Parker's birthing day, 4/24/12

A month ago today we welcomed Parker Tatsuki into our world.  This first month has included lots of getting to know each other. We have achieved a lot, including learning to breastfeed. Parker is gaining weight and makes eye contact with me when I talk to him.  I am adjusting to the slow life of breastfeeding all day and feeling like I get nothing else done all day.  But I managed to write an account of my labor and birth (mastering the art of one handed typing!)

This being my first birth the hard part was not knowing when our baby’s birthing day would arrive. We had a due date but at about 36 weeks I began noticing signs that his day was coming, I noticed my mucus plug started to come out and Braxton hick’s contractions especially when I walked.  I kept telling Todd about the signs but he and I both knew not to make much of them and that according to everything we read, we would know when real labor was beginning. 

During my long walks I started to experience a lot of tightening in my belly, they were especially noticeable starting on April 22^nd.  At this point in my pregnancy middle of the night bathroom trips had become routine.  At about 1:17 am on April 24, I woke up to visit the bathroom and noticed a “bloody show.”  I was also experiencing early contractions.  I tried to ignore them and go back to sleep.  I managed to toss and turn in bed until around 3:00 am.  I decided to try to distract myself from the uncomfortable feeling of the contractions by watching some trash T.V.  Sometime around then I also felt the contractions getting more regular.  I started to time them. They seemed to establish enough of a pattern for me to think I was really experiencing early labor.  After awhile I thought it was a good idea to try getting more sleep.  I lay in bed until 7:00 am, waiting for Todd to wake up for work to discuss whether we should give the clinic a call. We decided to alert Alyssa (our translator) and have her call the clinic. At the time I felt really indecisive about going to the clinic or waiting it out, all of our preparation told us to stay home during early labor.  But I felt worried that if Todd and Alyssa went to work I'd be all alone to cope with the labor and make decisions on how to get to the clinic later.  I felt like going to the clinic would make it official, they would stamp that I was indeed in labor and Todd and Alyssa would have the day off to be with me.  We ended up going to the clinic at about 9:00 am.  In hindsight I think it was way too early, we should have stayed home until 3:00 or 4:00 pm but at the time I felt like I wanted someone to tell me I was really in labor.  When we arrived at the clinic the midwife examined me and they monitored me with the fetal monitor.  I was only 3cm dilated and she said I probably wouldn’t birth until that evening.  But they preferred that I stayed at the clinic.  I reluctantly agreed because in some ways I felt safer being there to ask questions and have my progress monitored.  So that was the beginning of a very long day of labor with a happy birthday ending!

After settling into my private room, it was tough to want to just sit in the room.  I felt anxious and excited about the birthing day finally arriving.  I walked around the room and clinic hallways, stopping to breathe and hold onto something during the increasing intensity of my contractions.  By lunch time we all felt cooped up and needing some air.  I had cravings to go eat out, feeling like I could get in one last meal before baby.  By the time the nurses monitored me and gave us clearance to leave for half an hour my contractions were feeling very strong.  We decided that a walk outside would do me good but a meal in a restaurant was a bit unrealistic since at that point I couldn’t imagine sitting still. It felt good to be in fresh air and moving. There were signs all around that spring was just about to burst in Hachinohe. After a walk around the clinic vicinity we returned so I could rest.  Alyssa and Todd left for lunch and to pick up a few things I decided I needed from home now that I was settled in.  At that point I felt hungry, I asked Todd to make me an egg sandwich for my lunch. But by the time they returned my hunger wasn’t what it had been. I tried eating some of the sandwich, a mistake because I ended up losing that and anything else I had eaten recently.  At this point it was around 2 or 3pm, I was well into intense and regular contractions.  The nurse had Todd start to time the contractions because I refused to have the fetal monitor, it felt like the monitor made the contractions more painful and it distracted me from relaxing and breathing through them.  I began feeling nauseous and eventually threw up. I didn't expect the contractions to totally take over my body to the point of making me sick. 

