Calvin's Birth Story

Warning! This is not for the easily grossed out! And it's long. You have been warned.

July 13, 2013, 8:35 am; 8 lbs 12 oz; 20 inches; 39 weeks 5 days gestation

For weeks and weeks I had had false labor, or pre-labor, or practice labor, as some like to call it. I had contractions that were very regular that would last for hours on end, but never progress. Sometimes they would be strong enough that I had to breathe through them, but never strong enough to stick around and result in the real thing. It was frustrating, but I did my best to focus on the positive: They helped me learn different laboring positions and relaxation techniques, it helped me ripen and dilate, and it was a good reminder to keep up my prenatal exercises.

Friday night was one of those nights. For 5 hours I had contractions that were every 5 minutes, pretty hard, but never getting any stronger. Gavin went to bed but I couldn’t sleep yet. I paced the kitchen floor and wrote in my journal. At 2:00, I wrote Gavin this message:

2am and the contractions are still going strong. I thought they'd ease up after laying in bed for awhile but they didn't. I'll try to go to bed again soon. Maybe this time I'll be able to sleep. Or my water will break or something. Ha. I love you!

At 2:30 I climbed into bed and after a few short minutes, the contractions subsided and I fell asleep.

An hour later, I was still somewhere between drifting off and dreaming, when I felt a tiny *pop*, as though a small air bubble escaped down south. My eyes jumped open, and I wondered whether that might have been my membranes rupturing. Then, a small gush of fluid spurted out and I knew. It was finally time! I reached out and touched Gavin’s arm and said his name. He jumped, and I then I told him my water had just broken. He shot out of bed so fast it was funny. He came around the bed to help me up, but as soon as he pulled on my arm to help me sit up, a huge gush of water flowed out of me and ran down the side of the bed. (Luckily, I had just put a waterproof sheet under my side of the sheets that very night!) We laughed in disbelief and excitement as we struggled to get me out of bed and straight to the bath tub where I could… drain. I seriously made a small river on the way. It was insane. Once I was standing in the tub, water continued to gush out with every contraction. Gavin rushed around packing the last-minute stuff for us as well as Zoey and I did my best to mop myself up. We made our way downstairs and called the midwife, the contractions becoming a bit more intense. We were thrilled to find that the best midwife in the clinic was on call that night, and called her up right away. Claudia told me that I didn’t need to rush too much, but to get to the hospital soon. At 4:00 we called my aunt, who lives nearby and who had previously agreed to help us out, and she came over to stay with Zoey. Then we gathered up our stuff and took off.

We arrived at the hospital at 5am and checked in. I was dilated to a 4 and completely effaced. Claudia was working with someone else, so we were on our own for about an hour and a half. Just as we had practiced, I stayed on my feet for as long as possible. I alternated between walking, swaying, leaning on things and resting. We got a birthing ball (a glorified exercise ball) and I sat on it for awhile too. By the time Claudia was ready for us I was dilated to a 6+ and the contractions were coming on stronger all the time. She showed Gavin how to better apply counter pressure to the back of my hips and it was a big relief. (He had been doing a great job; things were just becoming more intense and I needed more pressure.) She gave me the go-ahead to get in the tub to relax awhile and I was grateful. It was immediate relief for a bit, and I was able to handle the contractions all on my own. After about a half an hour though, I started feeling them stronger and stronger, and become very nauseated. I decided I needed to get out, and finally threw up in my attempt. Claudia took one look at my face and told me I was starting transition. (Transition! Aaah!)

Slowly, I made my way over to the bed as the pain became about as much as I could take. I was scared I couldn’t do it, but kept telling myself that I could. Gavin and Claudia echoed my optimistic thoughts and kept the encouragement coming. Once on the bed, I felt a little better between contractions, but that didn’t last long. I was now at an 8+ and things were moving fast. Claudia said the baby’s head was turned sideways and had me lay on my left side through 4 or 5 contractions to get him to turn. The pain was like fire. I almost couldn’t stand it. I began sweating and having a hard time staying calm. Once he was turned, I resumed a semi-sitting position and the real work started. I had one foot plated on Gavin’s shoulder and one on Claudia’s. I was almost totally dilated now, and Claudia said I could push whenever I felt the urge. Not knowing what “the urge” would feel like, I continued through each contraction, doing my best to keep my breath under control. I began vocalizing at the end of each contraction and noticed that my body was tensing uncontrollably. After a couple of those, I realized that that was the “pushy” feeling I was supposed to look for, and I went with it. The next few contractions I worked with it and allowed by body to do exactly what it wanted to do. The pain was incredible as I felt the baby moving downward. Suddenly, “He’s got a lot of hair!” Oh my gosh—I was crowning already! This motivated me like nothing else and although tears poured down my cheeks, a new determination gave me strength I didn’t know I had. “I can see eyebrows!” And then Claudia instructed me to give small pushes, back to back and just like that, his head came out! His broad shoulders got stuck then, but two more pushes, and he slid right out. Gavin caught him in his gloved hands, just like we wanted. The relief was immediate and incredibly welcome. I did it! We did it! I sobbed tears of happiness and relief. My brand new baby boy was placed right onto my chest. He was dark purple and not yet breathing but I wasn’t worried. He was so big! Another couple contractions and the placenta came out. (The nurses all remarked on how big it was.) We rubbed him down with a blanket and out came the tiniest squeak of protest, and he was breathing and crying softly. His color came almost immediately.

When they weighed him I was shocked to hear how big he was—2 full pounds heavier than Zoey was! I hungrily searched every feature I could see, and I was thrilled to see how much he looked like Gavin. (A slimy, swollen version, but Gavin nonetheless.)

I was examined as they did the Apgar tests on baby Calvin and found to have no tears at all! I lost a lot of blood and water, but not too much. (When I went home I weighed 15 lbs less than when I had arrived at the hospital!) We gave him the middle name Yoshi, after my grandmother's brother. I love my baby boy. He is perfect in every way, and I am so pleased to have experienced the full labor and delivery experience. It was the most painful and most wonderful experience I have ever had, all wrapped up in one. We are healthy and learning a lot as we start our new life together as a family of 4.