Author: Lindsay Ingalls

So where did we leave off from Edith’s Birth Story Part One.. and Edith’s Birth Story Part Two…

At 10am Midwife Ellen checked my progress and found that I was 7cm and 90% effaced.  I was now moving into transition and was encouraged to try a new position to labor in- squatting.  The birthing ball was rolled over to the side of the bed, a sheet placed over it and there I was naked besides my bra laboring on the birthing ball in a supported squat. I used the side of the bed for support to lean over during contractions and eventually found myself reaching out for Neil’s arms across the bed.

Things started to get really intense very quickly and the sensation of the contractions was at times almost unbearable, but I knew I could do it- I had to do it. I tired to focus on my breath, making low noises and fluttering my (horse) lips. Each time I would find myself starting to lose control asking “Why aren’t they here yet” I would be reminded that the contraction would eventually end and I would get a break.  I kept talking to myself, telling myself “it will be fine”, repeating it over and over and over again.

At one point I remember making these low groaning noises and I could tell Neil was doing his best not to laugh but I knew I sounded funny and I told him that he could make monster sounds with me too if he wanted. This made us both break out into laughter and I successfully made it through yet another contraction.

As each contraction came on stronger, my desire for it to end became more intense.  Eventually, I started to groan that I just wanted them out and “why weren’t they out yet!?”.  My midwives reminded me that I need to focus on my breath and try making low “O” sounds which eventually turned into me chanting “ouuuuuuuuut” over and over again.  Sarah reminded me to soften around the baby during each contraction and so I started a new chant repeating “soften around the baby” over and over again.

Although I kept trying to smile and laugh the intensity of each contraction was wearing on me and eventually it felt like I just wasn’t getting a break. Each contraction I would close my eyes tight, grab on just above Neil’s wrist and work through each contraction.  At one point Neil needed to take a pee break and Sarah moved from pressing on my back and took over his position across the bed.  Contractions were coming hard and quick at this point and although I knew Neil was in the washroom I couldn’t help but ask where he was, I just knew I needed him across from me.  He quickly finished and came back to his position and I yelled (okay maybe demanded) for Sarah to get back to my back.

Shortly after this I started to feel the “urge to push”. I put this in quotes because I really felt like I need to have a bowel movement. I went through three more contractions feeling this intense urge before I finally turned to Sarah and told her that “I feel like I need to poop.” She asked if I was feeling the urge to push and I told her yes.  She looked over and told Midwife Ellen that I was feeling the urge to push and Ellen said I should see if I was still feeling that way after a few more contractions.  I told her that I had felt this urge for the last four contractions and then I went through one more.  Midwife Ellen then had me get up in the bed to be checked and she found that I was fully dilated (10 cm) and 100% effaced.  Now was when I could finally start pushing.

To be continued…

So where did we leave off from Edith’s Birth Story Part One..

After finally being taken off the monitor, I met my nurse, Ellen, and saw my midwifes Ellen (there was also another nurse named Lindsay and my middle name is Ellen!) and Tanya as they came on duty. Of all the midwives at Gifford, Ellen was the only midwife we hadn’t met. She had just rejoined back to Gifford after being away for 10 years (she had been at Gifford for 15 years prior to that).  I was surprisingly not concerned with not knowing her and that she would be the one to actually guide my labor and eventually catch my baby.  I instantly felt comfortable with her and confident in her abilities to follow my birth plan as closely as possible.

After having met everyone, we were given the opportunity to order breakfast.  Our nurse (Ellen) gave us a breakfast menu and we ordered toast, fruit, and homefries to get us fueled for the journey ahead. After that my birth team would come and go and checked on me as needed. For the most part, Sarah(our doula), Neil, and I were left alone to work through each contraction. At times one of my midwives would just come and sit in the rocking chair or on the birthing ball and watch as I worked through each contraction, providing guiding words and encouragement as needed.

Our breakfast eventually came and I ate in between contractions as they grew stronger and stronger.  I tried laboring in a few different positions and eventually found the one that worked best for me was standing up with my feet pointed out, lunging side to side while supporting my upper body by leaning over the side of the bed. During each contraction I went back to all of those prenatal yoga classes that I had taken and focused on my breath and breathing into the areas of discomfort.  Whenever I felt myself start to tense up I would flutter my lips (or, as Neil likes to call it, I would make horse lips) to loosen myself up. I just kept going back to what Susan, my prenatal yoga instructor, would say about how this action would loosen the pelvic floor and although I felt silly practicing this fluttering of the lips during yoga it was just what I needed to do during labor.

I labored in this lunging position for around 3 hours with members of my birthing team (Neil, Doula Sarah, Nurse Ellen, Midwife Ellen, and Midwife Tayna) helping me through each contraction. I stuck with the same rocking motion for pretty much the entire time with help of other measures such as Sarah pressing on my lower back or Neil and Sarah wrapping a scarf around my hips and each pulling on one side, which helped to open my hips and relieve some of the pain by placing pressure on my lower back. My nurse and midwives (and of course Neil and Sarah) were there to provide encouraging words and remind me to go back to my breath and that there was always an end in sight even when the contractions didn’t seem like they’d ever stop. Neil was also making jokes and working to make me laugh and smile. If there was one thing that helped me the most during labor, it was not losing my sense of humor.  Laughing helped to distract from the pain of the contractions and made the room feel warm and created a positive space to labor and birth my baby.

Around 9:30am I went to the bathroom and returned to the bed to continue to labor with the rocking lunges and I started to feel a trickle down my leg.  Midwife Ellen, who was sitting in the rocking chair behind me, asked if it could be possible that my bag of waters had broken.  And indeed they had. Midwife Ellen expressed some concern that my waters were somewhat brown. She couldn’t tell if it was a result of old blood or if it was meconium. My midwives suggested that I move into the shower so that I could labor in the warmth and water to help with the pain of the contractions (as an alternative to the birthing tub).  This also made it so that I could wash myself before being checked to help in preventing infection.  Neil changed into his swim trunks and joined me as I leaned over the support bar in the shower and he rubbed my back.  We smiled and laughed and joked some more as I worked through every contraction. Sarah would come in from time to time to help provide encouraging words and support. By this point contractions were coming on top of each other and I started to ask why they (the contractions)  wouldn’t give me a break. But, quickly, I would go back to my breath, my fluttering lips and low moans.

At 10am Midwife Ellen said she would like to check my progress and I was toweled off and made my way to the bed to be checked.

To be continued….