Sophie's Birth- written by Laurel on Dec 3

The following is an excellent birth story that demonstrates how to follow your own instincts and strongly advocate for yourself if you need to. 

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I’M NOT EXACTLY SURE HOW TO SHARE THIS STORY, I’M STILL TRYING TO SORT OUT MY FEELINGS ABOUT THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE.  THERE WERE A LOT OF UPS AND DOWNS.  I WENT THROUGH THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF EMOTIONS PROBABLY MORE THAN ONCE.  HOWEVER, THE END RESULT IS WONDERFUL BECAUSE WE HAVE A HEALTHY LITTLE BABY GIRL AND SHE IS DEFINITELY WORTH ALL THE TURMOIL, THE WORK AND THE PAIN.

I THINK I SHOULD START MY STORY ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 9TH, THE DAY I TURNED 36 WEEKS.  THAT WAS THE DAY THAT I LOST MY MUCUS PLUG. 
DAVE AND I WERE PRETTY EXCITED B/C IN MY OTHER TWO BIRTHS I LOST MY MUCUS PLUG ONE WEEK BEFORE THE BABY CAME.  SO, WE KNEW IT COULD STILL BE A WHILE BEFORE THE BABY CAME, BUT WE ALSO KNEW THAT THINGS WERE STARTING TO HAPPEN.  AFTER THAT I HAD CONTRACTIONS NOW AND THEN, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT, BUT THEY WEREN’T SUPER STRONG AND THEY ALWAYS WENT AWAY FAIRLY QUICKLY.  MY MIDWIFE CHECKED ME THAT WEEK AND I WAS 2CM DILATED, 0% EFFACED AND +1 OR 2 STATION.  WE STILL EXPECTED IT TO BE A WHILE.

THEN A WEEK WENT BY AND I BECAME FULL TERM, AND THAT THURSDAY NIGHT THE 18TH, I HAD CONTRACTIONS ALL NIGHT LONG THAT WERE STRONG ENOUGH TO KEEP ME AWAKE.  THEY DIDN’T STOP ALL NIGHT, EVEN WHEN I WENT TO THE BATHROOM.  THEY WERE STILL GENERALLY IRREGULAR, BUT I WONDERED IF I MIGHT BE IN EARLY LABOR.  WHEN DAVE GOT UP TO GO TO WORK THAT MORNING I TOLD HIM WHAT WAS GOING ON AND WE DISCUSSED WHETHER OR NOT HE SHOULD GO TO WORK.  FINALLY I TOLD HIM TO JUST GO BECAUSE I DIDN’T WANT HIM AT HOME ALL DAY WATCHING ME.  THEN, DURING THE 20 MINUTES IT TOOK HIM TO GET READY I HAD FOUR MORE VERY STRONG CONTRACTIONS.  SO, WE DECIDED TO TAKE A LITTLE WALK AND SEE IF THE CONTRACTIONS CONTINUED.  THEY DID, SO WE DETERMINED THAT I WAS IN EARLY LABOR AND DAVE CALLED IN TO WORK AND SAID HE WAS STAYING HOME.  THEN, NOTHING HAPPENED.  I CONTINUED TO HAVE CONTRACTIONS ALL DAY FRIDAY UNTIL ABOUT 7:30 PM OR 8 AND THEN THEY JUST STOPPED.

I HAD NO CONTRACTIONS TO SPEAK OF FOR ALMOST A WEEK.  THEN, THANKSGIVING MORNING AT ABOUT 5AM I GOT UP TO GO TO THE RESTROOM AND MY WATER BROKE, BUT ONCE AGAIN, JUST LIKE WITH NATALIE AND MATTHEW, IT WAS ONLY A LITTLE LEAK AND NOT A GUSH.  I WAS PRETTY SURE THAT IT WAS ONLY MY OUTER BAG THAT HAD BROKEN AND I WENT BACK TO BED.  ONCE WE WOKE UP I TOLD DAVE.  WE WERE EXCITED BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THE BABY WOULD COME THAT DAY OR THE NEXT.  BUT AT THAT TIME I WAS NOT HAVING CONTRACTIONS, SO WE JUST GOT READY FOR THANKSGIVING.  

