The Birth of Juniper Grey..

The short story:
11pm Thur Feb 16: bag of water breaks but only a small tear.
11am Fri Feb 17: I have 11 hours to be in active labor
330 Fri Feb 17: contx regularly after a 20 min acupuncture treatment.
830ish Fri Feb 17: admitted to The Birth Center katie breaks bag of waters
@130am Sat Feb 18: 5-6 cm in transition
220am Sat Feb 18:pushing
225 Sat Feb 18: Juniper Grey born


::The very long story::
As I watched my due come and go, I did my best to relax, to stay busy and to not lose trust in my body. On Thursday Feb 16. I decided that I needed to take a bit of action to try and get things moving. Through the help of a friend I made an appt with an Acupuncturist for that night around 730. Within minutes of the needles being inserted I began to contract. It was so peaceful and I felt so relaxed. I left feeling confident that it was going to help. The contractions continued on through growing irregular as the night went on. I headed to bed around 930 and woke at 1100 needing to pee and having a big contraction. While in the bathroom I began to think that it was more than just pee and that I may be leaking amniotic fluid, i was also shaking like crazy. I decided to call the midwife at The birth Center. She said to call back when the contractions were coming more regularly. I began contracting shortly thereafter. I soon called my sis in Philly and she left her night shift to head to here. I contracted regularly for quite a few more hours, but they just never got to a point of feeling like I needed to head in. So around 3am I headed to bed only to wake up the next morning with only mild irregular contractions. this would have been the third "false alarm" I called my sister to come down for. You would think after having done this three times before I would know by now!

Friday Feb 17

Around 11am we headed into The Birth Center for my NST and appt. Baby checked out fine at this point I was no longer thinking that my bag of waters broke but after a quick swipe and microscope check showed it was in fact amniotic fluid. Instantly I went from having 4 days to be in labor to having 11 hours!! Phew, I left with castor oil in hand and my phone in hand calling the acupuncturist. The midwife also made mention that babys head was not fully on my cervix. An appt was made for 3:00 and I spent the next few hours laying half on half off the bed, and on my hands and knees rocking, trying to move babys head. The acupuncturist arrived and we got started. After inserting all the needles he waited for the contractions to start and when I had a big one he begain to stimulate the points on my baby toes and no sooner did he do that did I feel baby shift and move. I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that the baby was now in a better position. After he left Jay began to gather the kids and their things to bring them to our neighbors house. He's nervous thinking baby may come at any moment. I stay calm, put my music on and begin to rock and sway my hips standing next to the bed. The hours pass by slowly. The house grows quiet-the bedroom begins to darken. I glance at the clock now and again. I talk to the baby_encouraging him/her to work with my body to move down. Around 6-630 I put a call in the TBC and give her the rundown. She tells me to eat, take a shower and call back if they fizzle out, by 830. By 8 Im still feeling the same and begin to feel like I need some confirmation on whats going on so I call her back and we head on in.

Arrive at TBC and Im 3cm, and breathing a sigh of relief but with a bag of waters cushioning baby head from really pressing on my cervix. We decide to go ahead and break the bag all the way. I then put my headphones on and walked and swayed and walked and swayed. My hopes of a water birth ended when the women in labor with me was ready for the tub first. I then made note that what I really wanted was for this baby to be born here at The Birth Center. I labored much like Annie and Eliza swaying, rocking, breathing, calmly through each contx. I felt them intensifying and soon I was on my hands and knees. My voice was changing I let it go lower. I began to say "open" in long drawn out breathes. Things got intense after this and I moved to the bed on my side and after maybe two of those awful contx, decided that hands and knees was much better. I began to say things like "this is silly" but that quickly moved to "Shit, fuck, shit!"

The other midwife Lindsay was finally able to check me and her "5-6cm 80% effeced" was slightly disheartening but the contx were rolling over me and I quickly moved on. I needed to focus on each one fully letting it roll in and take over me, they peaked quickly and then I could let myself relax before the next one rolled in. The cussing picked up and there was crying, there was the sadness of not being in the water, and the proverbial "I don't want to do this anymore/again" I think I even joked about a c-section. 45 min after being told I was 5-6 and Lindsay said I was completely dilated but that I had an anterior lip, a bulge in part of my cervix that hadn't thinned out. she tried to reduce it by holding it back during the next contx but said that wasnt going to work. I was instructed to blow through my contx NO PUSHING! So I breathed, and pushed a tiny bit and breathed again. In both my ears I heard Jay and my sisters voices "breathe". It was so hard, so. very. hard. After about 10-12 contx I was beginning to push again, Katie came in and I said I couldnt blow anymore. She said to trust my body and do what I felt I should. I began to push and at the same time I reached up and felt the lip, the bulge in my cervix, I confirmed to Katie and then confirmed I felt the baby's head. I then began to hold the lip with each contx. I went from being very vocal to almost no sound during pushing. I held and pushed and held and pushed and soon baby's head was crowning. Katie moved in and told me to give small little pushes while baby turned. I then lifted my left and pushed out the shoulders. I pushed for 5 min!! Juniper Grey was born at 2:25am surprising this mama most of all by being a girl!

She was here, finally, after 41 weeks and 3 days. Born peacefully and beautifully surrounded by family and in exactly the place she was meant to be born. All that waiting and she was finally here. I am totally in love all over again as is her daddy and her big brothers and sisters. Auntie Jamie is feeling especially lucky as she watched her littlest niece born into the world (without fainting:) and I am feeling lucky and thankful that she made it back to delaware in time to support me and watch her be born.