I was relaxed, I was able to let the contractions do what they needed to and progressed very quickly.

 Baby was still off to the side a bit, so I knew I had to move him over onto my cervix with each one. After the initial time on the monitor, I never had to lay back on the bed (AMAZING!). I was allowed to use the birth ball while leaning over the bed, move to different chairs in the room, and labor on the toilet.  I started to get nauseous and shaky at some point and knew it had to be transition. We used some peppermint oil to help curb the nausea and they brought me Gatorade as well because I felt so weak.

 I kept thinking and saying "Is this real? I just don't believe it." To which our photographer (Erica) kept saying things like "I've never seen a baby warmer brought into the room where it wasn't real." "I've never seen them move out a recovery bed for a labor bed without it being real." Around 8 pm while sitting on the toilet, my midwife checked me and told me I was 8 cm and could move to the bed to get ready to push.

After a series of tough contractions, I was given a nice break. Contractions were then spread apart and were not as powerful. After sitting on the edge of the bed for a bit, my midwife set up the squat bar and told me that as soon as I was ready to push, this baby was coming out. I'm not clear on times, but I would assume that this all started around 8:15ish. I looked over at our photographer (also Erica) and she encouraged me to push. "You wanted a sprint to the finish-here it is!"

 Pushing is the part of labor that I was the most fearful of.  Erica (the photographer) asked me if I was afraid to push while I was laboring down.  I said yes, and then quickly started saying over and over in my head "Let go.  Give in."  I could NOT get comfortable and also didn't have that strong urge to push quite yet, so I quickly rolled over onto my hands and knees. From there, I felt it. All the while, I knew James really had to go to the bathroom. I told him to go NOW! I would not push the baby out until he did. Once he was in the bathroom, I had a really strong contraction which pushed baby down and completed my cervix and and my water finally broke. We were hoping for an in the caul baby and I was only a contraction away from it happening.

I remember feeling like I was screaming. But it was more the instinctual, gutteral, animalistic sounds that comes out. In either of my other two births, I was always shushed and told to breath. I expected that to happen this time, but my midwife allowed me to vocalize freely and let my body do what it wanted to do. James came back and another contraction later, his head was there! Erica asked if I wanted to touch his head and I said no. I'm not sure why, but I still couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that I was actually doing this. Baby was coming out and out RIGHT NOW!

Another push, baby slipped out, Erica caught him and immediately put him under me so I could see him. And there it was! Another PENIS. James laughed that I just said in a deflated tone "It's a boy."  Caleb S8:amuel came into the world at 8:52 pm.

Once I rolled over and was able to lie down, I was able to check out those gorgeous lips!  He wasn't interested in nursing immediately, so we just snuggled for well over an hour while we were waiting for the placenta to deliver.  The nurses at Trinity didn't do any of his newborn stats or procedures until 2 or so hours after he was born. 

This labor was quick and "easy."  Most people would classify it as a textbook labor.  It was beautiful and perfect.  I'm not saying I wasn't in immense pain, because I was, but it wasn't traumatic the way delivering the other two boys was.  Because I had an epidural birth with Connor, I had no idea what pushing would feel like.  Pushing with Jacob made me so fearful of pushing again (I think I had nightmares of that feeling for months), but because my water was intact with Caleb, I didn't experience the "balloon effect" or "ring of fire."  Once I allowed myself to labor, it went quickly and smoothly.  

****Plug for Midwifery care: if you have the option to use a midwife, I HIGHLY suggest it. I have had three very different births, but never have I been able to fully relax and give into my body the way I was able to while using a midwife. She immediately put her hands on me when we got to the hospital, whispered that I was doing a great job, told me to relax my shoulders. I didn't have to lay down for hourly checks or strips on the baby monitor. She came to me when she needed to have it done. She fought for my birth plan (even infant care) and never left my side. She left my water intact, which helped me work through transition and pushing. She caught my baby in what most OBs would consider a compromising position and didn't stress when my placenta took over an hour to deliver. Because of her, I had ZERO tearing and was walking within an hour of delivery.****

***And another plug for birth photography!  All photos posted here were taken by Erica McCauley.  Not only was Erica amazing at capturing the birth, but she was a great support and has become a friend.  I will always cherish our time with her.  She has a special gift to support and love pregnant and laboring women.  Check out the entire birth story video here:  http://www.ericamccauley.com/2013/11/08/the-birth-of-caleb-samuel-minot-birth-photographer/