Emmy's birth was an amazing experience.
Wednesday, I woke up having mild contractions. They were steady and timeable but not painful. Historically, my contractions have not been painful until the last hour or two of labor. I also labor very fast so I felt that I needed to call the midwife. I let her know what was going on and she was at another birth. I asked her if I should go to my chiropractor apt and she said I should. I went and got adjusted. I continued to feel contractions until early afternoon when they fizzled. I was in contact with the midwife on and off throughout the day. I decided to nap with the kids and the contractions stopped. I talked with the midwife about the position of the baby and I thought the baby was still high and on the right side. Optimal position is on the left side! My baby was on the right. . She came out and did an exam. I was 4cm and she showed me some simple positions to get the baby on the left side. She left and I thought I would go into labor soon.
Two more times throughout the week I had similar experiences with contractions that fizzled. I did not call the midwife because they eventually stopped. I did not want another false alarm.
On Labor Day, I woke up like any normal day. We did not have big plans because of the impending birth so we decided to go to a local park and walk. My husband, Ben, and I walked while my son rode his bike and my daughter enjoyed a ride in the stroller. After the walk, we decided to go out to Logan's for lunch. I ate chili which seems spicy at Logan's. =) I came home and took a nap. After the nap, I started having contractions. I walked and walked. I did not want them to stop this time. Around 6ish, they started to get more intense but I wanted to wait until I knew for sure before calling the midwife. Around 6:30, I called my parents and told them this was the real thing and they needed to come to watch the kids. I then called the midwife who said she would be there in about 30 minutes. I started getting the room ready and we put in a movie for the kids so Ben could blow up the pool.
The midwife arrived a little after 7. I met her at the door and she joked that I looked good for being in labor. I just hoped it wasn't a false alarm. She checked my progress after she got situated and I was a 7cm. My husband began filling up the pool. I think it took about an hour to fill up the pool. The contractions were close to 2 minutes apart and starting to get more painful around 8. They weren't long just more intense. I was still walking around helping get the kids situated with my parents-they had arrived a little after the midwife.
When the pool was filled and at the right temp, I hopped in. The contractions were intense and painful at this point. The pool helped. I talked with the midwife about knowing when to push. With my previous 2 deliveries I was checked for progress multiple times and told when to push. The midwife's advice to trust my body empowered me to concentrate more on what my body was doing. Toward the end of labor, the contractions lessened in intensity and I seemed to feel the baby slipping down. At 9:08 my water broke which surprised me. My water was broken the past 2 births and I forgot that my water may break. What was even more shocking was what came next. My daughter! Yep, my water broke and she was born in the same minute!! I didn't even have to push. My body did it for me.
The baby was beautiful! I was in love. I stayed in the tub with the babe.
