Hayden's Birth part 3

Part one is here.

Part two is here.

After getting in the bed and having my water broken there was a huge gush of fluid. The midwife made a comment about there was sometimes more and did something. Another gush, and another, and another! Tons of fluid explains why I felt so huge! It was funny to see so much fluid and we all got another good laugh. Thus far I was very comfortable and not in much pain at all.

Within minutes of standing up from getting my water broken I could tell that this was going to get a lot harder fast! I was trying to make sure I didn’t get into the birthing tub too soon so I told them to wait. It didn’t seem long though and all I wanted was the warmth and comfort I had heard the water brings. I was so thrilled that I was finally going to be able to have a water birth.

You see I had wanted a water birth when I was pregnant with Natalia. It was part of what drew me to try a midwife instead of a doctor. But when I developed gestational diabetes I was told I would not be allowed to have a water birth with her. Fast forward to this birth and I was told the standards had changed a bit. As long as I wasn’t on insulin or any medication for the GD then I would be able to have a water birth if the labor progressed normally. Praise God I was able to avoid medications. It wasn’t easy and it was only by God’s grace but part of it I credit to Juice Plus.

Now it felt as if the tub couldn’t fill fast enough! Steve was a great coach and helped me to sway and take each contraction as they came.  Meanwhile my sister searched for my swimsuit top. She tried hard but couldn’t find it. After asking a few times if that shirt was it and my saying no I decided that I was too impatient to look for the shirt and just jumped in the tub. Poor Savanna was shocked! But labor isn’t a modesty thing. It’s messy and sometimes a birthing mama doesn’t care what she wears, if anything.

Now we were getting somewhere! The warm water helped some and it was a comfort but mostly by this point I was too focused on just getting this baby OUT! It felt like forever until they said I could push but in reality it really wasn’t that long. It was just after midnight as I was given the go ahead to start pushing. It was hard to push in this big tub and I ended up sitting sideways in it with Steve basically holding me up some. His arms were getting sore quick but every time he went to move I told him to go back to holding me up. He was awesome and kept at it though. Soon I felt like I was reaching the end of my strength. This baby was big! Steve said a quick prayer in my ear and it helped me to have that last little bit of strength come. And Hayden was born at 12:28am on January 31, 2012. He was 9 pounds 4 ounces. What a big boy! And was 21 ½ inches long.