Madeline was due March 28. I had foolishly allowed myself to read an article about a possible connection between birth dates and moon cycles and had hung my hopes on our baby arriving sometime right around her due date. I think God was laughing because her due date sailed right on by without a single contraction! And then a week went by and I started getting mopey. I would wake up every morning in tears that she hadn't come during the night and go to bed every night crying that I hadn't had a single contraction all day. I know full well that babies come in their own perfect time, but that wait was so, so hard for me. I have my mom and sisters to thank for distracting me as much as possible during those last couple of weeks!
At 1:00am the morning of April 9 I wake up with strong pressure waves. I'm excited that I may be holding my baby before the day is out! After an hour they are still strong so I text my midwife an update. I listen to my Hypnobabies birthing day audio for the first time - it's so good! Very relaxing and a nice distraction from just laying there focusing on each pressure wave. I don't know if I'm too excited to sleep or if the waves are too strong to sleep through, but at 3am I wake up Isaac, "We're having a baby today! Also, I'm bored." He is so happy, but still really sleepy so he draws me a hot bath and goes back to bed. (Howww does someone go back to sleep after hearing WE'RE HAVING A BABY TODAY?! I will never know.) My pressure waves stay strong through my bath and I feel confident we are on our way to meeting our baby girl!
5:30am - Pressure waves are strong and long. I can't talk through them and I feel a little shaky. Isaac says to call our midwife but I'm not sure. I really don't want to call her too early so I text her an update but tell her to wait one more hour before heading over. We quietly start getting out birth supplies trying not to wake the girls.
6:30am - My midwife is on her way! I'm happy I waited an hour - now I'm 100% sure I'm ready!
7:30/8 - My birth team arrives and the girls get up. My pressure waves slow down a lot as the house fills up with people and we get the girls dressed and give them breakfast. My midwife assures me they will pick right back up when things settle down and they do.
8:30 - Dad arrives to pick up Olive and Rosie. Isaac is scurrying around throwing books and diapers in a tote bag to send with the girls. He keeps walking back and forth through the house saying, "Where are they, where are they? Where are the socks?!" He finds them in the tote bag where he had already packed them. Note to self: pack a bag for the girls before going into labor...
My pressure waves pick up. I feel my body shift from opening up to starting to move baby down. My midwife tells me I can get in the water if I want so I give the girls big hugs, kiss them goodbye and tell them when they get home they'll get to meet their baby sister! I get in the pool and listen to another Hypnobabies audio. I love how the cues line up with exactly what is going on with my body.
My pressure waves pick up. I feel my body shift from opening up to starting to move baby down. My midwife tells me I can get in the water if I want so I give the girls big hugs, kiss them goodbye and tell them when they get home they'll get to meet their baby sister! I get in the pool and listen to another Hypnobabies audio. I love how the cues line up with exactly what is going on with my body.
9:30 - So much pressure. I switch to my pushing audio. I can't really follow the audio because there is so much happening inside me. I hear a cue to breathe and I breathe. I hear a cue to say "Ahhhh" and I say "Ahhh". I start breathing baby down with each pressure wave. I'm grateful I have my earbuds in to distract me from hearing myself breathe.
I tell my midwives it would have been so nice if God had made our bodies to have a certain number of contractions (say, 100) before birthing a baby, so you could slowly count down with each one and know exactly how many more you had. They agree, that would have been nice...
Isaac is putting cold towels on my head and shoulders. A few minutes later I feel a pop - it's my water bag breaking!
I tell my midwives it would have been so nice if God had made our bodies to have a certain number of contractions (say, 100) before birthing a baby, so you could slowly count down with each one and know exactly how many more you had. They agree, that would have been nice...
Isaac is putting cold towels on my head and shoulders. A few minutes later I feel a pop - it's my water bag breaking!
9:45 - The pressure is intense! I tell my midwife it feels good to start pushing through the pressure waves.
(I didn't know until later but at this point another one of my midwives started videoing - she caught the last 15 minutes of my birth! I've never had any of my births on video before - it's amazing!)
(I didn't know until later but at this point another one of my midwives started videoing - she caught the last 15 minutes of my birth! I've never had any of my births on video before - it's amazing!)
9:54 - I can feel with my hands that I'm opening up and her head is close.
9:57 - One enormous push and I'm holding her head in my hands. The first thing I realize is that she has a full head of hair! I am so relieved her head is out - I know with the next push she'll be in my arms. I'm shaking all over and feel so weak. Someone keeps trying to give me pineapple juice. Isaac is supporting me and I'm so glad he's next to me. We're doing this together.
9:59 - Welcome to the world, Madeline Kate! She lets out a cry even before I have her on my chest. She is so sweet and chubby!
Read Olive's birth story here / Read Rosie's birth story here
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