At this point I was alternating between walking around the room to lying in bed, in and out of relaxation.  At 5pm my water broke, gushing out as I stood leaning on the sink in my room.  After that I got in the shower then decided I wanted to try taking a bath.  All of these choices were in effort to try to deal with the pain that was beginning to overcome me.  Eventually I was helped out of the bath and checked internally by the midwife.  I was 5 cm dilated and felt a little discouraged. My contractions were really intense but it seemed like I wasn’t progressing.

I knew I needed to rest and relax.  Todd and I holed up in the clinic room.  It was dark with soft music playing.  I lay in the bed, clutching my body pillow and breathing, working through states of relaxation.  Todd talked me through visualizations scripts; he gave me light touch massage and encouraged me through my contractions. I especially remember him walking me through visualizations of our neighborhood in Seattle and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. The hypnobirthing (HB) relaxation and breathing helped me to focus on letting my body take over and not fearfully focusing on the pain.  It got me to the point of 10 cm dilated. Finally!

At about 8pm I felt my body change from belly contractions to a heaviness and pain in my vaginal opening, my baby was finally descending. I started feeling like pushing or using my birth breathing. Todd had left to go eat dinner in the waiting room where Alyssa was napping on the couch.  When he returned he found me on the toilet with the nurses.  I must have called them because I felt the baby’s head. Around 8:45pm the midwife and nurses were trying to get me to the birthing room. It was go time.  Once I was in the birthing room they wanted to monitor me with the fetal monitor.   I sat uncomfortably while they got their readings, all the while feeling like I needed to move.  Eventually I was able to move around exploring the birthing positions I’d learned in HB. The squatting position while leaning on Todd felt the most effective with each contraction and push.  Although it was really tiring to hold myself up for long periods of time so I alternated between squatting and all fours.  At that point Parker’s head was going in and out of my opening.  With encouragement from the midwife, I made my way back onto the birth chair. By now a small part of his head was sticking out but after several more contractions there was no more progress. The doctor and midwife asked to perform an episiotomy.  I asked for more time to try to breathe him out.  I tried to make the most of each contraction using birth breathing and some pushing. My legs were in stirrups and I was sitting upright.  I pulled on my knees with each contraction trying to use my whole body to push him out.  Eventually I tired and there was still little progress. His head seemed to be stuck.  They mentioned cutting again and I agreed to it because I felt exhausted and ready to meet my baby. They asked me not to push until I was coached.  Next thing I knew a contraction came, they told me to push and my baby was coming out into our world.

At 11:05 Parker gushed out and was lifted onto my belly.  I felt emotional, relieved and in awe. I was just starting to admire my baby.  But the doctor felt concerned that he wasn’t breathing and was in distress so he was taken from my belly. That is when they clamped and cut the cord, at about 2 min after birth.  Then they took Parker to the examining table to suction his throat and give him oxygen.  I feel like they could have given him a little more time on the cord but once I got my breathing healthy baby boy back in my arms I wasn’t concerned with anything else except for my precious miracle! I remember birthing the placenta quickly and easily. I was pretty unaware of them sewing me up.  I was focused on getting to know Parker, we cuddled as he cried and whimpered a lot.  We stayed in the birthing room for a few hours. That night the midwife tried to help Parker latch onto my breast but he seemed to be too traumatized to eat.  We decided that it would be best for him to sleep in the incubator for the night and daddy and I would have uninterrupted sleep to recover from the long day.  Thanks to Alyssa, I enjoyed two American granola bars to fill my empty stomach before a good rest. 

Dr. Wada in purple and some of the nurses.

Parker and I stayed at the clinic for five days.  The nurses bathed and monitored Parker.  I got three delicious meals a day as well as a leg massage. The midwives helped me with breastfeeding and massage to help my milk to come in.  There were a few precarious moments when they worried too much about Parker’s weight and got me a little worked up.  But for the most part I was happy to have the time to rest and relax.  The stay even included a five-course dinner for two that they prepared for Todd and I. I left feeling ready to mother on my own but thankful for the loving care from the staff who treated us like family. 

This is the midwife and nurse that attended the birth, along with Alyssa our translator. I attribute my positive birth experience to midwife Sato-san.  She really understood and advocated for what I wanted.