Ryan's Birth   

My official "due date" was 6/23 - but that came and went I had a NST
scheduled with my Dr on 6/30 at 3:30.  That morning I was having some mild
waves and some bloody show so I was pretty sure that my baby was coming
soon.  I called in sick at work because just couldn’t deal with one more
person asking me when I was going to have that baby.  That morning I went
to the grocery store with my mom  and we took my daughter to the park then
we went home so that I could take a shower and get ready to go to the Dr.
While I was in the shower I did a few belly lifts while I was having waves,
after I got out I painted my toenails since my last pedicure was starting
to look pretty bad and got dressed.  The waves were still coming but the
were VERY easy  - I am not sure how far apart they were as you read on you
will see I am not good at timing them (I don’t see much point in it).
     That afternoon I met my husband at the Dr office for the NST the
waves were still coming but were still mild.  My Dr told me that she wasn’t
on call that weekend (by this time it is about 4:00 on Friday afternoon and
the 4th of July holiday is on Tuesday).  She did a sonogram to make sure I
had plenty of fluid and told me that I looked great - everything was
perfect and there was a ton of water (I had been drinking water all day in
preparation for that sonogram), she said that when my water broke there
would most likely be a big gush.  She started to bring up a possible
induction if I was interested, but by this time I was pretty sure that it
would be that night but I just wasn’t ready to tell anyone.  When she
checked my cervix - she told me that I was a solid 4 cm and 70% effaced,
and that she doubted I would still be pregnant by Monday.  She said she
stripped my membranes, but I told her that I didn’t feel it - and she
explained it was because I was already so open and effaced.  She said her
partner was already at the hospital and would be there for the next 24
hours (I know and like her partner so I was OK with that).
     From the moment I stood up at her office the waves started getting
much stronger.  So we left her office and decided to go to the mall (just
across the street) and walk.  We walked into the mall and another wave hit
me, I could tell this was really it, and the mall was a little bit crowded
and I didn’t feel like dealing with all the funny looks from the shoppers
when I had to stop during a wave, so we decided to go eat instead of
walking (a recurring theme in my life) there happens to be a Cheesecake
Factory across the street from the mall, so we headed over there to get a
bite.  At dinner I had to put my head down and say peace and open during
the waves and I think it scared the waiter, but that cheesecake sure was
tasty!!!
     After dinner it was time to go home, the waves were a little less
than every 5 minutes, the problem was that I had MET my husband at the Dr
office!!!  It just seemed like to much trouble to leave my car there and my
husband and mom go pick it up, so I INSISTED that I could drive home.  So
the waves are 5 minutes apart (not sure how long they were lasting) and it
is 6:00 on Friday afternoon before a holiday weekend in Dallas traffic.
That probably was not the best idea I ever had.  I even called my sister
and would have to put the phone down during waves so that I could
concentrate on the road.  Also looking back, not to smart, but I made it!
     When I got home I greeted my daughter and my mom who was staying with
us to help out.  I got in bed and put my switch in the center position
while listening to the deepening track relaxing and enjoying my time.  At
7:30 I got in the tub and listened to the birthing day, my husband and
daughter came in and sat with me and it was so wonderful to have them there
with me.  Between waves we explained to my daughter that her baby brother
or sister was trying to come out of my belly and was hard work for Mommy.
My husband put her to bed and I went back bed for a while longer.  At 9 PM
I got up to make the cookies for the nurses.  My mom came in the kitchen
and helped although they were just the break and bake kind.  Things were
getting much more intense now and I went back in my room and listened to
the birthing day more.  My husband came in and I told him I thought we
should probably call the Dr. We called about 10:30pm - when I told her that
my waves had been 5 minutes apart since before 6 she got a little upset and
told me that my Dr had told her I was almost 5cm and that I needed to get
to the hospital now because I could be about to have a baby, I told her
that we only lived about 5 minutes away and we would be there in a bit.  My
husband gathered my things and off we went.  He was so amazing! He stopped
the car and turn on the hazard lights (if he could) during the waves so
that he was sure to not hit any big bumps.  The waves have become more
intense and are coming faster but I stopped timing and figured that my baby
would come when it was ready.  At this point I am in the center switch, but
unfortunately I didn’t practice that very much.
     When we got to the hospital (about 11pm) I  told the nurse at the
desk that I wanted a nurse that would be great for a natural birth.  A
young nurse jumped up and asked me if my first birth was all natural, I
told her no and she said, well – don’t worry this one will be!  She walked
me down the hall and looked for a clean room, she told me that they would
get a hep lock started as I leaned against the wall during a wave and I
shook my head no.  She said "you don’t want a hep lock?" and I thought OH
great, here we go - but when I shook my head no again she just "OK, we will
just see how it goes” in a cheerful and encouraging voice.  I knew it would
be OK at that moment.
     When we got into the room I got in the gown and lay down on the bed
and she checked me, I was at a solid 5 and 100% effaced, I was a little
disappointed because I wanted to be at a 7 when I got there, but figured it
had gone pretty well so far.  The Dr came in and said hello and told me she
was there all night for me - I could tell at that point that they read my
birth plan because they turned the lights down and started whispering
things to my husband.  By this point I felt like I was peeing during every
wave and things were getting very intense.  I told the nurse I thought my
water had broken and so she checked that and it had - she said she thought
things would really start moving now and left us alone.  He stood by my
side the whole time rubbing from my shoulder down my arm, it felt great – I
envisioned it washing the pressure and pain away (yes I was in pain by this
point) - he kept telling me how great I was doing and after any wave that
he knew about (because he didn’t know about all of them) he would remind me
that I was getting so close to meeting our baby when he could tell that I
was having trouble focusing.  Shortly after that the Dr came in and wanted
to check me - I was at an 8 with a bulging bag of waters (yes the water
that was leaking) and things were going great but it was incredibly
intense, she offered to break my water but I said “no”.  After she left my
body started pushing on its own during the more intense waves.  I was
terrified because I knew I was not complete yet and was worried that my
cervix was going to swell.  Then it happened, a wave started I felt a snap
and water shot all the way across the room - everything was COVERED - my
legs, the bed, the floor - it was not just a burst this was like an
explosion!!! I yelled out as it happened and my husband instantly hit the
button to call for the nurse, so much of the pressure was gone I thought
the baby might be on the floor somewhere!  The nurse came in and then the
Dr the checked me again - I don’t remember exactly where I was but I
remember them telling me how great I was doing and I remember asking how
much longer (like they would know).  It felt so good for all that pressure
to be gone.  I really got to refocus on Kerry’s voice for a little while.
The pressure started up again and it was more intense than before and it
didn’t feel like I got any sort of break, then this burning started at the
height of the pressure waves.  By this point it was very difficult to
remain focused - I kept trying to focus on Kerry's voice and saying open
open open during each wave, I said "it burns" and I heard the Drs voice say
(my eyes were closed) “that is great, the baby is pushing down that means
you are almost done”.  I actually said at this point, "I don’t think I can
do it" but the nurse said yes you can and so did my husband - I remember
thinking that I still didn’t want anything for the pain, but I didn’t
understand why it hurt.  So now the Dr wanted to check me again - I rolled
onto my back and she checked me - she said I was ready to push when ever I
wanted so I rolled back onto my side and curled up into a ball again.  I
was scared more than anything else.  I again said "I don’t think I can do
it" and my husband put his hand on me and said “you already have” and the
nurse had taken the birthing CD out of my walkman and put it on the
overhead speakers on the stage 2 track.  She told me to listen to the CD
and focus on that.  So I rolled back over and started to push.
     They pushed the back of the bed all the way up and pulled the
stirrups out for my feet.  I put my feet in the stirrups and sorta stood up
in a squatting position and it started.  My Dr kinda felt around and said,
"This is going to be a big kid, Katie get back down on the bed".   Mid-push
I grunted "NO - I CANT" so the Dr looked at the nurse and they just got
ready to catch the baby.  Then she asked me if I wanted a warm wash cloth
for my perenium, which sounded great - so she got that and when she applied
it I was sure that she got it out of a pot of boiling water so I yelled in
what my husband has since referred to as my exorcist moment "get that off
me" - I can still hear her voice in my head when she asked "too hot?"  It
still makes me laugh to think about it.  She did use baby oil to grease
everything up to help the baby slide out, that felt good. So 5 pushes and
20 minutes later out comes my new baby staring straight up at my husband!
It took me a minute but then I remembered that we still didn’t know the sex
- IT'S A GIRL!!! I sobbed.  She was absolutely perfect (and still is) - she
didn’t breathe immediately so they made me give her to the nurse - but as
soon as the nurse walked away she started screaming (saying take me back to
my Mommy) and so they brought her back to me.  I could smell the baby oil
in her hair when I gave her kisses and I now LOVE the smell of baby oil!  I
had a 2nd degree tear that the Dr had to stitch.   After the birth they
kept telling me how perfectly shaped her head was and how she looked like a
little c-section baby (God bless her fathers pin head!).  After that the
nurse told me I should try and pee (not sure why) so I walked to the
bathroom then she got a wheel chair to take me to my room in the hospital –
she said it was so nice not to have to pick mothers up and put them in the
wheel chair and told me how great I did.
     She latched well right after the birth and after the initial soreness
(about 1 week) we settled in great and she breast feeds like I champ.  I
used lots of the Motherlove nipple cream (WAY better than the purelan).  In
fact she nurses so well that now she hates taking a bottle!