SO, THANKSGIVING CAME AND WENT AND THEN FRIDAY AND STILL NO CONTRACTIONS.  FRIDAY NIGHT I ASKED DAVID TO GIVE ME A BLESSING.  THE BLESSING WAS VERY COMFORTING AND STRAIGHT FORWARD, IT MADE ME FEEL A LOT BETTER.  WE WENT TO BED THAT NIGHT STILL WAITING.  THE NEXT DAY, STILL NOTHING AND AT ABOUT 5PM I DETERMINED THAT IT HAD BEEN 60 HRS SINCE MY  WATER BROKE.  THIS WAS VERY SCARY FOR ME.  GENERALLY THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY RECOMMENDS THAT A BABY BE BORN WITHIN 24 HRS OF A RUPTURE OF MEMBRANES, CITING THAT THE RISK OF INFECTION GOES UP THE LONGER THE PREGNANCY CONTINUES AFTER THAT.  THEY MAKE NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN A LEAK AND A TRUE RUPTURE (A GUSH) AND I HAVE WITH EVERY BABY RUPTURED MY OUTER BAG, WITH MY INNER BAG REMAINING INTACT AND PROTECTING THE BABY FROM INFECTION.  AFTER THE 24 HR RULE LED ME TO BEING INDUCED (TECHNICALLY AUGMENTED) WITH NATALIE, I NEGLECTED TO MENTION THE RUPTURE WITH MATTHEW AND WENT INTO LABOR ON MY OWN AND HAD HIM 33 HRS AFTER THE LEAK OCCURRED.  THIS TIME, THOUGH, 60 HRS HAD GONE BY AND NOTHING WAS HAPPENING.  I WAS GETTING CONCERNED ABOUT SOPHIE’S SAFETY.  I WAS STILL PRETTY SURE IT WAS ONLY MY OUTER BAG, BUT WHAT IF I WAS WRONG ABOUT SOMETHING?  I DIDN’T FEEL SECURE BEING ALL ON MY OWN AND HAVING TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS WITHOUT ADVICE FROM ANY PROFESSIONAL.  WE HAD TRIED EVERYTHING TO GET CONTRACTIONS STARTED TOO AND NOTHING WORKED IN THE SLIGHTEST.  I TALKED ALL OF THIS OVER WITH DAVE, THROUGH MANY TEARS AND WE DECIDED TO PRAY TOGETHER.  WHILE WE PRAYED THE IDEA KEPT COMING TO MY MIND TO JUST CALL LABOR AND DELIVERY AND SEE WHAT THEY WOULD SAY.  

WHEN MY WATER BROKE WITH NATALIE WE CALLED L&D AND THEY TOLD ME TO WEAR A PAD AND SEE IF I FILLED IT IN AN HOUR.  IT DIDN’T, BUT I WAS SO SURE THAT WE WENT IN ANYWAY.  ALTHOUGH I HAD HOPED FOR A NATURAL CHILDBIRTH I ENDED UP WITH ALMOST EVERY MEDICAL INTERVENTION SHORT OF A C-SECTION, 4TH DEGREE TEARS, AND A PERFECTLY HEALTHY BABY IN THE NICU FOR FOUR DAYS AND COMING HOME WITH MAJOR NIPPLE CONFUSION.  OUR HOPE THEN, THIS TIME, IS THAT I COULD CALL L&D AND THEY WOULD SAY THE THING ABOUT THE PAD, AND THEN I COULD DO IT AND NOT FILL A PAD AND NOT GO IN AND STILL FEEL LIKE I WASN’T ALL ALONE.  SO, I CALLED THEM AND I TALKED TO A LADY THAT DIDN’T SEEM TO KNOW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT AND I’M NOT EVEN SURE SHE WAS REALLY A NURSE, BUT SHE TOLD ME THAT I BETTER COME IN.  I DID NOT TELL HER HOW LONG IT HAD BEEN SINCE THE LEAK HAD STARTED, BUT I KNEW THAT ONCE SHE TOOK MY NAME AND TOLD ME TO COME IN THE CLOCK HAD STARTED.  I NOW HAD TO HAVE THE BABY WITHIN 24 HRS IF I DIDN’T WANT TO RISK ANOTHER BABY IN THE NICU.

DAVE AND I WERE VERY DISAPPOINTED.  WE CALLED MY MOM AND SHE CAME OVER TO WATCH THE OTHER KIDS.  WE ALL FELT PRETTY SURE THAT I WOULD BE INDUCED, BUT I STILL HELD OUT SOME HOPE THAT I WOULD GO IN AND THEY WOULD SAY, “YOUR WATER DIDN’T BREAK, YOU ARE JUST PEEING YOURSELF.” AND SEND ME HOME.

