Emilia Ruth Hamilton's Birth Story
With some birth stories, it's hard to know where to begin. I will begin with the first “false alarm” and go from there. On Thursday, October 27, 2011 contractions began to become regular. They started the day at 10 min and ended at 3 min. We called for a ride and went to the Spokane Midwives Birthing Center on Euclid. The contractions were fairly strong, but I did not feel overwhelmed and Edward said that I would have failed the Bradley “camera test.” Not that I was feeling like posing as we walked out the door, but I wouldn't have shoved the camera away. When the midwife checked me, I was not even fully effaced. We went home a little sad but the contractions stopped, so we went to bed.
Five days later they started up again. This time we were more cautious and waited each day to see what would happen. Each day from 3pm to midnight, I would have steady contractions that required concentration, but did not progress past 6 min.
At 3am on Wednesday, November 9, I had some bloody show! I was so excited that I woke my husband to tell him! Contractions began soon after that and were steadily 10 min apart for the morning, moving to 6 min in the afternoon. My husband went to work and hoped for a phone call from me to return, but they were never unbearable nor did they grow close enough together for me to concern him. They were much worse when I would lay down, so I spent most of the day either sitting or walking. The contractions continued all night long and I could not sleep. Edward decided to stay home on Thursday, as things seemed to be progressing rather well- but by the end of the day, the contractions were still only 6-10 min apart, but far stronger than they had been.
We called the Birthing Center to see what they wanted us to do. Linda had been our main midwife all along as Beth was out of the country, but now Beth was back and Linda was on leave. Beth had done a birth that morning and then had clinic all day long. She felt that it would be better to have me take magnesium oxide to slow the contractions and sleep and then go to the Birthing Center in the morning. We then called our Birthing Class instructor for a second opinion because we didn't know what magnesium oxide would do to Baby and we weren't sure where to get it. We were also looking for a second opinion because I didn't want to slow things down. We got it and decided to just try to make it through. That night I sat up on the couch because lying down was excruciating. I dozed off a couple of times, but the contractions were still 10 min apart and strong.
Friday, November 11 we called our ride to take us to the Birthing Center again. We arrived a few min ahead of the midwife. She took us in and immediately checked to see how I was doing. I was dilated to 1cm. She poked around a bit and got me open to 2cm and said that we would wait an hour and see where we were. Ed and I walked around the room for a while and sat on the love seat when I was tired. After an hour I was at 3 ½! Beth said we would wait another hour and see again. After the next hour I was only at 4. But after the next hour I was at 5 and she decided I was in active labor and should stick around. I labored mostly while walking for a few more hours. When I was at 8 cm, around 5pm, I got into the tub! It was wonderful! The pain lessened enough for me to get a couple short naps in. After a bit more than an hour, Beth offered to break my water. She said it was fine if I didn't want it, but it would speed things up a little. Since I was already at 9 cm, I said it would be fine. I was excited to get past first stage and into the pushing stage! She broke my water in the tub- it was clear, which was good. Baby's heart rate had stayed steady throughout the entire day and all looked to be going well. After a while, my contractions came back very strong! Edward patted my head with a cool towel as I continued to labor in the tub until about 7:30pm.
After getting out of the tub, they checked to make sure I was at 10 and that the cervix was completely pulled back on both sides. Beth had found a little scar tissue on the right side of my cervix and wanted to make sure it didn't protrude during pushing. I walked to the bed and she had me take a few contractions on my side, which was horribly uncomfortable but seemed to work. She announced at 8:30, I was ready. I got up and walked around waiting for the urge to push. Beth felt I had not reached transition yet, so she went to lie down for a bit. She told the assistant, Kim, that she would be back at 9 and I should keep walking. Edward helped me walk around slowly. The contractions were very painful. At 8:45, I felt the urge to push, but in my head I told myself I had to wait until 9. I felt slightly irrational thinking that- as a child who is told to stay on the couch for 10 min. But after 4 min I could not wait anymore. I said rather quietly to Ed that I needed to push and Kim jumped up to fetch Beth. “When a first time mom needs to push, it's time!”
Beth came back in and the pushing began! It was almost 9 pm on November 11. We had been laboring for over 12 hours at this point. We started on the bed with my back propped up with pillows. Kim remarked that it would be great if I delivered at 11:11 pm on 11/11/11. Ed said, “We are NOT going to be pushing for 2 hours!” More as a plead for confirmation than an emphatic statement. He did not get the desired answer.
After an hour of pushing, Beth reached inside me and found that that bit of cervix which had been out of the way, was no longer out of the way. She then had me push during every other contraction while she held it back, which was horribly painful. On the other contractions, she had me breath through them... without pushing! This was just as hard as they say it is! I hope you never have to do it. This went on for 2 more hours-
in the tub most of the time- until Baby's head was finally past the point where it would move back and allow the cervix to re-protrude. More pushing. This time the problem seemed to be that Baby was awake and would keep moving her head out of position. Beth reached in again and would turn the baby's head with each contraction, hoping to get it to a point where she could not turn it back. This went on for 2 more hours. After the first hour, I asked Beth what the likelihood of transfer was. She said that she would let me go another hour and if Baby's head was not in position we would go. I asked what they would do when I got to the hospital.
She said I would be given an epidural and either the doctor would manually position the head until I had pushed it down or I could have a c-section. She stressed that I could still have the first option and when Edward asked what a transfer entailed, Beth said she would call two hospitals where she has a relationship and see which doctors were on call to get us the most natural friendly doctor available. Then she would drive us.