She was 8 pounds 11oz and 22 inches long born on July 1,2006 at 2:09 am -
we named her Ryan Quinn.

     I NEVER could have done it without hypnobabies, and I KNOW that the
only reason that I hurt was because she was posterior although I never had
back labor (it was the same with my first) and even though I said I cant do
it at the very end- I knew that I could so I am not sure where that came
from.  I loved the deepening CD and the Birth Day CD they were so helpful
in keeping me focused.  I wish that I had tried listening to creating
anesthesia and practiced the center switch more.  Being reminded to focus
on Kerry’s voiced helped and so did all the praise and encouragement from
my husband and the Dr and nurse.
     I would also like to say that my husband was a champ - and he had
teased me about the program and never once listened to a CD and only looked
at the study guide after I cried and made him feel guilty and even then he
looked at it for a total of 15 minutes - so have faith ladies he may come
through - every time I have seen the Dr since then she has mentions how
wonderful he was!  I would also like to send props to my Dr who stayed in
the room with me after my water broke the entire time (I didn’t even know
this until later since my eyes were closed).
     At first I almost felt like I failed since I said I couldn’t do it
and I was in pain, but looking back on it I think I did great.  She was
born about 3 hours after we got to the hospital and I even painted my
toenails about 12 hours before she was born. I never thought I would grunt
or yell but it really seemed to help while I was pushing so don’t rule
anything out, you never know what will happen when the time comes!