WE GOT THERE AROUND 9:30 PM, WE HAD CALLED AT 6:30PM.  THE MIDWIFE WAS ON BREAK SO THEY SENT ME A DOCTOR, I PREFER TO SEE A MIDWIFE UNLESS THERE IS SOMETHING ACTUALLY WRONG.  SHE COLLECTED A SAMPLE FROM ME TO TEST FOR AMNIOTIC FLUID.  IT HAD A SUPER POSITIVE RESULT ON THE STICK TURNING BLUE TEST, BUT SHE HAD TO LOOK FOR FERNING ON A SLIDE TO BE SURE.  IN THE MEANTIME SHE CHECKED ME AND I WAS AT A 3-4, 70% EFFACED AND -1 STATION.  WHEN SHE LOOKED AT THE SLIDE SHE DIDN’T SEE ANY FERNING!  SHE DIDN’T WANT TO SEND ME HOME YET THOUGH, BECAUSE THE STICK TURNED SUPER BLUE SO SHE HAD US WALK AROUND FOR AN HOUR SO SHE COULD CHECK AGAIN.  WHILE WE WERE WALKING I WAS LEAKING QUITE A BIT, SO I FELT SURE SHE WOULD SEE FERNING THIS TIME.  AND SURE ENOUGH, SHE DID.  SHE SAID, “WELL, IT DID BREAK, SO I’LL START YOU ON PITOCIN AND YOU CAN HAVE YOUR EPIDURAL RIGHT AWAY.”

OF COURSE, I DID NOT WANT EITHER OF THOSE THINGS, ALTHOUGH I DIDN’T THINK I WAS GOING TO GET AWAY WITHOUT PITOCIN AND AFTER BEING ON IT WITH NATALIE AND PICTURING A LONG AND PAINFUL LABOR I WAS PRETTY SURE I WOULD END UP WITH AN EPIDURAL.  ANYWAY, I WASN’T READY TO GIVE UP YET!  I TALKED TO MY DR. ABOUT MY PREVIOUS LABORS AND MY HISTORY OF BREAKING THE OUTER BAG BUT NOT THE INNER BAG.  SHE SAID THAT SHE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THAT WAS, BUT THAT IF FLUID WAS LEAKING IT WAS COMING FROM INSIDE WHERE THE BABY IS.  THAT IS NOT ACTUALLY TRUE BECAUSE THERE IS FLUID IN BETWEEN THE TWO BAGS, BUT WHATEVER I WASN’T GOING TO ARGUE.  I ASKED THE DR. IF I NEEDED TO START ON PITOCIN RIGHT AWAY.  AT THIS POINT SHE GOT VERY HOSTILE AND ALTHOUGH I DON’T REMEMBER HER EXACT WORDS, WHAT SHE BASICALLY SAID WAS, “YOU CAN GO WITHOUT PITOCIN IF YOU WANT, I’LL WRITE IN YOUR FILE THAT YOU DID SO AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE.  THEN. WHEN YOUR BABY GETS AN INFECTION AND DIES IT WILL BE YOUR FAULT AND EVERYONE WILL KNOW IT.”  I TRIED TO STAY CALM AND TALK TO HER REASONABLY WITHOUT LETTING HER BULLY ME.  I TOLD HER THAT I WANTED AS NATURAL CHILDBIRTH AS POSSIBLE AND THAT I REALIZED THAT I MAY NOT BE ABLE TO AVOID SOME MEDICAL INTERVENTIONS AT THIS POINT, BUT THAT I STILL WANTED TO MAKE INFORMED CHOICES.  I ASKED ABOUT STARTING OUT WITH A VERY LOW DOSE OF PITOCIN,  SHE REPEATED THE THING ABOUT NOT HAVING PITOCIN AND THE BABY DYING AND I REPEATED THAT I WAS ASKING ABOUT A LOW DOSE OF PITOCIN.  FINALLY SHE SAID THAT IT WOULD FINE AND I PROBABLY WOULDN’T NEED MUCH ANYWAY BECAUSE I WAS ALREADY AT A 3-4.  THEN SHE LEFT AND I STARTED TO CRY.

