My Natural Labor Story: Stage Two

In my last post I wrote about My Natural Labor Story: Stage One. I recommend starting there if you have not read it yet. In it, I talked about my whole first stage of labor right up until I was going to push. This segues into the second stage of labor, which is active pushing.

        I was sitting on the toilet after discovering I was nine and a half centimeters dilated. Right after peeing, I really felt the need to push. Without even consciously thinking about it, I pushed! It actually felt so relieving to give into what my body was demanding of me. I did not want to stand back up, so my midwife said I could do some pushes sitting on the toilet. It's weird how even with this being my first birth, if I focused on what my body was saying, it directed me into what to do next. 

That reminds me that earlier in my labor, one of the assistance nurses came in and joked,

 "Are you sure you two[Justin and I] have never been through a birth before? You 

guys seem to know exactly what to do."

        I love that. It shows that all our hard work and research prior to starting labor was really working. I mean I personally felt like it was, but I was just doing what I thought was right; it was nice to have the affirmation from a woman who had already helped with many births. 

        After pushing on the toilet for five minutes, my midwife thought it would be wise to not stay on the toilet...don't need the baby to come out landing in the toilet water! So she directed me onto the bed, laying on my side with my leg bent and up. RIGHT AWAY I knew this was a bad position. All the positions I had wanted to do were standing or upright to let gravity help. This position made me not even able to push, but being the great midwife she was, she agreed to change it right away. Before anyone could say otherwise, I found myself just standing up and leaning against the bed. And oh, how gravity worked! I felt the extreme urge to push! So I did. I don't even remember how long between intervals, but I just keep feeling them come on, and I kept giving into each urge.

      My midwife was on the ground underneath me giving me the warm compress and oil to help loosen and open up my perineum. The warm compress was heaven sent. It was so welcoming against the ring of fire you feel as the baby's head starts to crown. That is when I was thinking there was no way I wouldn't tear with that intensity in pressure. But my midwife just said, "Don't push too hard and you got this." To me, there was no "no pushing too hard." I could only keep pushing with my body forcing me to, but I guess she said I was doing it at the right rate. It is hard to determine if the pain in transition or in the pushing stage is more painful. They are completely different. One is an intense inner cramp pain and one is a fire-burning, stretching feeling like you are about to burst. In my opinion though, since your body is desiring the pushes, it was easier to do the painful pushes then it was to go through the transition phase.  

Fifteen minutes after I had started pushing, everything happened fast, one thing after another. 

I heard a pop.

 My water had FINALLY broken.
(They say it's lucky if your water doesn't break until the baby comes out, Close enough!)

Seconds later my midwife said the head was crowning.
I'd only been pushing for fifteen minutes.

Two good pushes and the baby's head emerged.

Half a push and the rest followed. 

Baby was out. 

I was done! 

*Success.*

First few things that came to my head as she handed me my baby right through my legs right after I had delivered him.

• I laugh. It's over? No way! 
• Midwife is saying it's a girl, I'm taking my first glance at my precious angel. "No," I am saying. "I see his little peepee!" 
• What is this brown stuff all over my legs and baby? Oh! My little overachiever had already accomplished his first meconium poop INSIDE my bag of waters. Lovely.
• (I am sure I repeated this about ten times because I ended up letting them video type my delivery...so I've seen this part a few times), "He is so beautiful. No, but seriously, look at him! He is so beautiful...*LIGHTBULB* we are parents!" I wonder if I can describe my baby BOY as beautiful, but then realize I am right on. Such a beautifully created little baby boy that is MINE. 
• Why are my legs shaking and why can I not stop them from quivering?!?!
• My baby boy, Cedric, is so alert and just staring at me, with these big blue eyes. 

Next post I will finish up my labor story with the third stage of labor. The most rewarding painless part, holding your new baby in your arms!