Wow, having a baby wasn't a piece of cake. It was not what I was expecting as far as how it all played out with the pain and tiredness. However, the result of my labor was the most amazing, incredible and awe-inspiring moment of my life. Until you experience childbirth first hand no one can properly explain to you the emotions, pain, utter exhaustion and the sheer joy of the process. My best attempt would be to describe it as an incredibly overwhelming accomplishment that you experience and can’t help but feel pure blissful peace.
I guess I should start from one-week prior to Jasper’s birth. I was 40 weeks and ready to go. Joshua and I decided to start some natural inducing techniques. These activities included lots of nights with pressure points, massage, running up stairs, hiking, acupuncture, nipple stimulation and bouncing on my birthing ball.
My parents had arrived from Bend and Joshua’s parents had traveled all the way from New York. We were all ready for Jasper to say hello that Friday, July 27th but he decided to wait a bit longer and let us all enjoy a really nice weekend with everyone. Sunday my parents had to go home so it was up to me to keep walking and hiking. Monday we went on a small hike. Tuesday morning I had an appointment with my Midwives at Alma Midwifery. Kori, our lead midwife, said in the week prior she would strip my membranes if I was past my due date and wanted her too. My midwives did a checkup on Jasper on this machine that checks the heartbeat along with my contraction with his movements and everything was great with him. Kori checked if I was dilated and I was to 3cm. I said go ahead and strip those membranes. I was ready. It kind of hurt like a bad period cramp for 10 seconds. All three of the midwives, Kori, Whitney, and Chelsea, were super excited and wanted to meet Jasper as well.
After the appointment I went to pick up Joshua from school and we headed home. Joshua’s parents wanted to go do something so we went to get lunch and headed to McMenamin’s Kennedy School for a nice soak in the soaking pool. We stayed for 2 hours and I was a tad overheated but really relaxed. When we got home we watched a movie and chilled out. It was 11pm and I decided it was time for bed while Joshua stayed up doing homework.
11:30pm, here we go! So just 30 minutes of sleep then I awoke up with a really painful contraction. I looked at Joshua and said, “This is it, we are going to meet this little Fox.” I decided to wait it out and go back to bed to get some rest for this eventful time. After 20 minutes the next contraction hit even worse than the first. I called my Mom and Dad who had just went to bed and said this is really it (it should be noted that we pranked them so many times, and a big one when they were in California, but they knew this one was real). I told them to just come in the morning because it would be slow and steady like the books say, but they decided to drive 3 hours in the middle of the night to Portland anyway.
At 12:30am the contractions were getting worse so I thought I better get in the shower and get ready. I hopped in the shower and immediately crouched down with pain and filled a bath instead. I stayed in that bath through 8 more contractions not wanting to move. Joshua called Chelsea, the apprenticing midwife, and told her I was having 15-20min spaced minute contractions. She told Joshua to call her when they were 5min apart and 1 min long contractions. Well, that didn’t take long. At 2:30am Joshua called her and told her they were 5min apart and 1 min long. She was just leaving another birth and was on her way. The pain kept getting worse and by then I had moved to the couch with the cushion between my legs. I had Joshua put pressure on my back to relieve the pain. Joshua’s parents where still at our house sleeping out in the driveway in their camper but had no clue I had gone into labor.
At 3:30am my parents got to the house. My Dad brought in all the stuff and their dogs and went in the back room to sleep. My Mom got right on it and drew another bath for me while Joshua went back to bed for a quick hour of shut eye so he could be up all day with me. Chelsea was finally on her way and she arrived at 5am. She set up the Birthing tub and got everything ready for Jasper’s birth. At 5:55am they checked me and I was still 3cm and 60-70% effaced. I really felt like pushing at that time but then that just hurt.
7:30am hit and boy where those contractions getting worse. The tub was ready and I hopped right in. That tub was seriously the best thing I could have had through the birth. I rarely got out of it again.
At 8am my in laws awoke to the surprise that I was in painful labor, naked and moaning. What a great sight for them to see! Luckily I am really comfortable with my body and at that point didn’t care who saw me naked and in what condition. They were super excited. In order to keep the house a bit less chaotic they went out with my dad and got everyone some breakfast except for me. Food was the last thing I wanted it made me sick to think about even drinking water. Chelsea gave me some Gatorade to drink and 30 minutes later I projectile vomited it all over my bathroom. My amazing mother cleaned and sanitized the whole bathroom. So after that I decide to stick with water.