THE NURSE WAS ALL BOTHERED BY MY CRYING AND SHE WAS ACTUALLY REALLY ANNOYING.  SHE MEANT WELL, BUT I REALLY WANTED HER TO LEAVE ME ALONE.  SHE KEPT TRYING TO COMFORT ME, BUT I WANTED TO TALK TO DAVE AND TRY TO WORK OUT MY FEELINGS AND NOT HAVE THIS NURSE, WHO WAS A COMPLETE STRANGER COMFORT ME ABOUT MY FEELINGS THAT SHE REALLY DIDN’T UNDERSTAND.  SHE DID GET ME A ROCKING CHAIR TO LABOR IN BECAUSE SHE NOTICED THAT I DIDN’T WANT TO LIE DOWN IN THE BED.  EVERYONE KEPT TRYING TO GET ME TO LIE BACK BECAUSE IT WAS BETTER FOR THE MONITORS. IT WAS 1AM WHEN THEY STARTED ME ON 1 ML OF PITOCIN AN HOUR.

DAVE PASSED OUT MY BIRTH PLAN THEN WE WATCHED PART OF BEDTIME STORIES ON HIS IPAD, BUT THEN WE WERE REALLY TIRED SO WE  DECIDED TO TRY AND SLEEP.  I LAY DOWN ON MY LEFT SIDE AND FELL ASLEEP FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES.  THEN I WOKE UP AND STARTED CONTEMPLATING MY SITUATION AND JUST GETTING MORE AND MORE DEPRESSED.  I WAS LYING THERE, SO UNCOMFORTABLE, HOOKED UP IN A MILLION PLACES TO VARIOUS MACHINES, HAVING ONLY THE MILDEST OF CONTRACTIONS AND THINKING THAT THERE WAS NO WAY ANYONE COULD LABOR ALL CONFINED LIKE THIS WITHOUT AN EPIDURAL.  I LIKELY HAD HOURS OF LABOR IN FRONT OF ME, AND I JUST COULDN’T SEE ANYWAY THAT I COULD DO IT.  MY THOUGHTS WERE REALLY NEGATIVE AND I WAS COMPLETELY DEPRESSED.  THEN A LINE FROM MY BRADLEY HANDBOOK RAN THROUGH MY HEAD: “SOME MOTHERS . . . NEED TO “GIVE IN” AND LET LABOR TAKE OVER.”   I REALIZED THAT I WAS BEING COUNTERPRODUCTIVE BY FIGHTING MY LABOR.  I WASN’T HAVING THE LABOR I WANTED, BUT THIS WAS THE LABOR THAT I HAD AND I HAD TO FIND A WAY TO “GIVE IN” TO THIS LABOR.  I THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND I DECIDED THAT THERE WERE TWO OPTIONS: 1) FIND A WAY TO GET OVER MY NEGATIVE FEELINGS OR 2) GET AN EPIDURAL AND LET THEM PUMP ME FULL OF PITOCIN.  (I SHOULD POINT OUT THAT ALL THIS TIME THEY WERE CONTINUOUSLY UPPING MY DOSE)  I WOKE UP DAVE TO TALK TO HIM ABOUT MY THINKING.

WE DISCUSSED THOSE TWO OPTIONS AND WE DECIDED TO PRAY ABOUT IT.  AFTER WE PRAYED WE DECIDED TO TRY A LITTLE LONGER TO GET ME OUT OF MY FUNK.  FIRST WE WOULD READ THE SCRIPTURES AND THEN WE WOULD PLAY SOME CARD GAMES.  WE FOUND A GOOD CHAPTER TO READ, BUT I HAD TO USE THE RESTROOM FIRST.  I STARTED TO WORK MY WAY OUT OF THE BED WHEN SUDDENLY I FELT THIS BIG KICK, IT FELT LIKE SOPHIE WAS PUSHING DOWN AS HARD AS SHOULD COULD, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PUSHING UP AS HARD AS SHE COULD, IT WAS SO STRONG THAT IT HURT!  THEN WHEN I STOOD UP OUT CAME A BIG GUSH OF AMNIOTIC FLUID, MY WATER WAS FINALLY REALLY BROKEN! 

