Wow, where to begin... I guess I can start with saying my labor with Jane and my labor with Atlas are about as different as two labors could be because one was long and stressful and other was short and smooth.
I had been feeling Braxton Hicks contractions starting around 34 weeks. With every passing week they got stronger and more frequent. I didn't feel them almost at all when I was pregnant with Jane. I guess my body knew what to do to prepare itself for birth the second time around. Real quick I would like to note that Atlas's due date would have been February 29th based on my original calculation when I found out I was pregnant, instead of March 9th(the due date the doctor gave me at my first ultrasound) and he measured a week ahead at his 19 week ultrasound. So I was definitely expecting him early.
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| Last bump picture, 38 weeks. |
On February 24th I noticed that my practice contractions were starting to be very distinct and stronger. I thought to myself, "I bet this kid will be here within the week." The next day was Thursday and Jane and I went for our regular morning walk. During our walk I felt some pretty strong contractions and they kept coming throughout the walk, but they were very inconsistent. Once we got back and I sat down to work they went away.
I had an check up with my midwife, Sallie, that same afternoon. She had mentioned that she had another client due three days after me. I asked her what would happen if we both went into labor at the same time. We agreed that it was very unlikely for that to happen, but if it did she would find a way to get to me. It was a regular check up, everything was normal and still going well. She asked me if I wanted her to check me for dilation and I said, "Nah, I'm not worried about it and it's not very accurate at predicting the start of labor anyway." She agreed it wasn't necessary. We had scheduled for her to give me a massage that day to see if it would get labor started, but it wasn't working out for anyone to babysit Jane that day. I told Sallie I wasn't in a hurry to have Atlas right then. I could wait another week or two and still soak up my one on one time with Jane. We scheduled my next check up with a massage for Friday, March 4th.
That night Jane and I went to my parents' house for dinner like we do every week. I had a few stronger contractions while I was there. I wasn't timing them, but I could tell there was still nothing consistent about them. You could feel from the outside my whole belly get tight and then loosen again after a minute or two. I had my mom feel and she looked at me with a look that said, "You are going to have this baby soon!" My dad pointed to my belly and said, "Ready! That baby is ready!" I was like I guess he could come tomorrow, probably not, but we'll just have to wait and see! Once I got home, I didn't feel any more contractions for the whole night.
I got a call from Sallie that night at 10:30pm telling me her other client's water broke. She also told me this was her client's second baby and didn't expect it to take long. I was like "Ok, great! I'm not feeling anything right now, so we should be good." I told Sam I would skip my walk the next morning just to be safe and do my best to not go into labor. Around 6:30 or 7am on Friday the 26th I noticed Sam getting ready for work like normal, I also noticed that I was having a contraction. I thought, "Nothing out of the ordinary at this point." And I went back to sleep. Jane woke up about 10 minutes later. I brought her to bed with me to relax for about half an hour more before getting up. I had a couple more contractions just lying there. I thought, "This isn't happening... Sallie is probably still with her other client." I was in denial. I got up and another strong contraction came on. Still in denial, we went on about our morning like normal. I changed Jane's diaper, got her dressed, read her a couple books and had another couple contractions in the middle of it.
At that point, I was debating getting dressed myself, because it was about 8:30am and I had been having consistent, strong contractions about every 10 minutes for the last hour. I told myself, I can always get back into comfortable clothes, I could still not be in labor.... Right? I texted Sallie and asked how things were going while fed Jane breakfast and I fixed myself a bowl of oatmeal and fruit because even if I was in labor I was going to need my energy!
Around this time I had downloaded an app on my iPod and started truly timing my contractions. Sallie texted me back and said nothing was happening over there and asked if I was ok. I told her I was having contractions about 10 minutes apart. She called me and said, "Tell me this isn't happening!" I said "I know! I've been moving around all morning, maybe if I stay sitting they'll go away." I also explained how strong they were and how long they had been going on. She was sure I was in labor. She told me there wasn't any progress being made there and she could probably make it to me in time, but she would call me back in a few minutes.
