ISAAC CLIVE MASON LEONARD
Born January 31, 2009
Submitted by Veronica Leonard
Keywords: Homebirth, waterbirth
After 5 years of trying to get pregnant, James and I were able to conceive naturally after only a few months of acupuncture and cycle monitoring. I had a perfect pregnancy with very little to complain about. My due date was estimated for January 29th and I ended up giving birth to our beautiful son in our home, with the aid of Dianne Smith and Melissa Bevan (our two amazing midwives) on January 31, 2009. This is the story of my labour and delivery.
January 29/09 - 6:00 pm: I started getting mild contractions about 4 minutes apart. They were not terribly intense so James and I decided to wait it out a bit.
January 30/09 - 7:00 am: I called Dianne who came and assessed me at 2 cm and totally effaced. She left and told me to call her back when the contractions were stronger and 5 minutes apart, which we all figured would be later that day since my cervix was so favourable.
8:00 pm: Contractions were stronger, but no closer together than 10 minutes. I spent most of that night timing them with little sleep.
January 31/09 - 7:00 am: Contractions were steady at 6 minutes apart. I decided I was not going to wait for the extra minute and called Dianne. She'd just finished catching another baby at one of the local hospitals, but came over anyway! She assessed me at 5-6 cm and I was so relieved to know that I would be having that baby that day! Since Dianne had had no sleep the night before, she took cat naps in between my contractions! What a trooper!
My active labour had been going well and I found that I was still able to chat in between contractions. James and I had purchased a birthing pool with the plan that I would give birth in it. However, interestingly enough, we found that although the pain of labour lessened while I was in the water, the contractions became farther apart and labour slowed down. I found that labouring while standing and holding James' hand gave me the most feeling of control over my body.
2:00 pm: Dianne called Melissa and just as she arrived at 2:30, my waters spontaneously broke while I was labouring in the birthing pool. Dianne explained that things will really start to pick up now. I was 8 cm and only had 2 cms left to go. Well...those last 2 cms where I was in transition were THE MOST INTENSE THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED!!! I was progressing too slowly in the pool so Melissa suggested that we move into the bedroom and try some different positions to open me up faster and get to the pushing stage. (At that point, Melissa received some very nasty nicknames in my mind!) Both midwives pushed on my lower back and hips to help me work through the pain of transition. In retrospect, I recall their arms shaking from the strain of pushing against my pelvis---oh, but the benefits of that pressure were amazing! James held my hand through every single contraction and was a fantastic support person!
5:00 pm-ish: I finally entered the pushing stage! I got into our birthing pool but again had little to no progress. Dianne suggested that we move into our bedroom again and onto the bed. After about an hour of pushing on the bed with slow progress, the midwives brought in the birthing stool which they placed underneath me on the bed. Dianne placed warm compresses on my perineal area to reduce tearing. Melissa held my left hand and James held my right hand as I pushed. (In retrospect, I think that these midwives must all have a high pain threshold, for I know that I dug my nails into Melissa’s hand once or twice and she never complained!)
7:16 pm: So, after 2 and a half days of labour, I delivered our son into this world without the use of drugs and at home! He was placed directly on my chest, covered in blankets and towels, and James and I stared in wonder at this little miracle we'd created. Our son, Isaac Clive Mason Leonard, weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and measured 20 inches.
I found the whole home birth experience to be an extremely positive one. I was in my house, amongst my own things, could eat and drink what I felt like, and could be in whatever state of undress I preferred. I was therefore able to fully focus on labouring and was not distracted by anything else. The midwives transformed our living room into what could only be described as a mobile hospital room with every piece of equipment imaginable—from neonatal resuscitation equipment, to oxygen tanks for both mother and baby, to portable pain management options. We'd forged such a good relationship throughout my pregnancy that we just followed their lead when the time came to have our baby, trusting them 100%. I was never afraid or insecure and I think that somehow this contributed to the fact that I never once requested pain medication—even though there were times where I understood why some women do request it! Although the pain was intense at times, it was assuaged by my wonderful midwives, my loving husband, and of course, in the end by our beautiful baby. I felt that our son came into this world in the most natural and beautiful way possible, leaving James and I to fully enjoy this life experience and our transition into parenthood.
