:: MyStory, HerStory ::

Well, three whole weeks of tears, diapers, sleepless nights and joy have passed already so I thought it was maybe time to share the wonderful story of Bambino Denay's grand entrance into the world!
I had my regular scheduled midwife appointment on the 9th of July where Kate measured me to find out I had lost a centimeter since the week before. Crap. I also shared with her I had been noticing less movement over the past 6 days. So just to be safe, she sent me to the hospital for a non-stress test (which was perfectly normal), some bloodwork (that was mostly normal) and an ultrasound (that again, was great). So after three and a half hours I was sent home feeling pretty good and reassured.
The next morning, I got up as usual with Trevor at 8:00 and used the washroom so find some, um, not normal stuff on the paper. I came downstairs and felt like I needed to use the washroom again to find the same thing. So I called my mom and she confirmed what I thought, that I probably just passed my plug. I wanted to be excited but my midwife had assured me that it doesn't mean labour is imminent. So I kissed my hubby off to work and just as he was walking out of the carport I felt like I may have lost a little bladder control.....eww, yuck. I used the washroom again and put on a pad thinking it was my plug. Then as the morning went on I was noticing more and more liquid and was changing the pad every half hour. So I called my mom again and she suggested I call the midwife because it sounded like I was having a high leak water membrane rupture. So I did that and she wanted to phone me in a couple hours after getting some sleep (she had just come home from a birth at 9:30 in the morning). So I doddled around the house, called Trev and before I knew it Selena was on the phone. I had still been "leaking" and she agreed it sounded like my water. So we made arrangements to meet at the hospital to get my first round of antibiotics (as I tested positive for group B strep) and to have a chat about our plan. As soon and Trev and my mom were here we made our way to the hospital and was hooked up to the monitor to check the baby. She looked just awesome.......then I had some decisions to make. To stick to our home birth plan or not, to be induced or not, and to start the antibiotics right away or not. Needless to say I had a breakdown and confessed how scared I was and wished someone else would decide for me. In the end we chose to have the first round of antibiotics, and then head home and see how things go. We left the hospital around 2:30 and I was 2 centimetres dilated. We ran to Subway for lunch then met my mom back at our place when labour soon started to become more intense. By around 4:15 or so the contractions started to become regular at about every 4-5 minutes lasting around 45 seconds. By just before 6:00, when I was supposed to head back to the hospital for the second round of antibiotics the contractions were every three minutes lasting about one minute. So Selena came to the house with the medication knowing that she wasn't going to be leaving again. From there we moved from downstairs on the ball, to upstairs standing up and resting my arms on the bed to the tub then back to the bed. At just after 6:00 Selena checked me and I was 6 centimetres.....I remember everyone else being excited, I just wanted the contractions to stop! Things continued to get more and more intense and I had times that I honestly thought I couldn't go on. At just before 9:00 Selena checked me again and I was 9 centimetres. So through three very awful contractions, she "helped" me dilate fully to 10 centimetres. Once I was told I could really push (I had been sort of pushing for about 15-20 minutes) Denay came fast. With every push she came lower and lower and Selena was worried the second attending midwife wouldn't make it in time. By the time Kate got there she had just enough time to put on her gloves and ready the oxytocin shot before the head was out. I remember very distinctly the look on Trevor's face when he told me he could see the head........I remember being asked if I wanted to see the suddenly feeling desperately scared that this was actually happening. I remember hearing Kate beside me, with tears in her eyes, say "It's so beautiful".........I remember Selena asking Trevor if he wanted to catch the baby and him pulling her out and up onto my chest. And I remember his face when he looked at her for the first time, then at me. She was very quiet when she came out.......only crying a little while after. I remember hearing my mom scream with Trevor's mom right outside the door when she told her we'd had a girl. Then I remember realizing I'd never even asked what it was..........the rest was a blur of friends and family in and out and crying and laughing and hugging and pictures. I would have gotten away tear free had Denay not brought her arm across her face just as she came out but just a few stitches on the inside. I didn't sleep much that night........or any night in the last three weeks for that matter.
I feel so grateful for the people that were around me and for the wonderful experience bringing our daughter into the world was. I feel so blessed that my labour went well enough for me to have Denay at home like I truly wanted.......I still have a hard time believing she is ours sometimes. She is such a beautiful treasure and was well worth the pain labour.
Hope I did induce any nightmares with my story......and hope you enjoyed. XOXO