Ruby’s Birth Story
Ruby Mae was born at home, early, in fact. I had an appointment with my midwife that day to finalise the birthing plan (we had roughly planned it but today was the pen to paper day) and was going to make a playlist on my iPod!! I’m not much of a diary person, but kept notes throughout my pregnancy, I was lucky enough to be able to add entries while in labour, and finished it off the following day (everything from getting in the birthing pool was written the following day). The following is a mix of notes straight from the diary, and added notes, I apologise in advance for being a little disjointed for reading, it is real, raw, and wonderful!
28 April 2010 – Have you decided to arrive early??!!! (due date was 15 May) It’s a full moon, dark and stormy night, interesting!!!!!!
1.50am – Ouch! I think this contraction might be a bit intense for a Braxton Hicks!?? Am I in labour??
2am – 2.40am – Yowzer, contractions are 5 minutes apart, your dad and I are starting to think this might be the real deal, should we ring our midwife? I am walking around, trying to ease this and figure out if I am actually in labour
4am – Asked Marty to text the Midwife, contractions were steady till 4am when they started coming every 2 minutes and lasting about a minute, Midwife responded that it sounds like the real deal, let her know when to come over (she lives on our street!! such luck!!) Midwife turned up after Marty text saying ‘come over, no rush, sooner the better’ LOL text of the century from nervous and excited dad to be… Internal was much easier than I expected, such absolute elation to find out I was near 5cm!!!! MW was very impressed at how lucid I was, joking and laughing between contractions. Advice to us? ‘Keep doing what you’re doing!!’
What was I doing? Through the contractions I was visualising a flower opening, and every so often Marty was pressing down on the pressure points in my lower back, I would lean back into them, amazing pressure counteracting the contraction pressure. I also counted to 20, up and back down, breathing in on the upward count, and out on the downward. I stayed in the same spot on the couch, with a chair in front of me to lean on if need be, I just closed my eyes, and focused on the breaks, not the contractions. It is intense, but amazing how quickly it becomes ‘the norm’ – you have these contractions, and back to normal during the breaks!!
Marty had been in full ‘action dad’ mode, laying the painters drop sheets over the entire lounge (he had read it can get messy haha) and towels on top, filling the pool that had been set up in the lounge, and getting everything prepared while rushing over and helping me focus through the contractions, he was also laughing at my facials, apparently I looked absolutely wasted, completely high on life and the natural chemicals that were being released with the labour.
Pool is ready to go, my mum has been over to see how I’m going, it was wonderful having her here seeing me do this and sharing the experience!!
11am-ish… Marty let our Midwife know that I was getting a bit ‘over it’ … just a bit bored and restless, you just have no idea of what will happen next, and after sitting around chilling out, letting the contractions take their course for the last 10 or so hours, I was ready!! She suggested getting in the pool. WOW oh WOW oh WOW
AMAZING, Weightless relief!! Contractions were a bit easier floating in the pool. After an hour of ‘mucking about’ in the pool, our MW suggested ‘why don’t you try a wee push on your next contraction?’ A few contractions later, my waters broke! Midwife said, ‘it’s going to get a little more intense from now on’ Oh game ON!!!!!!!! She was not wrong…. All I could do was try and get comfortable, Marty was feeding me ice cubes, which I would chomp and spit everywhere, I’d get the odd word in between sighs and groans and gasps, then I realised…. You are really going to be born!! We are having a baby!!! (d’uhhhh!). I was excited, scared, my thoughts were twisting each way, and my how the voice of reason rings through in the eleventh hour!
Pushing Ruby out was the single most difficult thing I have ever done, I won’t lie, I wanted to give up, I wanted to transport myself somewhere else, nothing can prepare you for this, but the inner monologue kept me going, that voice of reason saying ‘well it’s not like you can go anywhere!! just get on with it!!’
It is funny how a part of your brain tries to ‘psyche you out’ and the other part is pushing you through giving you the rational thoughts
I do remember our lovely midwife taking my hands, and telling me how strong I am, and that I can do this, I sure can!!!!
It felt like you were a lot bigger, and that it would take a lot longer, so I was pretty scared (how the brain plays tricks on you!!!!) Marty was absolutely amazing, more than amazing, there isn’t a word that describes what he was like, amazing doesn’t do it any justice, the word amazing is just a drop in the ocean….
When the time came, I gave an almighty push, in fact, I didn’t, my body was pushing involuntarily, I was just along for the ride by this stage. The midwife went down the end of the pool (facing me and able to see ‘down there’), she motioned Marty to the end of the pool so I knew we were nearing the finish line, I was worried about tearing (how on earth did that get in my head!) but thought ‘frig it’ and decided then and there to give an almighty push, push puuuuush!!! and your head popped out!! I remember thinking they say the rest slithers out, after another almighty push, that is exactly what happened! Marty caught our beautiful wee baby, popped her onto my chest, and cut the cord once it was empty.
Ruby Mae Harrison arrived. 8lb 4 oz 1.22pm. My first words holding you…. ‘It’s a baby!!’ haha deliriously happy and talking nonsense! After a few minutes I realised we had not even checked to see if it was a boy or a girl!! I was intact which was a big worry for me, why was I worried!!!! Ruby let out an almighty cry just as the new nanas arrived, everyone was crying and laughing.
Wonderful, wonderful experience, I cannot wait to do it all again!!!!!
