On Tuesday, Sept. 16th, my sister Allison and I took two walks and redecorated the living room on my adamant request.  I felt some strong aches in my lower abdomen while squatting to clean floors etc.  Talked to Jen and reported the feelings, she said she thought they were good signs that my body and baby were getting ready for the big day.  Went to bed that night.  I had been tested positive for GBS, and was prescribed a vaginal cream to use at night for 7 nights.  This was my 4th night.  Used the cream, which works like a yeast infection treatment (inject, and in the morning some falls back out). 

 

At about 3:30am, I woke up with the feeling that something was trickling out of my vagina.  I thought it might be the cream, but wondered about my waters.  I woke Jason up to get a towel, and when he brought it back I stood up and water gushed out.  I was still half asleep and didn't know what happened.  I smelled the liquid and it was not urine, it was clear, covering my wood floor in the bedroom.  I called Jen and she advised me to see if I had any strong contractions over the next hour or so, and if not, try to get some sleep.  She said it could take up to half the day for labor to begin.  But half a day!!! We were shocked. 

 

I went to the couch and was too keyed up to sleep.  Jason went to Walmart to get last minute birthing items we hadn't thought we yet needed, still being a week away from our due date, and expecting that baby would come late.  At about 7am I called Jen again who was surprised I wasn't sleeping.  She planned to leave Erie about noon, and I'm about 1 1/2-2 hours away.  I did lay down at about 8:30 and slept until 10am.  I asked Jason to go to work for 1/2 a day, he would be home at noon.  I sat in the rocking chair, breathing and moaning a little for several hours. 

 

Jason got home at 12:30 and I immediately wanted him to set up the birth pool in the kitchen.  He did so quickly and I could only wait until it had about 6 inches before I clambered in.  I sat with my back against the side and my legs out straight, with cold washcloths on my head and chest.  I was able to stay relaxed, reminding myself to have a limp body, limp body.  I kept saying this out loud.  At about 1:30pm I asked Allison to call Jen, I was feeling very ready to have her there.   She was about 1/2 hour away.  When she showed up at 2pm, I was still fairly relaxed, the water made the early contractions super easy to manage.  Shortly after Jen arrived, I started feeling a little more intense pressure and spontaneously flipped over on my knees, leaning over the inflated side of the pool.  I would not leave this position for the remainder of the birth.  I began moaning, yes sometimes screaming at the top of my lungs during each contraction.  Allison and Jason kept a hold of me and Jen poured water on my back.  After a while Jen said she was going to check me and I was fully dilated.  She said she only had to reach up about 1 1/2 inches to feel the baby.  I was too far gone to feel any relief about this.  I was in a world of my own, unaware of anything going on around me.  The contractions were coming so fast, only 10 or 15 seconds in between.  I remember once pleading with Jill to give me some more time to rest.  Jen told me to keep my hands on my perineum while the baby crowned.  I did this and it was amazing.  I could feel long hair flowing in the water.  I suddenly recognized my body's natural pushing sensation, and at the end of that contraction, I tried to keep it up by pushing forcefully. 

 

 Jen said she could see the baby move then, and I could definitely feel it!  I had an epiphany...that I could get this baby out, I didn't have to just "get through it"  I began to push hard during each contraction, the whole time, I could feel the baby moving down.  I felt the head come out a tiny bit more each time, and retract when I relaxed.  Once the head was stretching me as far as I knew I could go one particular time, I semi-pushed for the whole resting period, keeping her crowning for quite a while, it stung badly.  I announced this in chant form during the rest period.  Then on the next contraction I pushed very hard, while pushing my tissues hard with both hands.  I felt movement, Jen announced that she felt a nose.  I pushed again and felt the amazing relief of her head birthing, and I was only stretched around a tiny neck!!!  I relaxed and at the next contraction was expecting a little push and a body to come slithering out easily.  Unfortunately for me this moment, baby's head was 3/4 inch smaller than the shoulders, so I felt then rotate and had to really push to get them out.  I raised my body out of the water and bellowed "what is that? Pull it out!!"  Jen of course didn't pull, just waited for a few seconds and my pushing did its job. 

 

Jason couldn't tell if the baby was a boy or girl at first, the cord was short and went right between the legs underwater.  I turned over and discovered she was a girl.  She was covered in vernix and had her eyes wide open, floating in the water.  She was placed on my chest.  Jason cut the cord and held her while Jen and I worked on the placentas birth, which took 45 minutes, Jill had to push my legs back, I was very shaky after Scarlett was born.  It was intact and huge, apparently.  Scarlett nursed twice.  She was born at 4:01pm, only 12 hours after my water broke, and 3 1/2 hours after hard labor started.  What a whirlwind!  I had no tears and only minimal soreness/bleeding.  Jen said I sounded like a lion.  Scarlett weighed 8 lb 7 oz and was 20 1/2 inches long.  13 1/4 in head and 14 in shoulders.  She has a double chin and fat rolls on her arms at birth, just like her mama.  I am infatuated with her, of course.  The pain I went through is already drifting out of my memory, and I will definitely plan home birth again for my next baby.  I am already feeling like a normal person again, just with more love to give and receive!  My home birth was amazing and incredibly empowering!