My midwife asked me, at a postnatal appointment, what I remembered most from Emmett's birth. I chuckled a bit, but took a minute to think back on the day that already seems ages ago, yet just like yesterday at the same time.
1 week
I'm so glad she asked. I could sit here and quickly type out what happened, but it's different to list off a couple moments I remember most. I think I'm even more thankful she sat and listened intently, allowing me to recant a few precious and memorable moments from the birth of my second baby. Since the dawn of time, women have been giving birth; doctors, midwives and husbands who drive too slow have been catching babies just as long, but each birth is different and each birth is special. I felt honored that she, especially being the one who was there, gave me the opportunity to tell her my story again without seeming bored or rushed. She's in the right career, my midwife.
The three things I remember most:
- Leaving massive puddles in the ER and no one seemed to care
- Me laughing when my midwife told me they deliver lots of babies in the shower
- The delivery team saying, "Here, take the baby!" to me within seconds of him being out
Now, here's the rest of the story (and there are pictures at the end):
Emmett Robert Thompson was born at 12:59 a.m. Friday, July 25th, just 59 minutes shy of sharing a birthday with big brother Rolin. He weighed in at 6 lbs., 12 oz. and 19.5 inches long. Though he has since lost much of it, his hair was dark brown, almost black, and he has dark blue-steel eyes.
As you know, Thursday, July 24th, was Rolin's birthday. He turned two! We spent most of the day at home because we had celebrated his birthday the weekend before at the Phoenix Children's Museum. I also wasn't feeling my best; I was experiencing lots of cramping and pressure, all part of of being three days away from your due date. I had made a run to the midwife's office that morning, too, because I had received a phone call from our local grocer telling me I'd purchased either peaches, nectarines or plums that were part of the listeria recall...thankfully all was fine, but I was nervous considering I'd eaten my pregnancy weight in nectarines the last month or so.
I was hooked up to monitor the baby at the midwife's office for a while because his heart rate was a bit on the low side. This is apparently is normal for how early it was in the morning, he was a boy and almost due, but we all wanted to be on the safe side anyway. Things were fine after the monitoring session; we learned the baby was still heads down and I was dilated to about 3 cm (woo! I like a head start).
Back at home the cramping continued. Some were extreme Braxton Hicks contractions, some were just from pressure of baby being so low and about due, but some were intense enough I had to focus and breathe through them. Nothing was consistent or gaining frequency, the two factors which indicate true labor contractions, though I still kept track of them, just in case.
I didn't think much of it, see, because this same cramping and pressure happened exactly three days before I had Rolin...
I took it pretty easy the rest of the day, and had let Karen take over in the kitchen by that point, especially considering it was about 112F that week. Standing in the kitchen for any more than 10 minutes made my ankles swell dramatically. After dinner we had ice cream cake, went on a walk, opened a couple more presents with Rolin and Facetimed with a few folks. I also thought to ask a few friends for last minute labor-management tips. One reminded me to make sounds like
Dory speaking whale on "Finding Nemo" as low-pitched sounds helps keep you relaxed, whereas high pitched sounds result from being tensed.
Around 10 p.m. it was time for bed. Around 10:30 p.m., as I settled into my pregnancy sleeping nest, made up of approximately 86 pillows, I felt a POP-POP-POP...splush.
"Justin!?" I said, in a calm, yet alerting, manner.
"It's time, isn't it?" he answered back from the shower, having understood the tone of my voice.
"Yep. Water broke!" I said.
Then the chaos began, just as it did with Rolin. Of course I had half washed-off mascara all over my face, I was wearing my ever-fashionable pregnant sleeping shorts (yellow with pink flamingos) and some shirt...I don't remember. I quickly threw on different clothes, made a quick trip to the bathroom to access...things...grabbed a towel, threw my slippers in our hospital bag and headed for the stairs. Justin alerted his parents and off we went.
Just as with Rolin I didn't experience any contractions en route, but it was definitely clear that my water had broke this time!
The check-in process at this hospital was quite different than with Rolin's birth. Everyone in labor, day or night, checks in through the ER. So, I waddle in, causally walk up to the counter and tell the receptionist, "Hi. My name is Christine and I believe I'm in labor?...My water broke...It's actually getting all over the floor!!" Justin brought over a wheelchair; sitting down caused more water to escape..like, a lot of water. Gallons, by my estimate. I was sitting in the wheelchair, in the middle of the ER room, giggling because I was leaving puddles on the floor and no one batted an eye. They brought me a sheet to put over my lap and continued to CASUALLY and SLOWLY ask me a series of check-in questions...WHILE I WAS LEAVING PUDDLES ON THE ER FLOOR.
As luck would have it, we had "the new girl" checking us in, so she just sat there smiling and staring at me as I breathed through contractions. I, politely as possible, asked her if she was quite finished yet when a labor & delivery nurse burst through the door. Oh, I was happy to see her. Again the check-in gal just starred as another contraction rolled through, so I asked her again if she was quite finished with my insurance and ID card so I could go. After a bit more fumbling, she wrapped it up, I think I signed something and we left. .
