The birth of Oliver Patrick

Oliver’s birth was not at all what I expected. His siblings had arrived, in birth order, at 39 weeks 4 days, 40 weeks, and 41 weeks gestation. I was fully prepared to welcome our fourth baby sometime after that omnipresent and somewhat annoying 40-week “due date” of March 5, 2009. I also expected a very short, very intense labor, as again in birth order, I had labored for 7 hours, 2 hours, and a mere 45 minutes with the older siblings.

Well I really should have known better. Birth is not predictable.

On Sunday, February 22, at 38 weeks and 3 days gestation, I awoke from a nap and was somewhat disturbed to discover wetness in my pants. I rolled my eyes and wondered why on earth I had developed incontinence so late in a fourth pregnancy – not a problem I’d ever encountered before! So I used the facilities, changed my underpants, and immediately felt a trickle. Since I had *just* peed, I was really confused at this point…yes, I live in a state of denial. I think I changed my underwear three or four times before deciding that no, I was not incontinent, and yes, my water had indeed started to leak. However, (remember that state of denial?) I was convinced that because I was leaking so early and just lightly, it must be a forewater leak, which would obviously reseal itself and the baby would come in a few more weeks. I did have enough thought to send a text message to my midwife-photographer that read, “It appears I have sprung a small leak.” She immediately called me back and asked if I didn’t think that warranted a phone call…I told her not really, since nothing was happening, and after all with Liam it had been 40 hours from first leak to first contraction!

By the time we headed to bed around 10 or so, my “Braxton Hicks” contractions had developed a certain edge to them. I still wouldn’t call them contractions, but the intensity had picked up just a notch. By midnight, I was instant messaging with my sister in India that it looked like we were going to have a February baby, and to expect news in the next couple of days. Between midnight and 4:00 in the morning, I dozed between very short, hardly annoying contractions that woke me up, but lasted about 15 seconds. I left Dan sleeping next to me, and despite waking up every 3-10 minutes, breathing slowly and rubbing my belly, it didn’t really occur to me YET that I was in labor. I did think to get up at some point and have a yogurt and a banana…and I continued drinking my red raspberry leaf tea. Somehow I felt well rested and energized through the night. When Dan’s alarm went off around 4:00 I told him what had been going on, confirmed he would not be leaving for work, and then promptly started feeling much more intense contractions. I needed Dan to hold on to, but was a little confused and frustrated when again, the contraction would last only 15-20 seconds. We got the bed ready with extra sheets and chux, I nibbled some more food, took a shower, and then decided I wanted to fill the tub…but the hot water didn’t survive both, so I sent Dan to start boiling water to heat my bath.

Just before 5:00, based on my vocalizations and actions, Dan called Stephanie (midwife/photographer) to come over (we promised to give her more than 15 minutes’ warning for this birth!). When she arrived around 5:10, I was sprawled out in the tub, and slightly embarrassed that she had been called so early. I was afraid we had hours left to go, and I’m not one to want additional people around while birthing! My contractions continued to be fairly regular, but very short…

Around 6:00 I suddenly had that good old “undeniable urge” to push, and Stephanie woke the girls up to come watch the baby being born.

I began pushing, and compulsively checking the progress of the baby’s decent. I was really upset when after a few pushes I wasn’t feeling any change – in fact I looked up at Stephanie and told her, “multips aren’t supposed to have to work this hard to push!” I thought it was really unfair that I had to do so much work this time!

Dan was behind me applying pressure to my sacrum, I was pushing with all my might and still checking baby’s progress…considering I only pushed for about 15 minutes, I know my timeline is a little skewed, but it seemed like ages went by went suddenly I felt real progress, and baby’s head went from a smooth round ball (amniotic sac still over unmolded head) still lodged up the birth canal a ways to that oddly comforting, mushy, soft hair, molded head, almost-emerging feel. At this point I told Dan “if the baby comes that way, don’t tell me what it is.” What I meant was, if I stayed on my hands and knees (as I had done the previous two births) don’t announce the gender of the baby to me!

However, as the head began to crown, I sat up on my knees and supported the crowning myself. As the head emerged, I felt the baby’s face…and hand…then pushed the body out. I immediately lifted the baby up and in shock announced, “It’s a boy!” I sat back against Dan, and Clara jumped in the tub with us…Evelyn remained on the side. Oliver was born at 6:14, just over two hours after what I consider real labor began, maybe 6 hours from when I realized I was really going to have a February baby!

I didn’t stay in the tub very long – I wanted to get to bed – so with assistance, I worked my way over and lay down with the baby. Liam woke up about 10 minutes later, and Dan brought him in to meet his baby brother. It was a good 45 minutes later that the cord stopped pulsing and the placenta emerged. Of note with the placenta was the presentation – the maternal side actually came first (known as Duncan presentation). The more normal presentation is for the fetal side to come first (Schulz), but we surmised that my very low-lying placenta must have detached every so slightly at the moment of birth (you see a gush of blood and a few clots in the birth pictures), and then thanks to its position, come out in the more unusual manner.

At some point while we were lying in bed, and I was complaining about my extremely sore and aching sacrum, Stephanie commented to me suggestively that I had not flipped the baby over when he was born. It took me a second to put the pieces all together, but suddenly I realized that Oliver had been posterior! So my little guy emerged occiput posterior with a nuchal hand…which helps explain the very short contractions, the extra sacral pain, the “longer” labor, and the extra work I had while pushing!

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As for pictures...here are a few...if you'd like to see the rest, just send me an email. I am happy to share, but I think this is enough nakedness for a semi-public blog!

40 minutes before birth:

14 minutes before birth:

13 minutes before birth (if you remember pics from Liam's birth, the girls drew me pictures then, too):

Crowning...

The head is out (sadly obscured behind the gush of blood):

The moment I lifted him out of the water:

A minute later...


In bed snuggling...

Clara cut the cord:


The "official" weigh-in!