Journal

4/2/04 (40w1d): Saw Sara today. Here's this week’s belly photo. Weight was -1 (total 37lbs); urine normal; BP=128/86 - much better!; fundal height, 42cm; Bean's heartbeat still about 140; cervix has thinned to 50% and dilated to 1cm (yay!). Sara's very happy that there's been a change there and that my blood pressure is back down. She gave me the protocol for the castor oil routine and asked that I wait at least one day to use it. Set up a blood pressure check for Monday (if necessary). Lost some mucous plug after exam.

4/3/04 (40w2d): Started the castor oil routine today at about 10am. Really gross stuff but I chugged it with some juice and was able to keep it down. Here's a pic of me on the phone with Karen in the tub! Didn't see any results after the first dose so I took the second dose and went for a walk down to the park and back. Then mom made some spicy turkey tacos and beans with rice. Still no effect so I took the last dose about 2pm. We spent the rest of the day knitting and crocheting. Started having braxton hicks contractions at 6pm. Had Chris time them. They were strong but sporadic. Called the doctor's office at about 8pm when they were about 5 min. apart on average. Dr. DeYoung called me back and suggested I stay at home until the contractions were painful (can't talk through them) rather than spend more time at the hospital than necessary.

     This is all well and good but about 15 minutes later I heard and felt two large pops! At first, I didn't feel any fluid and thought that it was maybe a digestive sounds. However, 10 minutes later, I got help to go to the bathroom and felt fluid run down my leg. Got to the toilet and couldn't stop the flow so I knew my water had broken. The contractions started getting much more regular and consistenly strong so we left for the hospital.

     We arrived about 9:15pm and were brought in for observation. Once the nurse checked me she knew that my water had broken, that I was 1cm dilated and that there was meconium in the amniotic fluid. It happens a lot with overdue babies. This meant we would not be able to waterbirth but we could use the jacuzzi! The nurse offered me morphine right then and there but I declined, letting her know that we were hypnobirthing and that I wanted to avoid using pain medication if possible. I was admitted and we got moved to a room around 11pm for the duration.

4/4/04 (40w3d): Chris and I used the hypnobirthing technique and a hot shower to get through the next couple of hours. The nurse checked me at 1am but I was still 1cm. I realized that I would be exhausted without some real rest so I took a shot of morphine (ouch) to make me sleep. It only lasts two hours and doesn't do anything for the pain but it really did help me to sleep between contractions (poor Chris, however, didn't get to sleep...he had to gently rub my arm through each contraction!).

     At about 4am I was getting uncomfortable again so I asked the nurse to check me. I had dilated to 4.5cm! I was in a good pattern too so I could now get into the jacuzzi! Jen (our nurse) filled it up and got our CD on the stereo. It was so great I stayed in for 2 hours! That's when Sara arrived to check in on me. I was having some more pressure with each contraction so we decided to get out.

     Came back to the room around 7am and the nurse checked me: 7cm. I tried to labor in bed. Got sick. Then ended up on the birthing ball - best thing ever! It felt great to have Chris doing light touch massage behind me and be able to lean on the side of the bed during contractions. Hypnobirthing worked great through transition - I was moaning through each contraction, oblivious to most everything going on around me. Sara had to get down on my level to get my attention I was concentrating so well.

     Losing track of time now. Sara checked me and I was nearly complete but had a small rim of cervix preventing Bean's head from traveling down the birth canal. She allowed me to decide when I "had" to push and worked with me to get that rim out of the way. It took what seemed awhile for me to get the knack but the nurses (and Chris, Meaghan and mom, who had joined us in the room) encouraged me and were impressed with my power. They told me I was making good progress. I used a variety of different positions including squatting, kneeling and lying down in order to push Bean out.

     When Bean's head was delivered, they suctioned him right away because of the meconium in the amniotic fluid. It was then that Sara discovered that the cord was wrapped around one shoulder and the neck. Chris had to cut the cord right then and there so I didn't get to see. He then announced that Bean was a BOY! Simon Abelard Paris was born at 11:49am on Sunday, April 4, 2004 weighing in at 7lbs 14ozs, measuring 19.5in long, his APGARS were 7 & 9.

     It took over 2 hours and a lot out of me but I did get the job done - without an epidural. I was glad to have taken the hypnobirthing classes and to have such a capable labor companion.