Birth story - Raena and baby boy

*Trigger warning* - use of the word contractions - not negative to me.

I previously used PBC Digital Pack for our first babe (Sept 2020) and also used it again for this baby! I reviewed several lessons and used the Freya app to time contractions! My previous birth was in the hospital, and PBC helped make it as positive as it could be… but this time I wanted a free birth - home birth!

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Each time I woke up throughout the night to pee I had light period cramps - but I couldn’t really tell if it was my round ligaments hurting or more like cramps. When I woke up to go pee around 5:30am Friday, I was still having mild period cramps along with my braxton hicks and lost part of my mucus plug… Maebelle woke up shortly after 6:30am and I told Josh I think I might be having baby today.

Around 7am I started timing my contractions with an app (Freya) while I got Maebelle and myself breakfast. I was scheduled to have my midwife appt at 9:30am, so I texted my midwife, Robin, to let her know what was happening. She didn’t think that I would have baby today so early (12 days early) when my first was 9 days late.

I managed to get Maebelle dressed and ready for daycare breathing through contractions and Josh left to drop her off shortly after 7:30am. Before he left he asked if he should set the pool up and I was like “no we probably have 5 hours at least (assuming labor might be half the time it was for Maebelle). He was going to swing by the post office so I also asked if he could stop to pick up paper towels too.

My contractions were 3-5 mins apart right off the bat lasting 30-50 seconds. By 8am, they were consistently 2-3 mins apart for 45-60 seconds.

I decided I should start a load of laundry (breastfeeding attire) in case this was really it. As I was walking down the stairs I had a contraction that caused me to really focus on my breathing and again while I was putting laundry in. When I got back upstairs I couldn’t talk or move at all during my contractions. I put on my Christian birth playlist and took a position of kneeling in front of the couch while putting my head down on it.

I texted Josh at 8:21am asking if he was almost home and he said he would be on his way in 7 mins. I told him I needed the pool and that I was dying lol and he said he would be home soon! I grabbed my yoga mat so my knees wouldn’t get sore and then decided I should probably start setting the pool up as things were progressing quickly.

I laid down a shower curtain and got the pool out in between contractions then realized I needed an extension cord to blow the pool up. I was thinking there is no way I can do this right now because the contractions were so intense. I then was thinking well maybe I could fill the bathtub, but then laid that idea to rest because one, I was worried there wouldn’t be enough hot water for the pool when josh got home and two, I couldn’t move. I propped up a few labor affirmation Bible verses in front of me because I was beyond weary and then attached my TENS unit to my mid and lower back.

A few minutes later, I had this immense pressure and at 8:35am, my water broke as I was kneeling and trying to breathe through a contraction. Since the OB broke my waters with Maebelle, I had no idea what to expect. It felt like a huge water balloon was bulging out of me and then it burst from the pressure. I managed to get my shorts off one of my legs at this point and also texted my midwife and Josh that my water broke.

Robin called right away and was like “what is happening?! When did your contractions really start?!” And I just said “hold on” as I put her on speaker and went through a contraction moaning and making noises like an animal lol… she asked “if anyone was home with me or if I could call someone” and I said “no, but Josh should be soon”… Robin could hear the worry and fear creeping in and immediately helped me return to green (calm/focused)… then with the next contraction, my body pushed out baby’s head… I looked down in complete amazement - I felt completely okay and was just baffled this was happening… I said something along the lines of “wow, this is so cool! I can’t believe this is happening!” And Robin asked “did baby come out?!” And I said “yeah, the head is!” And I knelt there touching the head just geeking out. Then Robin said “okay, with the next contraction the body will come” and sure enough with my next contraction, baby was born at 8:40am!

I continued kneeling for about 5 more mins and then my placenta came out. Josh walked through the door shortly after and was on the phone… so I go “honey… honey” to get his attention and was giving eyes to what was in my arms as I’m still in the same spot where I gave birth and he looked and finally connected the dots that I gave birth…he said “gotta go, I’ll call you back!” and hung up the phone. Turns out it was my dad that called asking if he could drop donuts off. Josh came over and I told him we had a baby boy!!! I asked him to grab some towels to lay down and a bowl to put the placenta in so we could move a little more and I just sat there completely blown away by what happened.

Right after that my dad walks in with donuts not realizing what he was walking into, just puts the donuts down on the banister and I was like “dad”, and he too connected the dots and I think was in more shock than me! About an hour later my midwife and her assistant showed up. They cleaned everything up, helped me shower, and did some checks on baby and I. Everything was good so they left us to be a little over 2 hours later.