la·bor (lbr) n. 1. a. Physical or mental exertion, especially when difficult or exhausting; work

Before I go any further with my blog I should post Laura's birth story so when I start to get into my discussions or rants about natural (or lack of) childbirth this will be here for reference.

Laura Olivia
Dec. 26th, 09
8:19 am
7 lbs 11 oz

After weeks of irregular contractions I was pretty hesitant to believe that they were real. After a very busy Christmas day, we arrived home from a family dinner at 11:00 pm. At 11:40, contractions began.

Jake and I began timing on contraction master. They quickly became 4 minutes apart so I decided to take a bath in case it was false labour again and that might calm them down. As contractions quickly doubled to 2 minutes, we decided that this was it and we should get going.

By 1:00 am we had everything and everyone and at 1 minute between contractions were on our way to the hospital to meet our doula (Maria) and midwife (who was already at the hospital at another labour). I was examined at 1:30 and was thinned and 4 cm dilated.

We were admitted quickly and we set our room up. Dimmed lights, LCD candles, sheets on the floor. I went back and forth between the bath and the birthing ball with Jake, Maria and my mom there to support me, keep me hydrated, massage me, etc. As time went on I got louder and louder as my contractions became more intense. I never thought I would be one to moan and grunt as a coping method, but it worked. My contractions were pretty much on top of each other. I would get about 3 that overlapped, and then I would get a minute between them. It was very, very intense.
At 5:30 am I was begging to be checked again. I was 8 cm dilated and that made me pretty relieved but within an hour I felt the urge to push and was once again begging to be checked. I hadn't progressed! Turns out my baby was still turned a little causing some back labour. My midwife actually performed a sterile water injection into my back and despite how painful it was to receive, I was amazed at the relief it gave me!

I was up on the bed from being checked and for some reason decided I couldn't get off. Maria had a method (rebozo) of turning the baby which she could only do between contractions so it was very hard as there wasn't much time. It involved her getting above me while I was kneeling on the birthing ball (still on the bed, what a sight!!) with a scarf that she covered my belly with and had an end in each hand. She would then wiggle it and end with a tug in the same direction the were trying to turn the baby. This was the worst part of my entire labour. Not only was I trying not to push, but then Maria was doing her work between contractions and it wasn't a nice feeling.

At about 7:40 I was checked again and I was 9cm. I was crying I was so disappointed. I had been trying sooo hard not to push for nearly 2 hours I didn't know if I could do it anymore! Then my midwife said I could push if I felt I needed to and it might help dilate that extra cm. I just kept saying "OMG I can push" and this time crying out of joy!
I spent about 35 minutes pushing on the bed, where at some point my water broke. I was on my hands and knees and then everyone suggested I head to the floor to squat as gravity would work with me. I wasn't capable of making any choices myself so I just went where they told me to. Jake sat in a chair and I squatted between his legs to support me. Everything happened so quickly at this point. She crowned right away and as soon as her head popped out, she slid right out after. The euphoria you experience that moment your baby comes into the world is indescribable
She was immediately put to my chest in my arms and it was the best feeling in the world! Jake and I could both hold her together. We didn't even think to check her gender until a few minutes and I was shocked to see a little girl!

I got in bed and put her to my chest so she could root around and find my breast. She was soo alert as everything was so natural. She took to feeding right away.

I just laid there with Jake admiring our perfect little girl as the OB was in to stitch me up as I had a complicated tear that the midwife didn't want to mess up. I actually tore forward up to my urethra so they had to put in a catheter so that it wouldn't close over the urethra.

We had lots of visitors right away as an excited Grandpa, 3 aunties, and 3 uncles waited patiently in the waiting room all night long getting various updates and making copious amounts of midnight phone calls.
We were home by 9 pm and finally got to cuddle together with the 3 of us in bed absolutely exhausted.

I feel soo amazing and powerful for being able to do what I did with no drugs or medical interventions. Our midwife also mentioned at a at home check-up that during the delivery the nurses were a little freaked out that I was delivering while squatting. That amazed me!! It was so perfect and natural!