Autumn’s Birth Story

You were due in on March 6th, 2018, so we were surprised when I started showing signs of impending labor on February 23rd! I had hoped you would be on time, or late, but you had other plans in mind and couldn’t wait that long.

On Sunday, February 25th, we started to feel like it was likely that you were going to be joining us soon. I was showing more and more signs that your birth was on the horizon. We tried to have a normal day, and took your brother swimming at the rec center. That afternoon, I had my first contractions, and we became sure you were coming in the next day or two! We had a calm afternoon/evening at home, during which time I had contractions off and on. After your brother went to bed, I took a warm bath and went to sleep. The contractions continued to be somewhat sporadic, going on for an hour or so, then dying down, until about 11:00pm when I wasn’t able to sleep anymore because they were getting more and more painful. We called our doula, Kyla, and our midwife, Angela, to give them both the heads up that we’d probably be heading to the birth center soon! About an hour later, around midnight, we made the call to go in. My contractions were pretty consistent, but still manageable, but we opted to go in on what felt like the early side of things at the time. As soon as we decided to head in, things started to pick up and my contractions got more intense. We were glad we decided to go in when we did!

We got to the birth center around 1:00am. Angela checked your positioning to confirm you were still head down (we didn’t want a repeat of your brother’s birth!), and you were.  I laid in bed for a bit before getting in the bathtub, where I stayed until you were born.

I labored in the tub for a while with things feeling somewhat slow, and wondered if we had come in too soon. But things started progressing quickly and suddenly, and after an intense puking session, I was clearly about to give birth!! I roared and growled and screamed through the intense final stage of labor, after which you made your appearance pretty much on your own! I really made no overt effort to push you out. You and my body just kind of did it! I think you surprised us all with how quickly you appeared, and before we knew it, you were here! Born in the water at 3:38am on Monday, February 26th. 

After you were born, I held you in the tub while they cleaned you up a bit, and then we moved to the bed. You had some gunk in your lungs and nose that made it so you weren’t crying as loud as they wanted, so there was a brief moment of concern regarding your breathing, but in the end you were just fine and you gave us some nice, big cries.  

After some snuggling, you nursed for the first time, and then you got all checked out by the nurse. Weighed, measured, looked over, etc. You weighed 7 lbs, 4 oz, and were 20 1/4 inches long. 

After that you and I got back in the bathtub for a nice relaxing soak, where you peacefully slept. 

After bathttime, it was time to get dressed and nurse again, before getting the green light to go home! We left the birth center around 8:30am, and headed home to meet your big brother and Grandma, who were there waiting for you. 

And that’s the story of how you entered the world, Miss Autumn Ann. Welcome to our family!