So, we were hoping that contractions would kick in around 3 am, so I wouldn't have to take any castor oil and go through extreme diarrhea - but we did. My alarm went off at 6 am and I grudgingly paraded to the kitchen to prepare my oh so delicious breakfast. I think the midwife had told me to take 4 oz of castor oil, but the directions said 1-4 tablespoons, so I kind of compromised and ended up drinking 3 tablespoons of it in a cookies and cream with banana and pb2 milkshake. (Which tasted ok) and then I used another 3 T to scramble 2 eggs. I probably ended up eating 2 of the 3 tablespoons because there was still a lot of oil in the pan after I scrambled the eggs. Castor oil doesn't really taste that bad. It tastes just like vegetable oil, but when you have to consume a lot of it in a short period of time, it's not so palatable.I tried to make the eggs taste better by topping them with some cheese, but as I downed the last couple of bites, my gagging reflex kicked in. Fortunately, I was able to keep them down...for now.
When the midwife first told us to go pick up some castor oil, I'm glad I asked her so, we just go to the automotive isle of the store and and pick up some castor oil? She laughed and explained that castor oil is a laxative that you get at any drug store. I guess if I didn't clarify, I would've probably ended up in the ER that morning.
I then tried to go back to bed. About 30-45 minutes later, let's just say that everything was cleaned out of my system. I even saw the remains of dinner from the night before in the toilet when I was finished. Most people say that it takes about 2 hours for the castor oil to kick in, but it worked really quickly for me. Then, around 7:30, I vomited my breakfast and called the midwife to see if I needed to take anymore of that horrid stuff. Luckily, she said that I didn't need to take any more and contractions would come soon. She advised me eat something light, take a walk and a warm shower.
Around 8:30, a different midwife, Vicki, called me and talked to me about how our goal was to get some contractions started and wanted me to come in to use the breast pump. We agreed to meet up at the birthing center around 10:00. Suddenly, I remembered that the library books were due on Friday and so we stopped by the library to drop off my books before we headed to the center. Somewhere between the birthing center and the library, on William Cannon, I felt this sudden sharp punch to my cervix and then a very tight menstrual cramp-like contraction. This lasted for about 30 seconds. My first, official contraction. Then as we pulled into the parking lot, I felt a second contraction that lasted for about the same amount of time.
As soon as we entered the birthing center, we were taken quickly to our room and as Steve brought stuff in from the car, I sat on the toilet, because I just had this overwhelming pressure near my rectum. Nicole, another midwife on staff came in and started the breast pump on me for about 15 minutes and by 10:30, I felt my next contraction and took the breast pump off for a break. From that point on, my contractions started lasting for about 45 seconds to a minute and were about 3 minutes apart. They felt like heavy menstrual cramps and a strong bowel movement put together. I found that the best position for me to get into to get through the pain was to squat and lean my head against a chair or the bed. I didn't want Steve, or anyone touching me during those few seconds. They started to get more intense and just when I thought that I couldn't take them any longer, the midwifes checked me and by 11:30, I was 8 cm dilated. They asked me if I wanted to get into the tub and I eagerly said yes.
The moment I stepped into the tub, I felt a bit more relaxed. The contractions continued to come on strong, but the warm water helped me relax and I was able to just melt and get through each contraction a bit easier. Towards the end, I had Steve spray warm water on my lower back as each contraction came and went. Vicki checked me again and I was fully dilated. She told me that from this point on, I would just have to listen to my body. If I felt an urge to push, I should push. The next 2 contractions were nice and gentle. But then on the third one, I felt this different urge, an urge to push. The pressure along my rectum was intense, so I started to push with each contraction. There was a time where I slipped in the tub and so the midwives asked me if I wanted to get out for better footing. I was kind of hoping to give birth in the tub, but I didn't want to slip again, plus, my fingers and toes were getting numb and I was really hot.
I got out of the tub around noon and stumbled onto the bed. Immediately, I resumed a fetal position on my side and suddenly one of the midwives told me to grab my leg and on came another contraction. For those of you who do yoga, this visual may help: I was doing a modified happy baby with my arm around the pit of my knees, while on my left side. Surprisingly, I felt like it was a very good position, with each contraction, the midwives would even press against my foot to help me push. Slowly but steadily I progressed. They kept telling me that I was doing a good job and when I was conscious enough to think I would think to myself, what am I doing a good job of? I finally just asked them. Steve said that with each push, he could see stretching going on and with each push, I was stretching out about 1 mm more.
The midwives checked Nathan's heart rate almost after each contraction and at some point, it dropped a lot, so they put an oxygen mask on me and told me to push on my hands and knees. This lasted for about 3 contractions and then they had me get on my back for 3 contractions. This pattern continued on for what seemed like an eternity. Each time they told me to change positions, I felt like I was moving so sluggishly because I was just tired of pushing. Around 1:00, Vicki told me that she was going to have to do an episiotomy if this baby doesn't come out soon. For some reason having an episiotomy or a tear was my worst fear so I mustered up my strength and pushed harder. When Nathan's head crowned, I got to feel it and at that point, I knew that the end was near. For the next few contractions, Steve held my hand as I pushed with all my might. (If you can see the picture above, I have some temporary freckles from pushing so hard on my face and neck) Apparently, it wasn't good enough because I saw Vicki take the scalpel out and had this disappointed/worried look on her face. I pretty much begged her to wait one more contraction and that I would push extra hard. Well, we didn't get his head out after the first one, but on the second one, I mustered out 5 pushes with that contraction and out came Nathan. All this time, Vicki was applying warm compresses, massaging the perineum and pushing down there to help coax Nathan out. I felt so confident and was glad that she was delivering my baby.
Well, he came out, head first, then shoulders and apparently what made the labor more difficult that it needed to be was his right arm, which was kind of next to his face, like The Thinker statue. Even now, when he's not swaddled, you will most likely find his little right fist wedged under his chin, just like The Thinker. It's so adorable. By 1:15, Nathan was put on my chest and Steve cut the umbilical cord. Apparently his umbilical cord was shorter than normal and the placenta came out in one piece.
I had 2 small tears and Vicki stitched me up while I bonded with little Nathan. I felt like the most blessed woman on this world because I had just delivered a healthy little boy who was just so fragile and innocent.
Nathan took on breastfeeding like a pro and after some paperwork, a shower for me and a bath for him, by 7:30, we were headed home, ready to start Chapter 3 of our life.
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