10th birth of 2010 – Victoria

I had set a goal to attend 10 births in 2010.  Victoria and her hubby took my Hypnobabies class.  They were not sure if they wanted a doula.  We kept in touch after class.   I told them what I tell all parents, “I think for a first time mom a doula is SO great, almost essential.  But you have the education and tools from Hypnobabies to have a good birth on your own.”

When she was 37 weeks they decided, Yes they did want a doula!

I was so excited (not because of the 10th birth, I had another mom that was due close to them, I just liked them and was excited to be at their birth!)

Here are the notes I took from her birth –

6:30 PM December 29^th Victoria calls me and says she has had pressure waves 6-8 minutes apart for a few hours.  She has been pretty active so I suggest listening to a CD while resting and see what happens.

(My parents arrived from Chicago minutes after she called.  So we quickly opened Christmas presents, as they were leaving a day later and I didn’t know if I would be going to a birth and how long I would be gone)

7:30  Victoria calls back and says they are now around 4 minutes apart and she is going to get into the tub, she is ready for me to come.

8:40 I arrive at their house and find Victoria resting nicely in the tub, pressure waves are 3-6 minutes apart and she is relaxing beautifully through them.

9 A decision is made to go to the hospital.

9:15 out of tub

9:30 heading to hospital

10 getting assessed in triage.

10:15 getting settled in room, 3.5 cm and very effaced.  She sits on birth ball for awhile.

11:15 get heplock

11:30 moves to rocking chair and listens to Fear Clearing and Deepening CD.  (The Rocking Chair was such a great place for Victoria!  I think she spent most of her birthing time in the hospital here.  A great place to be upright and still be monitored)

12- Victoria throws up and then gets checked, she is 5cm.  (At this point she had decided not to know how far along she was.  I went out to ask the nurse later) Gets back on rocking chair

Having lots of strong pressure waves

1:30 AM gets checked again, 5 cm, but baby is much lower and has bulging bag of water  (again, Victoria didn’t know this at the time.  I think it is SO wise not to find out how far along you are.  Too many moms get stuck on the number.  While she was “still at a 5” her body had done a lot of work.  But she may not have believed that and only heard the 5)

Tries these positions:

• bed
• ball
• back on the rocking chair

2:30  Victoria takes a 30 minute shower with me helping her, letting Nick get a good rest.  It feels great to both of them.  🙂

3 back onto rocking chair.

3:30 She is having more and more back pressure so we try a new position: hands and knees.  Nurse, Nick and I help with giving her pressure against her back and hips.

4:00 gets checked and is 8 cm

4:30 I suggest she pee again because I can tell it will be time to push soon.

4:45 Victoria has urge to push and nurse doesn’t want to check her, assumes that it is bag of water.  Victoria asks if the OB can come in to break her water.

Dr. S. comes in and breaks her water and checks her.

I remind the Dr. “Victoria doesn’t want to know how far along she is!”

She asks, “What if it is time to push?”

“Then it would be OK!” I assure her.

Dr. S. announces, “You are 10 cm +1 station, time to push!”

Victoria starts pushing in a mother directed way.  C. isn’t tolerating the pushing very well, so her nurse asks if she can direct pushing.  Victoria says yes and asks for oxygen too.

5:00  Start active pushing.

6:30 a mere 12 hours after calling me, C’s head is starting to show consistently.

6:45  C. starts crowning

6:55 C. still crowning, Dr. asks if she can do episiotomy and Victoria says yes.

6:56 Cole is born!

Victoria did amazing.  She stayed focused and calm and relaxed through the whole birth.

It was such an honor to be a part of this birth and I am so glad, for me, that they decided to have a doula.  🙂