Length of labor (not pushing)
44 hours
Length of pushing
90 minutes
Who was with me
husband, midwife, 4 doulas, 7 kids
What I would do differently next time
Try not to freak out over the length of time I was pushing.
What I did to prepare for birth
We took a natural childbirth class, toured the hospital just in case, read books and did relaxation practice.
How my birth happened
My previous birth was so fast we assumed this one would be too so we paid attention too soon. Once I realized it wasn't going to be a fast one, we went about our day. I went grocery shopping on Friday night. Then we tried to sleep. It was fitful but still more sleep than if we had tried to stay awake and time contractions.
Saturday I went to rent a breast pump. Then we walked around the mall for a bit. I use the word walk loosely, waddle is more like it. Then we took the kids to a birthday party. I was pretty uncomfortable, mostly because I felt I had to sit still. But I lost my mucous plug and was ready to go home.
Once home we had friends bring us dinner and we sat and talked. I sat on the birth ball. They we went to bed. I woke up around 3 a.m. I just knew we were closer. I actually had a vision of having the baby with just my husband in the bathroom. That's why he made me call the midwife!
So she came over, we had conversations and she checked the baby who was great. We chatted and I finished a baby hat. Then my water broke and I just asked that everyone be called and I didn't sit up because I didn't want anyone to miss the birth.
But pushing took lots more time than the previous kids. The doulas were helpful at getting the kids up and helping with the stuff I needed like drinks, etc. They also helped my husband stay hydrated.
Finally I got mad and went to go to the bathroom in case a full bladder was holding the baby up. I saw the tub and asked my husband to fill it, knowing I'd not get out without the baby. Sure enough, my husband caught the baby about 90 seconds after I got in the tub! Everyone one there are it was great!
Lessons learned
- Don't freak out when labor is different than you anticipated.
- Get lots of help.
- Trust your instincts.
