Carly May

Carly May arrived on 11/9/11 at 3:03am weighing 6lb 2oz & 18 3/4 in long.

So Tuesday I finally got that burst of energy and I was cleaning like crazy. Disinfecting the kitchen, scrubbing floors (yes I was down on my hands & knees), cleaning the bathroom, etc. I cooked a delicious dinner, cleaned out the fridge, and did lots of dishes. I kept thinking I should take a nap, just in case. A couple of weeks ago my midwife told me that when I started nesting, take it easy & make sure to get rest. Oops. The truth is, obviously I didn't feel like it (and not like I would since I finally had a lot of energy lol).

I was in bed & doing some visualization - my midwife told me to take time every day to imagine what my birth experience would be like & keep everything positive. Not too long after my visualizing my birth, I got a contraction - not uncommon for me, but this one got a little stronger than normal. I felt a pop & a gush of fluid (10:40pm)! No way! I couldn't believe it! I yelled for Morgan & he got me a towel to make it to the bathroom. He couldn't believe my water had broken & said "Guess I'm not going to school tomorrow." Yeah, he was really disappointed :) Good thing we were super prepared & already had a shower curtain liner under our sheet just in case this sort of thing were to happen :)

I called my midwife & told her that my water broke and that I was going to try to get some sleep. She said try to sleep 4-5 hrs, but then she would be over to help get me into labor if needed since the water's broken & we're on a clock now, but to call if my contractions picked up. I called my mom & told her my water broke & she didn't believe me. She told me to stop joking around. After about a minute, she realized I wasn't joking & was screaming with excitement. After getting off the phone with her (around 11pm) I was trying to sleep & so was Morgan. I noticed the contractions felt a little more intense than usual so I started looking at my watch with each one. They were about 4-7 min apart and getting more intense & a lot more painful. Since I couldn't sleep anyway, I got up & called my midwife to give her an update (she didn't answer the first time 11:58pm, I figured she was sleeping so I waited a little & then called again at 12:19am). She said she would stop at the birth center to get a few things & then would be on her way over.

I was sitting on my birthing ball, but even that wasn't comfortable after a little while. I tried turning on the TV, kind of as a distraction, but couldn't even stand to have it on. I noticed the contractions were coming more frequently - every 3 minutes. And they HURT!! I felt better on my hands & knees and kneeling & leaning on my birthing ball. I kept asking Morgan if my midwife was here yet - I was feeling awful & really wanted her to check me & tell me where I was at. I was starting to feel more pressure & was unsure if I needed to go to the bathroom or if I was really that far along. I couldn't believe how uncomfortable I was - I decided to get back in bed since I was feeling so crummy. Just a couple minutes later my midwife arrived (about 2:00am). I updated her on the labor & she checked me. "wow, you are almost fully dilated & her head is right there. Morgan - start running the bath tub." Normally at these births there is a midwife & 2 other assistants (birthing assistants and/or midwife students), my midwife told me she wouldn't be able to get anyone else out here in time, so Morgan would be her helper :)

I got in the water and then started pushing around 2:30am. I'll be honest - I surprised myself with how much screaming went on. I really tried to breathe through as much of those contractions as I could to allow myself to stretch out and avoid tearing. Carly May arrived not too long after at 3:03am. She was put on my chest right away & had just a couple cries at the beginning - it actually made me nervous because I had to look to make sure she was still breathing. She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. Dark brown hair & little blue/gray eyes. I couldn't help but say "I did it." I couldn't believe this moment was finally here. 9 months of waiting & feeling crummy and I finally had my baby girl and it was all worth it, every second. I looked up at Morgan to see him smiling & looking at our new baby.

A little while after the placenta was out, Morgan cut the cord & then took baby while my midwife helped me get to my bed. Then I got my baby back while I got stitched up. Ouch. Thank goodness my husband is a dental student & has all the good stuff like topical anesthetic & lidocaine with epi (making it longer lasting & helping to control bleeding). Morgan was the perfect birth assistant! He was familiar with everything the midwife needed & was using and was able to assist perfectly.

Then I nursed baby for the first time & it went good. Baby got her newborn exam, but then she was getting cold so I got her back again :) After the midwife left, we tried to get some sleep. Morgan's never had trouble sleeping, but I was having a hard time. After feeding baby a couple more times, I was finally able to fall asleep for what I think was at least an hour or two. Baby slept for a long time too. My midwife came back to follow up on some paperwork & see how things were going. So far so good. Mom & baby are recovering well :)

I loved having a home birth. I loved that I didn't have to worry about packing everything up & loading it into the car. I loved that I could just be in a place I was comfortable to labor. I had everything I wanted & felt safe. I didn't have to worry about getting a nurse I wouldn't like or having to follow hospital policies or even having my baby taken from me for anything. I didn't have an IV or have to be hooked up to a fetal monitoring device or being confined to a bed for delivery. I especially loved that afterwards I could just get in my own bed. I didn't have to worry about getting in the car & driving home or even having to be in the hospital & potentially room with another mom & baby. I loved that I got to be in my bed with my husband & my new baby. It was perfect.