Eeva's Birth Story

[poyer]

Hi ladies.

I started this posting about a month ago and finally am getting back
to it. I hope it's not too late for it to help one of you out.

My due date was June 27th and was going overdue, so I started having
appointments with the midwife group every few days to check on my
amniotic fluid, Eeva's heart tones, etc. Everything was checking out
great, and given the green light to keep waiting it out. After I went
to sleep the evening of July 4th, a week after my due date, I awoke to
very mild contractions. They were few and mellow enough not to keep
me awake and dozed off. The next morning, July 5th, I kept feeling
the contractions very sporatic and not at regular intervals. They
were, however, the real deal and not the Braxton Hicks I had been
having the months prior. You definitely can tell the difference. For
me the Braxton Hicks were just felt as a tightening of the uterus, my
whole belly would get really tight, but no sensation at the cervix.
The contractions I was having that day were more of cramping at the
cervix. They felt like menstrual cramps.

I had a midwife appointment by chance that day, so continued with the
day, as I figured these first series of contractions could go on for a
while, even days. At the appointment the midwife said I was one (1)
centimeter dilated! She must have read my face and tried to encourage
me and said that it still could happen today or tomorrow and not to
get too discouraged.

Jon and I came home, walked to the lake, and sat for while taking
photos of ourselves...not knowing these would be the last photos of us
prior to being a threesome. We prepared and ate a spicy curry dish
for dinner around 6:00pm. The contracttions were now regular but not
overpowering.

With each passing hour they became gradually stronger. By 7-8:00pm I
felt that this was it. Tried to rest and lay down. Which didn't
work, I needed movement. Tried pacing. It was not the right motion.
It was the yoga ball that did it for me. I knelt in front of the ball
and rested my upper body on it, letting my arms hang or had them
crossed under my head. The contractions were starting to become very
strong. Worse than any cramps I had ever had. I kept telling myself,
I can take more. I can take on the next level. Eventually, because
kneeling on the floor to lean over the ball, was wearing my knees
down, we put the ball on our bed. 9:00pm. The contractions were 1.5
minutes long, 4.5 minutes apart. We called the midwife. She told me
to call her back in 30-60 minutes and give her an update. She was
calm and told me that I was 'doing great'. In no time the
contractions were reaching what I thought was my threshold. I was
crying, screaming, grunting, tearing clothes off, banging the bed
frame and window sill beyond. The banging seemed to distract me, as
did the screaming! This went on for 45 minutes. I told Jon in my
stuper that if the contractions were going to get any stronger I would
be begging for epidural. At the same time thinking, I can take on the
next level of intensity. I kept trying to tell myself, I can take on
the next level. I can do this, but from the outside I must have
looked like I was cracking.

10:00pm. Jon calls the midwife again. She said if I want to come in,
to come in. The contractions were 1.5 minutes long, 3 minutes apart.
I think we waited too long to make that call. I was grunting, feeling
like I had to poop (sound familiar?), I was starting to feel the
involuntary need to bear-down. It was definitely time to go to the
hospital.

Jon ran back and forth to the car loading it up. While he was outside
my water broke. The urge to bear-down was too great. It really was,
to me, involuntary. I panicked a bit as I tested positive for GBS.
Jon came into the bedroom and found me soaked. He, as I've never seen
him before, stepped it up and became firm with me. I was in so much
pain that with each contraction I was paralyzed, and with them coming
so close together I wasn't getting any where on my own. He pulled me
out of the bed, undressed me, wiped me down, and helped me dress
again. We didn't notice until we got back home that there was
meconium when the water broke.

We labored down the stairs. I got in the back seat on all fours since
that was the most comfortable position. I would have brought the ball
in there if it would have fit! Thank you Mary, you were right about
clearing out the back seat for this journey. We arrived at Triage.
The receptionist heard me bearing-down, said I would be skipping
Triage. They put me on a gurnee, checked me in the hall way. I was
complete, 10cm dilated, they could see hair. They took me to the
delivery room. I was in position at 11:10pm. I was on my back with
one leg bhent to my side and the other bent, knee up. The nurses
tried to keep me from bearing down until the midwife arrived. This
was another point that having not just a familiar face, but Jon, there
made a difference. Even though I heard and understood the nurses'
direction not to bear-down, it was Jon being right there, looking me
in the eye without flinching, and telling me what to do/not to do that
focused me to follow direction. The midwife arrived. I was given the
all clear to push. She guided me as to when to push, but it seemed to
coorelate to when I would do so naturally anyway. I pushed through 3
contractions. Eeva Marie Reitzel was born at 11:23pm (23:23). She
had a true knot. It did not get tought, thankfully, during delivery.
She had a sucking blister on her right wrist. I knew then I was in
trouble (she fed non-stop for weeks). She cried as soon as she was
lifted. There was no time for the antibiotics, but she pulled through
all the observation and testing for infection (GBS). I found that the
contractions I thought I could not survive were the worst ones I would
have. The contractions that I had during delivery were perceived a
lot milder as now there so many other things going on, stetching,
pulling, tearing...

She was (is) perfect.

The discomfort afterwards was very frustrating, but seemed to melt
away whenever I saw, held, or thought of Eeva. She was kept in our
room nearly the entire time. They did take her for few hours for
observation and to take samples to check for infections, etc. I think
they kept her little longer than necessary since I wasn't sleeping...I
couldn't! I was on my second wind, excited, full of adrenaline
still. I just wanted to hold her, lay with her, feed her all the
time. I couldn't get enough. I should have tried harder to sleep, as
there wasn't opportunity for it once we came home.

Definitely ask for refills of all the goods they provide hours prior
to discharge, as they'll give you them to you to take home. Even
though the ice packs can be uncomfortable, they will be a necessity!
The 'underwear' are great, as they are nice and loose.

Poyer