I tried so many things to go into labor in my last month of prodromal labor, it’s hard to say if any of it had an effect on when I went into labor or not, but I’m sure none of it hurt… I went to L&D at 36 weeks with early labor contractions, traceable and consistent but non-progressive. This was to go on for 5 weeks, every evening. Once I approached 38 weeks, I walked daily, squatted for positioning, took early primrose, then borage oil nightly for my last month, and from 40-41 weeks I had acupuncture, castor oil twice, b&b cohosh tincture and chiropractic adjusting.

I was 41 weeks, 1 day when the magic finally happened. I had been at 3cm, 50%, 0 station at my last appt. The day I went into labor was the day after the new moon. I woke up Thursday morning at 1:30am with what I knew were far more intense contractions than the ones I had been having with all my early labor over the last 5 weeks. These ones were immediately taking my breath away. Already I had to focus on just breathing, because it felt this natural reaction of wanting to hold my breath because they were so strong.

I started to time them, knowing I was going to have a hard time making it the whole hour I was supposed to wait before calling anyone this time. They were every 2 minutes, lasting for a minute and a half. So I had a nice 30 seconds break to talk or think or do anything. I woke up my husband, told him what was going on and to get dressed. I bent over the couch as they came on and slinked down into a squat as they peaked- this seemed to keep me open, somewhat relaxed and feeling more in control during each wave.

Finally, after 60 minutes on the dot, at 2:30am I called the midwife and told her what was going on. She asked if I wanted to take a bath to see if they’d pass or go in to get checked. I told her very quickly there was no way, at all, I would get in my bathtub; I would be too confined, or I’d get stuck and I was afraid this was going to go very fast and I was more comfortable with already going to head in to the hospital. She said she’d meet me there.

My husband got everything in the car, got the dog’s water and food set up for while we were gone and we left. I barely made it through the little15 min car ride to the hospital. Sitting and dealing with just the normal amount of bumps in the road was taking everything out of me. Finally, at 3am I somehow got in the delivery room, I had thought I would walk from the car to the labor room but no way I couldn’t walk already an hour and a half into my active labor. The nurse hooked me up to the telemetry unit so I could stay standing on the side of the bed, doing my swaying, standing/squat routine. I felt I might lose all control if I couldn’t.

These contractions felt like I remembered 7 or 8 cms feeling with my previous two births… with the second contraction I had in that room, I bent down to the floor and GUSH, water broke all over. aaahhh! That felt so good, but just for a second– all of a sudden wham! The next contractions were instantly doubled in intensity without that fluid cushion there, my baby’s head put so much more direct pressure…

My midwife came in by 3:30am, assessed the situation and checked me by 3:45am. I was only at a disappointing 4cm, 100% effaced, 0 station. I tried the birthing ball I had imagined would get me through the beginning, but no, I knew instantly it wasn’t working for me. I kicked that sucker out from under me so fast with the first contraction on it. I heard the nurse say to my husband “good catch”.  I think it was either too late in the game or moving too fast for that too feel good and relaxing. My only other hope was the bath they were drawing (which seemed to take for friggin ever!) By 4:00am I got in and just writhed, moaned and tried to breathe, tuning out my surroundings.

My birthing support group were my husband, my daughter (age 13), mom and step-dad. They came in moments after I got in the bath. My sweet daughter kept rotating out ice cold washcloths on my head, and giving me sips of water in the moments in between contractions. I kept making sure in those few seconds that she wasn’t freaked out and to let her know that I was okay. The gutteral groans and moaning kind of singing I was doing just helped to relieve a little of the pain. She let me know she was good, she said not to worry about her, that I had informed her well enough already and to just do my thing. Everyone else just hovered, letting me know I was there for them. I kept my eyes closed and kept swaying in the water, holding on to the sides for dear life. So different than I had planned.

About an hour later, I felt like bearing down so I told the Midwife I might be feeling the urge (the hospital isn’t cleared for waterbirths unfortunately, just for laboring)… She wanted me to get out and onto the bed so she could check me. I remember momentarily being so scared to walk across the room, but I didn’t allow myself to think about it too long– I just got out and made a run for it. I remember her trying to gingerly bring me some towels and a blanket saying “do you want me to dry you off?” but “Nope”, I said as I whisked by her laughing, “I don’t really care if I’m wet.” Phew, made it to the bed!

Yuck, this sitting with gravity out of the water was not fun. She checked me again as the nurse hooked me up to the manual-type monitors. “Yep, you’re fully”. Yeeps, that was 6 cms in about an hour! I had them hook the squat bar up to the end of the bed so I could try that. I started to panic a little when I realized the jaunt from the bath to the bed kind of interrupted the urge to push and I was just sitting there in between contractions. Every contraction more and more painful, I just couldn’t find the position to make the wave of wanting to push come back. I tried squatting over the bar, legs shaking… I tried leaning back a little on the upright bed, hoisting up backwards like the crabwalk, arms shaking… nothing felt right for about 15 minutes. It felt like trying to take a poo when you don’t have the urge.

I noticed little cues from the nurse talking about the heartrate dropping, intercomming some specialist-guy to come in. “70, still at 70″ while she’s pressing the monitor desperately into the bottom of my belly… As I whined “Owww” she told me she had to press hard to get a good reading on his heartrate. I looked at my Midwife and said, “is everything ok?” “Yes, Nina, we need to get this baby out though. Try leaning back into semi-laying position, on your back and get that head under your tailbone. SOmetime that helps” That’s when the cheeering and yelling section started, I had said I had imagined quiet in my birthing plan, but circumstances were changing and it actually helped… I beared down with everything I had, thinking of the immediate danger of my baby in the forefront of my mind…

“Again! Just like that Nina!” my groaning turned naturally into a scream- whoa! the urge was back! Again, I think 3 or 4 more times and there was his head. “Neucal one” my Midwife said to the nurse. I thought to myself that means cord was wrapped once around his neck. I asked if I could push again as she cleared it around his neck, “Go ahead”, his body slipping out now… the cord was wrapped tightly around his neck once, then tightly around his torso again, pinning his arms down, then around and through his leg… 3 times it was around this poor guy. No wonder his heartrate was dropping through the birth canal. Phew! How lucky am I?!!

Healthy, happy, lucky and fortunate we all are now… It’s true what they say about 3rd births being totally unpredictable. About four hours from start to finish, and one and a half from 4-10cm, I gladly consider this my last birth.

Nina