Myles’ Birth Story

Regular contractions began on Friday morning, although they were very low intensity and were not increasing in intensity for quite some time.

During this time I was feeling bored and ready to get on with it. Also made me feel like I was going crazy thinking I was making the contractions up. At one point, Jaime said, "mother nature is making you pray for contractions 3 minutes apart". 

Beginning Saturday at 9:30 pm, contractions started getting more intense beginning with bloody show. I tried to go to sleep between contractions, and although I didn't feel like I slept, Dylan said I was snoring every now and then. At around 4 in the morning, I decided to take a bath. In the bath, contractions got really bad intensity-wise. When I got out I puked and then got Dylan up to help keep track of the contractions.

Dylan continued to support me while I labored. I just kept reminding myself to surrender when contractions came. Surrender to the pain, surrender to the experience, surrender to baby and my body, surrender to nature. Around 8:30 we called Jaime thinking my water broke (ended up just being a lot of bloody show at once). Mom came in at that time too, to help Dylan as doula. Something that surprised me was tremors after contractions, not all but some. Dylan and mom would wrap me up in a blanket and hold me together. Maybe it was brought up in birthing class and neither of us remembered, but it was a little scary until Jaime said, "Adrenaline shakes, beautiful". 

Jaime came over at around 9:30am. Giving me the choice of whether to check my dilation, we decided not to as I did not want to get discouraged if I wasn't very dilated. She checked on baby and checked my vitals too. All was good. My contractions weren't too consistent so Jaime decided to unpack her things to prep for later and then head out for a little while. While she was unpacking, my contractions got closer and closer together until transition started. I remember thinking to myself when Jaime said she was going to leave, "I have to show her that we are ready to go". Throughout all of labor, I had hiccups at the end of each contraction. 

During transition was the only time that I was about to say I can't do this. But then again, I reminded myself to surrender. After transition the contractions lightened up a little bit. Jaime encouraged me to get up and hold onto Dylan through a few contractions. But then I got the urge to push. I told Jaime, "I want to push". Jaime checked my dilation and then got us over to the bed. It was time to push.

Jaime called Sydney (the birth assistant). Dylan had his parents take Lima (the family dog) (up until then she was laying in her bed beneath the couch). Jaime coached me through pushing while holding a warm wet towel on my perineum during pushes. I was on my hands and knees the entire time (my back was so sore for a week after). Baby had a steady heart rate at about 150 bpm the entire time. Once baby's head came out it was two more pushes before Myles was born at 11:46 am Sunday, 8/29. He was born en caul. I remember thinking after his head came out, why is he not crying, then remembered my water hadn't broken. Mom watched Jaime smoothly and efficiently break the sack and then those little newborn cries started. Jaime put Myles up underneath me so I could see him. I said, "What the f*** just happened?". 

Everyone helped me turn around to lay down. After a little while, Jaime gently helped the placenta deliver. Myles did not latch right away. Jaime patiently worked with us to get him to latch. 

Once he was warm and fed, Jaime and Sydney did their thing with recording the birth stats. They also took care of my perineum. 

Myles, to date, has been Jaime's smallest delivery. 5.5 pounds, 17.5 inches. Small but mighty. Giving birth, especially being able to do so, was a beautiful experience. It took months for me to feel like my brain processed what happened. I look at Myles and my body now in awe. Mother nature and the experiences she gives you are absolutely stunning.