Ada Marie's Water Birth Story Part 2

Now where were we?  Oh, yes, part 1 of Ada Marie's birth story concluded a few hours short of 38 weeks, 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced, with mild preeclampsia and low amniotic fluid.  As I mentioned, I was really surprised that the ultrasound revealed anything out of the ordinary.  I was prepared to take castor oil.  I was prepared to be induced on Monday.  I was prepared to go home and wait.  I was NOT prepared to stay at the hospital for an immediate induction.  I was feeling anxious.  For us, birth had never unfolded exactly the way we thought it would, but somehow this felt very different.

Shortly after we got settled into our room our doula arrived.  We talked through some of my anxieties while we waited for our midwife.  Our midwife brought such a calm, soothing presence to the situation.  She sat with us and explained the decisions that were being made, patiently answered all of our questions and told us we could try nipple stimulation with a breast pump to see if that would be enough to start labor.  We tried that for about 45 minutes.  It didn't start labor, but it did cause contractions and I was able to collect some colostrum that I was able to give to a gay couple who had a baby the day before and were looking for breast milk.  When the nipple stimulation didn't work our midwife explained that we would use cervidil to get labor started and then remove it once I was in labor.  I was nervous because we'd never used cervidil and because it was getting late and I was getting tired.  They inserted the cervidil around 10:30 p.m. and I was able to sleep for a bit.

I woke around 1 a.m. to use the bathroom.  I'm not sure if I was conscious of it or not, but I began to pace from one corner of the room to the other while chatting with Steve and our doula.  I was cold so I wrapped a blanket around my shoulders as I paced.  Steve and our doula knew I was in labor at that point, but I don't think I had realized it yet.  I started to feel like our baby girl was very low - like ready to fall out kinda low.  The nurse checked me and said that baby was very low, but that I was only 3 cm and she could feel some scar tissue and we'd probably need to manually break up the scar tissue.  Whaaa?  That didn't sound like fun and it didn't make sense to me because the procedure causing the scar tissue was from way before my pregnancies and hadn't caused any problems with the other two.

Our camera stopped working just moments before her birth.  These were all taken with our cell phone.  At first I was really disappointed, but now I kind of like them.  They are dark, like the room was and not completely clear kind of  like the mental state (aka labor land) that mamas enter during active labor.

By 2 a.m. I was fully aware that I was in labor.  I had hoped for a water birth with my other two children, but the first time I was monitored heavily and the second was too fast.  So our doula began filling the large birthing tub.  While it was filling I sat on a birthing ball in the tub and she ran water on my shoulders, back and belly.  It was so soothing.  Then I got down into the tub on my knees.  I felt my body relax into the contractions that were now fast and furious.  I knew we'd be meeting our little girl very soon and I was filled with emotion.  Needless to say the scar tissue on my cervix did not present a problem.

The midwife had given us space to sleep and relax while we waited for the pitocin to kick in.  She asked to be informed immediately when labor started because my second labor was so fast (1 hr. 45 mins. from 1cm to birth).  Somehow she wasn't told, but I was fully supported by my husband, doula and nurse.  She came in just in to check on us and immediately realized that birth was imminent.  She removed the cervidil.  I had a hard time staying low in the water during the contractions so she turned me around to sit and lean against the tub the way you might take a bath at home.  When I turned my water broke.  I pushed once and her head was born.  And, oh the sweet relief.  I didn't feel the need to push again for what seemed like a long time, but was probably about 20 - 30 seconds.  They told me I could reach down to touch her head.  At the time it seemed like so much effort, but I'm so glad that I did.  It felt like a freshly washed peach.  One more push for her shoulders and a last one for her bum and she was born.  She was born with her hand up under her chin as if deep in thought.  Our midwife joked that she almost came out holding the cervidil.  I reached down and pulled her up out of the water.  She was tiny and perfect.

At some point in the tub I remember saying to my husband, "I think this is the part where I say, 'you did this to me' and 'we're never doing this again'".  But I never even thought about drugs.  There was no doubt in my mind that I could bring my baby into this world exactly the way I wanted and needed to.

Nursing my sweet girl about half an hour after birth.

Ada Marie was born in the water and into my arms at 2:57 a.m. on Saturday, August 6, 2011, exactly 38 weeks.  She was an itty bitty thing weighing 6 lbs. 1 oz. and measuring 17 1/4".  And she was loved instantly.

Ada Marie's Water Birth Story Part 1

One year ago today our family and our hearts grew as we welcomed our little girl into this world.  Here is the story of her beautiful birth.

36 weeks pregnant and on a date with the hubby thanks to our fabulous friends who watched the boys.

