{second baby: unintentional unassisted home birth}
I conceived right around my son Hendrik Gavin‘s first birthday. I had a weird feeling throughout my whole pregnancy that she was going to come earlier than my son (9 days past his estimated due date (EDD) and faster (my son was 6 hours). The midwives said that every labor is different, you never know how it’s really going to be.
On October 30th, I went into Birthways Family Birth Center for my 40 week check up. I had some lower back pains that I told the midwife about and she kind of brushed it off, telling me it was normal at this stage. Since Halloween was the next day, I had made plans with my neighbor, Lucy, to go to Birthways for a little Halloween party they were having. Lucy had just her baby Anastasia 5 weeks prior.
I went to bed that night like normal bed sharing with Drik who was now 22 months old. My husband, Peter, had been sleeping on the couch because his snoring was driving me up a wall. I woke up at 3:30 am to some serious cramping but it was coming in waves. I just happened to have downloaded a contraction tracking app on my phone so I started timing the waves: the first one was 5 minutes the next one was 3 minutes, wow they were moving fast! So I got up and went to the bathroom where I realized I was in full-on labor.
I called my mom who lived 45 minutes away from me to get up and start getting to me. I called for Peter to wake up – when I did this, it woke up Hendrik. Peter suggested getting in the shower since the waves were coming faster. Great idea but then Peter put Hendrik in the shower with me – bad idea. During my contractions I was loud and that scared Hendrik so I would stop focusing on breathing and focus on calming Hendrik. Peter got us both out of the bath. I had Peter call the birth center and tell them that we are on the way and to call my family and tell them to just meet us at the birth center. My dad was going to watch Drik at my house. Then the rest of us were to go to the birth center. Later my dad was to bring Hendrik to meet his sister.
This isn’t going to go that way…
Well, I didn’t want to get in the car yet, so I was on my knees laying over the couch. I labored in the living room with Peter holding Hendrik in one arm and pushing on my back for counter-pressure. I noticed I was starting to push at the end of my contractions! We needed to get into the car now. I went to get dressed, and when I put on my bra and panties I noticed a small trickle of water, I didn’t think much of it.
Well, Peter was standing at the door with Hendrik when I say I needed to go to the bathroom one last time before leaving. As I go to sit down on the toilet my water exploded! There was no going anywhere now. I felt up there and felt her head! I called Peter into the bathroom. He looked and saw her head. We called the midwife and she told Peter to put me on my hands and knees. In 2 pushes Peter was holding her as Hendrik watched from the bathroom counter top. She started crying and turning pink, she was perfect. She was born in an hour and 25 minutes!
A few minutes later my sister, Madelyn, comes busting through my front door calling through the house looking for us, finding me still on the bathroom floor, followed by my mom and dad. They told me that they got to the birth center to find the midwife saying to Peter “tell Katelyn to stop yelling” so they got back into the car and drove as fast as they could to my house. The midwife got there shortly after them to get me off the bathroom floor after she delivered my placenta. That was a sight, the midwife holding me up down the hall, my mom holding Aryanette and Madelyn carrying my placenta which was still attached to Aryanette!
The midwife went to cut the cord and realized that she forgot her special scissors. So she had to drive back to the birth center. It gave us more bonding time with just the family. Plus, talk about delayed cord clamping! The midwife couldn’t get a blood sample, Aryanette absorbed it all! We did all the standard baby health check out, weight which she was 8 lbs 6 oz. and her length was 21 inches. The midwife gave us the all clear – we were both healthy.
So I texted Lucy telling her to just come over when she got up. She opened the front door to find me sitting in my recliner holding my 3 hour old baby. She was so excited. We decided my mom and sister would take Hendrik to the Halloween party so Peter and I could get some sleep.
I have yet to get my water birth so I’m going to have to keep trying. I loved having a home birth. So my instincts were right that she was born 5 hours after her EDD!
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