It was such a spiritual, intense, wild journey from the start of those early contractions until I saw his incredible self emerge from the womb. I am so grateful to have my amazing husband and my wonderful friend/doula Carmen by my side through the experience. During all of labor I deeply felt the prayers said for us that God would grant us a natural, drug-free delivery; He answered our prayers, and we couldn't be more happy.
So let's start from the beginning. Warning -- this post is full of the nitty-gritty facts of labor and delivery!
My due date was February 8th. I had a midwifery appointment in the morning that day, and was anxious to say the least about my progress. Before checking me she asked if I would like her to strip my membranes. I -- eager to get the ball rolling -- wholeheartedly said, "Yes!" When she checked me, she said I was 80% effaced but not dilated. She felt around and by doing so "made me" 1 centimeter dilated, stripping my membranes in the process. From that point until the baby was born I constantly felt a deep cramping sensation. I had a very good feeling stripping my membranes was exactly what we needed to aid Ignatius' sooner-rather-than-later entry.
At around 2:30AM Saturday morning, I began to have consistent, painful contractions. Since I knew my husband needed the rest to help me later on when things really got intense I didn't wake him up until Julian awoke. At 6:30AM he started timing the contractions which were about a minute long and four minutes apart. He called the midwife, I called Carmen, and prepared everything for our journey to the hospital. All along these contractions were steadily becoming more and more intense. I really had to work hard to relax through the surges; I thought I would have the baby after a few hours being at the hospital. I was wrong.
We arrived at the hospital around 9AM. The midwife, Angel (what a perfect name for her!), checked me and I told her I didn't want to know how dilated I was; I didn't want to be disappointed if I wasn't where I thought I should be. All she told me after she checked me was to walk for an hour around the unit, and she would see where I was after that. After 45 minutes of walking the halls and lots of painful, consistent contractions I had to rest. 15 minutes later Angel checked me again and had some disappointing news -- I had not progressed since my appointment the day before: I was still only 1 centimeter dilated and 80% effaced. She said I had two options -- 1) stay at the hospital, or 2) go home. She encouraged the latter as I would do better to be in my own comfort zone. That's what we decided to do. Angel sent me home after taking an Ambien, which she thought would help me get the rest I needed. That Ambien sure did the trick! Although I didn't sleep it relaxed me enough to get some much-needed, deep rest.
At home I labored from about 10AM until 7PM. During this time the cramping sensations became more intense and closer together. Things really started to happen once I took a shower upon Carmen's suggestion. It was right after that we called Angel and headed to the hospital.
At this point something happened to me that I could only describe as entering "The Zone." I knew from the moment I sat in the car that my body was entering the transition phase of labor. I felt intense, hard contractions then fell into a deep sleep immediately following their peaks. I felt my arms and legs become tingly and my face naturally let go of any expression. All of my body and soul became focused on totally letting go and surrendering to the process of welcoming Ignatius to the world. Once we came to the hospital I hardly spoke a word to anyone. Everyone knew I was "there".
They checked me and sure enough I was 6.5-7 centimeters dilated. I only had a few hours to go before pushing. Amazingly -- I believe through the prayers said for me and Ignatius -- I welcomed each contraction calmly and peacefully. They were very strong, and at their peaks I could hardly breath. It really helped when my husband and doula told me when the contractions were almost over (as they watched them on the monitor), and that we were that much closer to pushing. At 10:15PM I was 9.5 centimeters dilated and feeling the urge to push. At 10:30PM I started pushing. This naturally was the most arduous part; luckily it felt like 20 minutes to me but in reality lasted 1 hour and 34 minutes!
It was funny as we thought he would come before the midnight hour. Ignatius really wanted to be born on the 10th; after all, he was an even 10 pounds! When he came from the womb, he was placed on my chest for some skin-to-skin contact. We bonded and enjoyed each other's presence. He didn't cry, but coughed making me a bit nervous. He had his first bowel movement in the birth canal and swallowed some of it. Not to worry! They got it out without a problem.
I want to say a word about the atmosphere in the delivery room. I was so pleased that everyone was calm, quiet, and peaceful. It wasn't a "big production." It was an intimate process that all respected by keeping the lights dim and their voices low. Even during the pushing, the midwife gave me a few gentle words to help the process and no more. She calmly cared for me as I labored; what a gift this was. I can't tell you enough how much that helped me! Of course right after delivery I was talking everyone's ears off. I couldn't keep quiet for too long!
The only glitch to Ignatius' delivery happened during the third stage of labor. It took 20 minutes to deliver the placenta, and during the process I hemorrhaged. Praise God, I didn't need a blood transfusion. I received two bags of IV fluids during the first 24 hours after he was born, and it did the trick. I am currently taking iron supplements and gaining my strength more every day.
Ignatius is such a good, healthy baby! He's already exceeded his birth weight by 13 ounces, which completely stunned his pediatrician especially due to the fact he is exclusively breastfed. He sleeps well, he nurses well, he poops well. He is so calm and reflective, even from the first moment of his big debut. We are so, so blessed with such a gift from God!
They checked me and sure enough I was 6.5-7 centimeters dilated. I only had a few hours to go before pushing. Amazingly -- I believe through the prayers said for me and Ignatius -- I welcomed each contraction calmly and peacefully. They were very strong, and at their peaks I could hardly breath. It really helped when my husband and doula told me when the contractions were almost over (as they watched them on the monitor), and that we were that much closer to pushing. At 10:15PM I was 9.5 centimeters dilated and feeling the urge to push. At 10:30PM I started pushing. This naturally was the most arduous part; luckily it felt like 20 minutes to me but in reality lasted 1 hour and 34 minutes!
It was funny as we thought he would come before the midnight hour. Ignatius really wanted to be born on the 10th; after all, he was an even 10 pounds! When he came from the womb, he was placed on my chest for some skin-to-skin contact. We bonded and enjoyed each other's presence. He didn't cry, but coughed making me a bit nervous. He had his first bowel movement in the birth canal and swallowed some of it. Not to worry! They got it out without a problem.
I want to say a word about the atmosphere in the delivery room. I was so pleased that everyone was calm, quiet, and peaceful. It wasn't a "big production." It was an intimate process that all respected by keeping the lights dim and their voices low. Even during the pushing, the midwife gave me a few gentle words to help the process and no more. She calmly cared for me as I labored; what a gift this was. I can't tell you enough how much that helped me! Of course right after delivery I was talking everyone's ears off. I couldn't keep quiet for too long!
The only glitch to Ignatius' delivery happened during the third stage of labor. It took 20 minutes to deliver the placenta, and during the process I hemorrhaged. Praise God, I didn't need a blood transfusion. I received two bags of IV fluids during the first 24 hours after he was born, and it did the trick. I am currently taking iron supplements and gaining my strength more every day.
Ignatius is such a good, healthy baby! He's already exceeded his birth weight by 13 ounces, which completely stunned his pediatrician especially due to the fact he is exclusively breastfed. He sleeps well, he nurses well, he poops well. He is so calm and reflective, even from the first moment of his big debut. We are so, so blessed with such a gift from God!
This was taken just a few hours after he was born.
Our alert newborn.
I forgot how wonderful it was to see a little face curled up, fast asleep on my shoulder.
God bless you, baby Ignatius! Mamma, Daddy, and Julian love you so much!
