Simon's birth story

On September 23, 2010 at 10:26, Simon Pardo Schott burst into this world at the Bryn Mawr birth center! He weighed 8 lbs 9 oz and was 20 inches long.

My water broke on Thursday morning at about 6.30 am (leaking, not gushing), so we knew he would be coming soon. We took him to Tiffany's house with his special overnight suitcase, and headed over to the birth center for a non stress test, since labor had not yet started. We stopped for breakfast at Cosi, and then walked about a half a mile at a local park, just to see if labor would kick in. We got to the birth center for the 10:15 appointment, and everything looked perfect. The policy at the birth center is that you have 24 hours to go into active labor from when your water breaks, or else they must induce you at the hospital. I went home with two small bottles of castor oil I was instructed to take if nothing had happened by about dinner time.

We came back home, and I took a nap, having been up early that morning with Noah. I was planning on having a Hypnobabies birth, so I listened to one of the CDs to help me relax. About an hour later, I woke up and felt a bit restless-- why wasn't labor starting? I thought that maybe there was some sort of psychological/mental block, since I had some pending work to do. I spent about an hour and a half finishing it up, and then decided it was time for another walk. Nano and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, and I was starting to get anxious that nothing was happening. I worried that I would end up at the hospital, and that Noah would end up spending several nights away from us. By the time we got back, it was about 4:30 pm, and we resolved it was time to try the castor oil. Nano went out to pick up a chocolate shake to mix it with, and I talked to a friend for some moral support. I took the first dose at about 5:30 pm, and had planned on waiting on the second dose to see if the first one was enough. However, once again anxious, I decided to take it all (4 oz) at the same time (which is what the midwives had originally recommended in the first place).

For those of you who have never used castor oil, it stimulates contractions of the bowel, which somehow can stimulate labor contractions as well. The first part took effect within about an hour and a half. At that point, I called a friend of mine who is a midwife, and she gave me several tips about how to approach the next 12 hours before I would have to be induced. She said to rest as much as I could, and focus on resting when it was time to rest. But, she suggested waking up early to try other natural induction methods. It was a great help to chat with her, and by the end of the conversation, I realized I was already having contractions.

Once I got off the phone, I went upstairs and started timing contractions. This was at about 7:30 pm. I used an Iphone application from contractionmaster.com, which is a great website! The first few contractions lasted 35 seconds, and were 2.5 minutes apart. I timed them over the next half hour, and they increased to lasting about 45-50 seconds, at 2 minutes apart. At 8:00 I woke Nano up, who had been resting, and said, "It's time. Contractions are 2 minutes apart." He was surprised! I called the midwife, and she said to come on in. I was feeling relaxed and excited that labor had started!

The car was already packed with all our stuff, because the day before I had gone to campus to take care of something, and had packed up just in case something were to happen while I was there. We added a few last minute items and headed out.

I listened to Hypnobabies tracks in the car ride on the way over, and got through the contractions by imagining I was on the beach in Cancun with Noah, Simon and Nano. I tried to feel the wind on my skin and hear the ocean waves. Once we got to the birth center, I got on the birthing ball, and continued this technique, all the while listening to Hypnobabies. When we got there at 8:45, I was only 4 cm dilated. This was a bit disappointing! But, the contractions got stronger and stronger, and lasted longer and longer. Before I knew it, there was practically no break between contractions.

After laboring sitting on the birthing ball for about 20 minutes or so, things got intense. Labor was excruciating. It was the same pain I had felt with Noah. I had thought that if the baby was in the right position (he was LOA), then maybe it would not be as painful as it was with Noah, who was posterior (sunny side up). Not true!! I went through a period where I thought, "Oh crap, I made a mistake. I just want an epidural. I can't do this." Then, the contractions got so strong that I couldn't think anymore.

I switched to leaning over the ball on the bed. This position was useful for a few contractions, and then I eventually threw the ball down and just stayed on my hands and knees. At this point, the midwife disappeared to another room. A nurse came in at some point to let us know that the woman in the next room was pushing, and that was where the midwife was. She came in a couple of times to check the heart rate. I had only about 2 seconds between contractions at this point. Just enough time to blurt out "now!" to Nano, who was applying counter pressure on my back, which was really helpful. I started vocalizing between contractions. Hypnobabies and relaxation was impossible at this point, due to the intensity. What got me through it was "Ohhh" and "Ahh." The moaning got louder and stronger along with the contractions, and I made an effort to keep the vocalization "low."

Then the contractions changed a bit. I couldn't hold my weight up anymore, so I switched to the left-side-lying position, with right leg propped on a pillow. At this point, contractions got extremely strong, and I had to roar through them. There was a bit more of a break between them, but they felt like a steam train barreling over me. The nurse came in to check the heart rate, and must have noted that I looked like I would be pushing soon. I had no idea where we were in the labor, and was really hoping it wouldn't go on like this, but after my long labor with Noah, thought there could be several hours left. The midwife came bursting in, and I said, "Are we close??" She said, "Yes!" and then I started pushing! I pushed about 3 times, and felt his head barreling through me, and then suddenly, it was out! One more push, and his body followed.

The midwife put Simon on my chest, and I was ecstatic. This is what natural birth is about!! The pain can be horrific, but the endorphins produced by your body during labor make it feel like nirvana when your baby is born!! He was perfect, born at 10:46 pm, just 3 hours and 15 minutes after I went into labor (and less than 2 hours of "active" labor). It was a fabulous experience. He nursed within the first 15 minutes or so, and we had 2 hours with him before they took him for his exam and then bath.

We stayed that night at the birth center, and I watched Simon suck his hand to soothe himself through a bout of hiccups. He slept on his side, right next to me. What a joy to have him with us!! We were discharged the next morning at about 9.30 am. I wanted to eat a pancake and egg breakfast at IHOP, but settled for a bagel sandwich. :)