"best laid plans always fail"

You know they say "best laid plans always fail"?

I had a "best laid plan" for the birth of Little Miracle. I hired a
doula, switched to a midwife that does water birth, had taken all the
classes, read all the books, and was ready for my HOSPITAL water birth
with my doula and midwife there.

I didn't get it.


12/7/09

I cleaned the house tonight when Stephen took Little Man to the gym. I
was having a few contractions, but I was having them all week. They
would come and go, nothing consistent. After I cleaned, I sat on the
birth ball for a while. Bouncing. Swaying. Doing anything I could do
to get the contractions to come back and stay consistent. Nothing was
happening, so I decided to give up and go to bed. I had seen my
midwife that morning, and I was 2-3 cms, but she stretched me to 3-4.
She said she would "see ya tonight" but I did not put faith into it.

I went to bed at 9:30. I say went to bed, but I just laid there and
tossed and turned. I was uncomfortable. I was 40 weeks and 2 days
pregnant. I wanted to get the show on the road! Little did I know the
show was on its way, coming down the fast lane.

I was just about to drift off to sleep around 11:15 to 11:30 when I
felt a contraction. Hum, I usually don't have them when laying down.
And this one was getting painful. I got up and went to the bathroom. I
had another fun sign of labor approaching in the bathroom, so i knew
something was happening. I texted my girlfriends that I think
something was up. This was 11:42 pm.

I filled my tub and crawled in hoping to labor at home for a while. I
told my husband to get the computer and to start timing the
contractions. By midnight the contractions were 2 minutes apart
lasting about 2 minutes each. Hum. Maybe time to call some people!

12/8/09

Stephen called my mom (to come and watch Little Man) and our doula and
midwife. Looking at my phone, he called my mom at 12:13, the midwife
at 12:19 and my doula at 12:21. (My water broke when Stephen was on
the phone with our doula) My mom was on her way, my midwife said get
to the hospital. The contractions were coming so fast, and starting
out SO hard, I just knew there was NO way I could do this naturally. I
begged Stephen to get me to the hospital and to get me an epidural!

I suddenly felt the urge to push. I never felt this with Little Man
since I was so drugged, and I did not believe that I was feeling it.
It was too fast. There is no way I was fully dilated!

I pushed once and put my hands down there. I felt his head bulging me
outward so I told Stephen to call 911. He didn't believe me when I
told him I NEEDED to push. He was telling me to just hold on and we
would get to the car, and to the hospital. He did not believe that the
baby was coming either.

I pushed again and felt his head crowning. At this point Stephen was
on the phone with 911. I don't know when he realized that I was not
kidding, and called 911. He told them "my wife's in labor".

I pushed again and his head came out. I was in SHOCK. OH MY
GOODNESS!!! I was having him in my tub at home! All these thoughts
came to mind. I am at HOME, in my tub, with NO MEDICAL PEOPLE PRESENT.
What if he gets stuck? What if the cord is wrapped around his neck?
What if I can't get him out?

I gained my composure, and knew that I could do this. I knew what to
do. Almost like instinct.

The next contraction came and I pushed out his body. I had my hands
down there to catch him and pull him up to my chest. I rubbed his head
and Stephen patted his back. Stephen was still on the phone with 911.
He told them that the baby was born! I asked Stephen what time it was.
I wanted to know the exact time I had him. It was 12:30 am.

He let out the tiniest little cry. I knew he was ok. I pulled him off
my chest to check for his cord. It was around his shoulder, but not
his neck. I untangled him, and put him back between my breasts and
covered him with a towel that was on the side of the tub.

Stephen went downstairs to let my mom in (who had been trying to knock
for a few minutes, and even called, but we never heard her) and wait
for the ambulance.

My mom came upstairs and saw him. The look on her face was priceless.
I don't think she believe that I just delivered a baby in the tub at
home either!

The paramedics got there a few minutes later. I still had Little
Miracle on my chest and covered so we stayed that way for a few
minutes to try to wait for the placenta. The paramedics were very nice
and were doing things on my time. After a few minutes they suggested
that we go ahead and cut the cord so they could check on the baby. I
agreed and they clamped it. They went to cut it (with a razor blade
they had!) I stopped them, and asked if Stephen could cut it. They all
looked at each other (there was about 4-5 men in my bathroom... all of
them with a look of disbelief and shock on their face... I don't think
any of them had ever seen a call like this before, either that, or
they were just happy they did not have to deliver a baby) and someone
finally said "Well I don't see why not" and handed Stephen the razor
blade.

The one female that was there with the paramedics took Little Miracle
and wrapped him up in a foil blanket. She took him to the master
bedroom. We (the men and I)waited about 10 minutes for the placenta
and it was not coming, so they loaded Little Miracle and I up into the
ambulance to head to the hospital. I told them which one I wanted to
go to, and away we went.

I held Little Miracle on my chest skin to skin the whole ride down. I
was having contractions still, but they were no where near as strong
as the ones I had just had. We finally made it to the hospital, and my
doula showed up, then Stephen (he had to follow in our car) then my
midwife.

The placenta took what felt like forever, but it was nice to have my
doula there to help me thru the contractions. Once it came I felt SO
much better! My midwife had to sew me up because he came so fast that
I tore. I did not feel it when it happened, because his head numbed me
on the way out.

The female paramedic was finishing up her paperwork and talking to me.
She said that the initial call she got was "woman in labor". Then she
said not even 30 seconds later, dispatch said "woman delivered". She
said she had to question dispatch "Woman delivering, or delivered?"
because she did not believe it either!

By the time my midwife was done sewing up my nether regions, it was
all starting to sink in. I had a baby! At home! In my bathtub! With no
one there! In less than an hour! Now that's a feeling! Talk about on
top of the world. I still want to stand on top of the roof and shout!
I DID IT! Granted, not how I had planned AT ALL, but either way, I did
it!

He was born at 12:30 on the nose. 7 lbs 6.9 ozs 19 inches. Perfectly healthy!

http://lifeofasahm-lisa.blogspot.com/2009/12/you-know-what-they-say-about-best-laid.html