Here it is! The final part to Hunter’s birth story. Make sure to check out part 1 and part 2 as well.
Since I kept having my midwife check me, she was skeptical about when I’d really need to push. She said there were behaviors she would see and she’d know it was time.
It felt like I was in transition f.o.r.e.v.e.r. Every check left me disappointed since each time I had not reached 10 cm. There was this tiny little lip that just wouldn’t budge.
When I switched from ‘I feel like I need to push’, or ‘I want to push’, to ‘I need to take a poop!’, that was the sign!
My midwife checked me once again and although I wasn’t at a 10 still, she told me to push with the next contraction and she’d see what my cervix did. During that next contraction I pushed, she pressed that tiny part of my cervix over (holy ouch!) so he could begin to pass and it begun.
I was so glad to start pushing. Finally the end is near! My midwife saw I still had part of my bag of water in tact, so she broke it. Surprisingly there was meconium (baby’s first poop) in the bag. That meant the neonatal staff had to be there just in case he swallowed any of it, which would be bad.
8:30pm
The team was intact. Me on the slightly inclined hospital bed, my midwife there to catch Hunter, the nurse holding my left leg and Jacob on my right. It took me a few pushes to really get the feeling of what pushing was like. Honestly, it’s the same feeling as pushing out a poop. Just gotta give in to the feeling.
I’d get 2 good pushes out of each contraction, try to catch my breath and push for a 3rd. Everyone was cheering me on and telling me what they could see with each push. The feeling of his head making its way past my cervix was crazy. I thought he was already out but that was just step one. Once he past the cervix I was in a rhythm. A contraction would come, I’d take a breath in, left it out, take another deep breath in, hold it, pull my legs back and push like crazy. Pushing was amazing. I was doing something! I couldn’t believe the lack of pain I felt during the pushes. Contractions didn’t hurt anymore.
When his head started to crown I could feel the burn begin, but my midwife used oil and helped stretch me and he began to emerge, quickly. Once his head was out I just wanted to keep pushing, especially since it felt sooooo weird just having his head hanging out! A couple more pushes and boom he was out, face up, fist under chin and screaming like crazy.
8:58pm
Just 28 minutes. That’s all it took to push out our 7 pound 12 ounce baby boy Hunter.
They put him on my chest right away since he looked and sounded good (the neonatal nurses left). All I remember saying was ‘oh my gosh, oh my gosh’ and that he was so big! Jacob thought he was big too, but apparently he wasn’t to the nurses. To us he was!
Our baby was in my arms. He was perfect. After the cord was cut and
placenta delivered, my midwife was going to stitch me up a bit. I had tiny little tear, and since it was so little I was given the option to not have stitches, which I decided against.
About 30 minutes after he was born he already started nursing — for 30 minutes! He was a champ from the beginning.
We let them weigh him, give him his vitamin K shot then he was back in our arms.
I could not believe how quickly he came out, especially being a posterior baby. All that working out a did during my pregnancy definitely had me ready for the big pushing event, which much like working out, I loved.
Jacob was amazing the entire time. He was my rock and kept me from freaking out when my contractions would get intense. I felt so much support for our choice for a drug free child birth, not only from our midwifes (we started with one, ended with another), but the 2 nurses we had at the hospital as well. There were definitely some moments I didn’t think I’d make it, but once it was over I couldn’t imagine having done it any other way.
0 comments
beautiful story heather!! you are one impressive mama!
Oh my gosh Heather, I loved reading every bit of this story! Congratulations again! Thanks so much for sharing your experience. It’s amazing just how much working out and being a strong person can help during labor! I hope you and your family are having a great week 🙂
It was pretty amazing Kaitlyn 🙂
Such a beautiful labor – you did great!
Thanks Chelsey 🙂
Beautiful story, Heather! He’s beautiful and you did amazing. Definitely an inspiration.
He is perfect! Great story. You rock! Kay took about the same amount of time to come out. I think its cause we’re such fitness queens 😉 SO happy for you all
Heck ya we are!
This was a beautiful story. I enjoyed every bit of it as much as I’m sure your enjoying every bit of Hunter’s life thus far!
We are loving our life with him 🙂
loved this story (and your complete honesty!) I’ll only have (knock on wood and fingers crossed) natural births ever since Clara’s wonderful experience!
Her birth story is going up very soon! It’s an amazing one 🙂
You did great! Hunter looks absolutely perfect. Thank you for sharing so candidly about your experience.
I’m so impressed you can recall so much detail and what you were feeling. It was all a blur to me.
im seriously gonna cry reading this…this is so amazing. im definitely terrified for the event but obviously its so worth it. i dont know yet whether i want to ask for drugs or not..cant decide. its hard to say im sure until you’re in the moment. thank u for posting!
Only 28 minutes of pushing? Rockstar! Congrats. 🙂
I’m late, but I loved reading this. 28 minutes! I will hope for much of the same 🙂 I love how you said it was such a weird feeling with his head out of you…lol 🙂 He’s perfect, Heather!
Good job, I remember pushing was my favorite because you don’t really focus on the pain but the fact that it’s almost over!
Wow, that was impressive to read! I was moved to tears!
Thtank you for sharing this with us!
I also did natural birth and LOVE working out! I’m so thankful for an awesome natural birth!! They don’t all end “as we planned” but i was thankful to be able to do it!!
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