The Birth Story of Gibson Page

As some of you may know, we planned a home birth this time around.  Logan was born in a hospital four years ago and we found the experience to be less than stellar, to put it very politely.  I swore from the day he finally came home that I would have a home birth with any other pregnancy.

The birth kit arrived, towels were washed and the birth pool was just waiting to be blown up and used as my "due date", Christmas Eve, came and went.  I had been having strong Braxton Hicks contractions for what seemed like weeks and kept thinking I was in labor but really wasn't.

On the morning of December 26, 2010 I awoke around 7 AM and headed to the bathroom where I noticed a little bit of blood.  Logan was still asleep but Paul was up as he was supposed to head back to work that same night.  I walked into the living room and told Paul that I thought something was happening.  Then I sent a text message to my doula, Megan and my midwife, Miriam.

At Miriam's suggestion I had a bit to eat and drink and just tried to relax since I was feeling mild cramps and we thought it would be a while before labor really started to get going.  We were very wrong.  Within an hour, I was alternating between having contractions in the shower, where the water felt so good and on the toilet.  I was afraid I would use too much hot water in the shower and we wouldn't be able to fill the birthing pool so I headed into the living room to sit on the birthing ball that Megan, my doula, gave us.

Around this time, the contractions started to get more intense.  Mostly they started in my lower back and radiated toward the front of my lower belly.  I started to get scared because neither Megan or Miriam were there.  I texted Megan and asked her to come because labor seemed to be ramping up rather quickly.

Megan arrived about a half hour later and I was so relieved to see her that I cried.  I was still on the birthing ball in the living room and she and I talked about what I was feeling physically and emotionally.  I had another contraction and asked her to use counter pressure on my lower back.  The contractions seemed pretty short at this point, yet close together.  Megan reassured me that everything that was happening was typical, especially for a second time mom.  The next contraction came while I was on the birthing ball and the strangest thing happened - my body started to push!

Megan asked me if my water had broken.  I didn't think it had.  She asked me to feel inside and I did.  My finger was tinged with dark red blood and I could feel something about 3 - 4 inches inside.  She said, "um I think I'm gonna call Miriam", my midwife, as I headed back into the shower.

At some point, bending over while standing in the shower turned into me laboring on my hands and knees in the shower.  The warm water felt so good during contractions and Megan continued to use counter pressure on my lower back.  Periodically my body would push and I could feel the baby moving lower.  It wasn't what I would call painful at all.  It felt like cramps.  I was worried I was going to get tired, that we would run out of hot water since it had been running for about an hour and that Miriam wouldn't get here in time.  Megan reassured me that she didn't think I was going to get tired because things were moving so quickly.  She also said that traffic was light when she drove over and that Miriam would arrive soon.

A couple of contractions later and I heard Miriam's voice.  I was so happy to see her!  Between contractions she checked the baby's heartbeat and said everything sounded great. Someone blew up the birthing pool in the living room and started to fill it.  I was in the midst of pretty strong contractions by now, with my body pushing through almost every one.

I was surprised that Logan was still asleep since our bedroom is right next door to the bathroom and I felt like I was growling and moaning during contractions.  Paul went in to check on Logan and he was awake and crying.  Nobody heard him but Megan thinks that Logan was crying and making some noise during the contractions when I was roaring away.  I will forever wish that we heard him because I could hear how upset he was.  From the beginning of this pregnancy, Logan and I talked about what would happen during the birth.  He wanted to be here for it and we wanted him here too but he's a sensitive four year old, especially when it comes to sounds.

Things started to happen more quickly and I'm not 100% sure of the chronology.  Paul took Logan into the living room and snuggled and held him.  My water broke.  I did my best to rest between contractions.  Miriam checked the baby's heartbeat again and it sounded great.  Someone poured a pot of warm water that was heated on the stove into the tub since we were out of hot water by then.  Megan and Miriam asked me a number of times if I wanted to get in the birth pool since I really wanted a water birth.  I told them that the baby was gonna be born in the bathroom - no birthing pool for me!

I heard Miriam ask Megan to go get Paul.  I knew the baby was close to coming out now from the contractions getting stronger and my body pushing so hard.  Megan went into the living room and watched a movie with Logan while Paul came into the bathroom.  He continued to use counter pressure on my lower back.  Miriam asked me if I could kneel in the tub so I could have the water birth I wanted.  I said nope, I was staying on my hands and knees.  It was the most comfortable position for me.  I heard Miriam explain to Paul what was going to happen once the baby was out.  He was to hand him to me between my legs and I would turn over to be sitting in the tub.

The next contraction came and I could feel the burning sensation everyone told me about. I knew the baby was close but after the contraction I felt the baby slide back in!  It was the strangest feeling because I had no idea that could happen.  Miriam said that with each contraction the baby would come a little further down but might slide back in.  I think I had two more contractions and I heard Miriam say, "I can see eyebrows.  Can you push again?"  I said no.  We waited for the next contraction and it was a doozy.  My body pushed and I felt more burning followed by Miriam saying, "I can see a chin now."  After the next contraction I could hear crying, but Gibson wasn't fully out of my body yet.  Paul was crying and Miriam was laughing about the baby crying when not completely born.

Another contraction, or maybe two, and the baby was completely out.  Paul caught the baby, which is something I know he had looked forward to.  I rolled over and sat in the tub while Miriam and Paul handed the baby to me.  I looked down and saw that the baby was a boy!  Gibson Page Marconi.  I kept saying "I did it!" over and over.  Miriam said I did awesome.  Gibson's eyes were closed and he was covered with vernix.  He looked so beautiful and I checked to see if he had 10 fingers and 10 toes.

I stayed in the tub with Gibson for quite a while.  Megan brought Logan to see Gibson but Logan wasn't interested.  He and Megan went back into the living room to continue watching a movie and the snow fall as the storm was starting.  Once the cord stopped pulsing, Paul cut it.  I birthed the placenta and nursed Gibson in the tub.  I heard Paul and Miriam talk about the time of Gibson's birth - 10:22 A.M.  I had an intense and fast 3 hour labor!  Eventually Gibson and I got out of the tub and headed to the bedroom for a snuggle.

Miriam and Megan cleaned up and got us all something to eat.  Logan climbed into bed with Paul, Gibson and me but once Gibson made a little cooing sounds, Logan went into the living room again.  Miriam examined Gibson and me.  She weighed him and said, "oh no you didn't!"  I thought Gibson had pooped on her scale but it turns out I had birthed an 8 lb 8 oz baby!  Miriam was shocked because Logan was 2 lbs smaller and while she told me that second babies are often larger than the first, neither of us expected him to be so much larger.

Gibson and I nursed and snuggled in bed for the rest of the day while Paul and Logan played.  What a day!  I had a hard time sleeping because I kept replaying everything that happened over in my head.  The whole experience was truly amazing.  My body did exactly what it needed to and there was no way I could stop it, even if I tried.  I will forever be grateful that I was able to have a beautiful home birth with my family and Megan and Miriam's guidance.