Our Birth Story: Part 1
Andrea: Monday, August 6th began like every day. I
wondered if the baby would come early, on time, or late. The waiting game was
on – and had been “on” for quite some time. Each day, I fought my expectations
and what-ifs. It was Josh’s regular day off—and boy was it great to have Josh
home on the day before my due date! I knew I would be extra distracted by that
fact, hoping all day that the baby would come. After taking a half-hour nap
around 10 am, I awoke rested and ready to run some errands. Josh and I headed
to pick up our replacement vehicle while our rear-ended Jeep went in to the
repair shop.
Josh: So... as we were waiting to get our rental car, I saw
Andrea squeeze her legs together. My eyes widened a bit. “Did your water just
break?” I asked. Andrea looked at me and smile-giggled. “I’m going to go sit in
the car,” she whispered. She waddled out the door while I waited. Now the
seconds felt like minutes. The lady was all ticked off that the insurance
company was giving us a sub-compact car instead of something comparable to our
Jeep. I did not care at this point. I would’ve driven off in a monster truck at
that point. I just wanted to get to get my soon-to-not-be pregnant wife home. I
was a little nervous, but grateful that the big day had finally arrived.
A: We headed home, knowing that we had only a matter of time
if this was what we thought it was! We cranked the radio, laughed and enjoyed
the ten-minute drive. Josh was frequently asking how I was doing- the kind
soul. All the way home I was praying that the car’s cloth seats would not show
evidence of the event and was thankful for my smarts in what I wore that
morning and Josh’s hoodie that just happened to be along for the ride. Success!
When we got home we watched one of our favorite movies, one that Josh
introduced to me when we were dating –Fantastic
Mr. Fox. I made frequent trips to the loo, and gradually experienced
“cramps”. I changed into my “happy birth-day
baby outfit” which consisted of my swimsuit top and my red and blue college
graduation dress that Josh and I had picked out together! I had Josh snap a
picture “while I could still smile and look happy in it”!
we kept track of progress on the back of our wedding program until we started using the app!
J: About half way through the movie Andrea’s contractions
started to intensify. We had downloaded an app that timed contractions and they
were getting closer together. Quickly. We had called Joy, our midwife, on the
drive home, and she had come by to talk and check. We called her again to give her an update.
A: We also updated my sisters as it went along. I remember
texting Natalie something like, “Joy would be here in an hour or so!”, to which
she replied “No way! That’s SO awesome! Way to go! I love that name”...no
Natalie!...that’s the midwife...not the baby. “HAHA! I was thinking that was
fast...and they know it’s a girl!” hehe! I called my mom to tell her that I was
ready for her to come over and handed Josh his iPhone back...we had been
keeping track of my contractions on an app. It had been fun for a while, but at
that point...I just didn’t want to know anymore. She arrived around 3. It’s
always good to have Mommy around!
J: My best man, Matt, and his new bride, Pauline, had said
prior to the event, “We really want to be there for y’all when the baby comes!
Anything you need, we’re there!” I called Matt to give him the news. It went
something like this:
Matt:
“Hello?”
Me:
“Hey man...”
Matt:
“...Hey what’s up?”
Me:
“Oh...you know.”
Matt:
“Is she...”
Me:
“Yep...she sure is.”
Matt:
*SCREAMS*
A: I had good breaks, but they were definitely contractions by
the time our friends came over. We could chat it up and then I had to
concentrate...bounce on the exercise ball for a bit and then come back to the
real world. It helped the time pass, although it was a tough time. I can’t
remember exactly when our midwife, Joy arrived with her two apprentices, Misty
and Debbie—but when they did arrive, they got straight to work! They monitored
my vitals as well as the baby’s, but otherwise, let me “do my thing”. They set
up in the spare room, which transformed into the birthing room, and soon after
would become-- the baby’s room!
J: Once the contractions started to intensify, I decided
that it was time for everyone who wasn’t a part of the birthing party (sort of
like a wedding party, but way different) to leave. I asked my good friends to
depart and they totally understood.
At this point Andrea wasn’t saying much, just whispering please and thank you
for everything. So polite. After about three hours in, Joy wanted to check
Andreas “progress”. 2cm. This did not make my wife happy. After a couple of
contractions in our room, we moved back to the living room and it was back to
the birthing ball 4 or so hours. I held Andrea’s hands while she gracefully
drained the blood from mine, squeezing them like a boa constricting a tiger.
Around the time Matt and Pauline were heading out, my mom arrived with drinks
from Sonic and food for the evening ahead.
A: The timeline is all very sketchy for me. I will defer
most of that to Josh, but here are some things I remember...I remember rocking-bouncing-swaying
on that exercise/birthing ball because I wanted to make “progress”! At one
point Joy had me change positions to get the baby to move around and get the
little one’s heart rate at an even more “ideal” level. I didn’t feel stressed
at all about that. Actually, it wasn’t even presented in much of a tone of
concern. I moved from the ball to the floor and labored there for a while. That
did the trick, right in the perfect zone. However...it was not my favorite position. I would lie on my
side and press my feet off the couch. All the while, Josh continued to be by my
side. I remember him asking permission to get up at points to eat a little
snack, but he was always back quicker than I realized he had gone. What a great
man! I should also mention that my mom was on “drink duty”. She would offer me
juice and water, which we had discussed before hand would be in cups with
straws. I knew I would drink more if there were a straw! The water cup was one
of those tall reusable Starbucks cups that Josh had purchased for me as a
Tuesday Gift!
J: By about 7pm the birthing party consisted of: Josh,
Andrea, Marshall (status: unborn), Joy, Misty, Debbie, Jay and Jennifer, and
Matt and Jean. Food and chairs were everywhere and the place was rather warm
because of the birthing tub, the chicken provided by Matt Greene, and the 10.5
people in the 2-bedroom apartment. Andrea, Jean, myself, and the midwives were
in the soon-to-be baby room. Andrea was getting ready to get in the tub because
within 3 or so hours she’d gone from 2cm to 7cm. Yes! My mom was in and out
providing an ice bucket with wash clothes for Andrea’s face. They felt very good to her. The dads stayed in the
living room.
A: I was very glad to get into the 100-degree water. It
wasn’t that immediate “ahhhh” that you feel when you get into a bath, but it
did distract my mind. The best part about the pool: getting to MOVE! I had so
much buoyancy that allowed me to “go” with each of the contractions, moving my
body with them. I LOVED the ice-cold washcloths. During each contraction I
would rub them on my face as fast as I could. It was nice just to feel
something else. I think I moved in every way possible in that tub, but that was
nice. I remember thinking, “I want a break soon”, as I hadn’t had pain-free
time between contractions in quite awhile. I remember everyone being SO
encouraging. Quiet. Assuring. I remember my sister Leah’s words, “don’t panic,
it doesn’t help”. She wasn’t able to be there yet, but I heard her reminders.
The lights were dim and occasionally I heard music in the background, although
most of the time I forgot it was there.
...to be continued...aka...when we get a chance to sit down and write the rest!
UPDATE: For Part 2 CLICK HERE!
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