I IMMEDIATELY STARTED HAVING VERY STRONG CONTRACTIONS JUST A MINUTE OR TWO APART.  I STILL HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, SO DAVID HELPED ME GET ALL UNHOOKED FROM THE MACHINES AND PULL MY IV POLE INTO THE BATHROOM SO THAT I COULD GO IN BETWEEN CONTRACTIONS, MEANWHILE I WAS LEAKING ALL OVER THE FLOOR.  THEN THE NURSE CAME IN AND WE TOLD HER THAT MY WATER BROKE ON THE WAY TO THE BATHROOM.  SHE GOT A TOWEL TO CLEAN IT UP, MEANWHILE I WAS HAVING VERY INTENSE CONTRACTIONS.  I WAS STANDING AND LEANING ON THE BED FOR SUPPORT WHILE DAVID PUT PRESSURE ON MY HIPS FOR ME.  THE NURSE WAS TRYING TO MAKE ME GET IN THE BED BECAUSE MY MONITORS KEPT COMING OFF AND I WAS LEAKING ALL OVER THE FLOOR.  I TOLD HER NO, AND THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER WAY TO MAKE THE MONITORS STAY ON.  THEN THE CONTRACTIONS GOT WORSE AND I DID GET INTO BED, BUT TO ROCK ON MY HANDS AND KNEES, WHICH JUST MADE IT HARDER FOR THE MONITORS TO STAY ON.  ALSO THE BLOOD PRESSURE CUFF THAT WAS ON MY ARM KEPT COMING OFF AND THE NURSE KEPT TRYING TO PUT IT BACK ON.  SHE WAS DRIVING ME CRAZY WITH THE MONITORS!  I JUST LET THEM FALL OFF AND PAID NO ATTENTION TO THEM.  ALSO, MY GOWN WAS DRIVING ME CRAZY AND I TOOK IT COMPLETELY OFF.  I WAS ACTUALLY THINKING AT THIS POINT, “THIS SEEMS TOO EARLY IN MY LABOR FOR ME TO BE SO IRRITATED BY MY CLOTHING, THAT’S USUALLY AN INDICATION THAT YOU ARE NEAR THE END, BUT I JUST STARTED!”  REGARDLESS, I PROCEEDED FROM THAT POINT COMPLETELY NAKED.

I WANTED TO TRY AND RELAX DURING CONTRACTIONS LIKE DAVE AND I HAD PRACTICED.  SO, AFTER A CONTRACTION WAS OVER I LAY DOWN ON MY LEFT SIDE AND DAVID STARTED TO MASSAGE MY BACK AND TELL ME THE RAINBOW RELAXATION THING.  BUT THE CONTRACTION CAME WAY TOO FAST AND I DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO GET EVEN A LITTLE BIT RELAXED.  I HAD TO GET UP AND ROCK, AND MOAN AND EVEN THAT WAS STARTING TO BE USELESS.  THE CONTRACTIONS WERE SO STRONG AND I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE I COULD HANDLE THEM.  THE NURSE CHECKED ME AND SHE SAID I WAS AT A 7.  I DIDN’T FEEL LIKE I COULD HANDLE ANOTHER HOUR OR TWO OF THIS AND I STARTED TELLING DAVE THAT I COULDN’T DO IT ANYMORE.  HE WAS TELLING ME, “YOU ARE DOING IT!  YOU ARE ALMOST THERE!” AND A LOT OF OTHER SUPPORTIVE THINGS.  IT MADE ME WANT TO HIT HIM.  I WAS ALSO FEELING LIKE I NEEDED TO POOP.  I DIDN’T WANT TO PUSH TOO SOON AND I WAS REALLY CONFUSED BY THE WAY I WAS FEELING.  EVERYTHING WAS ALL WILD AND FRANTIC AND I FELT COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL.  WHEN THE NURSE CAME IN I SAID THAT I WANTED AN EPIDURAL, AND SHE SAID IT WAS TOO LATE!  I DIDN’T BELIEVE HER AND I SAID, “NO ITS NOT!”  THEN THE NEXT CONTRACTION CAME AND I STARTED TO POOP!  (I CONSIDERED LEAVING THIS PART OUT, BUT ITS PART OF THE STORY!) I POOPED OUT WHAT FELT LIKE A LOT, AND I COULDN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT, ONCE ALL THE POOP WAS OUT I REALIZED I WAS PUSHING!  I WAS SUPER CONFUSED NOW BECAUSE I HAD BEEN CHECKED ONLY MINUTES AGO AND I WAS AT A SEVEN AND NOW I WAS PUSHING.  THE NURSE REACHED INTO MY VAGINA WITHOUT WARNING AND SAID,”THAT’S THE HEAD!”  THEN SHE YELLED OUT THE DOOR, “WE NEED A MIDWIFE IN HERE FOR DELIVERY!”

