Sena- A Birth Story

Unlike either of my other pregancies, I really didn't have a solid due date with Sena.  I had been told December 1, 3, 5 and 8th! Now for most folks maybe this date isn't a big deal but with my first two pregnancies both girls had come on or close to these dates.  I would find out that Sena had a mind of her own!

The first week of December came and went.  I had it in my head that we would have a baby sometime that week and as we packed up for church that Sunday I was discouraged that there was absolutely NO signs of labor.  I normally don't have any precursors to labor but I just felt big and no where closer to having a baby.  

On Wednesday the 13th we went into the doctor's office for a check.  I wasn't too excited about this as I don't normally agree to pre-labor checks.  It's just a personal descision as I don't feel it's really representive of where I actually am in the whole labor process.  I let him check (much to a complete lack of privacy-thank you Georgian culture) and found out I was at 4 cm and not quite effaced.  

He did a quick ultrasound of Sena and deemed her "big" aka 8.5 lbs.  Now frankly I found this hilarious as that is not quite the definition of big in the states but here I was having a monster of a baby.  I laughed at him and said I don't care how big she was I was sure I could push her out.  He encouraged us to walk and try whatever we needed to do to get her going by Friday.

Friday rolled around and still no baby.  I had come to terms with letting him perform a stripping of my membranes to see if that would get her.  I never had the procedure with the other two and frankly was kind of nervous about it.  BUT that said I thought what were the odds we'd have a baby THAT day of the procedure so why not.

We left the older two with Lizi, our housekeeper, and headed into the hospital.  We were able to get into the exam room about 11:30 and he performed the stripping.  He told me I could stay or go and to come back when I felt something.  Again I kind of giggled as I really didn't think we would see anything that day.  

Josh and I headed off to lunch at a local Korean place and just enjoyed our afternoon alone! We window shopped and just got to be together as we waited for things to start.  Surprisingly they did! My contractions started during lunch. Very mild but finally I was experiencing something.  Throughout the day they slowly increased in frequency but never really got longer than 45 seconds. 

At a point I was tired of walking so we headed home.  It was about 3:30 pm and I just wanted to get off my feet.  The contractions kept coming but were still so mild that I could talk, laugh and do other things throughout them.  Not really "labor" contractions.  About 4pm I headed upstairs to use the restroom when my water started leaking. That caught my attention! We'd have baby tonight!

I mobilized Josh and we got back in the car for the hospital.  I was a tad nervous because with Maddy once my water broke she was there in 5 minutes.  This was different as it was just leaking but I really didn't want to deliver in the car.  Thankfully we avoided traffic and made it to the clinic in about 30 minutes.

Still the contractions were mild so I wasn't worried when they took their time getting me inprocessed.  There was suposidly a c-section ahead of me that they were prepping for.  My doctor was genuinely shocked to see me but ushered me in to finish breaking my water.  

The tone of the room changed durastically for me once my water broke.  He wanted me to lay on my back for at least 3 contractions.  I cannot for the life of me figure out why and chuck this up to some kind of lost in translation thing.  By far those 3 contractions were some of the worse and to make it even more difficult to manage Josh wasn't allowed in yet.  Once I had three I demanded to stand and be put in a delivery room.  This was 5:50 pm.

The nurses puttered around wanting to do a hep lock for antibiotics (I tested positive for group B).  I finally let them do the lock and what a mess that was.  Let's just say their nursing skills lacked and I ended up with blood down my gown and compression tights.  Frustrated and in full on transition I started to get sassy.

Josh was with me at this point providing support.  I found it comforting to have him lightly rub my back in between contractions to ease tension but the second they started I didn't want to be touched. 

With each one I squatted feeling a ton of pressure.  She was coming soon.  

Worried my doctor was going to do that c-section I told Josh and somewhat magically the doctor appeared.  At this point my contractions were coming every minute and I have no idea how long they were lasting.  I was in the birth haze of moaning and squatting to deal with the pain.  

Finally I knew I had to get on the bed.  I was on all fours and feeling pretty comfortable with deliverying her that way.  Of course the doctors had other ideas wanting me on my back.  I have never felt so heavy in that I knew I just couldn't move.  Again I feel like they literally manovered me into the position they wanted.  

