BIRTH STORY: "OUR THANKSGIVING BLESSING"

I had the privilege of being part of Kathy's birth.  It was truly as amazing as it sounds.  The video will inspire and encourage moms in waiting!  Enjoy.....and Happy Thanksgiving CFYC Prenatal!  ~Meliea

Photo by Lora Denton Photography

"It was November 23, the day before Thanksgiving, and I was one week overdue.  My parents had been in town for 5 days and everybody was very anxious and ready to meet this bundle of joy.  I had an appointment with my midwife that day in Statesville to have an ultrasound and do a stress test.  I had been having irregular light contractions on and off all day.  My husband and I made the trek to Statesville from Charlotte.  Did I mention it was the day before Thanksgiving?  Needless to say we made a mental decision that we were not coming back to Charlotte without a baby.   

The traffic was bumper to bumper from Statesville south to Charlotte.  My appointment went well, I was 3 cm dilated and the baby looked great.  I was still having contractions on and off, so we decided to go find a park and walk around.  Like I said there was no way I could go back to Charlotte in that traffic.  After driving around a bit and searching for a park we finally found a small one with a graveyard next to it.  We walked around the graveyard looked at names on tombstones, hoping we wouldn’t find a name we liked better than the ones we had already picked out.  I swung on the swings and than relaxed in the sun.  My contractions were becoming more regular, but still very weak.  We finally decided around 5PM to head back to the birth center for a check in.  My contractions were starting to pick up and I was 4 cm dilated, so I called my birth photographer and my family and had them come. My mother and father came with my two daughters, equipped with DVD’s, books,  PJ’s  and lovey’s.  I think we spoke too soon or the baby was a little camera shy.   

By 10 PM things were not picking up and had even started to stall.  We decided to give it another half hour and than everyone would head home if there was no progress.  As we expected no change, I was at 4-5 cm and my contractions were very irregular.  So they left the water in the birthing pool and by 11PM, I was back in the car and heading to Charlotte.  With a quick stop at the Waffle House for a bite to eat and some pretty intense contractions I thought for sure I would be back in Statesville before the morning.   

Boy was I disappointed when I woke up the next morning on my own, not from the pain of contractions.  It was now Thanksgiving morning, 8 days after my due date and I was not going to think about having a baby.  It is the one day I did not want to drag people away from their families.  Besides my midwife had to be at Concord Mills at midnight for Black Friday shopping(we joked about this throughout the evening the night before) J.  I was having no contractions and felt great.  

 My dear friend Lori invited us all over for turkey day dinner.  She insisted on moving the dinner up to 2PM from 4PM.  I told her she was crazy, I would not be going into labor.  We arrived for dinner a little before 2 PM.  I stepped out of the car and BAM, my water broke (No it was not like the movies, I didn’t have a puddle under my feet).  I ate a wonderful dinner and did not tell my hosts until after the meal.  As contractions started I decided to text my midwives and birth photographer.  By 4PM things were getting more intense.  By the time we made arrangements for my two daughters to have a sleepover (we decided they did not need to come with us again) it was close to 5PM.  We hopped in the car and drove north.  It was definitely the real thing this time.  I was checked at 5:45PM and was dilated to 6 cm.  The contractions were getting really intense and there were no comfortable positions.  I sat on the birthing ball as long as I could while my husband pushed his palms in the base of my spine to try to relieve the back pain and I was using my yoga breath.  I had not decided if I wanted to give birth in the pool or not, but I wanted to labor in it.  The pool water could not get warm fast enough.  I was ready to get in the deep water and do what I had been practicing in prenatal yoga for 9 months, squat.  I birthed my first two in the position, so assumed I would do it again.  So with my husband breaking his back from leaning over to give me counter pressure and my mother holding my wrists the contractions started to come one after the other.  I whined, I cried (not from the pain), I cursed and finally said I am not having pressure like I did with my first two.  How will I know when I need to push, (as I started spontaneously bearing down).  They all looked at me, chuckled quietly and said, “you will know”. 

CLICK HERE to see a photo montage of Kathy's birth. 

As I was expressing my fear of pooping in the tub, I decided to give it my all and push this baby out.  I did give it my all and pushed the head out and expected the baby to just glide right out.  Oh no. I was very surprised when my midwives looked at me and said, “You have to wait for the next contraction to push the shoulders out."  WHAT??? Having had hospital births with my first two, once the head was out the doctor or midwife helped glide the body of the baby the rest of the way.  I didn’t realize that when you give birth in water, no one touches the baby until it is completely out. It felt like an eternity before that next contraction.  The amazing part and what makes you realize what a natural process birth is, is that the baby was rotating on its own without anyone touching it (at this point we still don’t know if the baby is a girl or a boy).  I couldn’t see it, but my midwives and husband all got to witness this amazing change.  I finally pushed the shoulders out and reached down and grabbed my baby.  There it was...was it Beck or Brooke?  We had been waiting 9 months to know…It was BROOKE, Brooke Aster  to be precise.  At 7:40PM on November 24, 2011 I became the mother of three... yes I said three girls.  I held her close to my chest and they helped me out of the pool to the bed where we could get warm and deliver my placenta.  It was such an amazing experience, even the part when my midwife showed me the placenta and explained the different parts of it.  Brooke weighed in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces and was 19 inches long.  I couldn’t believe how great I felt and how much energy I still had (and how I really wished I had Thanksgiving dinner leftovers at home).  By 10PM we were packing Brooke up and finally heading back to Charlotte with a baby.  

And yes, my midwife made it to Concord Mills for Black Friday shopping at midnight.  

I could not have had such a quick and problem free labor without preparing my body for this marathon the entire 9 months I was pregnant.  Prenatal yoga helped strengthen and stretch my muscles, taught me how to breathe from the pelvis and how to take my mind away and not focus on the pain.  Practicing prenatal yoga is one of the best gifts you can give your baby before they are born."