First of all, I'm keeping this PG--it is a public blog, after all. That said, it is still a birth story so if you don't want to know the details, this is your notice to stop reading. But there's a super cute pic of Emiline at the bottom so scroll down and check that out.
Our darling Emiline was born almost a week late, 40 weeks and 6 days. I was really patient (like an angel!) until my due date had come and gone. Then I was a bear. For those of you who may have forgot or didn't know in the first place, I went a full 42 weeks with Jane. I'd had on and off labor with Jane starting at 37 weeks but still never went in to labor totally on my own (we did a midwife's "induction"). This time, I was really hoping not to go too late and I had wanted to go into labor spontaneously. I had an appointment with my midwife on Thursday afternoon (the 27th) and found out I was STILL at 3 centimeters, but my cervix was even more ready, "like butter." "You are really ready to go, you just need a little push" said Karen the English midwife (I love having midwives with a hint of accent, by the way. One of Jane's was from Germany.) Karen thought maybe just spicy food would be enough to do it. I asked her about trying some old tricks from with Jane (because lets face it, I was DONE being pregnant) and she said to go for it.
So I called my mom and Eric and set up a plan. I was going to take 4 oz of caster oil, then Eric and I would head to Chili's (spicy food) to spend the gift card my aunt gave me for graduation (you know, since it would be a while before dating or couple time would be on the table) and then we'd bring out the big guns--in this case the breast pump--and see if we could get us a baby. But before all this, we said a prayer and asked the Lord if it was within His will for this child to be coaxed out that night. We both felt good about our plan and Eric gave me a priesthood blessing. It was very sweet.
Then I knocked back the caster oil (nastier than I remember but not as bad as people usually say). We dropped off Jane for the night and went to dinner. We looked for the spiciest thing on the menu and I basically ate jalapenos for dinner. Some good contractions started during dinner, and, in retrospect, caster oil and jalapenos may have been not only over the top, but too hot of a combination... by 8:45, we had active labor!
I waited an hour and then called the midwife--Catherine was on call. She asked what I wanted to do and I told her I wanted to come into the hospital soon. (For comparison, I went into active labor with Jane at 4:30 in the afternoon and we didn't go to the birth center til 1:00 am...and we didn't deliver til 7:17 PM!!!!) I'm not sure why exactly. I just felt urgent about it.
By 11:00 we were on our way to the hospital after first stopping to get my mom. Getting admitted took forever and my nurse, while very sweet, had a hard time with some of our choices--she really wanted to put an IV in right away. Even though the floor was pretty empty, we went down to the family lounge to labor on the birth ball and escape a bit. Emiline was a little posterior so I did a lot of leaning forward through contractions. It still amazes me what a powerful thing that pain thing can be--it was really cool to find just the right position that alleviated my pain and, at least in theory, helped the baby get where she needed to be.
When we got to the hospital, I was a 4 1/2, which made me feel good because I really hadn't been in labor all that long. It was at least progress. Somewhere around 1:00, a felt my muscles start to freak out a bit. I knew that I wasn't in NEAR the physical shape I'd been in with Jane and one of my biggest concerns this time around was my inability to labor long or effectively. Basically, I already needed a break and was losing the ability to rest and relax. So I laid down on the bed, which was again the most painful position, and she checked me again. No progress. Which, frankly, was hard to hear. With Jane, I was stuck at a 7 for 10 hours. I was afraid something like that would happen again and I knew I didn't have the strength for it this time around. But I was able to sleep in between contractions for about 10 minutes and that was a huge pick me up (still strange to me how anyone can sleep in between contractions...).
Then things got worse, at least pain wise. I thought we'd try water for pain relief first and then... Things were quickly getting a lot more intense and more like transition felt last time. I knew I didn't have too much more in me. While they were getting the tub ready, I was checked again at around 2:00 am and apparently I was at a 5, but I didn't hear her tell me that so I thought I was still at a 4 1/2. I got in the birth tub after that and it did help but things kept getting more and more intense. My midwife stepped out for a minute and I asked for an epidural. Mom and Eric thought I was kidding...but I wasn't. I knew I only had an hour in me at most without more help.
All of a sudden, things hurt a lot and I felt the urge to push, which seemed crazy because I thought I was still at a 4 1/2. This translated into me saying "something's wrong" (and you know how hard it is to speak during a contraction!) Catherine asked me what was wrong, if it felt like my water had broke...uh no! She asked me to listen to my body and what it was telling me . All I could get out was "gotta push!" My mom knelt down by my head and told me to blow. The next thing I heard was "she's crowning!" and then some bustle as Mom and Eric flail around to turn on a light and hit the call button to get a nurse in there. Catherine yells "we're having a baby now!" (I should probably mention that while I was totally comfortable laboring in the tub, I hadn't planned on a water birth. We wanted the option available because of my back, but I wanted to decide that in the moment...Emiline decided for us ;-)
At some point I started pushing and then she's out and Catherine is chuckling with a kind of glee because Emiline is in the caul. It was a double water birth! About 15 minutes after I had desperately stepped into the tub, and no more than 2 minutes from crowning, Emiline made her grand entrance into this world. I remember her color looking strange because of the caul and she started screaming immediately. Man does she have lungs!! And unlike her sister, she didn't look at me for awhile, too busy checking out her surroundings to gaze adoringly at her mother ;-) She nursed right away and had a fantastic latch right from the get go. It's been such a treat to get to know her (more on that later).
With my baby on my chest, still in the birth tub, I was in complete awe and amazement, and not just at this mewling creature that is my daughter. In my blessing just hours before this labor journey began, I was promised an added measure of peace and strength and the ability to do what I needed to do. As I felt on the verge of my peace and my strength for most of the labor, I am profoundly grateful for that blessing. In different ways and for different reasons, Emiline's 5 1/2 hour labor was just as hard as Jane's 27 hour one. (which just goes to show that labor is hard, period.) I am amazed at the Lord's mercy in giving me what I needed for this birth. It was a personal miracle that she came so quickly when I was nearing my breaking point. If she hadn't come, I would have had a different kind of miracle--an epidural!! I'm not opposed to them or think they make a less natural birth or anything like that. My opinion has always been to just do what you can on your own and when that's not enough, get help. But this time, with my back and health problems being what they were, I felt a little extra love and reassurance from heaven when Emiline came like she did. It has given me confidence that I will be able to physically care for my family, something I've worried about for more than a year. We are capable of more than we know. And when we add God in the mix, and He's more there than we usually realize, little miracles happen.
I stand all amazed.