At this point she was crowning and with another push here! A quick time check would reveal that it was only 6:15 pm meaning from the time I walked into the delivery room to baby was just shy of 30 minutes.  

Everything about her was perfect and the recovery on my end great! I needed no stiches and was able to get immeadiate skin on skin for over 3 hours with her (my absolute favorite thing about Georgian hospitals) 

Was it my perfect birth?  No, but I am so thankful for a few things....We avoided a mad dash to the hospital by having the membranes stripped.  I didn't deliver her in the car.  Mama and baby were great.  

Sure we had our fair share of Georgian language and culture issues but that is a given when you birth abroad.  In the end it makes for a great story! ;) 

Madeline-A Birth Story

I love a good birth story and Madeline's is one I never want to forget...

The day after my due date we had invited our pastor and his family over to our home for dinner.  Thus far I hadn't had any signs of labor (similar to Mara) and was just hoping to go into labor sooner rather than later.  We enjoyed a great night of fellowship while the kids played.  They joked they may have to take me to the hospital but all was silent up in there till right after they left.  I started cleaning up and began to notice contractions.  There wasn't any rhyme or rhythm to them so I didn't think much of it.  They also seemed to stop all together if I sat down so I figured this was nothing.

We went to bed thinking tomorrow may be the day but not positive.  It was starting to closely resemble Mara's birth so I figured I had at least another day if this was the real deal.  Throughout the night the contractions kept coming but again weren't anything to get too excited about.  I wasn't timing them but they probably came every 15-20 minutes and were just painful enough to wake me up but not strong enough to really have to focus through.

By 5 am this started to change.  The contractions got closer together and about every other one was pretty painful.  Even though I continued to lay in bed I had to really focus on breathing and relaxing to get through them.  I woke Josh up and we started to time them: about 6 minutes apart and lasting for a solid 90 seconds.

Everything was still pretty manageable so I started texting our doula from Mara's birth, Doris Ann, back in the states.  We love her and just having her reassurance via text was comforting.  She told me to get up and start squatting.  Also to go in if my water broke as I was likely to go quick...little did I know how quick.

Almost as soon as I got on my feet the contractions started coming quicker.  I got in the shower and yelled out to Josh when I was having one.  By the time I was finished they were 3 minutes apart and we knew we had to get moving.  Josh jumped in the shower and I tried to gather everything we needed in between the pain.

By now it was a little after 8 and I knew we had to get to the hospital.  There was no long labor with this one.  Josh ran around loading the car, waking up his parents, and grabbing Mara when she stirred.  I remember just trying to focus on controlling the pain.  The contractions were on top of each other.  I was still squatting with each one as it was the easiest way to deal with the pain.  I also took to moaning which is something I don't remember with Mara.  I could really tell how much the moaning helped if I kept it low.  The second I started moaning at a higher pitch it wasn't much help.

When we finally left for the hospital I knew I had to be in transition.  I was on all fours with each contraction and felt a tad pushy.  It was a rainy morning and thankfully traffic was light.  Josh got us to the hospital at 8:30 and I made my way up the stairs.

Midway up I stopped and breathed through a contraction.  The locals just stared.  Most Georgian ladies don't have natural births yet alone come into the hospital this late in the game.  I was immediately ushered into triage where approximately five nurses swarmed me trying to get my BP, draw blood and who knows what else.

It took them all of five minutes to see that there wasn't time for this and tried to get me on a gurney.  I wasn't having it.  I told them no way and started booking it for the elevator at the end of the hall way. I knew there was no way I could sit yet alone lay at this point.

After we got upstairs we made our way to the birthing suite.  Apparently we would have gotten the VIP room had they known who we were but we ended up in the post soviet looking room where they insisted I get on top of the examining bed and into stirrups asap.

At this point things were happening really fast.  There were a lot of nurses coming in and out.  Some trying to attend to me and others requesting things from Josh.  During my examination they made him leave and the second it was over I demanded he come back.  They had made him suit up but quickly recognized that I wanted him in the room.  I was 9 cm.

