Well it all started Friday the 18th around 8pm, at which time my usual braxton hicks contractions turned into what you would call 'real contractions'. At first they were coming around 25 minutes apart, so I figured I had plenty of time before the real show would begin. I was unfortunately up all of Friday evening due to both the excitement of the contractions as well as the new level of pain.
By Saturday morning the contractions were 10 minutes apart and so I called into the birth center to let them know what was taking place. They said to keep up the good work, get as much sleep as possible and call back when they were 5 minutes apart. Unfortunately a few hours later they were back up to 25 minutes apart and I began to worry that it might continue this way for days!
By Saturday evening the contractions were back to 10 minutes apart and by 1am we were closer to 6-7 minutes apart. Up to this point, my hypno-birthing training was working pretty well along with hours spent sitting in the shower or in a warm bath, thank goodness for a quick recovering hot water tank!
By 6am on Sunday morning, my contractions were 3-6 minutes apart and I was beginning to question my desire for a natural birth. Thankfully, we were finally at a point to head into the birth center and by the time we arrived, close to 6:30am my contractions were coming on pretty quickly and the need to begin pushing was also starting to kick-in.
Upon arriving they discovered I was 6 cm dilated and 100% effaced, thanks goodness! The midwife on-call, Sarah, began to fill the birthing tub and by 8am I was happily in the birthing tub working through the last few hours of labor. Around 9am I began the 'pushing phase' of labor and Allouette arrived at 10:01am on Sunday, February 20th, 2011.
There were a few hick-ups along the way, and unfortunately I have to tell you that all of my pre-birth work on hypno-birthing only took me so far. By the time Allouette was about to make her debut, I could have punched the hypno-birthing author in the face, given the chance. But looking back on it, I am so very thankful we decided to birth at the birthing center and that I took the scary leap into natural childbirth.
I really can't believe that I did it.
Allouette stayed right on my chest until around noon, during these two hours she had her first chance to breastfeed and cuddle. We were eating our celebratory meal around 12:30, the three of us took a little nap and by around 3pm I was up taking a shower and giving Allouette a mini sponge bath. We made it back home around 6pm.
She is one incredible little baby girl. So far she mainly sleeps and then has these moments of perfect clarity where she will just look at you with big blue/grey eyes, it is hard to believe she is only a day old. I keep looking at her, completely in awe that she is actually mine and that we get to keep her.
Photos from her first 24 hours:
(Three hours after birth)
(8am Monday morning, not yet a full day old)
(Knocked out after her first pediatrician appointment)
