Sofia Rosalind was born October 22, 2007 at 11:21pm. She weighed 7pounds 15ounces. She was 21 inches long. This is the story of her water birth.
On October 22 I was officially 7 days over my due date. Still feeling great and no contractions. I had to go to the hospital and have the “stress test” done since I was overdue to make sure baby and placenta were still doing well. I was very stressed out about the test. I didn’t want to go and have it done. This was my third baby and I had never had to do this before. The woman at the hospital was very nice and sweet. I filled out some paperwork and they put a hospital bracelet on me, which I didn’t like because I had not intention of staying long. I got in the chair and she strapped the monitor on me I started to cry. I so didn’t want to do this! My husband reminded me that if I calmed down they could do the test and we could leave. He held my hand and helped me relax. During the test the lady asked me if I was feeling the contractions I was having. I told her they just felt like strong “Braxton Hicks”. After the test we went to Whole foods and walked around. By the time we got home I was feeling “very pregnant”. When we got home my “Braxton Hicks” were getting stronger and by dinner I realized I was having contractions. After dinner I laid in bed a bit trying to relax and hide from the other 5 people in the house. This didn’t feel good so I got in the hot shower. This felt good but when the hot water ran out I had to get out. Then my husband Brandon and I went for a walk around the block. This helped speed up the time between contractions. I was having a hard time finding something that worked so I could relax through the contractions. My contractions were 12min, 5min, 15min then 3min apart. I called Kel around 8:00pm. She said it sounded like I was in early labor, and to try concentrating on my slow relaxed breathing and to call her when the contractions were consistent or when I needed her. We got our 2 boys to bed and decided to watch a movie with my parents. They were watching Failure to Launch. Everyone thought this was a funny choice since I was past my due date and having my own “Failure to Launch”. During the movie I tried to lie on the couch or get on all fours during contractions. Between contractions I had to go to the bathroom a lot. Sitting on the toilet made each contraction stronger. Brandon reminded me this happened with our first child right before I stared pushing. I called Kel and told her I was ready to come in to the birth center. By now my contractions would come in 3’s. The first two contractions were ok then the third would be strong. We met Kel at 9:45pm and she checked me. I was only 4cm dilated. I was disappointed since I thought I should be further along by the way the contractions felt. I did feel at peace being at the birth center and the whole “when do we go in” stress was gone. She got me set up on the labor ball and left us so we could have some time. The labor ball felt great. Every few contractions I would get up and go to the bathroom. I remember sitting on the labor ball yawning, I was so tired. I decided I better try and take a nap since I was only 4cm and I needed my strength for later. I crawled up on the bed and lay on my side. The next wave of contractions my body started to push. Brandon went and got Kel. She checked me and I was complete! She filled the tub with water and called the labor assistant. I had only been at the birth center about 45 min at this point. Brandon and Kel got me in the tub as it filled. At first it was not very relaxing. Once it was filled I was able to lay back and the water felt great. The water really eased the contractions. Having 3 or 4 pushing contractions on the bed I could really feel the difference the water made. ( I wish I would have had my other two un-medicated births in the water.) My husband stroked my hair and held a cool wash cloth on my head while Kel spoke in a soft voice and explained to me what my body was doing. Kel and I had talked at great length during my pregnancy about my fear of tearing. I had a 3 degree tear with my first two births and didn’t want to tear again. At one point she told me to reach down and feel my baby’s head. While I was in the tub Kel broke my water. Kel did a wonderful job at guiding my pushing. She told me when to relax and not push so Sofia would come out slow. She would tell me to push when I felt the urge and then when to stop pushing. She reminded me that I would still feel her head slowly stretching me. I never felt rushed to push her out. Lying in that tub with my husband and Kel next to it was so peaceful. I remember looking down and watching my little girl under the water being gently pushed out into the world. Karly arrived as Sofia was placed on my chest and we were covered with warm towels. Her eyes were opened and she looked at us although Sofia didn’t cry at first she was healthy. Kel rubbed her with a warm towel and she cried. The water was drained from the tub before the placenta was delivered. When the cord stopped pulsing Kel helped Brandon cut the cord. I delivered the placenta in the drained tub. After we got settled in the bed Karly showed us the placenta and explained all the parts and how it worked. This was my 3rd baby and I had never seen the placenta before. Seeing how it worked was really cool. I was given a herb to help stop the bleeding but eventually I was given a shot of pitocin in my leg. It burned going in but after a minute I didn’t feel it. When we were all settled Kel said goodbye and Karly stayed with us. We were the only ones giving birth that night so the center was quiet. Karly came and checked on us during the night. She always entered the room quietly and never disturbed us. The next morning we woke, ate our meal we had brought and headed home with our new baby girl. When we arrived home the boys were so excited to meet their new little sister. And a whole new chapter in our life began.
The next day Karly came to the house to check Sofia and myself. She helped us with some breastfeeding issues we were having. The whole experience was so calm and peaceful. During my prenatal appointments, the birth and my post partum check ups I never felt rushed. I liked that I saw both Kel and Roberta during my pregnancy so when I went into labor I felt comfortable with both of them and knew the person who would help us. I liked that the birth center was an all female staff. Dulce and Yesenia at the front desk greeted me with a smile and were always ready to help. Thank you all! Kendal and Brandon
