SM - Birth Stories

A Waterbirth at home with a Midwife.
By: Dad

      I left work early today, my wife Brynn was exhausted, my 2¼ year old son Asher was cranky, and everyone needed to sleep. Fortunately, I was able to get everyone to rest for several hours. When Brynn got up, she was having regular contractions, 10 to 15 minutes apart after dinner. She wanted me to fill the tub and put finishing touches on the dining room and the kitchen. She went for a walk with Bastian, the bigger and more people-friendly dog. Asher was playing with his Aunt Elizabeth, while I was having a tough time getting the darned hose to stay attached to the bathroom sink. It kept popping off when I turned the water on!

      I called Tracey, the midwife, first to let her know what was happening, and tried to call friend Kelli, who had offered to come help with the birth - but she wasn't home. After a while mucking around with the hose I called Tracey again because I just couldn't get it to work. After a bit more messing around, I found there were two main problems. First, the water filling the hose increased the weight of the hose and built up pressure to push the air out. This increased the hose's jumping around. Once it filled with water and I taped the hose down to the sink, it worked perfectly. (I called Tracey back to let her know I got it under control.)

      Then I cleaned the kitchen and dining room, doing dishes, checking the camera, covering stuff with sheets. Brynn came home from her walk. It was cold, the dog was hyper, Brynn's glasses had fogged up, she smelled good. There was a strong sense of urgency to get ready. Brynn had a need to make blueberry muffins - which she did with Asher while I finished getting stuff ready. Brynn was still having regular contractions, the camera comes out, and it's picture time. Pictures of Brynn, Ash and Liz. Then it was bedtime, I took Asher up to bed, he fell asleep very late.

      Brynn came to bed around 1am, she climbed in to bed and told me how frustrated she was that her labor seemed to have fizzled out again, not long after Asher and I went to bed. Around 2am, contractions started up again at 10 to 15 minutes apart. Brynn went to the bathroom around 2:45, and when she came back they were timing at 5 to 7 minutes apart!

      It was at this point we decided that things were getting serious. Brynn woke up Elizabeth so she could come be with Asher. Liz climbed in on the window-side of the bed, and Brynn and I headed downstairs. Brynn chose to labor in the bathroom for a while, thinking back to Asher's birth, Brynn wanted to get through any vomiting spells before getting in the tub. But, I felt that things were moving pretty fast, and so I suggested that Brynn get into the tub even though she still felt very nauseous. After a little argument I finally convinced Brynn to get into the tub.

      I took the top off the pool, Brynn got undressed and climbed in. I turned the dining room light on "Dim", and finished getting the room ready. I called Tracey to let her know Brynn was in the pool. I took a couple of pictures, and puttered a little, unwrapping the sump pump and so on. Then, Brynn started to get really shaky and cold. The water felt warm to me. Finally I called Tracey because I was afraid something weird was going on. Tracey told me that it was probably normal and to call her back in 10 or 15 minutes. Well, after I hung up, Brynn decided to go to the bathroom one more time. Then, once she was back in the tub, Brynn's shaking got even worse. I called Tracey again, and she said she was on her way over.

      I continued hanging out by the pool, holding Brynn's hand and comforting her. I was a little scared because this felt so different from Asher's birth, but I knew it would be alright. At that point I heard the front door open. Jane and Lauren had arrived. It was then that I realized I was wearing only boxers. Oh well. I went and asked Brynn if she wanted them to come in, she answered with an emphatic "NO!" So I went back and told Jane and Lauren to make themselves comfortable. I went back into the dining room to hang out with Brynn. She was still shaky and cold. Finally, Tracey arrived and I was relieved. She came in to the dining room, took stock of what was happening, and quickly told Brynn she could warm up the water in about 10 minutes, Brynn could get out or stay in while they bailed.

      Brynn decided grudgingly to get out. We walked up stairs. Suddenly the shower seemed like a great idea, so in she got. She kept adjusting it - too hot, too cold, back again. Tracey called up with a 5-minute warning. Then the water in the shower got cold and stayed cold, as they were refilling the tub downstairs. I got Brynn out of the shower, dried off, and Tracey told us to come back down. Brynn fairly raced down the stairs, threw off the towl, and dove into the pool. The water was only 5 degrees warmer - but it made all the difference in the world.

      As Brynn calmed and got into her groove again, I looked around the dining room and kitchen. I'd noticed a transformation worthy of Joel Lord (a good friend in community theater). Pots full of water were heating on the stove, all the chucks pads and other prep stuff was laid out on the dining room table and the sideboard. All that prep, plus draining and refilling the pool happened in under 10 minutes. It was truly amazing.

