Two months later and I'm finally writing this thing. I'm forcing myself or I know I will keep procrastinating and it will never get done. This is the worst I've been about writing a birth story but I'm just so busy!
Quatro's birth story starts on April 7, 2011. I started having some contractions during the day and since our other three were born on 12/4, 4/4, 12/7 and now 4/___ we thought there might be some divine intervention about him coming today even though it was two weeks early. So as my contractions kept coming we walked, and walked...and walked. They were coming pretty close so I called hubby and told him to take the day off of work tomorrow and head home (he has a 2.5 hour drive so I wanted to make sure he made it in time). He finally arrived, we headed to the hospital and minute by minute my contractions slowed down. I went to L&D triage and they monitored me for a couple of hours and sent me home since I was too early to induce or keep labor going and my contractions had slowed WAY down. The next day I woke up extremely sore from walking so much and tired beyond belief. I told myself I would never do that again when it came to 'making' the baby come out. They'll come when they're good and ready because I am not going to physically make my baby come out by exhausting myself.
Skip forward to 4/25/11 (four days past my due date).
I went to the midwife for my weekly checkup and ultrasound to make sure my amniotic fluid levels were good, neither he or I were having problems and to check his position. Everything looked great so we were going to be sent home. We discussed induction and tentatively scheduled an induction for the following day. I was really hesitant because that is WAY more medical intervention that I ever wanted but I felt like we were on a time crunch since my hubby was already on his leave and had till Sunday before he had to go back. The midwife stripped my membranes and we left.
I had contractions but nothing big or out of the norm all morning and afternoon. Finally around 4:40 I texted my hubby from bed that maybe we should head over to my moms house since my contractions were starting to pick up and that way we didn't have to wait for my mom to get there to watch the kids or anything. We left the house and got to my moms house around 5:30. I got out of the car and couldn't even make it to the garage without having to stop three times with big contractions. My mom saw me and insisted that I go to the hospital but I refused. We all came inside and she still insisted that I was close and needed to go but I really wanted to have a home birth and luckily my hubby stepped up and said no and told me to get in the tub. My mom and sisters were freaking out. No one was really on board with a free birth (unassisted homebirth ) except my hubby and I but we were confident that we could handle it. Mom watched the kids and my sister was in charge of the video.
I labored in my moms bathtub for what felt like hours but in the long run was my fastest labor to date. My wonderful hubby kept checking my cervix to see how dilated I was and kept telling me how great I was doing and that I could do it. I was fully dilated but baby boy was still very high but I felt the urge to push so I did. I pushed and pushed just to get his chubby self down. Finally with a big push my water broke. This was the first time my water has ever broken on its own and it was the first time I felt it. POP...WOOOSH! So, let the panic begin! My mom freaked and called 911 right at that moment even though we knew he was no where near coming out. Within minutes my moms bedroom and bathroom were filled with police, firefighters, EMTS and the chief of police. The paramedic informed me that "we dont like doing this in the water" but they knew it was planned so they let me stay in the water and deliver. I kept having urges to push so I just did my thing. 15 men watched as I pushed and pushed some more until my babys head came out. My hubby freaked and said "hes face down", I panicked and said "then let the water out!" but then realized 'wait, HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE FACE DOWN!'. Oh well. My hubby suctioned and I pushed another giant push and his shoulders shot out of me and I screamed (when you have a baby at a hospital, they typically push one shoulder down and kind of wiggle the baby out but that is not what happened to me. Daddy was so focused on suctioning that this baby came out full force, like a little football player. But he was out and I was relieved. I did it. I DID IT! I was so thrilled. So proud. I labored AND delievered like I had wanted to without anyone telling me what to do, how to do it or anything. It was awesome! I held my "little" boy and we cleaned him off and eventually cut the cord. Daddy took him to finish suctioning and I just lay in the tub exhausted. Baby Quatro was born at 7:04pm on April 25. 2011. The EMTs set up the gurney to take us to the hospital. I did want to go to the hospital to get all checked out and make sure everything was ok but also so I didn't have to jump through hoops to get his birth certificate (a baby born at home but the placenta birthed at the hospital will still be considered a hospital birth but baby and placenta born at home is considered a home birth and I'd have to submit proof of pregnancy and all that to get a birth certificate. )
So off we went to the hospital in the ambulance. My moms street was filled with emergency vehicles and nosy neighbors. We went through the ER and up to L&D. A nurse in the ER clapped and said she loved "these stories" and I beamed. The nurses in L&D were excellent. No one thought I was crazy and they all called me super mommy. It was such an awesome experience! They called my midwife and she came to deliver the placenta since I hadn't birthed it yet. She was pissed. She attempted to seem happy for me but we could see through her fake smile and her questions "why didnt you call me?" and saw how aggravated she was that we did it at home. I didn't care. This was the plan the whole time, she just didn't know about it.
Baby boy weight and measured, checked over and cleaned up then given to me to nurse. He weighed in at a whopping 9 pounds 2 ounces and 20.5 inches long. He was my biggest baby! I expected him to be around 8.14 which would have been right in line with the others...8.12, 8.11, and 8.13. We stayed the night at the hospital but as soon as my 24 hours was up, I was out of there.
This was such a great birth experience. I am still so proud of how it all happened and my strength. Yay me! I labored and delivered how I wanted and my baby and I were safe and healthy, that's all I wanted.
(I would post pics of the labor but Uno was given the iPod touch to play with during labor and all of our other cameras are broken so I have zero pics of this birth until we go to the hospital. I do have a video but I'm debating whether or not I want the world to see my crotch since my sister didn't exactly take the "tasteful" shots that I wanted. lol. We'll see. Maybe I will add it and everyone will just be warned)
