My heartbeat Birth story
{ My heartbeat Birth story }
I spent the first part of the morning relaxing before setting out on a three-mile walk at the recommendation of my doula, @jaydeneinast (she's convinced this is the way to kickstart labor 😉). During the walk, I occasionally stopped to let a contraction pass. They weren't painful yet, just tightening and pressure.
After the walk, I went home to rest and did the first two positions of the Miles Circuit — and that's when things started getting uncomfortable. Contractions really picked up, so I got into the bath while waiting for my husband to get home. I only lasted about ten minutes before getting out to gather my things for the birth center.
My husband arrived home to find me hunched over the passenger seat of the car, moaning and breathing through contractions. We got in the car and made the 45-minute drive to the birth center. Once there, we did some Spinning Babies (the side-lying release during labor is terrible!!!), and then I got into the tub.
Things became really intense in the tub as I entered transition. The midwife had me changing positions frequently, the last one being what I call "the mermaid." This position tends to help the baby descend quickly — and wow, did I immediately feel the urge to push.
I got on my knees, held onto the side of the tub, and with each contraction my body pushed. After only a couple of minutes, her head was out. I rubbed it while I waited for the next contraction, and with that very next one, I pushed her out. I brought her up to my chest all by myself.
Out of all the babies I'd seen be born, I was finally able to catch one — and it happened to be my own.