Born January 31, 2009
Submitted by Veronica Leonard
Keywords: Homebirth, waterbirth
After 5 years of trying to get pregnant, James and I were able to conceive naturally after only a few months of acupuncture and cycle monitoring. I had a perfect pregnancy with very little to complain about. My due date was estimated for January 29th and I ended up giving birth to our beautiful son in our home, with the aid of Dianne Smith and Melissa Bevan (our two amazing midwives) on January 31, 2009. This is the story of my labour and delivery.
January 29/09 - 6:00 pm: I started getting mild contractions about 4 minutes apart. They were not terribly intense so James and I decided to wait it out a bit.
January 30/09 - 7:00 am: I called Dianne who came and assessed me at 2 cm and totally effaced. She left and told me to call her back when the contractions were stronger and 5 minutes apart, which we all figured would be later that day since my cervix was so favourable.
8:00 pm: Contractions were stronger, but no closer together than 10 minutes. I spent most of that night timing them with little sleep.
January 31/09 - 7:00 am: Contractions were steady at 6 minutes apart. I decided I was not going to wait for the extra minute and called Dianne. She'd just finished catching another baby at one of the local hospitals, but came over anyway! She assessed me at 5-6 cm and I was so relieved to know that I would be having that baby that day! Since Dianne had had no sleep the night before, she took cat naps in between my contractions! What a trooper!
My active labour had been going well and I found that I was still able to chat in between contractions. James and I had purchased a birthing pool with the plan that I would give birth in it. However, interestingly enough, we found that although the pain of labour lessened while I was in the water, the contractions became farther apart and labour slowed down. I found that labouring while standing and holding James' hand gave me the most feeling of control over my body.
2:00 pm: Dianne called Melissa and just as she arrived at 2:30, my waters spontaneously broke while I was labouring in the birthing pool. Dianne explained that things will really start to pick up now. I was 8 cm and only had 2 cms left to go. Well...those last 2 cms where I was in transition were THE MOST INTENSE THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED!!! I was progressing too slowly in the pool so Melissa suggested that we move into the bedroom and try some different positions to open me up faster and get to the pushing stage. (At that point, Melissa received some very nasty nicknames in my mind!) Both midwives pushed on my lower back and hips to help me work through the pain of transition. In retrospect, I recall their arms shaking from the strain of pushing against my pelvis---oh, but the benefits of that pressure were amazing! James held my hand through every single contraction and was a fantastic support person!
5:00 pm-ish: I finally entered the pushing stage! I got into our birthing pool but again had little to no progress. Dianne suggested that we move into our bedroom again and onto the bed. After about an hour of pushing on the bed with slow progress, the midwives brought in the birthing stool which they placed underneath me on the bed. Dianne placed warm compresses on my perineal area to reduce tearing. Melissa held my left hand and James held my right hand as I pushed. (In retrospect, I think that these midwives must all have a high pain threshold, for I know that I dug my nails into Melissa’s hand once or twice and she never complained!)
7:16 pm: So, after 2 and a half days of labour, I delivered our son into this world without the use of drugs and at home! He was placed directly on my chest, covered in blankets and towels, and James and I stared in wonder at this little miracle we'd created. Our son, Isaac Clive Mason Leonard, weighed 7 lbs 12 oz and measured 20 inches.
I found the whole home birth experience to be an extremely positive one. I was in my house, amongst my own things, could eat and drink what I felt like, and could be in whatever state of undress I preferred. I was therefore able to fully focus on labouring and was not distracted by anything else. The midwives transformed our living room into what could only be described as a mobile hospital room with every piece of equipment imaginable—from neonatal resuscitation equipment, to oxygen tanks for both mother and baby, to portable pain management options. We'd forged such a good relationship throughout my pregnancy that we just followed their lead when the time came to have our baby, trusting them 100%. I was never afraid or insecure and I think that somehow this contributed to the fact that I never once requested pain medication—even though there were times where I understood why some women do request it! Although the pain was intense at times, it was assuaged by my wonderful midwives, my loving husband, and of course, in the end by our beautiful baby. I felt that our son came into this world in the most natural and beautiful way possible, leaving James and I to fully enjoy this life experience and our transition into parenthood.