Redhead712771: Keegan’s Natural Birth

Posted Thursday, October 15, 2009 12:26 PM

"I grabbed onto my husband's neck and my mom's pocket, and pushed for about thirty minutes, and that was it. She was out."

A slow start
Keegan was born on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, but I went into labor on Sunday, October 4. I started having regular contractions around 7 p.m., while I was at the grocery store. We got home and decided to go for a walk, hoping to speed things up. The contractions continued every three minutes, so we called our midwife, who said to get in the bath tub and relax and to see if they persisted.  They did; so, we headed to the birth center (an hour-and-a-half drive for us). We made it there just after midnight, and the contractions were continuing every three minutes. I was 1-2 c.m. and about 75% effaced.

After giving me Tylenol PM to help me sleep through early labor, my midwife left me alone. When she came back to check me at 3 a.m., I got up to pee and had a gush of water leak out, just as I sat down. She checked it with a ph strip and confirmed that my water had broken. Much to our surprise, I was actually able to go back to sleep, only to discover ten hours later that my water hadn't actually broken at all.  They couldn't explain the gush or the ph strip turning, but they said it was possible that I could have had a small tear that leaked out some fluid.

The real thing
I continued contracting regularly for the next few days until 3 a.m. on Wednesday morning, when I awoke to find that my water was breaking (for real this time) and that, much to my sadness, it wasn't clear; instead, it had a green, chunky appearance. I was planning to have a water birth, and what I saw was meconium. I called my midwife, who said to head in.

We arrived at 5 a.m. My water had broken more in the car, and I would say that there was about a gallon of  fluid. I was 2-3 c.m. and still 75%. I was SBP, so they started my first IV (I ended up having three different ones due to bad placement or rolling veins), and I tried to sleep for a bit. My contractions began to intensify into really bad menstrual cramps and pains in my lower back, so, as soon as I was unhooked from the IV, I jumped in the tub, which helped a ton. I ended up having to get out out every half-hour or so, though, because I kept having to poop, which they told me was entirely normal. Around 8 a.m., they checked me again, and I was 6 c.m. and thinned.

The panic room
By this point, my contractions were getting really painful-- some catching me completely off guard and coming one right after the other. I was sent into a screaming panic. Around 12:30 p.m., they checked me again, and I was 8-9 c.m.with a small lip, and they confirmed that I wouldn't be able to deliver in the tub. Though heartbroken, I knew it was best for my baby to decide against the water birth that I had originally been anticipating.

Once again, I got out of the tub to poop, only to discover a new-found appreciation I had acquired for the amount of comfort provided by the toilet. It was especially comfortable for my hips, and my ability to rock on it really helped ease the pain. Without attempting to sound overly disgusting, the pooping also really helped to relieve a lot of the pressure.

Finally here
I headed for the bed around 1 p.m., and, shortly after, I felt intense urges to push.I started pushing on my hands and knees, which really felt good, but I was so tired that I couldn't hold myself up. I flopped to my side, my husband laid behind me, holding my right leg, and my mom held my left. I grabbed onto my husband's neck and my mom's pocket and pushed for about thirty minutes, and that was it. She was out.

I pooped every time I pushed, but I didn't care. They cleaned me every time, and I knew that it only meant that I was pushing the proper way. The midwife was shocked that I didn't tear, but I wasn't entirely surprised-- it looked like the perineal massaging paid off! Keegan was born at 1:41 p.m., and by 7 p.m., we were both healthy, happy, and headed home.

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