The birth of Patrick, February 18, 2009

My birth story really begins when I started to see my midwife Jan.  I was seeing a family practioner until I was about 20 weeks then switched care because as I got farther along the whole hospital scene scared me half to death.  I really wanted a natural childbirth and I didn’t want the pressure of fighting with the nurses at the hospital.  I knew Jan would be a good choice because my sister had her for a midwife and she had a great experience.

My due date was February 13th 2009, but being a first time mom, I was sure that I was going to come late.  I was really hoping that I would come early though.  During our birth classes, they said exercise would help you come early but in my case it didn’t happen.

A couple of days before my due date, Jan checked my cervix because she was going to be out of town so she wanted to see how things were progressing.  I was about 1cm and only 50% effaced - nothing to be really excited about.  My due date came and went, and I started to get anxious because I knew that I could go into labor at anytime.  The morning of Feb 17th, I woke up and I was bleeding.  I knew that this could happen because the “bloody show” happens.  But I thought that I was bleeding too much and I couldn’t feel Patrick moving.  I called Jan right away and she told me to come see her so she could check things out.  When we got to her house, she hugged me and put me at ease right away.  She listened to Patrick’s heart and he was doing better than ever.  She then checked my cervix to see why I was bleeding so much.  She thought the reason I was bleeding was my cervix was moving down and stretching.  At this time, because I was 4 days past my due date, she asked it we could do some stretching of my cervix to try and put me into labor naturally.  After stretching my cervix, she told me that I would be a little crampy but it should go away.  My husband and I didn’t think much of it, so we went back home.  When we got in the car, I was having really bad cramps, so I leaned my seat back and tried to rest.  When we got home, I just felt a little funny so I laid in my bed while my husband installed the new T.V we got for our bedroom. 

A couple of hours passed and I was bleeding a little more than before.  I didn’t think much of it because Jan told me that this was okay.  It was about 4:30 p.m when my parents came over after they got off work.  I told them I felt crampy, but they knew that I was in labor because the cramps were coming and going.  I decided I wanted to get out of the house for a little while, so we went out for dinner.  Once we got to dinner, I think I finally realized that I was in labor.  My contractions were 5 to 7 minutes apart but they were not lasting very long.  Excitement and fear were just some of the thoughts going through my mind.  After dinner I knew that I needed to go home and rest up because I was going to have a long night in front of me.  I hugged and kissed my parents and told them I would call them when I needed them to come back over. 

As soon as Greg and I got home, we called Jan to give her a heads up.  She told us to call her when the contractions started to get harder and last longer. Greg and I laid in our bed and looked at each other, talking about how exciting tonight was going to be.  You could see fear in both of our eyes while we laid there and held each other.  About 8:30 p.m my contractions were starting to hurt to the point that lying down was making me miserable.  I knew I was at a breaking point because I was starting to cry.  I called my mom up and told her I needed her here with me.  She could hear the tears in my voice and said softly, “Tierney honey you need to snap out of this, you are strong and you have to get a grip on your labor, it’s early.”  I knew as I hung up the phone that she was right.  I knew that I could handle this and that it was going to turn out to be amazing.  We called Jan and she said that she would be there by 10ish.  Greg tried keeping me distracted and it worked for a little while.  I just wanted to be alone so I could think about what would make me relax.
         
I lit every single candle I could find in my house and turned all the lights off.  For some reason the smell of the candles and the dark made me feel very relaxed.  I stood at the end of the bed, bent over swaying back and forth.  My parents arrived around 9 p.m and Jan and her assistant Pam around 10.  Jan came into my bedroom so she could check to see how far along I had come.  I was only about 3 cm but she was a little worried about my bleeding, and Patrick’s heart rate was a little high.  Jan wanted to wait before setting up the birthing tub until Patrick’s heart rate went down.  Right after I threw up, Jan checked his heart rate and it came back down to normal.
         
Once the birthing tub was set up, I couldn’t wait to get in and get some relief.  The warm water felt really good and I was more relaxed than I thought I would be.  Sitting in the candle light surrounded by the people I loved, I knew that I was completely in control.  As everyone started to dose off, my mom and I looked at each other and she smiled.  It was the most amazing feeling - a perfect mother-daughter moment.  It was really hot inside the warm tub, so my mom was handing Greg and I cold rags to help keep us cool. 

My contractions were coming really close together and I was so used to them by now that they really didn’t hurt, they were just uncomfortable.  I felt the urge to push and almost couldn’t stop myself from pushing.  I told Jan and her assistant this and they told me to push lightly to see if I was ready.  I was doing little pushes during contractions because it felt better when pushing.  There came a point where I just wanted Patrick out, so I told Jan I want to push really bad.  When Jan checked me, she said that I was already pushing and she could feel the head.  I remember how excited I was.  I got a second wind and actually started talking, as I had been silent through my whole labor.  I sat in Greg’s lap and pushed during every contraction.  I felt my bag of water pop and it sent me to a whole other level of excitement.  I got on my knees and leaned over the side of the tub as I finished my last couple of pushes.

          When Patrick was born at 3:24 a.m, I was totally amazed at myself.  He was perfect in every way.  My little boy, who was 9lbs and 10 ounces and 22 inches, was in my arms and it was the greatest feeling in the world.  Having the birth at home was the best thing for my husband and I.  I learned a lot about myself and I wouldn’t trade this experience in for anything.  I definitely would do it again in a heart beat!