Corbin Michael Arwood blessed us with his adorable presence 2 entire weeks after his due date. Because I spent the last two months of my pregnancy not working, those two weeks seemed to lull by and each day brought me more anxiety about whether I was even capable of birthing my baby. I had done plenty of reading to prepare for the natural home birth I had planned. But when my midwife suggested a hospital induction if I went past two weeks overdue, I was determined to get this baby OUT. On Tuesday of the week he was born, my midwife Cheryl suggested we strip my membranes, only to change her mind when she found that the baby wasn't descended and I wasn't dilated in the slightest. She sent me home with two homeopathics and evening prim rose oil. I spent the majority of the next few days bouncing on my birth ball and going on long walks. My mom came up and we made the famous labor producing Eggplant Parmesan, of which I had two bites. On Wednesday, my mucus plug came out, but there were no signs of contractions. On Friday, we paid $200 for a Biophysical profile to make sure Corbin was OK. That afternoon, Cheryl suggested the dreaded Caster Oil, which I regretfully took just before laying down for a nap.
Within 15 minutes, hardly enough time for the Caster Oil to kick in, I was having hard contractions. Thinking that this would be another false alarm, I tried to nap for another hour before getting up and suggesting to my mom that we inflate the birth pool. When Chris got home from work, the contractions were the same and we decided to notify Cheryl. As if fate wanted to disapoint me one last time, my contractions slowed nearly to a stop at her arrival. However, I was still feeling the full digestive effects of the Caster Oil. She layed me down on my right side with one leg curled up and told me to call her in an hour if my contractions increased or stopped. The moment she walked out the door, my contractions intensified and I desperately wanted to move out of that position to find one that relieved the pain. Chris laid with me and encouraged me as I squeezed his hands.
We called Cheryl back around 11 P.M. Her assistant Melanie checked my dilation because I had been shaking uncontrollably. I was only 4 centimeters. They suggested I take a warm shower to help with the pain. Chris rocked and moaned and grunted with me as the warm water hit my back. I would have stayed in the shower longer, but I felt this need to address my "guests". When we got out, I realized they had already made themselves comfortable with pillows on the floor, prepared to stay all night. Chris rocked and moaned with me standing and bouncing on the birth ball and sitting on the bed. With each change in position, the contractions got stronger, but never unbearable. The lights were off except for the hall light and the room was quiet and tranquil. The focus was on me, and my only focus was on breathing through the contractions. Each hour, Melanie listened to the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler. Cheryl had been feeling sick and regretfully called for a substitute. This was the first birth that she had ever left. Rachel, who had trained Cheryl, came to replace her and attend my birth. I had never met Rachel before and greeted her with small talk between moans and rocks. I had met some of her previous clients, however, and they all referred to her fondly. I trusted her. I took another shower, then asked if I could try the birth pool. Concerned that the pool might slow my contractions, she checked my dilation. I was at 6 centimeters. I got in the pool around 3 A.M. Kneeling over the side of the pool and holding Chris's hands, I rocked through my labor with my eyes shut, completely unaware of the world around me. Someone brought me a plate of fruit and cheese and a glass of lemonade. Around 5 A.M., Chris got my mom to replace him while he took a nap. Before going to bed, he called his parents and told them to start heading up. At 5:30, my water broke.
This bursting sensation surprised me and I opened my eyes to find the whole room transformed. Someone had gotten my birth kit and prepared the room for Corbin's arrival. Flannel backed vinyl table cloths and chucks pads were spread across our bed and our sterilized towels were close at hand. The midwives also had an array of medical equipment prepared. I asked someone to wake up my husband and soon I was clutching both my mom's hand and his. I was encouraged to push, but didn't feel the intense need to. I pushed anyway. Soon, the pushing became painful, then very painful. I could feel the pressure of my baby's head coming through my vagina. It felt like a bowling ball. I thought, there is no way something this big is going to come out of me. I just can't do it. "You are doing it," came Rachel's voice, "You have to." Melanie mentioned something about visualization, but I couldn't visualize anything but a gigantic baby stretching me to breaking point. I got out of the pool to see if another position would be easier. I tried squatting while Chris held my arms. I had to stand up between each contraction to catch my breath. Someone suggested a side-lying position on the bed. As my baby crowned, I reached down and felt his head. I could feel his hair and his wrinkles. I also felt my skin stretching to its max. At some point in here, my in-laws showed up, but I don't remember them. Chris's mom stayed in the room, while his dad decided to take the dogs for a walk after hearing me cry out. Rachel felt around Corbin's head and discovered the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck twice. She had me get on all fours to finish pushing, a position that felt much better anyway. I felt his head slide down and out. With one more great push, the rest of him slipped out with ease.
They laid him beside me and wiped him down with the sterilized towels while they suctioned his nose and mouth with the bulb syringe. He wasn't breathing. I had seen enough live births to know that this is common and I wasn't worried. Chris was crying, though, and the midwives told me to talk to my baby. I was awe struck and it took me a moment to find my voice. I rubbed his pink chest and said "Hey, Baby." He gurgled a few times as they worked on him. Then, he began to cry. The moment I knew he was OK, I looked down and saw how much blood I had lost. Too much.
Corbin was born at 7 A.M. in our bed, and weighed all of 8 pounds, 3 ounces. The rest of the day, I spent passed out or in a dazey wake. I had 4 stitches for a small tear. Melanie pushed me to drink fluids and Chris's mom made me some scrambled eggs. I was told to eat lots of iron and drink plenty to restore my blood supply. I don't remember nursing Corbin for the first time. I remember my father in-law coming in to see the baby and kissing me and saying he was proud of me. Chris's brother also came up at some point. Our moms made us some meatloaf for dinner that night and Chris and I ate in bed with our sleeping newborn between us. He was beautiful and perfect. I don't regret a moment of my birth and I am proud of my self that I had him naturally and at home.
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