Kori, our main midwife, finally arrived. She had also been at a prior birth. She checked me out at 9:20am and I was 6cm and 50% effaced. WHAT?! That was all I was thinking. I was truly exhausted and in so much pain. I couldn’t believe I had been up all night and that was all I was dilated.
I got out of the tub and walked around a bit. Then I stood against the back of the couch and had my Mom and Joshua put massive amounts of pressure on my back. My whole labor there was pain in my lower back. I had to eat something so I ate some organic coconut pops. They were really nice and refreshing, but that was all I could stomach.
From 10am to about 2pm I was not having contractions but in constant pain. I was really in need of a break and nothing seemed to be progressing during that time. My back was in pain from all the pressure my Mom and Joshua were putting on it plus the back pain from the labor. I felt drained, depleted and utterly out of it. The sun was shining outside so I decided to go outside for a while. I got a little excited because I thought my water broke but discovered what had really happened was that I had just peed in the grass. I came inside to clean off and got back in the tub.
At 2:20pm it was on. The contractions started bad again and wouldn’t let up. Then at 2:40pm I felt a pop like a balloon popped inside of me and a gush of liquid came out into the tub. “Ah ha! It finally broke!!!” I was trying to find the strength to get ready cause I knew Jasper was coming. As soon as that popped I could not believe the amount of pain I was in. I was looking at Kori ready for her to tell me to start pushing but she didn’t. The pain, oh, the pain would not stop. My moaning and breathing techniques turned into small yells and groans. I got out of the tub and went to the bathroom. My mom was holding me and put a damp cloth on my neck while Joshua took some photos. I couldn’t believe it when all of a sudden my butt felt as if it were going to fall out.
At 4:07pm I started actually pushing. I had little control over it. I got up quickly and wanted to get back in that warm soothing tub. My body at that point took over. I just wanted him out but clearly I was not ready yet. At 4:30pm, Kaboom!!! Wow, pain like I have never in my life experienced. Up until then it hurt and my body kept adjusting to it but then the horrific terrifying pain happened. I really thought at that point that I was out and done and might want to go to the hospital. Kori reassured me that I was doing fine.
A big contraction hit and my body did this push that made me feel like my whole bottom was getting ripped out. I screamed and yelled and I couldn’t control it. I even said to everyone, “My ass is falling out!” L Not my proudest moment, but hey. After a couple of those bad boys Whitney, our third midwife, finally arrived who was at another birth as well. (It was a full moon so a lot of babies were being born.)
Kori had me get out of my “safety blanket” tub to try and labor in the bedroom. I was in a supported squat and Joshua was holding me while my Mom was on my side and Chelsea was on the other side and Kori was checking to see where I was. At 5:36pm Kori moved my cervix back a little. Sigur Rós was playing in the background as my body pushed so hard and that is when his head started to crown. The music made the moment that much more epic. I wanted to get back into the tub cause we wanted him to be born into water. I was leaned over the side of the tub and Joshua got in from behind me while my mom held my hand in front of me. My dad was manning the video camera.
At 5:41pm his head was fully crowned. I was exhausted and the pain gave my whole body chills. I felt this burning ripping sensation. Owww!!!! I was crying and screaming with pain and my Mom was crying too. Joshua was being so loving and encouraging and so supportive. At that point I could have passed out, but my body took over and I barred down and had no control over those contractions. I pushed his head out at 5:48pm and then the shoulder out at 5:50pm. That is when Joshua pulled him out and lifted him out of the water.
The midwives immediately did the APGAR test on him. He was a little floppy and not gasping for air. They had to give him a little shake and immediately put him on my chest where he came to life and gave us a big cry. With the umbilical cord still attached we got out of the tub and went to the bed. I laid there in utter blissfulness holding our little being while still connected to him outside of the womb. The feeling was incredible. Joshua, right next to us, and at 6:14pm the umbilical cord stopped pulsating and Joshua cut the umbilical cord. At 6:23pm my Placenta was born and that was it. All the pain and the exhaustion was over.
I had my baby boy, Jasper Talon Cady, who came into this world at 8.4 pounds and 21 inches. This little man latched on like it was no ones business and started feeding just like that. I was so proud. Joshua finally got to hold him and that is a sight that I never want to forget. His face was beaming with amazement.
With all the pain I went through that day I still look back on it with fondness because it was the day that Joshua and I met the little person who will forever change our life. The courage I had to put on that day only makes the experience more meaningful to me, and I will always know how hard I had to fight to make this dream come to life.
Thank you to Our Wonderful Midwives, My amazing Husband & Incredible Mother and my Kick Ass Father!
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