Quinn Thomas finally made his arrival on June 30, 2015 at 6pm. This kid is a whopping 9lbs and 20 inches long--I guess to be expected after being 2 weeks overdue! Below, is our birth story. Read if you want, but warning to all, stop reading if it's too much information!
My midwife and I were trying everything to get labor started on its own. I was beginning to feel like my body was failing me for not allowing spontaneous labor to happen. I walked, bounced on a yoga ball, tried pumping, herbs, spicy foods, etc and NOTHING worked. On Sunday night my midwife stripped my membranes to try and get labor started and to our surprise I was already 4cm dilated. Monday night I started having contractions but they were not painful! They were coming every 7-10 minutes and lasting about a minute but I kept waiting for them to get painful or intense. We continued on with normal life, took the dogs to the park, got ice cream, and made dinner.
I slept almost 12 hours on Monday night, clearly, my body needed the rest. Tuesday, I was still having contractions but again, they were not painful! If I started doing something, I didn't even notice them. My midwife stripped my membranes again and I was about 5-6cm--obviously these contractions were doing something! We decided that since I was already 42 weeks and risking transferring out of a home birth because of postdates that my midwife would come over in the afternoon and break my water to get active labor started.
Tuesday afternoon we finished setting up for birth, took the kids for a walk, and made lunch. Dale rubbed my feet and we watched the rainstorms come in. My midwife arrived at 4pm and again, to our surprise, I was 8 cm dilated! The boys were both induced with pitocin and it took hours of hard labor and finally an epidural to get to just 6cm. I couldn't believe that my body was at 8cm without any pain! I joked that maybe it's a good thing that she had to come over and break my water, otherwise I would have sneezed the baby out in a Walmart! My midwife broke my water just after 4pm. Things immediately got intense.
At 4:10, I put on my hypnobabies tracks and was leaning over the ottoman on my hands and knees waiting for Dale to finish filling the birth pool. Contractions were intense but manageable, I was able to walk and talk in between. I kept repeating to myself "inhale peace, exhale tension" when a contraction hit. At 4:24, I called my aunt to tell her she better come over.
At 5pm, the tub was ready and I got in. I remember thinking that Quinn was so lucky to birthed in such a calm environment--the house was dark, candlelit, and rain and thunder were my only background noise. Things got more intense and I found myself focusing on this red heart over an Alaska picture I gave Dale for Christmas. I just kept repeating my mantras on my hands and knees in the birth pool. At about 5:20, things changed. I started sweating profusely and started making one-word demands. I looked at Dale, and said "water, straw, silent (referring to my phone which was ringing endlessly)". Dale knew things were close and he raced to get the boys settled in their rooms with some snacks and special toys. My midwife said to let her know if I felt any pressure. Minutes later, I yelled "pressure" across the room and my midwife said baby's head was right there I could push, if my body was telling me to do it.
The body is an amazing thing. At 5:30, I felt pressure, but I needed a break. My body gave me a 3 minute break to guzzle water while Dale rubbed my forehead with a cool wash cloth and ice cube. Then, it happened. My body just let go and I breathed the baby down with Dale and my midwife cheering "good job", "you got this", "good girl" in the background. Right as baby was about to crown, my body again gave me a break so everything could stretch. I could feel Quinn's head stretching everything but it wasn't painful, more just an eerie sensation. Finally, after another contraction and few deep breaths, I heard my midwife say "Kat, reach down and grab your baby" (it was 6pm sharp!). I couldn't believe it. Quinn was born in the water, covered in vernix, wide-eyed, and staring at me! I put him on my chest and he immediately started crying. The boys came running out of their rooms to greet Quinn.
We were all amazed at how fast everything went. It was 2 hours from the time my water broke to delivery. My aunt and the second midwife didn't even make it in time! We listened to the rain and stared at Quinn. It was such an amazing experience birthing in our home, in a peaceful environment, where the boys could be involved with just Dale, me and the midwife. Clark and Kannon were full or questions and observations. Clark said "he has our same skin and hair AND the biggest balls in the house!"
Around 6:30, my aunt and the second midwife arrived. We moved to my bedroom where we waited for the cord to stop pulsing. It was so relaxing, just watching Quinn and chatting about the whole experience. Clark had originally wanted to cut the cord but got nervous at the last minute. So, Kannon jumped in and said he wanted too. The midwives helped him cut the cord and then weighed him and measured him. We expected 7-8 pounds......not NINE!!! We weighed him twice to make sure! Even being 2 weeks late, Quinn showed no signs of being "overdue", which we were grateful for.
By 10 pm, everyone left. Dale put the boys to bed while I nursed Quinn. Neither of us could sleep because of the adrenaline, so we stayed up reflecting on such a beautiful experience. We are so in love with our new arrival!
After having a 9 pound baby, my body is still recovering. My muscles are sore and the cramping is awful! I've been lucky to have Dale home to take care of the boys so I can rest. The boys come in and out and ask questions or try to help. When Kannon saw me nurse for the first time, he asked if one breast was milk and the other water.....lol.
We are in love all over again. I have fallen in love all over again with Dale, the boys, and now Quinn. I am so blessed that labor was gentle and fast and ended with a perfectly healthy baby boy. I can't believe I birthed a 9 pound baby naturally and at home! We are especially grateful for our midwives and family who continue to show love and support for us. I will continue to post pictures and updates, so keep checking back!
***If you want to see more photos, please go here: https://goo.gl/photos/ea6NaAtDW4cbRi317
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