I fell pregnant with Lexi
when Lily was 3 months old. It was planned, believe it or not. Am I crazy … no
… we just wanted another little bundle of joy. The months just flew by. It was
quite difficult being pregnant with a baby on the hip, especially the last
month. But in general I had a very healthy pregnancy. I did this pregnancy
without seeing any doctor or doing any tests. I did go for a sonar at16 weeks
to determine if we had a boy or a girl. It was a girl to our hearts content. We
were truly thrilled beyond words!!
My due date was 28 September
2010. JP had to work in Cape Town
from 20 – 26 Sep. I wasn’t really concerned as both my previous pregnancies went
two weeks past the due date. But during this last week, I just knew it would be
a miracle if JP was back in time for Lexi’s birth. I had all the pre labor
symptoms that week; moody, lower back pain, flu like symptoms, headaches,
extreme tiredness, diarrhea and constant urination. The whole week I spoke to
Lexi and asked her please to stay put and wait for daddy to get back. I planned
another unassisted homebirth with only JP to help, and I really didn’t want to
do it alone. Besides that and more
important JP wanted to be there to meet his daughter when she arrived.
The morning of the 26th
as JP got on the plain, a 2 hour flight, I told Lexi it was ok if she wanted to
come now, and that she could start to prepare if it’s her time to come. I was
bored at home and waiting for JP drove me nuts. So I decided to go do grocery
shopping for the following month’s supplies as I knew it would be difficult
with a new born. So off Anna and I went with Lily to the supermarket. I was
pushing a FULL trolley of stuff and by the time we got to the till I was dead
tired. In the queue I started getting lower abdominal pain. Not really thinking
much of it. I was surprised as it would came and go. With both my previous
pregnancies I had back labor and all the pain was only in my back and never any
pain near my tummy so I really didn’t think this could be contractions. It was
also not consistent at all. I just wanted to get home and rest. We got home
after lunch and I took a nap. I was up again preparing food for Lily and
feeding her. I couldn’t really carry her as that caused more pain in my tummy. Problem
is Lily can’t walk yet, so I just had to carry her at times. A few times I had
to put her down just where I was, as the pain was just so bad. When it passed I
could pick her up again and carry on. I played with her in the garden until JP
arrived home around 16H00. It felt like
a mountain was lifted from my shoulders with him being home, I just completely
relaxed. And with that the pains got more. By now I started to wonder if this
wasn’t maybe contractions. It just didn’t make sense to me as it was so inconsistent
and not in my back where it should be, and it was completely bearable. It
actually felt like menstrual cramps. I thought my uterus was just preparing for
labor in the near future. We put Lily to bed around 19H00 and watched one
episode of House. We then put the birthing bath in our room. All the other baby
stuff was already ready for a couple of days. Around 21H00 I was really tired
and decided to go to bed with a hot bean bag on my tummy. Because my water
didn’t break like it did when Lily’s labor started, I was not expecting labor
for a while. Breaking water would be my sign that it started, and since it
didn’t yet, I was very relaxed and patient. I dozed off a bit, but the tummy
pain was too uncomfortable to allow deep sleep, and I had to wee every 15
minutes. Really!!!
At 11H00 my water broke as I
was lying in bed. Not a gush, just a trickle. I went to the loo, not sure if
this was a very long wee, or really my water that broke. But I recognized the
smell from when Lily’s water broke, quite a unique smell to it. Not bad at all,
just different. I got off the loo, and put a towel between my legs, which I
walked around with. JP started filling the bath, it took about 40 minutes.
While he was filling the bath, I lit my blessing way candles and got the
birthing necklace.
I put a plastic sheet on the
floor next to the bath, and covered with an old sheet. I put the music on and
got something to drink from the kitchen. All the while I was having the same
menstrual cramps, but now realizing it’s actually contractions. They were a lot
more intense now, but very manageable. At 23H50 I took some photos of the room
and all the pretty candles. But I now needed to get in the water for some pain
relief. At about 24H00 I got in the bath.
All of a sudden I had the
contractions on top of each other, with almost no breaks in between. But I was
still able to change settings on the camera, and tell JP what to do if Lily
wakes up later. I never went into “labor land” like I did with Lily. I was very
alert and aware of everything around me all the time. The pain moved a little
bit to my back and JP poured water on my back, which helped a lot. At about
24H30 I got a little bit overwhelmed and fearful, thinking if this is the
beginning of labor I don’t know how I’m gonna get though the rest. I know
realize I was moving through transition. At about 24H45 I started to make involuntary
grunts and groans, with my face in a towel, not wanting to wake Lily. I then
felt Lexi move down and knew she was on her way out. I told JP to get the
camera ready, which he did just in time as she crowned. Her head came out easy
as pie, and I could feel she was anterior. Her little head turned a bit to the
side and her body just slid out, no effort what so ever. The cord was around
her neck twice, which I loosened and she began to cry spontaneously on her own.
She was so tiny I couldn’t get a good grip on
her. She was VERY blue in the face. And for the next day or so she had blue
under her face skin, and a swollen face. I guess it’s from the pressure caused
by the cord. But she was fine, and looked just beautiful and normal within a
day.
As I held her still sitting
in the bath I told JP I couldn’t believe how easy it was. I was shocked. I
thought labor was still going to continue through the night at least. I sat in the bath for anther 40 min with Lexi
in my arms, just admiring her beauty and just loving her.
I never got any more contractions to expel the
placenta which surprised me, so I decided to give a light push. The placenta just slithered out with ease. I
grabbed it and put it in a bucket. JP took Lexi and the bucket with the
placenta still attached to Lexi.
By now it had stopped pulsating and there was
nothing more transferred to Lexi, so JP clamped the cord and cut it. I got
dressed and also dressed Lexi, who was still just rapped in towels. JP drained
the birthing bath and we freshened up the room, and got into bed for a quick
snooze before Lily woke up at 06H00. At 07H00 I was in the kitchen with Lily on
my hip making her some oats for breakfast and phoning my aunt to wish her a
happy birthday that she now shared with Lexi.
For Lily’s birth I hoped and prayed and trusted and prepared for an
easy, quick and pain free birth, but got the exact opposite. For Lexi I was prepared for whatever
happens even if it involved a long painful delivery. I was so surprised, but
overjoyed to again have the opposite with Lexi’s birth. It was in these two different births that I
realized that pregnancy and birth is the baby’s choice for making an entrance
into the world, and I was happy to allow them both to make their own statement
as their first “mission” in the world. I feel their births have set the stage
for a life to come. Lily being my little drama queen, and Lexi my little helper
(as her name also says).
As a woman, giving birth was
the most satisfying thing I was ever part of. And doing it at home allowed us
to do it as a team, in our own way. Lexi and I could just allow nature to take its
course and enjoy the ride. I am so proud of us, and know this is the beginning
of an awesome mother-daughter relationship.
Lexi
Nica Viljoen
Born:
27 September 2010
01H03
Weight:
2.8 kg
Length:
49cm
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