Birth Story of Harmony Rose

My original, official due date was July 5th. As I neared the 2-week late mark, I got an ultrasound which is required between weeks 41 & 42, and although they said it's not always accurate that late in the pregnancy, a new due date of August 4th was decided. That just didn't feel right to me, because it would have meant a conception date of November 11th - and my positive pregnancy test was taken on November 7th.

So, armed with that knowledge, I went to my appointment on Monday the 20th of July. I was 15 days overdue according to my original due date. My midwife thought the due date of August 4th was a little extreme too, and was glad I had remembered my pregnancy test date. We talked about all aspects of the pregnancy, how I was feeling now, etc and she took out her little wheel that figured out the due date - and said that JULY 20 was going to be my "new" due date. Which actually made alot of sense to me, because of the way I was feeling (very "ripe") and it would put me at about 40-40.5 weeks. Which is when I always deliver, 2-7 days late.

She asked me if I wanted her to check to see if I was dilated and I said no. With this baby, I'd been completely natural - no ultrasound planned, no checking of my cervix EVER - I just don't like it and what good does it do? I was afraid to hear that I was completely closed up and not dilated or softenend at all. But now I wish she would have because I'm curious how much I actually was dilated at that point.

The previous night, I had experienced "sharper" than normal contractions for about 5 hours, 12-15 minutes apart from 1am-5am. They were painful enough that they woke me up, and a couple of times I even had to physically get out of bed and stand in the middle of the room, doing what looked like the hula dance, wiggling my hips around. Wishing I had a birthing ball to roll around on!

But, then they just kind of...left. Disappointed, I went back to sleep. The next day, my appointment was at 1pm and I was kind of having the same contractions sporadically, like one or two every hour. They were painful enough that I didn't feel like I could move, but I could easily carry on a conversation. I'd felt these type of contractions on & off for the past 2-3 weeks so I thought nothing of it.

The day wore on, I went home and took the babysitter home (I'd given my nanny 2 weeks off since I needed her mostly for after the baby, and at this point had really no idea when the baby would come). I made dinner - homemade bread, marinated chicken breasts, rice, and vegetables. I also cleaned and had the kids help, so that the house was nice when Bret came home.

That night was the weekly cleaning night at our church's retreat center, so I told Bret I thought he should go with the 3 older ones, at 7pm. They'd been looking forward to going because often times they find "treasures" under the dorm beds, etc that renters have left. I wanted them to be able to go and have a good time, plus they always have some sort of yummy treats afterwards for everyone who came. So we ate dinner and they took off, leaving me with the kitchen cleanup (which the kids all usually take care of).

Surprisingly, I actually had alot of energy - but not such a surprise when you look back and see what happened later. The whole nesting thing, apparently. The contractions were pretty regular at dinner, but it's always a really busy time trying to be firm on working with their manners, listening to each one tell about something they did that day, and Bret talking to them about something in God's word. While trying to feed Jack and put out little fires here & there that erupt while Bret is talking (teasing, etc). And since I was able to talk through the contractions just fine, I ignored them just like I had been doing the past few weeks.

After all, this baby was probably never going to come, right? Ha!

My 22 year old sister called and asked if she could come over and hang out. She does that ever so often and we chat and catch up on everything. I think that is what really distracted me, because I seriously do NOT like to show my emotions to people. I will sit there through the worst pain with a smile on my face and not react if I can at all help it, even with Bret and the children. That's just me. So I cleaned up the kitchen and talked to her, put the kids to bed, and at about 8:30 I noticed they were kind of getting harder AND much closer together.

Now I look back and laugh at what I did - the kids were put to bed and we were just sitting on the couch talking and I was folding laundry. Every time one would hit me I would jump up and do something like sweep the floor or do the dishes or something, ANYTHING because sitting there was becoming too painful. I told her what was going on but sort of laughed it off - but also was getting a little nervous because I was timing them and they were seriously 2-3 minutes apart quite often!

Around 9pm I wanted her to leave - I wanted everyone to just leave me alone. So I told her I was going to go pack because I thought tonight was probably going to be it - although I was still a bit hesitant to go in because I didn't want to be sent home. So she left and I called Bret at 9:10, letting him know they were pretty close but I told him to get gas before he came home...I still thought we had the whole night to wait before she was born.