Next thing I knew my water broke (8:45 am) and I immediately pushed with that contraction.  This really had them going as they basically threw me up on the table at this point.  I had one nurse on each leg and each shoulder basically holding me on the bed.  My doctor still wasn't there and they wanted to wait for her.
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My body had other plans.  With the next contraction I pushed again.  In broken English they yelled, "NO PUSH!"  I yelled back, "PUSHING!"  The first push had her crowning and the nurses trying to push her back in.   With the second push her head was out and with the third she was born.  (8:53 am)

She came out so quietly we were both a little worried but she was fine.  They put her on my chest and within a minute she was nursing.  At this point my doctor walked in with a surprised look on her face.  She was able to deliver the placenta and tend to me (I had a minor tear).

From there we were wheeled into the VIP delivery room and allowed to recover for a few hours before moving to our permanent room where we stayed for about a day and a half before heading home.

Overall it was a bit of a stressful birth.  Madeline came a lot faster than either of us ever expected and because of that we weren't at the hospital long before she came (a whoopin 23 minutes).  There also wasn't anyone present that spoke good English.  Our doctor was supposed to be our main translator and she never made it.  We had the nurses yelling in Russian and Georgian and us yelling back in English.  BUT in the end we're both healthy and doing well.  I am so thankful that we were able to have her here and didn't have to travel.  And heck we'll always have a story to tell her!

National Doula Week

It's national doula week and I've been seeing a lot of posts and pictures popping up on social media.  It all just takes me back to Mara's birth and our AMAZING doula, Doris Ann.

I can't even imagine Mara's birth without her.  She was a rock for Josh and I.  She kept us focus on the outcome and present in the moment.  She was a calm in the inner storm that birth can sometimes be.  She just simply was the best.

So here's to you Doris Ann!  Thank you for being a part of Mara's birth.  It meant so much to us.  You will forever be a part of our story and we are so grateful!!

Mara Rae-A Birth Story Part 4

The pushing stage brought so much relief.  I finally felt like I could give into the natural urges my body had been having for the last few hours.  It took me a little bit to get the hang of pushing.  My instincts had me taking a deep breath in and exhaling through the push.  This really didn't give me any momentum to make any progress.

Josh cuts the cord.  She's here!

They put her on my stomach for the first time

So after a few contractions and some coaching from Josh, I was finally making some progress with each push.  Its so strange how much relief you get from active labor when you enter this stage.  Being able to do something with the contractions, knowing that you will meet your baby soon, just gives you this huge wave of new motivation.

Getting checked out

Daddy getting some skin on skin time

I don't remember pain during this stage.  Sure there was some stretching and pressure but no pain.  For the most part I did most of my pushing from my back; one position I didn't want to be in.  I expressed this and the nurses were great in getting me set up on the bar.  Even though the bar was more difficult I felt like the extra gravity got things moving again in my favor.

Look at those neck muscles

After they brought her back to me

She knows who her mama is

The pushing seemed to go on forever but in reality it was only an hour.  I didn't realize it at the time but our doctor had to come in and out during this period.  He wasn't allowed to spend more than a certain time period on the floor but came in special to deliver our little girl.  For the most part I pushed with Sherri, a nurse on staff, Doris Ann and Josh.

First family picture

Not happy about getting her vitals done

Loving her first bath

When we were close, Dr. Swift came back and suited up.  She was right there and they were able to bring in a mirror so I could see the progress I was making.  As much as I wanted to watch her be born, I honestly couldn't push with my eyes open.  I heard the doctor say she was OT (which I had no idea what that was at the time) and tell me to really give it my all.  After the fact I learned that OT means she was looking sideways instead of down like most babies.  In approximately 90% of first time moms, this condition usually results in a c-section.

Clean hair!

In the next push she was out.  Or more so was shooting across the room (in Josh's words).  I felt immediate relief and disbelief that she was here.  We had a daughter!  The next few minutes flew by as Dr. Swift put her up on my belly for a few brief seconds before taking her to get aspirated.  She had pooped inside the womb and they wanted to make sure there wasn't anything in her lungs.  She also had the cord wrapped around her neck and extra amniotic fluid in her lungs so it was good for her to be checked out.

Dressed and ready to go to the mother baby unit

I had some minor tearing and needed stitches so while Dr. Swift attended to me, Josh got some skin on skin time with our little girl.  We couldn't believe how alert she was.  She was wide awake and already demonstrating her awesome neck control.