First the backstory:
At 32 weeks my blood pressure (BP) started to rise. My blood pressure is normally on the low side so when it hit 130/80 I knew we were headed down a familiar, yet still bumpy and sometimes scary road.  You see, my first two pregnancies were very similar.  The first time it came out of the blue and took me completely by surprise.  First the high blood pressure and then the protein in my urine.  I felt fine so how could I have this potentially serious condition known as preeclampsia? And I had no swelling, headaches, upper abdominal pain or funny spots in my vision. But I was induced at 37 weeks the first time and went into labor while waiting to be induced at 37 weeks the second time.  And now I found myself in the same position and while I was not surprised I was still frustrated that there seemed to be nothing I could do to change my fate.  I took comfort in the fact that my first two children were born perfectly healthy at 37 weeks and I was still able to have beautiful, unmedicated births with both of them.

The first high reading at 32 weeks was cause for awareness, but not alarm.  Then at about 35 1/2 weeks I was running errands and my heart began to race, I felt flush and dizzy.  I was in a store that had a blood pressure machine and though I know they can be unreliable I had checked it at that location before and felt it was better than nothing.  My BP reading was 142/92.  I informed the midwives of my high BP reading and waited for an official reading at my appointment 2 days later, 146/104, argh.  The midwife didn't want to tell me, but I believe in making decisions based on all the facts, not just the ones I like.  I had her note that reading along with the second reading, 135/96.  I had blood work done and was sent home to collect 24 hours worth of urine, not my favorite thing to do, but relatively simple in the scheme of things.  I cannot remember what the results of this test were.

We continued to go into the office twice a week to monitor things closely, but I was fairly certain we'd coninue the rest of the pregnancy status quo like the first two and thought we might even have a chance at going full term.  Then, on 8/2, at 37 1/2 weeks the headache hit me.  It was intense and unrelenting.  I drank water like a fish, downed a few acetaminaphin and layed down.  I was home alone with the boys and they knew something wasn't right.  They were patient and quiet and allowed me to try to rest.  My neighbor made it home to watch the boys just as my husband arrived to take me to the midwives' office.  BP was 150/110 - the highest of any of my pregnancies.  We were sent on to Mission for non-stress test (NST) and blood work.  Baby seemed to be doing well so we were sent home with another jug for collecting urine. We were expecting to hear results of our urine collection sometime, hopefully early, on 8/4.  When I heard nothing I thought it was odd, but assumed that no news was good news.  Not so.  Steve and I were driving home separately from a swim at a friend's pool when one of the midwives called to tell me that the 24 hour urine results were in, 364.  Not super high, but anything over 300 plus the high BP is preeclampsia.  So we had two choices 1) come in for an induction, um, now or 2) go in for testing in the morning and then decide.  That hit me like a brick.  It was like 8 or 9 p.m. and I wasn't with Steve and I was just completely caught off guard so I decided to keep my appointment for the following day.

I called our fabulous doula and she was able to calm me down and we talked through all the questions I had so that I could be prepared for our appointment.  Like I said, this was familiar so while I was a little disappointed and caught off guard because of the time that we received the news, I was still confident that our baby girl would be healthy and that we could have another wonderful birth.  Our bags were packed and in the car just in case, but we had a busy weekend with our small business so I assumed that the tests would be fine and we'd either take castor oil or be induced on Monday.

Just before the big event:
At my appointment my belly was measuring 36, which alone didn't seem to concern anyone. Baby was slow to react during the non-stress test, but once she got going she was strong (the test occurred at at time when she was normally less active).  Then they led us to the ultrasound room for the rest of the biophysical profile.  It's amazing to see your baby so far along in pregnancy, but the lights were dim, the fan was humming quietly and it had been an emotional few days.  Those are all the excuses I use for both hubby and I falling asleep. Seriously, who falls asleep during an ultrasound of their baby?  When I woke up the tech told us that baby didn't do the practice breathing but that was all she said.  We headed back to labor and delivery outpatient area and prepared to leave as the nurses phoned the midwives with the results.  We could hear them talking on the phone but couldn't exactly tell how it was going.  Our wonderful midwife called our room and told us the news.  We were not going home.  Whaaa????    She would be heading to the hospital and we would begin an induction immediately.  I didn't see that coming.  With my other pregnancies our tests had always come back fine.  I was surprised to learn that our amniotic fluid appeared to be pretty low.  Average is about 12, 6 is on the lowest side of normal, mine was 4.  I realize this is not an exact thing because they are limited by what they can see, but it is a part of the big picture.  If it was just that the fluid was low they said they probably would have had us drink a lot of water over the weekend and come back on Monday, but with the other symptoms they felt it was safest to induce.  I was one day shy of 38 weeks, 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  We phoned our doula and she was on her way.

Tomorrow I'll post about the labor and birth.

"The Apples In One Seed": Part I (aka The Hubby's Birth Day)

A blog titled Birthing Me would not be complete without the occasional birth story. To honor the members of our family I thought it might be fun to tell their birth story on their birth day. So, today is my husband's birthday and to properly tell his story I contacted the woman who knows it best - his mama, aka Grandma Chris. In true Chris fashion she put her all into delivering the story I requested and it is a story. So, without further delay please give a warm welcome to first-time-guest-blogger Grandma Chris.