I went to my computer and called my mom on Skype like I do every morning with Jane before I start work for the day. It was between 9 and 9:30. She answered and I said "Hi! So... I'm pretty sure I'm in labor." She said, "Oh! Ok!" And then I explained where Sallie was. She was like, "Oh crap!!" I started crying because I was pregnant and emotional and in labor. I was a little nervous about not having my midwife that I was so comfortable and confident in there for my labor. My mom said, "Ok I'm leaving work now and I'm going to send Dad to you so you're not alone." I called Sallie because it had been more than a few minutes since I had talked to her last. She answered and told me she was telling her client what she needed to know and she was heading to me. I was so relieved! She was still an hour and a half from me, but I was sure she would make it to me in time. I decided I would sit on the couch and not move until Sallie got there, so I wouldn't make labor progress any faster. By this time my contractions were about 8 minutes apart and lasting for a minute to a minute and a half.
I called my mom back and let her know not to worry and Sallie was on her way. I called my mother-in-law to tell her I was in labor and she said I called at just the right time because she was about to head out the door to go to Galveston for the day with some friends. After I got off with Sandra, my dad arrived. He said he would get the birth pool all set up for me.
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| Yay! Kokoo is here! |
So Jane and I sat on the couch watching one of her favorite shows, Daniel Tiger, while my dad got the pool set up in the garage and we waited on the rest of my labor support to arrive. Around 10:15am Sandra and my father-in-law, Charlie arrived. I'm not sure how I hadn't called Sam by this time, but I thought I still had a good amount of time before Atlas was born and I wanted to make sure it was really happening before I asked him to leave work. He answered and I said "Well, I'm in labor." He responded with "I knew it! I knew you wouldn't be calling me for any other reason." I said "Give me a minute while I have a contraction." After the contraction ended, I said, "Yeah, you should come, but don't rush, we've still got time."
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| Last snuggle before Atlas was born. |
After I got off the phone with Sam, my mom arrived. I instantly felt more at ease. My mom-doula is here, I can do this! Right after she got there, Charlie took Jane back to his house. I got one last snuggle with Jane before they left. My mom asked if we should get some Jane Austen going. I said "Yes!" We put on Pride and Prejudice and I kept on breathing through my contractions while sitting on the couch and enjoying the movie when I had my breaks in between. :) (I felt breaks of complete relief in between contractions this time around, unlike last time, YAY!)
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| I'm not moving from this spot until Sallie gets here! |
Around 11am, My dad came and asked if I could come look at the pool and see if it was blown up enough and in the spot I wanted. When I got up to go look I had two contractions right on top of each other. I told him it looked great and I had to go sit back down. Only once I sat down did that contraction stop. My resolve to not move until Sallie got there was strengthened! I also told my dad if there was a way Sandra could take over filling the pool that he should probably get going soon because I was feeling like Atlas could come very soon. I thanked him and he headed home.
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| Breathing deeply |
The next half hour I stayed on the couch and kept my whole body relaxed and breathed slowly and deeply. My contractions were steadily getting stronger and closer together. They were painful of course, but nothing like I had experienced with Jane. They were much easier to bear! At 11:30am Sallie arrived!! Praise God! Sallie had called a midwife in training to come assist her because, her daughter, who normally assists her, stayed with her other client. She arrived at the same time as Sallie. When she walked in the door I immediately recognized her! She said "I don't know if you remember me but my name is Katie, we knew each other in like 6th grade. I hope you don't mind that I'm assisting your birth" I was like "Oh my goodness! Yes! I remember you! And of course I don't mind!" We had been apart of the same Awana group in middle school. How crazy is that? God does such fun things sometimes.
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| Timing my contractions |
Sallie came over to me and asked how I was and how close the contractions were. They were about a minute and a half to two minutes long and about 5 minutes apart. She said "Ok good, well I should probably check you." I said "Alright, but let me pee first, I was waiting for you to get here to move because I didn't want contractions to get too strong and I didn't want my water to break when I got up. Oh and I would like to change clothes too." Katie said "You mean you weren't planning on giving birth in jeans?" We all laughed. :) As soon as I got up from the couch I had a contraction and leaned on my mom for support. I was so glad I was able to pee this time around! (When I was in labor with Jane I couldn't for some reason) As soon as I got up from the toilet I had another contraction. Sallie came to check on me. I said I was alright just trying to get through another contraction.
