My Dreamy Birth Center Water Birth
Hi Friends! Today I’m gonna tell you about the birth of my second baby. This birth was outrageously different than my first. After my traumatic hospital birth, I decided to have this baby in the birth center and it was a DREAM!
At around 7 pm on September 22nd, 2017, my husband and I were playing with our daughter in her room upstairs when I started feeling small contractions. I remembered that with Kenna, I had prodromal labor for at least a week. Up all night with contractions, I always thought they were the real thing and they weren't. So I assumed that's what this was and I asked Brett if we could all go for a walk because that always helped when I was in labor with Kenna.
So we went for a walk around the neighborhood and the contractions got stronger and closer together. They were so strong that I could no longer walk through them and I finally told Brett that we needed to go back because I didn't have any water. At this point, I was still convinced that they were just braxton hicks and something else that helped them go away with Kenna was drinking a lot of water and taking a warm shower.
After doing both of those things, the contractions did not go away. Brett put Kenna to sleep while I texted my Doula. I started timing my contractions, but she said they weren’t consistent enough to be considered real. Which is what I had figured, so I laid down and try to go to sleep.
No sleep came and the contractions just kept coming. I sat in the bathtub and listened to a Hypnobirthing soundtrack, trying to rest and allow my body to accept these contractions. Real or quote unquote “fake”, because in my mind this was still not even close to the real time. I was texting my best friend at the time, telling her how I felt but mostly complaining that this was going to be a long night since this was not real. Kenna came a day late, NO WAY this boy is coming almost 2 weeks early! I told her how sad it was that when the time DOES come, there was no way to know when my last full day of just me and Kenna was or our last night cuddling as a family of 3!
By 3:00 am my contractions were a little over a minute apart and I finally started accepting that this could actually be IT. I didn't know what it was like to not have prodromal labor for days! I suddenly remembered that our car seat was still in the attic, we had no bags packed, and all of our clothes were dirty.. So I woke Brett up and he got all that together while I made some peanut butter toast. I heard Kenna at the top of the stairs at 4 am saying "toast please mommy!", she must have smelled it 😂
So we ate together and at 6 am I decided we needed to go. I called my doula, and she said, "okay. I understand, but my advice is to wait. You're talking to me right now and I can tell you that you are way too calm to be in labor. They will just send you home." I told her I understood that, but having a toddler and going into downtown Atlanta at 6 am made me nervous. I'd rather just go get it checked out!
So we head that way and had to stop for gas (ahem can you tell how unprepared we were yet?! 😂). We started calling family to see if anyone could come get Kenna. Y'all. 7 houses of family members and EVERY SINGLE ONE was out of town! Seriously?! We get to the birth center at almost 8 am, the midwife says the same thing. You're too calm to be in labor. Discouraged, I told Brett to stop calling people to get Kenna but let me get checked out.
Turns out, I was dilated to almost 8 cm! Baby time!! This is where I want to insert - LISTEN TO THE MAMAS! We know our bodies. Trust your instincts. If I had listened to my doula or even my midwife say I was “too calm to be in labor”, I wouldn’t have been there in time to birth this baby in the magical way that I did.
Back to the story: I bounced on the birthing ball for a bit while chatting with my doula, hearing Brett and Kenna watching and singing the Wiggles. I labored almost the entire time listening to the Wiggles, bet you didn't have that great birthing soundtrack! 😂 Every time a contraction came, I closed my eyes and said to myself "with every wave, my baby is closer to me. My body and my baby know what they are doing and I was created for this very moment." I would open my eyes once it ended and smile, continuing wherever I left off in my conversation. Finally at around 10:45 am, a family member was able to come get Kenna. They ended up staying in the lobby because our oldest niece wanted to see the baby! Contractions got strong. I started moaning through them, with my midwife assuring me that I was doing great. Finally I could feel him in the birth canal. My body began pushing with the contractions without me trying, it was just automatic. There was no stopping it. 3 big, long pushes, one loud scream of "I can't do this!!", and suddenly I looked at Brett and said "he's coming!" At 11:50 am, I heard my midwife say "reach down and grab your baby!" Without even looking, I reached into the water and I pulled my sweet son to my chest. I looked at him and said "hey! Welcome to the earth, you really hurt me!" 😂 We admired him while we waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing and Brett cut it. He did skin to skin with Zane while I climbed into the bed and did all the fun afterbirth stuff. There was no tearing!He was 8 lbs 4 oz, exactly like his sister. 💙 We nursed, napped, ate, and showered before leaving at around 7:30 that night! We could've left earlier but I already called the pizza delivery guy, so we waited and ate the best pizza I've ever tasted 😂🙌
This is physiological birth. I was left alone to trust my instincts and do what I wanted and needed to do. I wasn’t coached along the way at any point, I wasn’t disturbed, and I experienced the Fetal Ejection Reflex for the first time. It was magical and if I could have 20 more babies like this I would! :P
My goal is to teach every woman that this is possible for them, too. I was back home with my entire family that same night and my recovery was incredible. This is what women deserve.
Thanks for reading, friends. Until next time, sending love, light, and positive birthing vibes!
🌼Lindsee
