10:30 last night, S called to let me know M was in labor and ready for us. Within 10 minutes, we arrived to find her laboring on the toilet, obviously working hard through frequent contractions. She asked to be checked and was found to be at 5 cm. Her husband was setting up the birth pool (La Bassine) and took their toddler to Grandma's. While he was gone, M's contractions picked up to basically one on top of another, and she began vocalizing shortly before dad arrived back home.
S and I assisted filling the tub by pitcher from the bathroom sink, as M was desperate for the relief, and obviously getting very close to birth. Once in the tub, her water broke (heavily meconium stained) and then she quickly began pushing. Five minutes later, at 11:48 p.m., a 7 lb 4 oz baby girl joined the world after 41 weeks, one day gestation. There was very heavy meconium staining on the baby as well - green amniotic sac, umbilical cord, nail staining, etc.
Mom rapidly birthed the placenta as well, and moved to bed. Baby did receive some blow-by oxygen, and remained tachypnic for a couple hours. Her coloring improved, her lungs sounded great...but she was working pretty hard and fast to breathe. After two hours, we recommended careful observation with transport to the hospital if it did not improve in another hour. The mom's father came over and with the dad gave the baby a blessing (LDS family). By the time we left at 3:00, she appeared to have settled and was nursing calmly. We will see them again this evening for follow-up.
Mom was amazing - no tearing, no soreness - such a beautiful, strong woman! The parents were so thrilled with the labor and birth - their first had been born at a hospital, in what the dad described as a "fine, normal" hospital birth. But then he said in comparison, "...it was awful! This is how birth should be!"
5 comments:
Wow, another great birth and learning experience for you. I suppose you'll probably see a good number of LDS families since you're in Mormon country! LOL
Now give me a five minute pushing stage next time, please.
Cool, so now you've had one long pushing stage and one precipitous one.
Rixa's remark reminds me that you'll be meeting just a lot of great families in general -- it's so wonderful that you obviously are already, and will be even more, plugged into the natural birth community in your area! I bet this makes you a moose who is very much at home in AZ :)
Okay, I have a play-by-play type question too, hope you don't mind, what kind of suctioning (if any?) did you guys do?
I got all warm when I read dad gave the baby a blessing and things were good after that. I have seen first hand the miracles of a Preisthood blessing! So glad to hear all is well. And ya, I want a short labor please!!!!
Well, if baby wasn't exhibiting signs of goop in the lungs (yeah, that's the technical term LOL), we wouldn't suction at all...but when necessary, a bulb syringe and a DeLee catheter are our tools. In this birth, we did use both - and the DeLee pulled up a LOT of meconium!
Many, many good things have happened in my life as a result of Priesthood blessings. I'm glad this baby was able to get one and do so much better.
What an awesome birth!
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