Babies on the mind...

As the weeks close in on our little baby's arrival  (less than two to the due date!), I've been reflecting a lot on our experience with Elena's birth.  I realized that I never actually posted her story, so for anyone interested in a flashback almost two and a half years ago, here is the story of the introduction of Elena Marie Frisch:

Throughout the pregnancy I had developed a deep conviction in the right to an intervention-free, natural childbirth.  I recognize that there are occasions where the medical field is very helpful and even necessary to a newborn baby and its mother, and I have no problems accepting assistance should the need arise.  It's just that most of the time birth is a perfectly normal, healthy occurance and I wish it wasn't treated like something in need of a cure.  I was concerned with the tendency I saw of doctors and nurses pushing artificial intervention (induction, labor-speeding drugs, epidurals, c-sections, etc) where it wasn't necessary. 

Anyway, I was feeling rather protective.  I think I had a feeling she was arriving late, and I really wanted her to come when she was good and ready.  Her due date came and went with no baby in sight.  We had a grumpy midwife who kept threatening induction if Elena didn't pass her non-stress tests.  For those of you without the pleasure of that experience, basically they're just listening to the baby's heartbeat, watching for it to elevate and then stabilize.  Apparently my babies are way too calm, so we had to poke her and prod her the whole time.  I still don't understand why you need to cause the baby stress to prove that they're not stressed.  After holding out for as long as we could we finally scheduled an induction for ten days post due-date, and prayed that she'd be ready enough by then.

At last, the day before our scheduled induction, I woke up with mild contractions.  Hooray!  Adam's mom, Marsha, was visiting and jokes she knew something was up because I had scrubbed the microwave clean the night before.  We went on with our normal nesting during the day, and took Charlemagne for a nice, long walk.  The contractions continued fairly regularly, increasing in frequency but not in intensity.  It was about 5pm that things started getting serious.  I didn't talk a lot to Marsha, but slowly rocked through the contractions.  Just wait until 8, I told myself, and Adam will get home from work... it was so hard to reach him, and he only had a few hours left on his shift.  I wasn't in a hurry anyway, I was enjoying the quiet atmosphere of our home.  It's a good thing we weren't hurried too, because today was the day our car battery decided to die!  Marsha had been out running errands and had to get jumped twice to get home, so as soon as Adam arrived we sent him off in search of a new battery.   Extra drama always in important moments!  :)

A lot of thoughts were running through my head during each of those contractions, but I had entered a timeless space.  They were taking all my concentration now, and I focused on each one, trying to relax through it.  Come on out, baby, we want to meet you.  I pictured my body slowly moving her down, getting her ready to come out.

Finally, I told Adam we should head over to the hospital.  It was about 12:30am.  I could feel that the labor had reached a new level of intensity, and that our baby's arrival was getting closer.  I remember being irritated at the admitting nurse in the ER (our entrance since it was nighttime), because she made us sit down and fill out paperwork.  I should have screamed and dug my fingernails into her arms, I guess, I just seemed too calm to really be in labor.  Eventually we got to a labor room, though, and that nurse didn't seem very rushed either.  (about 1am now)  She asked me to rate my level of pain, which I thought was dumb.  I haven't finished labor, how do I know what the worst feels like?  Again, I should have been less conservative in my estimate.  Finally, after a thoroughly irritating series of questions she decided maybe we should go ahead and check my progress.  I'm certain she was more than a little surprised to find me at 6cm (I was more than a little relieved).  Things moved much faster after that.  I wasn't able to get out of a heplock, but we monitored the baby for a few minutes and then she let me disconnect and walk around the labor floor.  After a while we decided to try out the tub down the hallway.  It was only for laboring, but it felt amazing and I was so grateful that it was just Adam and me in the room.  I could hear the nurses down the hall in their break room, but the background chatter was just white noise.  I think we only spent about twenty minutes in the tub when I felt the urge to push.  I went ahead and pushed lightly and was surprised to feel the little baby's head!  I seriously considered not telling the nurses and just birthing in the tub, but I didn't...  I told Adam it was time to get out and we should call the nurses.  We got back into our room, and a doctor I'd never met before told me to push whenever I was ready.  I liked her already.  I have no memory for numbers, but Adam says it was only four or five pushes before Elena was out.  It seemed so fast!  During one push the doctor told me to reach my hand down and feel the head.  I didn't care, but I wasn't in the mood to talk so I reached down.  When I moved my hand away, she told me to keep it there, I was going to catch the baby!  What?  Is that possible?  (And why wasn't I doing my prenatal care with you?)  But sure enough, as the next contraction and push came, out came the baby and I grabbed her (the doctor's hands were there too) and brought her right up to my chest.  Easily one of the most amazing moments of my life.  I couldn't believe I'd already spent ten months next to this baby, and this was my first moment laying eyes on her.  Four or five nurses lined up against the wall marveled that they'd never seen a natural birth before.  If I hadn't been so enthralled with our new baby I would have handed them some popcorn (kidding), but mostly the comment just surprised me because none of them seemed particularly new to the field.  I was actually much too caught up in us to care who was in the room at that point.

Our nurse, whom I now found to be quite pleasant and not at all annoying, let us hold and adore our precious little baby for a little while before cutting the cord and cleaning her up.  I don't remember anything about the placenta, so it must have happened shortly after the birth.  We certainly weren't waiting for it. 
A uniquely beautiful arrival for a uniquely beautiful girl.

Elena Marie Frisch
September 25, 2008  3:41am 
7lbs 6oz,  20 1/2 inches



I can't wait for our newest little one to create her own unique entrance into the world.  We're so excited to meet her!  We just had an appointment yesterday, and they did a quick ultrasound to check fluid levels (good) and were able to tell that she's turned around facing backwards now (how babies usually position for birth).  Who knows if she's planning on staying there, but I take it as a good sign since she's been sitting sunny-side up for weeks and weeks.  Getting closer!  I guess I should pack my hospital bag soon.  :D