Homebirth of Thomas Lincoln 21/08/08
The beautiful, however quick birth of Thomas Lincoln
Where do I start, funny after three births this is the first time I have written one down.
Quick History:
DD 2004, waters broken in hospital on Sunday at 39weeks as long pre labour and OB going on holiday on Monday (yes yes I now know how silly I was to do this but hay you get older, you learn more, your perspective changes). 6 hour labour, used gas, NVB, stayed in hospital 4days. Breastfeed til 18months.
Miscarriage 2005
DD 2006, waters broke at home spontaneously at 37weeks, hospital classed it as 2hr labour, I was only uncomfortable for about 12 minutes. I lay flat on my back until that last 12mins trying to hold the birth off until DH could make it. Got up to do a wee, started to push at the toilet, pushed once more on way to bed, one more on bed and baby delivered. NVB, no drugs, 2nd degree?sutured. Sadly DH walked in the door 20mins later. Went home after 4 hrs. Breastfeed for 18months and then until 20months with what I called our closet feeds :)
Thomas Lincoln?Planned Homebirth
35weeks?.had a great pregnancy, no troubles, had been told by OB to expect baby from 36weeks?. DH was interstate doing training for work for three months and wasn?t due home for another 6weeks or so. Started to get very stressed DH was going to miss another birth. Such an emotional time for our family. It was decided that he would take 2 weeks off from 37-39weeks?.Ahhh now pressure was on to produce child within that time frame ?but surely that would be ok seeing the girls came in that time frame??. 37+6 Thursday - Contracted all night, felt like this was it??6am-nothing but a very tired, cranky women Saturday DD Eves 2nd birthday, still tired and stressed and now deadline is getting close for DH going back interstate?. Wednesday 38+5 decision is made that DH really doesn?t have a choice and must return to work Friday no matter what, have a big cry and except that DH would miss another birth (feeling like a failure for not going into labour when I thought I would). Period pain remains.
38+6
Thursday 8.30am called my parents to see if they would have the girls for us, I?m just feeling too tired to be a nice mummy today. Also called MW to see if it was ok to have some panadol for period pain as I wanted to go back to sleep.
9.30ish DH is back from dropping kids off at grandparents place, I am dry reaching on and off which is not that out of the norm for me when pregnant and haven?t eaten. I decide to go for a shower. I feel wonderful after the shower, I sit on the side of the bed and say to DH ?don?t go?, he said ?ill just put this in the kitchen? I said ?No I just don?t want you to leave me yet and can you call MW? MW asks what?s happened to make us want to call her ? DH says ?she just wants you?.
I start to push (yes just like that out of the blue). I tell DH to get me a mirror. I push again, this time I can see the head, I push again and my waters explode EVERYWHERE, DH almost falls backwards through the sliding door LOL. I tell him to put the mirror back, he says ?I cant or the baby will fall out?, and he was right with one more small push, head, shoulders and body are delivered 1028am, DH and I both lift him onto my chest both saying ?it?s a boy, it?s a boy!? Baby crying, placenta falls out, DH calls MW (we later checked her mobile; it?s only been 10mins since he called her).
30mins later MW walks in with not much to do as DH has cut the cord and everything I have a shower after our first breastfeed. 2nd degree, left to heal naturally (which it did) While DH and MW are busy dressing baby I strip the bed and put on a load of washing. DH and I lie in bed cuddling our new man, we name our little man as we hadn?t thought of any boy?s names we were so sure it would be another girl. Call everyone with the good news and tell my mum and dad to bring the girls over after their day sleep. At about 2pm DH meets the girls in the driveway and tells them that mummy has had the baby and to go inside and see what it is. I am on the lounge having a cuddle and a cup of tea.
We all have cuddles and life is as it should be again AND DH was there. I think that once we had made the decision that DH was not going to be there it took off all the pressure and my body felt safe to deliver.
When planning my homebirth I later reflected that I had been planning more of a home labour LOL. I thought Id potter quietly around the house knowing my baby was on its way!
Thomas Lincoln
21st August 2008
1028am 3.6kg or 8 pounds
36cm head and 56cm long
Labour <10mins
Now 9 weeks old and such a beautiful boy, life?s perfect with my three wonderful kids and midwife husband :dance:
