Anders' Birth Story

For about 4 weeks I had been having surges, or tightening, every 60 minutes - 5 minutes. I was physically tired from that, but happy and willing to wait. At 34 weeks I took anti-contraction pills for about 2 days before I could get in to see my family doc after the weekend. He suggested something different a looked over research on the computer as we sat there in his office. He found that the anti-contraction meds had showed no improvement in NICU admission rates etc. (which is the main reason for them, to build up their lungs to not be admitted to the NICU for breathing issues.) With some more talking about babies heart rate being normal, and the latest researching showing that early surges (Braxton-hicks) actually improves lung strength, I struck a deal with him that if I did go into labor before 36 weeks (start of legal window for midwife), that I would come to the hosp if he got me a room with a laboring tub and lots of privacy. He agreed. He's a very good man.

2 weeks went by as tightening remained the same, sometimes increasing to 1x every 30 min but still very mild. Many times I would stand up from the couch or chair when one would come and I would be stuck in the bent over position from rising for about 60 sec. until it passed. Funny, unless I was running to the bathroom :-p. I began drinking 2 cups of red raspberry leaf herbal tea as it strengthens and tones the uterus, trying to proactively keep my uterus from tiring out with all its activity before labor even began.

 At the end of the 2 weeks, I suddenly felt even more sick to my stomach and felt it was finally time to have the baby. I took my toddler J to the grandparents with his overnight bag and cried because I didn’t want to leave him and also because I felt so physically yucky. Hubby and I drove home and tried to get some good sleep. I woke up every hour that night and puked the last sip of water I had taken, it turns out I had the stomach flu :-{ for about 48hrs.

 Monday night, Feb 25: One the way to the toilet, for the 10th time that night, I felt a gush and assumed that my water sac had broken. Then headed straight back to bed for some rest. Is the morning, contractions still 30 min-5 min apart we called the midwife on appointment day and told her we were ready, but not sure. She asked us to come in to be checked before canceling all appointments for that day. We dropped off Big J at the grandparents on the way.


When we got to the birth suite I did the obligatory scale and pee. Then headed upstairs to have a dilation check. My midwife knows I don't like vaginal checks and we both consider them to be a hindrance to a positive attitude and progressing birth, but it is nice to know a baseline. I was mostly dilated (don't remember exact #, not important to me) and mostly effaced (ditto). After checking, she wasn't sure if my water had broken or not (Deja vu with my first, every test in the book and a trip to L&D for more tests that came back negative). I brought my quart of raspberry tea to sip and my midwife put a couple drops of black and blue Cohosh into it hoping to kick start some stronger surges just in case my water had broken.
Without major surges, but still feeling "in labor" E and I decided to go take a walk around town to see if the surges would pick up in intensity and frequency. We went to the nearby thrift store and found a couple fun things (between surges and pee breaks) then the 7-11 for a Slurpee for me and a hot dog for the husband's sustenance.
When we got back I did some stretching on the floor and the midwife assistants did some calling around to cancel all their other appointmetns for the day. The midwife also called my chiripractor to see if she could come by to see what she could do for help. While we waited, hubby and I went upstairs to be together alone. When we came back the chiro was there with her little girl and I laid down on the bed to have her do some acupuncture points to encourage surges and the midwife put a few more drops of Cohosh on my tongue. Before leaving, my chiro did a few adjustments to my back then wished us luck.


Another walk down the street to the antique store to browse around. I was now having surges every 2-5 min and had to get on my hands and knees, not painful, just powerful and pressure and being down opened my hips and helped me relax through them. We had to explain to the shopkeepers that I was not ill, just in labor :-). I almost didn’t make it back to the house without squatting in the street to pee. Hubby had to remind me that is not exactly kosher. Darn.
  Heading upstairs for another check, the midwife really pushed around deep to see of my sac had really broken and that was painful. I had to squeeze hubby's hand throughout and ask her to take a break during a surge. The midwife and her assistants left us alone for a few in as I recovered from that and had a few more surges over just a few minutes. Being in a hands and knees position really was feeling great to me for the entire labor, something I could picture myself doing at all a week earlier.
We went downstairs and I did a little more stretching on the floor, that felt good, but I was started to feel sleepy to I climbed into bed and hubby closed the doors and closed the curtains. By now the surges were getting more intense and I began humming through them. I went to glorious sleep and woke every few minutes to hum though another surge, then back to sleep. The midwife and assistants were in the other room filling out paper work and having a meeting, but were all the while timing the hums as they heard them drifting through the closed door. About 2 hours in the cushy bed made labor go much faster and enjoyable.


When I woke up for good, one assistant, Lain, had gone home since she only planned to be there for the day. Bri, the other assistant to our orders for Subway sandwiches and left to get them for us. Subway sounded so good! A movie also sounded good so we hiked the stairs again, pausing for 2 or 3 surges on the way up. I chose the Kiera Knightly Pride & Prejudice since I love it and have seen it many times so I wouldn't mind missing parts of it. Changing positions many times, we really enjoyed talking, eating, and laughing through the movie. Just felt like a girls night, stopping every few minutes to hum through a surge. A little more than halfway through the movie, the midwife and assistant said it was finally time to fill the birth tub and they would go do that. Takes about 30 min to fill. I was so excited! I had made it to that magical point that it's ok to get in the water and not slow labor down! The water was going to feel so good!


Hubby and I stayed in the bedroom through a few surges waiting for them to do that then I needed to go to the bathroom, bad, so I hobbled downstairs and the assistant and midwife was answering the door! A couple with a new baby hadn't heard that all activities were canceled for the evening. I invite them to stay and watch, but they declined and left. Hubby held me in the bathroom to switch into my swimming top and skirt for birth. I suddenly was puking in the garbage can and pooping on the toilet at the same time! That lasted about 30 seconds and I was almost laughing knowing that this was transition. I asked hubby to tell me not to be scared, because I knew that the birth was coming soon and was excited to get in the water.

I went into the bedroom where the pool was set up and filling, about halfway, I told them I didn't mind and got in anyway, IT WAS AWESOME! Lain had returned and offered to give me a massage as she is an LMT, I said sure and she put some peppermint EO on me and rubbed my shoulders. I was still hands and knees for each surge, but was still very cognizant, chatting between surges. (My first birth I felt very ‘out of it’, in ‘birth la la land’. I liked this better) Many people want their birthing to be quiet, but I liked everyone talking and joking and I told them that, just that I would be gone for a minute or two as the waves came one. By now by my humming had turned to open-mouth mooing and felt so good as a relief for all that pressure building. But then my mouth and throat got sore and no one could find a throat drop! Someone had called my chiro to let her know that I would be birthing soon and to get there quick. She came and was assigned the video camera. I am so glad she was there to capture that intense and happy small period of time. When the surges got more intense, I asked hubby to put pressure on my lower back and hips, I was leaning over the wall of the tub, no longer hands and knees. He says he applied pressure for about 45 min, I don't remember it being that long, but definitely better that the 4 hours with my first birth! At some point he changed into his swim shorts and got in the tub with me to better apply pressure, someone else must have been doing it since I didn’t miss him during that time.
I was beginning to feel like my body was going to start pushing, and I just let it go, I didn’t do any intentional pushing at all (opposite of my last birth and I really wanted it this time). Those surges were HUGE. I became aware of someone in front of me holding my hands very strongly (it was Bri). The midwife was to my left coaching me and rubbing my back a little, that helped me focus on the power going down to help the baby out rather than raising my shoulders bad scrunching my face and hands in response.  She said something like "let him come" and I knew I could stop vocalizing as a release and let the pressure got out with the baby, which really helped. The midwife and the assistants really knew (or guessed) what would be the right support for me/us. I wouldn't have known what to ask for, but they were gone when I wanted to be alone but very comforting and encouraging in exactly the right moments.

