Chandler's Birth Story
-by Kymberli
Mundwiller. To read Kymnberli's first
four stories, including her cesarean, go here.
Chandler Ron-Paul born at 4:34 am on Wednesday,
December 31, 2003 at 26 days "overdue".
Here I sit still amazed that we made it through
the unassisted birth, so simply with variations
of "normal", but yet without transport.
To begin with; I had lost my plug for three days
until Christmas. I then had a pinhole leak at
the fundus on Christmas. But, I didn't realize
this until the morning of the 30th.
So, on that morning, I was getting a little more
anxious and panicked. I realized I had been leaking
and I was still only at a stretchy 1 cm and maybe
50% effaced. By that early evening, I was sure
that it would probably be that evening. By 10:30
pm, my water broke. I called my friend Crystal,
and she said to keep her posted, but she didn't
want to drive that late if possible. And we figured
with the last time, my labor may not start for
a while as I wasn't really having contractions
at that time.
Danny went to bed, we bedded the girls with him
and made their bed for Crystal and her son. I
finally got Candy Rose to bed around 11:30pm.
I got my birthing supplies laid out and ready.
I got the towels and sheets laid out. Made my
birthing tea, afterbirth tea, and continued to
drink.
By 12:00-12:30am, I was having contractions
and had Danny get the birth tub from the outside.
So, I started filing it with cold water to test
it for leaking after I sanitized it. Then, I figured
I'd put cold water in halfway and do the hot until
it was perfect 100 degrees, By the time I had
four inches in, I was hurting and wanted to get
a warm shower/bath.
I got in the shower and started filing the tub
while running the water over my lower abdomen
where the contractions were hurting at my cervix.
At that point, I knew that I was dilating, probably
to a 2 and it was going to be that New Year's
Eve morning. I woke Danny and called him in to
call Crystal at 1:30 am to let her know it was
going to be before 8 am. And I had him finish
the birth pool. I had him get me some birth tea
to drink also. I was having some diarrhea/soft
stools, and was on and off the toilet. I quickly
decided that since Crystal was going to miss the
birth, to call my friend Deanne at 2:00 am. She
had offered to come over if Crystal wasn't over
yet. She agreed to be right over.
Danny boiled water for the birth pool and I laid
in the warm water as much as I could between potty
breaks. Candy Rose slept through all of it. The
baby continued to kick and move as labor seemed
to progress. They had the tub ready and I seemed
to be around a 5 cm at around 3:45 am. So, I proceeded
to the birth tub. Deanne kept me company this
whole time, as well as getting me drinks. And
she was really good about being quiet during contractions.
She had timed one earlier, and they were around
4 min apart.
So, I got into the tub, and it was hard to figure
out what was the best position. Deanne turned
off the pantry and stove light and lit several
candles so I could see, but relax. In between
contractions, I looked at the water bottle and
dreaded the next one, but just tried to relax.
It was much easier to relax in the water between
contractions, but the contractions still really
hurt. I finally figured out that it was better
to be in a laying back position, rather than a
forward kneel. Deanne had even mentioned taking
one contraction at a time. I smile thinking about
how I've heard others say this, but not in any
of my births before.
I had two contractions about 30 seconds apart
and felt everything open up in those two contractions.
As if that must have been my transition that I
had been dreading. And they weren't even as intense
as the others. I checked and the baby was only
2 inches inside. The contractions had spaced out
again. There was just so much pressure, backache,
and pain in my hips, that I just swayed in the
water laying back, with my feet at the other side
of the tub like a frog, while rubbing my back
as I could with my head on the back of the tub.
Coping was better like this. Danny sat in my recliner
just waiting, or seeing if Candy Rose would wake
up.
I realized that through sitting through several
contractions there wasn't any downward movement
by the baby. The baby had been kicking all the
way until the last ten minutes, so this reassured
me that all was well. So, I decided that I needed
to push to make this baby come out, and I was
more than ready to get it over with. I decided
I wasn't getting out of the water, since it was
painful enough already.
So, with the next contraction, I pushed really
hard, and I felt the head coming down, and when
the contraction was over, I felt it slide back
in. That, I had never experienced before. This
pregnancy and birth has given me many surprises.
With the next one, I bore down again, and making
quite a bit of noise, pushed the baby's head all
the way out. Even being in the water, I felt like
I was surely tearing, the pain was so bad. I had
put my right hand down to feel as the head was
coming out, and felt, not an ear, but the eyes
and nose slide out to my right. So, the head was
all the way out. Deanne exclaimed to my husband,
"There's a head!" I opened my eyes and
could see the head. She asked if it was okay to
sit there like that, and I may have nodded. It
seemed a long time before the next contraction,
since the baby's head did not have to turn.