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| I stopped timing them at 11:30am |
I finally made it over to my bed and Sallie checked to see how far along I was. She said "Wow, you're already at a 9! That's awesome!" I could barely believe it. I was already 9 cm dilated just 4 and a half hours after feeling the first consistent contraction. I thought, "Wait, you mean I'm almost ready to start pushing?! Already?" I think Sallie not being able to get there until she did was a blessing in disguise because it let my body work on opening up while I was resting and not exhausting myself by trying to move labor along quickly. Right after Sallie checked me, Sam got home. We had planned on him taking care of Jane during my labor, but Sallie said it really wasn't worth him leaving because the baby was about to be born. We had both heard that before. Last time, they said it would be soon and Jane didn't come for 9 more hours. But I trusted Sallie's intuition. I said if he would like to stay, I would be fine with that. So he sat on the couch and waited for word that Atlas had been born.
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| Holding my mom's hands through a contraction |
Once I got on the bed my contractions kicked into high gear! They were only 2 minutes apart and some of them were coming right on top of each other. I wanted to get to the pool, but the water wasn't quiet warm enough yet. So I stayed on the bed about 30 minutes. At this point, I was finally feeling the pain level that I felt the whole time I was in labor with Jane. They told me the water was warm enough to get in. I barely had any break in between contractions, so it was really hard for me to imagine walking to the pool and getting in. It seemed a million miles away. Sallie said something about it being very hard to make decisions at this point and they would need to encourage me to get to the pool. Finally, I got enough of a break to really consider it and said I would like to try to make it to the pool. Sallie said I was either going to have this baby as soon as I got in the pool or on the way to it. I knew I was going to have a strong contraction as soon as I got off the bed and I was right. I had two or three right on top of each other. Katie and my mom supported me while I labored at the side of the bed. They asked me if I felt comfortable there or wanted to keep going to the pool. I decided to go to the pool.
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| My midwife Sallie and Katie who came to assist. |
I barely made it to the garage and got in the pool before a couple more contractions hit me hard. I leaned over the side of the pool and let my entire body relax through the contractions. The water felt great and helped me relax. After that I felt the urge to push. I put my knees under me and pushed a little on my next contraction and my water broke. I felt it pop. Then Sallie said on my next contraction to take three deep breaths pull my chin in and bear down and push. I did just that. Then she said, "Great, now do it again on the next one and you can probably get his head out." I did and then felt his head start coming out and I let out quite a yell because, well, it really hurt. I didn't even realize it until they told me, but his head was all the way out and my contractions just seemed to stop. Sallie said I needed to try to push him all the way out with my next contraction. The problem was I wasn't feeling any. So I tensed myself up to make one come on and pushed as hard as I could and it was the most wonderful feeling ever to feel the rest of him slip out! Sallie caught him and I turned over and he let out one little cry and she put him on my chest and I immediately started sobbing with joy! I did it! He was able to be born at home! Hallelujah! My mom was also crying with joy.
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| I DID IT! HE'S HERE! |
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| SO HAPPY! |
After about 5 and a half hours of labor, only about an hour and half of it being active labor, and just about 15 minutes of pushing, Atlas Gabriel Daniels was born 12 days before his due date at 12:42pm on February 26th, 2016, weighing 8lbs 7oz and measuring 21 1/2 inches long. Thank you to everyone who helped make labor and delivery such a success. To Sallie, for being such a calm, wise, encouraging and caring midwife through my entire pregnancy and for coming clear across the city from another birth to be here for me. To Katie, for coming to assist with only a moments notice. To my mom, for comforting me, always being the perfect labor support for me and spending a couple nights afterwards with us to help. To Sandra, for being the extra pair of hands that were needed, taking these great pictures and for putting my hair up for me during labor so well that I didn't even notice. ;) To my dad, for rushing over and setting up the birth pool for me, especially since it ended up being harder than we expected. To Charlie, for taking care of Jane while I labored. To Sam, for being there and taking such good care of me while I recovered. Thank you for everyone who prayed for us before, during and after birth! Please join us in giving thanks to God for such a wonderful, calm, healthy and I would even go as far to say enjoyable, home birth.
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| Atlas Gabriel Daniels |
1 John 5:14-15
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of him.
2 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
