These are notes that i recorded on my computer while on the phone with a friend in the U.S. who was giving birth. All 3 of her daughters were born at home. Her midwives had a long trip to reach her place and they missed the birth by a half hour. I was able to stay on the phone with the husband and a neighbour.
Karen and Paul’s third baby girl
On a Waning Gibbous moon 76% Full
5:42 p.m. (Pacific Time) It’s going to be Karen’s own birthday tomorrow.
5:46 p.m. “I’m feeling it in my back, just like every other time I’ve birthed little women”. Pressure helps.
5:48 sensations every 2 minutes.
5 53 Tell Paul to put a plastic sheet on the bed. Baby is coming soon. Karen doesn’t feel like she can make it to the pool. Membranes are still intact. She feels like she might poo.
6 03 Paul says he is seeing some rectal flaring. It’s a good sign of health that the membranes are intact. Paul says, “I think it came closer that time”.
6 13 Karen says “I might try to make it to the pool.”
6 26 Karen steps into the pool. Paul and Mary (neighbour) are doing everything they can to make her comfortable. Water seems to calm Karen and relieves some of the intensity she was feeling. Paul should get a bucket in case she feels like vomiting.
6:33 Karen worries that it’s taking longer between sensations. I let her know that she’s having a ‘rest and be thankful period’. What an impatient momma, she is. . . she just can’t wait to meet this baby!
6:54 Karen wants to know “Why is it taking so long?” It’s been 12 hours since the mucous plug came out but it has only been about 4 hours of focused birth. She’s feeling nauseous now.
7:07 pm. Complains of feeling tired and her bum hurting,
7:16 p.m. “should I be pushing?, lots of rectal pressure, feeling scared. Nothing’s happening.”
7:35 p.m. Karen says “nothing’s happening, why isn’t the baby coming out?”
7:49 the head is out
7:51 baby born
7: 53 “Hi baby,” Karen greets her baby
8:00 Karen in bed. Wants placenta out right now! Mary (neighbour) and Paul are doing a great job of helping mom/baby get comfortable.
Baby nice and pink, responsive.water birth with candles
8:07 p.m. It’s a girl!
8:20 the midwives have arrived in time for the placenta.
Ha! I have a record, somewhere, of a friends birth that’s sort of similar except I wasn’t on the phone, I was having a chat conversation with a friend that was on the phone!
See, my friend who was birthing and I have a mutual friend who is blind and has never had a vaginal birth or attended one and really was thinking about being a doula. So Friend #1 offered to have her “attend” the birth via speakerphone (they live a couple thousand miles apart) as she is blind and used to “feeling things out” with her ears. Friend #2 thought this was AWESOME and promised to “be” there. One morning, I logged onto my livejournal and saw that friend #1 had made an entry around midnight that “this was it”. She has had some pretty fast labors and as this was #4 for her I thought for sure that she would have had the baby so I logged onto aim to see if she was on (she’s usually on via her cell) or if friend #2 was on and could tell me all about the amazing birth. 🙂 Well friend #2 WAS on but friend #1 hadn’t delivered yet, she was pushing right then. So I got a blow-by-blow of the birth via chat! It was pretty cool and friend #1 was pretty amused at her internet-cast birth support! Her oldest daughter caught her youngest that morning and even as a 3rd person experience, it was still moving and magical and amazing. *happy sigh*
The rest and be thankful period . . Gloria, you have the right thing to say in any birth situation! I really like the picture. The blue of the tub, the hands supporting the wee baby and the water is so clear.
Thanks for your comments, Rebekah and Anita. Rebekah that’s an amazing story. Thanks for sharing it.
Just so you know, the photo is one I snagged off the internet not the actual birth. The names/places were changed in my story,too, for confidentiality. People on FB were asking how come it took the midwives so long. This family was living way out in the country and the midwives had to drive 6 hours to get there. The family were prepared for unassisted and their neighbour was the one who interacted with me on the phone. She was so great. Anything I told her to do, she would run and complete it immediately. I had attended the first two births of this woman so I could completely picture what was going on. Luckily I have an unlimited long distance plan in the U.S. and Canada.
I love that picture of the candles in the birthing pool, thank you for sharing that one! 😀