The gas station was closed so he came straight home and by the time he got there, I was having to stand up straight and rigid through the contractions, breathing deeply and try to block out every distraction. But I was still in denial! In between the hard contractions (2-3 min. apart) I would run into the kids' room to pray with them, doing dumb things like that with this whole "I can do it, you don't have to" mentality when others tried to help. Like Rachel (10) heard Jack crying so told me she was going to get him a bottle, but I took it out of her hand and said that I would do it, it's okay - she needed to get ready for bed. LOL!

Our nanny was also at our church (DH had left early) and we called to ask her to get here as quick as she could, so she got a ride with someone, the first available person she could find who could bring her. Bret couldn't believe I hadn't called him earlier. He recognized all the signs and as soon as he saw me like that, breathing so hard through the contractions, he knew. At that point, so did I. I even had this strange sensation of the baby starting to enter the canal, like more pressure, and that kind of got me a little panicky. I started to think that wow, we might have this baby sooner than tomorrow after all!

Our birthing center is exactly 30 minutes down the freeway from our house. I was still trying to pack at 9:45 (I never packed because I ALWAYS have tons of time to pack once I feel like "this is it" and the contractions are regular) but I couldn't really concentrate, even though I had written out a detailed list. I felt like the words were there and I was reading them, but they weren't really computing. I couldn't remember where the stuff was very good, and I couldn't move very fast. My heart was beating fast and I knew that something was happening - actually it felt like my body was in shock, looking back.

I called the midwife and told her I was pretty sure this was it, and that we'd be coming in. She said okay, she'd have everything ready. Then I told her the contracts were pretty close and I was kind of feeling like we'd waited too long, so she said she was ready to drive if we needed to meet her somewhere. That was reassuring, she sounded calm and in control and that helped my panicky feeling to calm down a bit.

We ended up just throwing the essentials in a suitcase and jumping in the truck at 10pm. As soon as I got in, the first really hard contraction HIT me and I started crying out with the pain - up until then I was able to control the volume in my voice at least, but not anymore. I put on my seatbelt and Bret started driving - I grabbed my cell phone and started texting my friends that we were going in. There were alot that had asked me to do that so they could pray for me so I was trying to take care of it in between contractions.

The contractions rapidly got harder to the point where I remember saying, "Not again...oh please, not again!!" because they were coming fast and furious at about 10 minutes into the drive. I finally just threw my phone down because I couldn't text anymore, so only half of my friends got the news we were on our way. I started yelling at Bret to go FASTER because we weren't going to make it. I could feel the baby entering the canal for real, and knew it was getting close.

I was like, CALL THE MIDWIFE and he said okay.......um.....where's her number? In between contractions I tried to help him, but I remember looking down at my feet where the phone was (thus her number) and thinking there is no way I can reach that phone. It looked like it was a mile away. I managed to get it somehow and the number wasn't easy to find - I half shouted at him to look in the sent file and maybe it would be there since I'd just called her, lol. Finally he got ahold of her and she could hear me yelling in the background - she told him to tell me NOT TO PUSH! To put my legs together. I was thinking YEAH RIGHT, there is now way I'm going to do that - I CAN DO THIS! Ha ha

At this point I was still sitting up in the front seat of the truck, with my seatbelt on. So I basically tore off my seatbelt, pulled my pants down to my knees, and got through the next few contractions in a semi-reclining position just by putting my head to the side and leaning off of the seat. I still had my heeled sandals on too, lol! Bet not many can say they've given birth while wearing heels! Hee hee. I was so sweaty and felt almost like I do when I haven't eaten in a while and am having a low blood sugar reaction. I splashed water on my face from my water bottle periodically.

Bret in the meantime, was on the phone with the midwife and driving as FAST as he could - his GPS clocked him at 102mph which he showed me the next day, lol. I kept yelling at him to go faster, and at one point he said in frustration, "I Can't!! We're going to get pulled over!" and I replied NOT to pull over if a cop comes. Just to keep going. In my mind, if we could just get to the birthing center then I could get into the tub and give birth in the water and it would be all good. LOL! Like I could even walk in my present condition to get to the tub!

So he did the best he could, trying to lean and rub my lower back with one hand (which is always what he does during my deliveries and helps a ton) while drivine 102 while on the phone with the midwife! He agreed to meet the midwife just off of the freeway about 8 minutes from the birthing center, since it was obvious that we weren't going to make it - I told him I felt my water break just now. My water usually breaks right before the baby is about to come out, so that was another sign it was very close!

