May 28, 2011 {Brittany & Frank: A big baby boy born at the birth center while his father serves in the military.}
I was sitting outside when my father said “Let’s have a father-daughter day since your mother is ill.” So I went out to Publix to grab us some shrimp steaks and some veggies. At dinner my father commented, “This may be your very last dinner without your baby.” I said yea okay… So I said “I’m going to go out for a little while, I’ll be home later tonight.” I get home, shower and go to bed at 12am…
At 3:10am I woke up to – of course – go to the bathroom… I laid down in bed to feel something that wasn’t normal coming out and thought ummm…. so I went to go to the bathroom and as I stood up whooooshh! my water broke. I screamed “Mom! MOM!!!!!” No answer! “MOM!!!!!!!!!” My dad answered “yes?”
“MY WATER BROKE!!!” My mom ran into my room and said “Call your midwife!” so silly me, I called her at 3:20am (sorry) and woke her up. She told me to go back to sleep since I was on only 3 hours of sleep but of course I could not… so I walked and I walked until I said, “You know what? I need to lie down.”
So at 9am my midwife wanted me to come to the birth center to see how I was doing, and then told me to come back at 1pm so I did what I was told, went home, ate some lunch and came back at 1pm. She then checked me to see that I was already 4-5cm and told me I would be staying. So my mother called my father and told him to arrive. Boy, if he only knew that he didn’t need to come yet…
By this point I was feeling the contractions pretty well and was having mother force water down my throat until I felt the urge to throw up! All my lunch came coming out like a bat out of hell. At this point I don’t know the time or anything because I’m so focused on the contractions that time just seemed unimportant. Now I was in transition and oh lord I looked at one of my midwives and said get me in that water… She said we have to check you we need to make sure you are at least 7cm. I cried out Nooo no! Get me in that water now. So the other midwife turned the bath water on and it was like music to my ears. I knew the pain would be eased… I got into the water and moved around and relaxed and then I allowed my midwife to check me.
I was 8cm. I started crying. Thank god this will be over soon (not). Then I felt like I needed to push. I then remember looking at my mom and saying “I give up. I want to go to the hospital.” and she said no! I then asked for help to get out of the tub because it wasn’t working for me, and was helped onto the bed. I then began to push… nothing was happening, but when I was pushing with the contractions the pain was gone… and then I looked at one of the midwives and said “I need to go to the hospital, I can’t do this anymore, please please take me there.” And she so kindly said, “Okay, we will call for you to get transferred but before we do that I would like to tell you that they will need to do this first and then this and this and then you can get the drugs and by then you will have a baby.” I looked at her and said okay. I felt so overwhelmed. I wanted this, but it was too much… what can i do… PUSH!
So I pushed and pushed. Nothing was happening so I moved on my hands and knees and pushed hard. Nothing was happening so I moved to my side and moved side to side and pushed until I got a result… I said “I can’t do this anymore, I can’t take it, when will this end?” and my midwife said “Give me your hand and I’ll let you feel your baby’s head” so I did. It gave me hope and promise that this wasn’t for nothing… then they listened to the baby’s heart beat. It was strong so I pushed and pushed and I was dead, I was done, I didn’t want to do any more until my wonderful midwife said, “Brittany, one more push and you will have your baby.” I looked her dead in the eye and I said “You pinky promise me?” and so she gave me her pinky and we promised… I gave one good last push after 2 or so hours of doing so and my son was born… everything stopped, time stopped, the world stopped. My son was born!
I was now a mother. Brycen Anthony was born May 28, 2011 weighing 9.4 pounds and 20.5 inches long at 11:10pm after 21 hours of labor on 3 hours sleep. Do I think I’m a strong woman for birthing a child with no drugs? No, I do not, my midwives made me the strong woman that I am so I could do it without drugs and for that I thank them.
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