I could feel baby's head moving down the birth canal and crowning, I reached down and felt that little head and a pulse through a soft spot. This baby was coming! It felt like forever, but probably only a minute or so. . and In the middle of a long surge they wanted to check babies heart rate, generally they waited for a break and I would sit back to make it easy for them to do my blood pressure and find baby's heart rate, but I was unable to move and they really wanted to hear the heartbeat. So they asked me to sit back and it seemed impossible. I somehow sat back into hubby's lap his legs put pressure just perfectly on my hips to open them up as the baby's body was coming down, to give him more room. One more surge and baby's head and body slipped out and up out of the water! I looked down and saw his face and hand inside his sac. My water never broke! The midwife brought his head out of the water and pulled the sac from around him, I was holding his body as she unwrapped the cord from around his neck (I do not believe it was tight) and handed him up to me. I rubbed his back and started talking to him and someone brought us a warm towel from the dryer to put over baby. We stayed that way a few minutes as we waited for the cord to stop pulsing and the placenta to come out. When the cord had stopped, the midwife cut it and we all got out of the tub. Hubby, went to hose off in the bath, I stood up and was helped out of the tub holding my baby. I handed him off to my chiro so I could get out of my wet clothes and into the waiting bed.

Baby was kindly born at 9:55 so I could get to bed at my normal bedtime of 10pm. I was more than sleepy though! After I got settled in bed with waterproof pads under me, baby nursing, the midwife came over with the assistants to check to see if I had any perianal tears. I had a little skidmark I could not feel! With my last, I had an episiotomy and a 2nd degree tear, it hurt for weeks.

We stayed the night at the birth suite, just in that same bed. The baby slept through the night but we didn't! Waking every 20 minutes to check him! In the morning I got fried eggs and wheat toast (my fav) and the grandparents came with my toddler, to gush over the baby, take pics, and help get the babies footprints on the wall of the birth suite. I was walking around and ready to go home! Straight from the birth suite, we went to the family doc’s office at noon to have the baby checked out, then home by 2pm. 

These pics are taken from our video when there were flashes to see in the dark room

Lain, midwife assistant:
Anders' birth was my first birth attending as a midwifery assistant. I couldn't have asked for a better experience to start this career path. I have heard of women being calm and peaceful during birth, but Megan was incredible. She was so focused and relaxed. Listening to her through each contraction keep her tones low and open was fascinating and amazing.  She never got out of control and made the whole process seem effortless... truly. And I know it isn't! As it got closer for Anders to make his debut, Megan became even more focused and really concentrated on what was happening. Ethan was also such a huge support and a wonderful example of how beautiful the birthing process can be with your partner. He was so loving and tender with Megan and helped her to focus and knew what words to say to encourage and help her keep calm and relaxed. As they delivered their own precious baby, it was one of the most incredible scenes I have had the privilege of seeing. Mom, Dad and baby all together in those first moments of life. It was so sweet. Also, being born "in the caul" or still in the amniotic sac, was so cool! A good omen! I am forever grateful they allowed me to be a part of this beautiful birth!

Stephanie, Chiropractor:
Watching you go through labor and the birthing process was amazing and an honor. My part was chiropractor and videographer. Earlier in labor I gave an adjustment to the hard working yet tired laboring body and did some acupuncture to see if it would help get your body to labor with more energy. Luckily I also got to return to the labor to be present for the amazing arrival of Anders. It seemed that you were completely in control of what was going on and made it look easy. Laughing and chatting after each contraction. After laboring just over an hour, with a few strong pushes, that I didn't even realize were happening, Anders arrived. He was very clean and let out some cries while he was getting untangled from the cord, but once he was put to moms chest he was very content with just looking around. He looked a lot like his big brother. Watching you and Ethan just enjoy having Anders in your arms was precious. It's amazing to watch two people who love one another so much bring a baby into the world. He is a lucky little guy to have you two as parents. He will be so very loved. Again thank you for letting me be part of it! Enjoy!