I KEPT PUSHING HARD WITH EVERY CONTRACTION, I HAD TO, THE URGE TO PUSH WAS UNDENIABLE.  I WAS STILL ON ALL FOURS, MY HEAD WAS DOWN AND MY BACKSIDE WAS IN THE AIR.  MY HEAD WAS AT THE FOOT OF THE BED AND I WAS PUSHING TOWARD THE HEAD OF THE BED.  THE NURSE TRIED TO GET ME TO TURN OVER SO THAT I COULD PUSH IN THE CLASSIC POSITION, BUT I TOLD HER NO.  THE POSITION I WAS IN WAS WORKING AND I FELT SURE THAT TURNING OVER WOULD NOT BE GOOD.  THE MIDWIFE CAME IN AND SAID, “OH YEAH, SHE’S CROWNING!”  DAVID SAID, “SHE’S CROWNING, I SEE HER HEAD!”  AND I THINK A COUPLE MORE NURSES CAME IN WITH THE MIDWIFE, I DON’T REALLY KNOW BECAUSE MY HEAD WAS IN THE BED AND I COULDN’T SEE ANYTHING.  BUT ANYWAY, IT SEEMED LIKE ANOTHER NURSE WAS TELLING ME, “ALRIGHT, LET’S TURN YOU OVER.”  AND I SAID, “NO!” SO SHE TOLD THE MIDWIFE AND ASKED IF I COULD PUSH ON ALL FOURS AND SHE SAID, “YEAH, BUT LETS GET HER TO TURN AROUND.”  I HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT.  BUT, DAVE HELPED ME TURN AROUND AND IT WAS ONLY THEN THAT I REALIZED I HAD BEEN PUSHING TOWARDS THE HEAD OF THE BED.  SO, NOW I WAS STILL ON ALL FOURS WITH MY BACKSIDE IN THE AIR, BUT PUSHING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE MIDWIFE.  I FELT WHAT SEEMED LIKE 20 PEOPLE STICKING THEIR ARMS UP TO THEIR ELBOWS INTO MY VAGINA AND FEELING AROUND AND I WAS WONDERING WHY THEY WERE DOING THAT, BUT THEN I HEARD THE MIDWIFE SAY SOMETHING ABOUT PERENNIAL MASSAGE AND I REALIZED THAT’S WHAT SHE WAS DOING AND SO THAT WAS A GOOD THING.  DAVE SAYS THAT I AM CRAZY BECAUSE SHE WAS JUST MASSAGING A VERY SMALL PART OF MY PERINEUM  WITH ONE FINGER, BUT IT FELT DIFFERENT.  ANYWAY, I PUSHED REALLY HARD UNTIL I GOT THE HEAD OUT AND THEN I THOUGHT I WAS DONE.  JUST THEN THE MIDWIFE SAID, “YOU’RE NOT DONE PUSHING YET, YOU NEED TO GET THE SHOULDERS OUT!”  I THOUGHT, “OH YEAH!”  AND KEPT PUSHING.  AT ONE POINT I WAS MAKING A LOT OF NOISE AND THE MIDWIFE SAID, “STOP TALKING AND PUSH!”  I REALIZED THAT SHE WAS RIGHT, I WAS MAKING NOISE INSTEAD OF PUSHING.  THEN I PUSHED ABOUT THREE MORE TIMES AND SHE WAS OUT!  I SAID, “I WANT TO SEE HER!”  AND THEY SAID, “WE’LL TURN YOU OVER AND THEN WE’LL GIVE HER TO YOU.”  SO, I SAID OK AND LET THEM HELP ME TURN OVER.  WHILE I WAS TURNING MY PLACENTA PLOPPED OUT AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS THE FASTEST DELIVERY OF THE PLACENTA THEY HAD SEEN.  AT SOME POINT DAVID CUT THE CORD.  THEN THEY GAVE HER TO ME AND SHE WAS ALL PURPLE AND WHITE.  SHE WAS CRYING SO I KNEW SHE WAS OK, BUT SHE DIDN’T PINK UP SO THEY GAVE HER A LITTLE OXYGEN AND THEN GAVE HER RIGHT BACK TO ME.  SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NURSED RIGHT AWAY AND WE ARE IMMENSELY HAPPY TO HAVE HER!

ALTHOUGH IT SEEMS LONGER ALL WRITTEN OUT, THE TIME FROM WHEN MY WATER TRULY BROKE UNTIL THE TIME SOPHIE WAS OUT WAS ABOUT 20 MIN.  I ONLY HAD ONE LITTLE SUPERFICIAL TEAR, WITH THREE STITCHES.  WE FELT REALLY BLESSED TO HAVE SUCH A QUICK LABOR AND DELIVERY AND TO BE ABLE TO AVOID AN EPIDURAL AND AN EPISIOTOMY.  WE FEEL REALLY BLESSED TOO THAT SOPHIE IS COMPLETELY HEALTHY.