Welcome Thomas!: A Birth Story, Part 1

I woke up, Friday June 28 in a calm state and snuggled next to my love while he still caught a few more z's. At this point I was two days passed my due date. I lay there quietly having a mental conversation with my unborn son. "Today is the day, Thomas. It's time for you to come out. This is your mama and I want to meet you. It's time. Please start your journey." I was calm, yes, but I was ready. More than ready, I was done. I had reached the end of my perverbial rope and I needed Thomas to come out. My body had reached it's limit, and I felt overbaked. Yes, overbaked is the right word. I can't think of a better word so, overbaked is what you get.

I went about my business that day, you know doing normal things like mowing the lawn with a push mower; the old school type that's just a rotating blade. I cleaned the house and went on a long walk. Okay, so these might not be "normal" things to do when you're 40 weeks and couple days pregnant, but if my conversation with Thomas didn't make a point, I was bound and determined by being "active" (I was moving at a snails pace and not very often at that).

Below is a completely unflattering picture of me at the end, all swollen with fluid, pruning the bushes, as you do, just in case you need a visual. I will probably regret sharing this picture some day, however, this is real life, people.

Later that evening, Matt and I met up with his co-workers at a mexican restaurant where I indulged in some spicy/hot enchiladas. About an hour into our time there and many helpings of nachos later, I wasn't feeling so well and it wasn't indigestion. I had felt the sensation before many times, but it felt a little different and I gave the "eye" to Matt signaling it's time to go home.

A while later I came to the realization that I was having consistent contractions. Ladies, for me, It felt exactly like menstrual cramps, although it would come in waves and lasting about 15-30 seconds. It was never scary and it was never "too much."It was just there, and definitely happening. I texted my doula and told her what was up. She told me I was in active labor and to try to rest and let her know if/when things pick up and contractions are closer together. In preperation for a long weekend, and finally meeting my son, My mom, Matt and I decided we would try to go to sleep. My contractions were about 10-15 minutes apart at this point and I did my best to ignore them and get some rest.

3 a.m. rolled around and a contraction wakes me from my sleep. I could no longer ignore my body. I wake Matt to let him know and I move to the couch for a change of scenery. My contractions are about 8 minutes apart. This goes on until about 9 a.m. I keep my doula, Jenna, informed.

Jenna stops by around 10 a.m. to see how I'm doing and she wants to watch me go through a few contractions to gauge what my pain levels are and to see how I'm holding up. At this point the only "comfortable" position is for me to lean over the bed or get on my hands and knees when the contraction waves in and out. I was still able to hold somewhat of a conversation and because of that Jenna said, the best thing for me to do was to try as best as I could to rest in hopes of preserving some energy for the long haul. She pulled out her Mary Poppins bag and grabbed some esential oils and rubbed them on my forehead and neck to help me relax. She also gave me her iPod and a playlist of yoga music for me to listen to and tune out the noises of my house. I remember telling my mom that my goal was to make it to 5 or 6 centimeters by the time I went to the hospital.

I was able to stay resting on the couch for an hour or so, but I became pretty uncomfortable and decided I would try a bath. Matt drew a bath for me and unscrewed some of the lightbulbs in the bathroom so that the light wouldn't be so glaring. I continued to listen to the music and even dozed off for a few minutes. Unfortunately, my tail-bone could only stand about 20 minutes in the tub and it was back to the couch where I tried to rest a bit more while Matt ran some last minute errands.

While resting on the couch and going through contractions I realized I wasn't able to talk through them anymore. They had become more intense. I asked my mom if she thought they were getting closer together and so she started timing them. Sure enough, they were 2 and 3 minutes apart! I notified Jenna and texted Matt to come home imediately.



* I apologize for the delay as this took me many days and weeks to find the time to sit down and write. Needless to say, I don't have free time like I once did and that's taking some getting used to! However, I still have the itch to blog about my new job as a mama. Hope you stick around. Part 2 of Thomas' birth story on the way...