With the next contraction; I gently pushed the
baby's head down to get the top shoulder free,
and I felt the arm come out as I held onto the
side of the tub with my left hand. Then, I guess
the other arm slipped out, and I opened my eyes
and put my hands under the baby's armpits, and
started to pull him up and out of me.
Deanne helped me slip the cord over his neck
and I put him to my chest. I felt his whole body;
knees and feet come out. I was surprised he wasn't
all the way out yet. He looked so peaceful and
serene. His nose was clear, and his mouth open.
He was pinking up. I wanted to be sure he was
breathing and clear, so I tried the bulb syringe
a little in his mouth and he grimaced. At this
time, we did not know his gender. Deanne gave
me a towel I had requested to put on the baby.
I rubbed the baby's back a little and he let out
a small cry. Deanne started getting some pictures
with my disposable camera. Danny had forgotten
about the digicam, and that is alright. We still
have many pictures that Deanne took.
The children woke to his cries, and came in to
see us in the birth tub. Candy Rose slept on in
the living room on the hide a bed, and Danny was
called over from his chair. After a few minutes,
I figured out that we might get chilled, so I
had Danny and Deanne help me get out. I went over
to the dry land birth area I had set up. I had
them get me a towel over my shoulders too, as
I was chilled. So, I sat on the chux pads to relax
until the afterbirth decided to do its thing.
I started to nurse the baby. We had Charlotte
come over and tell us the gender. We had put a
dry towel on the baby as I was getting out, and
so we still did not know the gender. So, I lifted
the towel, and she said, "I think it is a
boy.", and all the children cheered. They
had been wanting and waiting for a brother. I
asked Danny the birth time, and he said it was
4:34 am.
Stop reading here if you do not want to hear
the afterbirth details. But I thought it might
be helpful. I did not have any real details of
this process when I had my first UC and transferred,
probably unnecassarily, so I think it would benefit
some to read it. Also, I am sharing to let everyone
know how it went, if it would benefit them, but
I have absolutely no regrets for this birth. And
I can't see anything that could have been "improved".
I am so happy at how things went.
Afterbirth details
I started feeling crampy and a backache, so I
decided we should try to see if it was time for
the placenta. Trying to sit over the basin I had
lined with a chux pad wasn't working. And I didn't
want to happen what did last time, so I decided
it would be best if we cut the cord. So, Deanne
helped me clamp the cord. asked Canaan if he wanted
to cut it and he said no. So, I asked Christiaan
if she'd like to cut the cord, and we reassured
her that it doesn't hurt the baby. She said she
would, so we helped her to do it, and she did
just fine. The kids were then instructed to go
back to bed after Canaan had helped Danny empty
the birth tub. Danny wanted to get the "evidence"
put back into the backyard if we had to call the
ambulance again like last time.
I had started drinking some of my afterbirth
tea at this time. I felt it was time, so I handed
the baby over to Deanne. We had totally forgotten
about the baby hat. He had nursed of both sides
some, so he had stayed pretty warm. I guess she
gave him to Danny because I think she brought
the basin into the bathroom. I was on the toilet,
and in one push after there was some blood, it
dropped right out. Nothing else came, so I tried
to clean up, and asked for my pads. We put the
chux pad nest on my recliner, and I sat there
with the baby. He nursed like a champ.
Deanne was so kind and she said she would fish
out the placenta (which she said later was falling
apart, and I figure was definitely aged). Danny
was glad that she was kind enough to do this.
I felt some more hard labor like pains, so I had
Deanne dress the baby and I went to the bathroom.
I passed many clots.
At this point, Candy Rose woke to see the baby
as I came back in to nurse him more. I still had
a constant trickle. So, I took a half dropper
full of Shepherd's Purse under my tongue and drank
some of the orange juice I was given. I tried
some uterine massage while Candy was nursing.
It seemed to get hard, and then start to fill
up again, and I would have more bleeding. I went
back into the bathroom and passed a large clot,
or maybe even a placenta piece, and there was
still a constant trickle. Again, I would try and
clean the mess.
I was beginning to feel a little weak at this
point, and so I took another half dropper of Shepherd's
Purse and drank my orange juice to replenish my
liquids. It just didn't seem like my uterus was
clamping. I had also taken two doses of three
cayenne capsules during this time. Danny had asked
if it went on 20 more minutes if we should call
someone. I told him that if I got pale or started
feeling faint, then he should call 911. I went
back to the bathroom, and found the trickle gone.
At that, I got my pad and mesh panties and bra
on. Deanne had gone home right before 5:30 am
to tend to her family so her husband could go
to work.
* * *
Chandler Ron-Paul was born at 4:34 am. We had
approximated his weight at 7.5 lbs and 20.5 inches
long. We found out that he actually weighed 9
lbs and 3 oz at birth, and 22 inches long. His
head was 13.75" and his chest was 14".
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