The ridiculousness of that whole thing is funny. Now.
Upstairs in triage I worked through a couple of contractions, was told I was at 4 or 5 cm dilated, got assigned a L&D nurse and then went to our delivery room. I opted for no epidural or IV since I knew I had done it once without, but I did sign a consent form for an epidural, just in case. Contractions were already just a couple minutes apart, so I figured (prayed, hoped and wished) it would be another quick one.
Once in the birthing room I opted to sit on a birthing ball (just a big exercise ball) at first, but then my midwife suggested standing in the shower. I poo-poo'd it at first, mainly because of how uncomfortable I was in the jacuzzi with Rolin, but decided to try it because I know warm water feels good on a crampy, achy back.
"We've delivered several babies in the shower!" said the midwife, with a smile.
"Ohh, haha," I replied, as I shuffled to the shower.
It did feel nice. Justin stood outside the shower, counting through contractions and holding my hand to apply pressure to the meaty part between my thumb and forefinger (Nurse Tom did with Rolin and it was awesome).
We stood in there about 30 +/- minutes when all the sudden the contractions changed from intense to party time. About that same time a hospital staffer came in to draw my blood. WHAT?! NOW? SERIOUSLY? was all I could think, but whatever. She asked me to sit down on the stool in the shower and I told her no. There was no way I could sit at that point. She just looked at me and blinked a few times, so I finally made an effort to sit.
Justin asked the blood-drawer to go get the midwife because it was baby time, but he says he watched her walk the opposite direction (we were not pleased with this person, to say the least).
Things had moved so quickly I was already at the point where I couldn't help but push with the contractions. I wasn't sure if I would make it out of the shower!! Justin pulled the emergency cord in the bathroom, which brought in a team of four people rushing to the shower. One of the ladies who came in running got down low as she approached and slid down in between my legs, as if sliding into home plate -- it was impressive -- to check things out (and catch the baby if necessary, I'm sure). No baby quite yet, so they helped me over towards the bed.
I made it as far as the side of the bed and decided that was far enough. As I leaned over it during a contraction, my midwife asked if I wanted to get on the bed, but all I could manage to do at that point was shake my head.
She must have said that position was just fine for delivery because that's where I stayed: leaning over the bed in a sort of standing/squat position.
I was channeling Dory big time by this point. It was definitely go time.
Justin was on the other side of the bed so we were head to head. He was encouraging me and holding my hands/arms as he continued to count me through contractions and pushing.
It's in the pushing phase where fear kicks in; fear of delivery issues, fear of the pain, fear about the condition of the baby, fear about not being able to do it. You do get to a point where you think you won't make it, that you can't do it. But you do. If it wasn't for my husband, my midwife, her assistants and the grace of God, I would have let the fear take over.
"Don't be scared, Christine," I remember my midwife saying.
I wondered how she knew I was suddenly fearful.
It's because she's a rockstar of a midwife, that's how.
It was in the middle of a push when my midwife encouraged me to keep pushing because if I maintained that would be the last push. I remember saying/grunting out loud, "I'm not sure how I can...," but strength came from deep within...I remembered Nurse Tom from Rolin's birth telling me, "You can do this; your body was made for this!" and then...
Boom. Baby.
Sweet relief. Euphoria. Emmett was born.
Total time from water breaking to baby in my arms was 2 hours, 29 minutes.
Remember I was standing? As soon as he was out, the delivery team told me to look down at the baby and take him.
"You want me to hold him now?" I asked, legs shaking furiously.
They handed him to me and I said, "I think someone else should hold him for a minute!" That wasn't possible, though, because they hadn't cut the cord yet and wouldn't for a while. They helped me up onto the bed and began cleaning up baby, right there on my chest.
Our first thought was that he looked nothing like Rolin. We didn't think he looked nothing like anyone in the family, which was so strange because Rolin came out looking EXACTLY like my brother Matt.
Anyway, more on that later!
After you deliver the baby, you have to deliver the placenta. This brings back some contractions. It was a little more intense of a placenta delivery than I remember after Rolin (something people just happen to fail to mention -- afterbirth pains are more intense with each subsequent birth. Wheee.) I actually looked at the placenta this time: it is smooth on the side facing the baby, bumpy on the side where is attaches to the uterus. The amniotic sac was still attached to it too, and my midwife showed me how it stretched to encompass baby. A beautiful miracle all in and of itself. Thank you, placenta, for helping create little Emmett.
As soon as placenta was out, my midwife said, "You are officially unpregnant!"
Justin and I were then proud owners of two babies. It's really crazy if you stop and think about it.
Fresh from the womb!
We thought he didn't look like Rolin, but he does look a lot like Rolin in this picture, haha!
My awesome midwife!
Proud daddy.
Look how little!!!
Happy and proud papa.
Sweet Emmett.
Ready to go home!
I felt
so much better after this delivery than I did with Rolin. I think having done it once helped, but I didn't have a great need for ice packs (if you know what I mean) this time around either, which makes a HUGE difference. I chalk that up to the position in which I delivered and the patience the team had with the pushing portion of delivery.
Next up: Rolin meets Emmett (sorta).
