Kellie’s Story
-Las Vegas, NV (now lives in Sterling, VA)
Chris and I went to dinner at a friends house Saturday, 2 December. We went early as I get tired early on in the evenings with all that baby to lug around. We left at 7:30pm and Chris went out to meet some friends and I planned on watching TV and going to bed. Around 8:15pm I went to the bathroom and heard an audible pop noise. I thought…well, maybe this is my water breaking…or my back just cracked. Nothing came out so I went back to the couch and then there was the gush. I ran back to the toilet with my cell phone. I called my friend Kristie who was going to be acting as a doula for me and asked what she thought. She told me to call my midwife and get Chris home.
I called Chris and he barely let me finish the sentence before he was off the phone and on his way home. He said all his friends were saying that I needed to go to the hospital if my water broke because of the risk of infection…what do guys know?
My midwife was a bit incredulous that I would know what my water breaking felt like, so I described it and she said that since I didn’t have any contractions yet that I should go to bed and get some rest. She said with first time moms that it can take a really long time and she didn’t want to have to transport me to the hospital.
Chris got home and I told him that the midwife had said not to panic and just go to bed. He wanted to get everything ready anyway for the water birth and all. I went to bed around 10pm and I’d had a few contractions, but nothing steady. Then they started coming much closer together…5 mins or so. I then decided I was probably having Josiah that night, so I got up…no use…I couldn’t sleep! I got Chris to start timing them and I was surprised at how frequent they were becoming.
We called my friend Kristie at 11:30pm and she got to my house by midnight. She looked at what we’d been recording as far as timing the contractions and she said to call the midwife. Margie, the midwife, got to my house at 12:45 am and checked me. I was at 5cm and in active labor! I then started to walk back into the living room to visit with everyone when I got super nauseous. Kristie got me to the toilet and I threw up all my dinner from that night. Margie said it was nerves, but I don’t think so since I wasn’t nervous.
I got into the birthing pool, which really alleviated the ache I was having in between contractions. But then I would get super hot so I kept getting out of the pool and laying on the kitchen floor on towels. My midwife checked me around 3am and I was at 8cm and it was encouraging to know that I was progressing. The intensity of the contractions was totally worth it! I could do this!
At around 3:45 am I started getting the urge to push, which Margie told me I shouldn’t push unless I had to…well, I had to. At 4am she checked me and I was completely dilated.
I wanted to lean over the side of the pool with my head on a cold washcloth, but Margie said I kept sucking Josiah back up in that position, so she had me sit on my butt and hold my legs around 4:30am. It was so frustrating to feel him start to come out and then slip back up in. I had to learn what muscles to push him out with…Hard work! Finally his head popped out at 5:40 and I was not prepared for the rest of him not to come out with the head. It was just a head squirming around down in the water. I almost lost it at that point because I had to wait for the next urge to push to get him out. I was too tired to push without a contraction. At the next contraction he was out…5:45 am on 3 December!
He was placed on my chest and started screaming bloody murder. The water in the pool had cooled so he was getting cold being half in the water half out. Once the cord stopped pulsing Chris cut the cord and got to hold him while Margie took care of me. Josiah Christopher weighed in at 7lbs 4 oz and was 20.25 inches long.
I’m so happy with my home water birth and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Love my new little family!