From the moment that I learned I was pregnant in the summer of 1979, I knew I was embarking on a journey that would be emotionally, medically, and financially challenging. What I did not know then that I do know now is how that difficult and often lonely and heartbreaking journey would change me, strengthen me, deepen me, and become the greatest love story of my life.

My husband and I met in 1975 as graduate students at Michigan State University (MSU) and were married on June 11, 1977. Unfortunately by June 1979 when I learned I was pregnant, there were already significant problems in our marriage. The reality of an unexpected pregnancy magnified to me the reality of our marriage: my husband did not want a baby, nor did he want me as his wife. I was devastated. My dream of a loving husband encouraging and supporting me through a potentially difficult pregnancy was crumbling. I agonized about whether it was even in my child's best interests to bring him or her into this world. I sought advice from several medical professionals who educated me about the special challenges and risks of pregnancy in diabetic women. (I had developed Type I insulin-dependent diabetes in 1973 and needed several daily injections of insulin plus a strict diet and exercise regimen.) I continued to see a marriage counselor, although after several sessions, my husband had refused to participate any further. The focus of my counseling shifted to how I would manage a high-risk pregnancy and child-rearing as a single parent.

At perhaps my lowest moment, I received a message of encouragement and faith in the form of a stained glass apple inscribed with the words "Any man can count the number of seeds in one apple, but only God can count the number of apples in one seed." I suddenly realized that my doctors and therapists and I had only been counting the obvious difficulties and challenges that I was facing. I knew I needed instead to believe that there were countless ways, yet unseen, in which this baby, this child, this person, would make a difference in my life and the lives of everyone he or she encountered.

From that day forward, I committed myself to the journey of single parenthood with faith, love, and positive thoughts. Almost immediately circumstances changed for me. I was contacted and enrolled in a research project at MSU Medical College involving pregnant diabetic women. The equipment and monitoring that was provided to me at no cost were a true blessing. I was able to frequently test my blood sugar levels at home and adjust my insulin needs accordingly. Medical professionals monitored me closely and were available by phone for any questions or problems that I had.

I began to marvel at the changes in my body and the miracle of the life growing inside of me. The week of my 27th birthday (October 15) I felt the first detectable flutters of movement. It was an indescribable moment that moved me to tears. I read and studied everything I could about pregnancy and childbirth and especially the special concerns of being a diabetic mother. I hoped I could have as normal and natural a delivery as possible.

On the advice of my doctors, I resigned from my full-time job to better care for myself. I also made plans to move back to Wisconsin where I would have the love and support of my family and friends. In early November 1979 my father flew to Lansing to help me pack my car and a trailer and drive me back to Wisconsin.

Soon after returning to the Eau Claire area I met with my family doctor and an OB/GYN doctor who both were willing to monitor my pregnancy so that I could continue to participate in the MSU research study. For the most part things went smoothly. I did have two short hospitilizations in my third trimester: one for blood sugar problems due to a stomach flu and the other because I'd developed pre-eclampsia. I learned from my OB doctor that the babies of diabetic women often die in the 39th and 40th week of pregnancy for reasons that were unknown at that time. Therefore it was standard practice to induce labor or do a C-section several weeks before the mother's due date. However, if delivered too early, the baby's lungs may not be fully developed and the baby could have serious respiratory problems. To avoid this, an amniocentesis procedure could be done to measure how well the lungs were developed. On February 19, 1980, I had the first amniocentesis. The test result was close to the desired level but my doctor felt it best to go one more week. The next amniocentesis was done on February 26. I remember the doctor taking one look at my huge belly that day and declaring, "Looks like it's time to get this duck out of the oven!"

The test revealed my baby's lungs were developed enough for life outside the womb. Because of the position of the baby, the doctor felt it best to deliver by C-section and arrangements were made for me to check into the hospital that evening and have surgery early the next day.

I had read about and prepared myself mentally for a C-section. Although I regretted not having a natural delivery, I knew it was more important to bring my baby as safely as possible into the world, given my diabetes. I was planning to have a spinal anesthetic so that I could be awake and be able to see my baby as soon as he or she was born. The evening of February 26, 1980, I checked into the hospital, had numerous blood tests performed, and preparations for surgery at 8AM the next morning.

That night I found it difficult to get to sleep. I was feeling so many emotions - mostly excitement and joy, but also anxiety and fear about the surgery and my baby's health. I even felt a sort of sadness about the pregnancy ending. It had been such an incredible experience and I felt a very strong bond with this mysterious and yet very familiar being living and growing and tumbling around inside of me. I prayed for strength and guidance and wisdom for the months and years ahead and made a promise to my baby that night to be the best mother that I could be.

Thanks, Grandma Chris! We look forward to part II! I'm thankful for the choices she made that brought my wonderful husband into this world. It sounds like it was a time of much reflection and meditation. Raising kids is challenging with two parents so I can only imagine the challenges she faced as a single parent, but she raised an incredible man and should be very proud of herself and of him.

Happy Birth Day, Babe and goodnight.