Ellyana Rose's Story
June 5, 2012
Submitted by Tessa
Friday evening, the day after my due date, I started having stronger braxton hicks contractions. I could tell that labour was getting close. I spent all day Saturday and Sunday relaxing and singing, gearing up. Sunday at midnight real contractions started and boy were they intense! I was no longer able to sleep so I let Bryan keep sleeping for a while and spent some time in the living room singing along to one of my many birth playlists. Around 2:30am I asked Bryan to fill the birth tub and to call my mom. Labouring in the tub felt wonderful. Bryan leaned over the edge to rub my back as we sang through the contractions "Elly Rose, I'm home again Rose, to get the sun back in the sky." My mom arrived and helped encourage me to walk around to help move the baby down. Bryan called the midwife and let her know my contractions were around 5 minutes apart. She said to let her know when they reached 3 minutes apart. My contractions started coming in sets, about two minutes apart with a 6 minute break in-between, and lasting around a minute. That continued throughout the night, with my mom rubbing my back and Bryan holding me and helping me breathe deeply. My body so badly wanted to take quick shallow breaths so I really relied on Bryans calm slow breathing to get me through it.
The midwife stopped by in the morning to check me. I was 1.5 cm dilated. Not the news we were hoping for but we kept on trucking! The midwife left to work her day at the birth center while we continued just coping one contraction at a time. I kept walking around the house, bouncing on the birth ball, singing and trying to stay empowered. The contractions were far more intense than I ever imagined and it was all I could do to stay positive. Bryan read aloud all the affirmation cards I had written, "Ride the wave" "All you have to do is breathe and relax. Nothing else" "Just as your body knew how to grow your baby, it knows how to birth your baby." I also turned to my mommy groups on facebook and asked for some words of support, reading so many kind words helped immensely.
At 11pm the midwife returned, she checked me and asked me if I wanted to know how far along I was. I said no, just tell me if I have progressed. Yes, she said I had progressed but was moving along very slowly. I later found out I was only 3cm at that time, some of which she stretched out herself. We made the decision to break my bag of waters at this point, in hopes it would bring the baby down further. My contractions were getting more and more intense and I was getting tired. I had been unable to eat anything almost my whole labour and was vomiting anything I did try to eat (even the delicious watermelon Bryan has cut up for me!) Baby was not dropping down enough to really press on my cervix so I could open up. We started trying things to move the baby into the best position. I got on my hands and knees and Bryan and my mom took turns wrapping a scarf under my belly and shaking it back and forth as vigorously as they could. It was a very tiring act and quite painful for me, but we all powered on, determined to get the baby to move. Luckily the babies heartbeat and my blood pressure were both doing great during the whole labour process.
Bryan and my mom were now taking turns napping while the other pressed on my back and held me during the contractions. We spent a bit more time in the birth tub but didn't want to slow things down at all so I didn't stay there for long. One thing that really sticks out in my mind is locking eyes with Bryan during the peak of the contraction. I could lose myself staring so deeply into his eyes and was able to take deep slow breaths.
At 3:30am the midwife checked me again and once again had to stretch me herself. I was now at 6cm dilated and suddenly I got the urge to push. I should say, suddenly my body started pushing because I was not in control over it. With all my might I blew raspberries and growled and moaned to try to stop myself from pushing. I was so afraid my body would push too much and my cervix would swell, leaving a c-section as my only birth option. When the midwife suggested we go to the hospital my heart sunk. Pitocin to make contractions stronger to get this baby down and an epidural to help me with the pain. I was still fearing a swollen cervix so I agreed to transfer. Bryan on the other hand wanted to give it more time, and started making very strong objections to going to the hospital.
My mom was hurriedly filling a bag with baby clothes and diapers and draping me in a robe. The midwife took one last check of my cervix before we left for the hospital. "It's a miracle!" she exclaimed! "You're fully dilated! You can push!" The relief we all felt was the most overwhelming emotion of the whole labour. "Thank you god!" I was exclaiming, even though I am not a religious person. From that moment on I felt no more pain. All I felt was relief!
Bryan hugged me and helped me onto the birthing stool that the midwife had brought. It felt SO wonderful to finally push with my body and know that we were so close to meeting our baby. I pushed with all my might, grunting and getting out every single emotion I had been feeling. Bryan supported my back while my mom took control of the video camera. I was crowning! "ohhh ring of fire!" I remember saying and the head started to emerge. Bryan ran and got the hand mirror so I could see. So much hair! I pushed again and the midwife asked me to slow down as she put oil on my perineum. I so badly didn't want to tear but at that point I no longer cared, I just wanted to PUSH! I pushed again as hard as I could and felt the head come out - and the body! The baby was here! I lifted the baby under the arms and up onto my belly. Bryan, still supporting behind me, leaned around and announced "IT'S A GIRL!" ("I know" I secretly thought. I had known she was a girl for months, our sweet Ellyana)
We held her on my belly until the placenta was birthed because she had a very short cord. When all the blood had finished pulsing my mom had the honour of cutting her loose.
My huge baby belly was now a 6lb 2 1/2oz baby girl, 19 inches long. Born at 4:20am on June 5th beside our bed into a room FULL of love.
We did it. A home birth, drug free, peaceful and loving.
I am so thankful for the incredible support team I had, and truly could not have done it without either of them. My moms wise words and touch helped my body and Bryans warmth, deep looks and soft lips helped my spirit. I feel so proud of the work all of us did and am so thankful I got through it all and am now holding our precious baby.
After getting cleaned up we discovered that I did NOT tear which was the icing on the cake! I lost a lot of blood so I felt very weak but at the same time I felt the best I had in months.
In the week the followed Bryan proved himself to be a truly great man. I stayed in bed and just nursed our sweet baby, he took care of the laundry, the dogs, every single meal and keeping the house clean. I was able to give my body the rest it needed. By 10 days post partum I felt healthy, healed and happy, and by three weeks my body felt 100%!
The love I feel for Elly is incomparable with anything else, besides my love for Bryan, which has gotten even stronger.
I so deeply love our beautiful little family.
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