Things looked tough, but Baby was doing fine and I didn't feel that it was impossible to have a natural birth still. I continued to walk with Edward and pushed mostly on the birthing stool in the squatting position, which was the most comfortable for me. After an hour, Beth said “Congratulations! You have convinced me that you can have a natural birth! Baby's head is now stationary!” We were so happy!! Even though we had been pushing for over 5 hours, we felt we could go on!
Edward convinced me to have some honey. I had been drinking steadily, but had not had much food that day. Beth and Kim both offered me honey or yogurt at different times, but I declined and they didn't push it. Ed had been napping for a bit, but when he returned he was insistent that I eat. He was such a good coach!
We continued to push... and push... and push. We tried all kids of positions from the stool to propped up in bed to "all fours" to on my side to standing to flat on my back. All of them were of different comfort levels- the stool was best, "all fours" was worst- but they also produced slightly different results. In the end, I spent most of my time either on the stool or flat on my back, which surprised Beth as being the most productive for me. Somehow, I had better leverage in the unlikeliest position. But Baby was slow to come out. She crowned around 4am... but I kept pushing... and kept pushing... and kept pushing. We walked and swayed my hips in between contractions. Let me tell you how uncomfortable it is to walk with a head at the bottom most point... never mind, I'll leave it to your imagination.
All of my attendants were patient and cheered me on with every push. I knew that they were tired, too, but they never said anything negative or made me feel like I was anything more than their first priority. My husband was so miserable seeing me in pain, but he kept a good face and cheered me on with the rest. He held my hand, held me up when I was walking and said encouraging things to me. At one point, when I was using him to support me while I stood and squatted, I said, “I am just trying to earn the title of 'good wife' that you keep giving me.” He is always telling me what a good wife I am, but sometimes I feel downright lazy, especially during the last trimester. He began to cry and said that I did not have to earn that title. That was the most touching part of my labor up until I held my baby. Neither of us will ever forget that moment.
Finally, at 6:30am, I was lying flat on my back with my husband holding one leg and Kim the other. I was having some double peaked contractions, which had helped to keep baby's head in place at the end of each pushing session, making her so close to coming out that they could see her ears. With the next contraction, all three of them cheered me on and when it ended told me to keep pushing no matter what. After about 8 pushes, the head was out!! You would have though we were at a football game! Everyone cheered and took pictures! (I left them out of this post because they are a little graphic- but I have them! Just a head in my nether regions- a beautiful, beautiful head!)
I was so relieved that I just laughed and laughed. Her head had been very big and had molded a little. Beth checked her neck for the cord and after not finding it told them to flip me over because she was worried that Baby's shoulder would be caught. They flipped me and had me give one big push with Beth's hand on Baby's shoulder- Baby came flying out!! Then Beth apologized for pulling her out of me! Apparently, Baby was not as big as her head and length suggested. I said, “Are you kidding! Thank you!” They rolled me back and put my new daughter on my belly. They wiped her off and then covered her with a receiving blanket to keep her warm. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen and her eyes were alert and looking at me! She only cried a little and then rested on me while the whirlwind of activity when on around me.
I looked around for my husband and he was gone! I asked Kim where he went. She said that she thought he was calling people. "Not my husband," I said. But I was wrong. He had gone to call the grandmothers! When he came back, he sat next to me and cooed over his daughter. After a few minutes, Beth checked the cord, but it was still pulsing, so she waited. But soon after that I felt a gush of liquid come out of me and she quickly clamped and cut the cord. I passed the placenta easily, but there was some membrane left in me. They got it with a thing that looked like a thin, long nosed clamp and gave me a shot in the leg of something. After that, they scooted me up a bit so I could begin nursing. Emilia nursed at 15 minutes old. She had a tiny mouth, so it took a few tries to get her on, but she took to it well enough. After a while, they poured hydrogen peroxide on me and checked for damage- there had been NO TEARING! There was a little scratch on the inside, but nothing to repair! I was shocked, partly because her head had been so big and partly because I felt so tender- but all was well.
The two things I had been most concerned about going into the birth was the possibility of tearing and of Baby having her first meconium in utero. Neither happened! Emilia Ruth Hamilton was born at 6:37am on 11/12/11. She was 7lb 10oz- so, not big at all! They were so concerned because her head was 35 cm or about 15 in, that she would be really large- but she just had a large Hamilton head- probably full of Hamilton brains! She is 20 ½ in long and thin with long fingers and toes. She does not have the typical newborn “old man” face and was beautiful from the moment she arrived. She passed all her newborn tests with flying colors and was alert and cuddly for a while after birth before dropping off to sleep. I showered after about 90 min with Baby and they did her tests while I was getting clean. I was a little light headed from not eating and was given some yogurt and offered more food. I decided to eat more at home. I also had some pudding while breastfeeding her for the first time- treats for both of us!
We left the Birthing Center around 10:30am. Our total labor time was over 22 hours with 9 ½ hours of pushing. Beth said that this would be one of her most memorable births because of my determination. I was so thankful for my birth attendants and how they prayed for me and quoted scripture to me throughout the process and were always calm and encouraging, even though I know they were all tired.
Even though this labor was very hard, I do not regret it or feel that I did not have a good experience. I got to have a natural birth with wonderful support and I have a healthy baby girl!
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