Birth of Lily

I was 39 weeks and 5 days, and had stayed up late to finish my book, thinking, “I won’t have the chance to stay up late on my own much longer”. I went to the bathroom when it was done, and my water broke. This was not the gentle “splat” that you see in movies, or a sudden gush that then ended. It felt torrential! Every time I thought it was over and I could lay down and try to sleep more would come. I went through pads, my period underwear, and towels in quick succession.
My plan was to birth at the local birth center less than a mile from my home. I called and talked to them and they suggested I try to sleep and reminded me it could be hours before I felt a contraction. Fifteen minutes later I had my first contraction. They came regularly enough that I wasn’t able to sleep and felt more uncomfortable laying down than walking. Soon I was already tired of walking and didn’t realize that the next twenty-four hours would be an exhaustive walking journey.
I started using comfort measures within an hour of contractions starting, standing in the warm shower, breathing and trying to remember what I knew about labor! It felt like my contractions were coming closer together than I expected and within two hours they were just three minutes apart. I called the birth center again letting them know I was coming in.
When we arrived to the birth center I sank gratefully into the tub, pausing my ceaseless walking that was the only thing that felt bareable. Labor was fast and furious for several hours and the midwives thought it was possible my baby would be coming very soon. However, they eventually slowed down and after some initial relief I realized that unfortunately that probably meant that we were in for a longer haul. We spent all day trying to support my body and my baby into active labor again, but as we started nearing the 24 hour mark of when my waters had initially broken my midwife gently brought up the idea of a hospital transfer, and tearfully I agreed.
After arriving at the hospital, starting pitocin and getting an epidural that gave me the relief I needed to take a long nap, my body and baby were ready! I pushed uneventfully for a few hours, and my beautiful child was born early in the morning. Joyful and relieved that they were finally here on earth with me I held them close, whispered their name and we started our new journey together as a family of three.

Photo credit Emery Adair Photography