As we got off the freeway, the baby's head crowned and I was like, "I can feel it's head!!" and he was like what?!! Are you serious??!! He went even faster around the corners trying to get to the Payless ShoeSource parking lot where the midwife was going to meet us. That was the most awesome moment, feeling the baby's head, so soft and downy - and knowing that it was coming! I remember changing my tune to "sloooooooow dowwwwwwwn!!!!" - kind of difficult to push a baby out while you're going around corners in a pickup truck, lol! The view out the window seemed all blurred almost in slow motion, yet I knew we were going fast and it felt really bumpy and jolty. With two more quick pushes she was out, and I easily and instinctively maneuvered her up and onto my lap at 10:20.

I was quite in shock at this point, having gone through this huge ordeal so quickly -but here's where it got a bit scary. See, I can totally do the birthing thing - I had full confidence in my body and wasn't afraid to give birth in the car. I had that thought more than once throughout this pregnancy that I would not be afraid if that were to happen. Well, okay, but what about afterwards? No, I hadn't even thought about that.

Seconds after she was born, we were there and Bret parked the truck and ran over to my side. He was still on the phone with the midwife, and Harmony was just kind of laying there in my lap, still and it looked like she wasn't breathing at all. Actually, she wasn't. She opened her eyes kind of bleerily, then shut them again and didn't cry at all. The midwife told Bret to massage her back and her feet, try to get her to wake up. So that was a bit scary, not really knowing what to do. She did perk up a bit after that, and wailed a little squeaky cry, and breathed okay. Later the midwife said she was going to tell us to suction out her mouth with OUR mouth - a desperate attempt to get the fluid out of her mouth.

She was a little bitty thing, just 7lbs we would find out later. Probably a good thing, since she came so fast! She was covered in tiny goosebumps, and the midwife told Bret to get a towel and cover her. Poor Bret was looking everywhere for a blanket or something to cover her with, and getting frustrated because I had packed stuff, but I was kind of off in another world at that point and not very responsive to his questions as to where a blanket was. Finally the midwife yelled, "Just take off your shirt!!" so he did that, and she was wrapped in Daddy's warm tshirt.

The midwife arrived and checked her out, things seemed normal and I was okay too. She started laughing and was like, "Do you guys mind if I take a picture?!" so we got some great pictures from her.

At this point, she hopped in the car and we rode the rest of the way to the birthing center. The placenta was still inside me which was fine, that's how I wanted it anyway, I don't like the cord to be cut until a good 15 minutes have gone by for the blood to go back into the baby. I felt SO awesome, though!! Kind of shaky and in shock still, but upon arriving to the birthing center, I was able to pull up my pants and walk with the baby in my arms to the elevator, up, and into the birthing room they'd prepared for me WHILE the placenta was still inside. Kind of crazy! Bret supported me in case I were to collapse. =)

It felt very weird and surreal to walk into that room with the baby in my arms. There was the warm tub, fully filled with candles lit around it awaiting my arrival, lol. I sat on the birthing stool and with a few more contractions (I always hate this part...nooooooooo, not more pushing!!!) pushed the placenta out.

Everyone commented that I looked like I hadn't even given birth, and also the midwife said my placenta was so healthy looking. Whew, what a ride! Oh yes, people asked about giving birth in the car - it wasn't messy at all! My pants pretty much soaked up the water when it broke, but it was just a squirt really. Apparently I don't birth very messy (they told me this with Jack too when I was in the water, that the water was so clean afterwards compared to most water births!). There was very little blood or anything gross afterwards in the truck itself.

I enjoyed a wonderful 2 days in the birthing center hanging out with Bret and relishing in the pampering they give there. I was given an hour long postpartum massage the next day as well as a lavendar oil bath. We were handed a huge list of menus from the local restaurants and were given a "max" of $50 per meal to order between the two of us - yes, even Bret! We had a steady stream of visitors this time, Harmony's birth story was making it's rounds on facebook and even going as far as England, Italy, Norway!

What a phenomenal birth it was for me, the best I have ever had. I've always thought it would be so awesome to have the baby with just Bret & I, not worrying about anything or anyone else. I got my dream birth - well, not my DREAM dream birth, but it was pretty darn close! God had his hands over the whole thing for sure, as there are plenty of things that could have gone wrong. But they didn't, and she is a healthy little sweetie.