      Tracey and company had retired to the living room. It was at this point I suddenly noticed the onions on the sideboard and I had a strong need to give them to Tracey before I forgot. I brought them in to the living room, but I couldn't find Tracey! She was asleep on the couch, all bundled up and well-hidden. I gave her the onions, she looked at me like I was being crazy but I didn't care.

      I went back into the dining room. Brynn became more active in the tub, changing position with each contraction. Then, she started making noise with a couple contractions, which was really weird, since Brynn never really made noise before, with this or with Asher's birth. After the second one, Brynn asked if she could push now. I remember calling in to Tracey, saying "We'd like to push now.", and Tracey basically said go ahead, since she's already pushed on the last two contractions anyway!

      At that point, Tracey came back into the dining room, and Brynn went into a crouch facing the living-room side of the pool. I asked if I should get into the pool now, and Brynn agreed. I was excited. I got up, stepped up on the stool, and gingerly stepped into the pool. It was amazing. It was like stepping through the looking glass. I was still in the dining room, but I was somewhere else too, somewhere amazing, energizing, welcoming, wonderful. I wanted to submerge completely. I wish now perhaps I had, but I also wanted to stay in the moment.

      I sat behind Brynn, touching and stroking her back, her hips, everywhere. I was in the right place at the right time, and it never felt more perfect. Suddenly, I felt a rush of warmth come out of Brynn, and I knew her water had broken. Brynn had another contraction. Suddenly she shouted, "She's there!" I reached down near her bottom, but I couldn't feel anything yet. Tracey sat quietly in the chair next to the island, her eyes closed but very conscious of what was happening. Another contraction, I reached down, and I felt her head, mostly out not. "She's got hair!" I shouted in triumph. I'd had a dream that she would have dark hair and sure enough she did.

      I suggested to Brynn we sit facing each other - the way that she had wanted. She moved to sit with her back to Tracey and I sat facing her. We held hands. Another contraction and out she came. Brynn scooper her up and held her close to her chest. She squawked as she came out of the water. She had a fringe of dark hair, vernix on her back, and she was perfect. She was hanging out, looking around, taking in the scenery. It soon became clear she wanted to nurse, so Lauren and Jane came in and helped to bail the water. It was too high at that point to nurse above the water line. It was then, while water was bailing out, that I noticed the true not in the umbilical cord!!

      Finally it was time for the placenta to come out. Tracey told me what to do, and basically with some tugging on the umbilical, a magic twist, and out came the squishy ball. Tracey picked it up out of the water and put it into a bowl, as we disentangled the cord from Annelie's legs. Then I came around behind Brynn as we sat together in the tub, admiring our daughter. She was amazingly awake and alert, looking around, listening. Tracey brought up the lights, and brought over water and orange juice for Brynn to drink. Then Tracey found the camera and took a few pictures - thank goodness she did!

      In the mean time, Tracey and Lauren were preparing the herb bath upstairs for Brynn and Annelie. After about two hours in the tub post-partum, it was time for everyone to get out of the tub. I held annelie for a little bit, while Brynn got out and dried off enough to go upstairs. Then I clambered out, holding my daughter close. I wasn't sad to get out of the tub, but glad to be holding my little girl. Jane preceeded us up the stairs, carrying the placenta bowl, like a suitcase handcuffed to us.

      Brynn go into the murky brown water in the bath tub, her hips already noticeably shrinking to smaller than the width of the tub by one or two inches. I handed Brynn the baby. She held her in the water and Annelie floated as though she were in-utero again. Then I peeked into the bedroom. Liz was awake and wanted to see the baby. I had to go downstairs first to help take care of some cleanup stuff - like disconnecting the hose from the sink and so on. It was then I noticed bags and such in the living room I hadn't seen before. All the extra emergency stuff Tracey carries that we didn't need, fortunately. I was at once glad to see it and glad to know I didn't need to see it.

      I went back upstairs to the bedroom, at which point Asher woke. He had mercifully slept through the entire morning's proceedings. So, we all got up, went to the bathroom to see Annelie and Mama. Asher was sleepy and still not awake, and so he was more interested in other things, but Liz was simply enchanted.

      While there is always more to her story, thus ends the story of Annelie's birth. Annelie is now 4 months old, and rolling over. She'll be crawling soon. Asher is 2½ and is a wonderful older brother, sharing toys, and very loving and gentle with his little sister. Mama, Daddy, and Aunt Lizzie are all doing well - and life goes on.