The next few hours in recovery flew by as we treasured every second with Mara.  We listened to her first hic-ups outside the womb and just stared at this beautiful being we had created.  I felt so blessed that we were able to deliver her naturally, with the help of Dr. Swift and Doris Ann.  Although there were some things that didn't go exactly as planned we were for the most part able to get the experience we desired.  And most importantly we have a healthy baby girl (and mama) to show for it!

Mara Rae-A Birth Story Part 3

The process of checking in to the hospital was a bit hectic but thankfully Josh and Doris Ann took care of all of the small details.  I honestly don't remember talking to anyone through all the triage paperwork.  I was too focused on the contractions and willing them to not slow down (I knew that most peoples' labors slow after reaching the hospital)

Even though we were at the hospital, I still wanted to labor as natural as possible.  I let the doctor put in the hep-lock but refused the IV fluids because I didn't want to be attached to any wires.  The midwife checked me and declared I was 5-6.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear but I still felt confident that we would be meeting our little girl in a few hours.  

Getting the hep-lock

The hours seemed to pass quickly.  Josh and Doris Ann cycled in and out, each supporting me in their own way.  It started to get serious when Doris Ann left to get some dinner.  My contractions started to get more intense and I found myself losing (what I thought to be) a lot of blood.  I told Josh that he better go get someone because that didn't seem normal.  Apparently it was semi-normal and the doctors deemed it fine if I would let them hook me up to an IV.  I reluctantly agreed and we continued to labor.  

The birth ball helped a little

Two hours later the midwife rechecked me and low and behold I hadn't changed.  At this point I was getting a bit discouraged and nervous at the same time.  The medical staff was talking pitocin and all I could think about was how that was going to make things much harder.  Thankfully Doris Ann was able to talk them into giving me a little while longer.  She got me on my hands and knees through each contraction.  Looking back on it now its funny because she said this would be a good labor position for me even before we hired her!

Being on all fours I felt like I was in better "control" of each contraction. I say that loosely because at this point I was feeling the urge to push.  I knew we weren't there.  We were only at 7 cm and stage 0.  She wasn't ready to come out yet but with every contraction my body seemed to take over and push.  I tried panting.  I tried deep breaths.  It was all I could do to not push.  

At this point I was still hooked up to both the baby and contraction monitor.  Baby girl was moving around a bit inside and they couldn't get a steady read on her.  They had said if they could just get 20 minutes of constant good feed I could take it off but I never got there.  In fact they started to get really worried about her heart beat and asked if they could do internal monitoring.  I didn't want to but at this point felt it was in both of our best interest.  This way they could get the reassurance they needed and I may be able to avoid any other non-necessary intervention.

Josh told me to smile.  This is what I could muster.

By this time it was about 7 pm.  I had been dealing with these overwhelming contractions for about two hours.  I don't remember a lot about this time except feeling completely helpless. Josh and Doris Ann were doing everything they could to get me through the contractions.  We were praying and I just remember turning to Josh and saying, "Babe I don't think I can do this."  

At the end; just exhausted

Thankfully at that moment they came in and decided to see how we were progressing.  Music to my ears!  I was 9 and 3/4.  I finally had the go ahead to give into those pushing urges I had been feeling for about three hours.   

Mara Rae-A Birth Story Part 2

Doris Ann, our doula, arrived at the house sometime around noon.  At this point we had been laboring for about 12 hours and the contractions were starting to get more intense.  She immediately got me out of bed and moving.  We slowly walked our way around the house with her noticing the little details of our home.  This simple conversation helped take my mind off the pain and lightened the mood.  

As each contraction would hit, I would squat down with either her or Josh supporting me.  (Wish I would have practiced squatting more; noted for the next birth) Although uncomfortable I know it was this early squatting that made me progress faster in the end.  Looking back on this time these contractions were so much more manageable in the squatting position.  The gravity actually felt good!

By 2 pm it was looking like we were making progress.  Doris Ann suggested we start thinking about heading into the hospital since I was starting to feel "pushy".  I didn't want to go in too soon but at the same time didn't want to be rushing to get there.  We decided that it was time to go and Josh started loading everything up in the car.  We had so much gear: my bag, Mara's bag, Josh's bag, a snack bag, birthing ball, pillows, etc.  While he ran around the house grabbing the last minute items I continued to labor.  I remember feeling very centered during this time.  I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings but was very focused on ready my body cues.

I knew the ride to the hospital may be very uncomfortable.  I was not excited about being confined to a seat but surprisingly I was able to manage my contractions quite well.  I closed my eyes to the afternoon sun and just let Josh talk me down through each contraction.  I was encouraged by the fact that by the time we got to the hospital the contractions were on top of each other.

Josh quickly parked the car while Doris Ann and I slowly made our way up to Labor and Delivery.  I think at this point we were offered a wheelchair about ten times.  Thankfully Doris Ann did the talking and quickly brushed off each offer.  I didn't want to be confined in a chair.  The contractions were more manageable if I was able to squat during them or just be on my feet.

By the time we got to Labor and Delivery, I was feeling like we would be having a baby pretty soon.  I was getting a lot of pressure down there and we thought maybe my water had broken.  Doris Ann quickly escorted me into the wing telling everyone she had a lady who was probably 7 and pushy.  In the moment I thought she was crazy but am now so thankful for her quick talking.  The floor was busy that night and her comment got me a room immediately!

Mara Rae - A Birth Story Part 1

Leading up to her birth, I went back and forth on if I wanted to share some of the details of the day.  On one hand its a part of our lives and a day I never want to forget.  On the other hand, birth is a really private event and I wasn't sure I wanted our story out there for the world to see.  Now after it is all said and done, I am so proud of our birth story and so desperately want to remember every detail that I HAVE to write about it.  NEED to share:

We were getting closer and closer to her due date and secretly hoping she would make her appearance soon.  Sunday morning (September 29th) was like any other Sunday for us.  We got up and got moving to make it to church.  I don't remember feeling any different that day just wishing that our original prediction that baby girl would be here already had come true.  The day went as normal.  After service we headed downtown to the International Folk Festival to check out the sites and indulge in some of the international cuisine.  We sampled Thai, Vietnamese and Greek.

That evening while watching football I started to get contractions.  They weren't really strong and although they were a steady 45 seconds long the time in between was too variable to notice.  I could also talk and joke through them so didn't think much about it.  False labor I thought.  I didn't even want to time them but finally let Josh do so after an hour or so.

We decided to go to bed around midnight to see if the contractions slowed down.  Remembering that our doula has suggested taking some benadryl and getting rest early on I took that and hunkered down for the night.

The contractions didn't stop.  In fact they increased in both regularity and strength.  I wasn't timing them at this point but could tell that they were slowly increasing in number.  I tried to doze between them but at this point they were a little too powerful to get any true sleep.  Josh's alarm went off at 5:30 that morning and we decided that he wasn't going to go into work that day.  Thinking we needed to get things going we headed out for a walk in the early morning.  We got about halfway down the road before we decided that it may not be the best method.  After calling our doula (who had just finished another birth) we decided that the best course of action was to get into the tub and try to relax.

The water helped a little but wasn't the relief I had imagined it to be.  I had heard women rave that the water was the best thing for their pain but, I just couldn't get comfortable in the tub.  I had this overwhelming need to get up and move around.  I got out of tub and moved to the shower.  Standing helped and the hot water felt amazing raining down over my head.

The morning passed slowly and I was able to get some food in my stomach in between contractions.  Peanut butter toast never felt so dry in my mouth but I knew I needed to get something down before heading to the hospital where they would restrict my food intake.  Mid-morning rolled around and I was urged back into the tub.  Again the water really didn't offer any relief.  I think laying on my back in the water didn't help.  I found myself rolling over on my side during contractions.  Finally I told Josh I had had enough and needed to get out.

Still trying to abide by our doula's advice to rest we employed one of the Bradley techniques and I got propped up in our bed.  With my feet, arms and back supported by pillows, Josh talked me through each contraction.  At this point they were still very manageable.  I was able to breathe through each one and could feel them slowly peak.  I remember being completely out of my body thinking that today was finally the day.  Baby girl would come on her due date.