Frankie's Birth Story

I started having contractions on Monday 5/1 after breakfast (around 9 am) about 30 minutes apart. By noon, they were every 10-20 minutes. But they never got very strong.

My husband, Ron, was home for the day. We took our almost three-year-old daughter Cami skating at the ice arena and did a few errands: grocery shopping, Wal-Mart, post office, etc.

We went home and had a late lunch. I took a bath and had a glass of wine. (To see if the contractions would stop.) Just hung out and tried to rest and relax in case this was the real thing and I needed my energy later. I had a late dinner and went to bed around midnight and everything just stopped.

I started having contractions again Tuesday morning. (This very early stage of labor can last for days!) I managed to take two naps. And still slept good that night!

Contractions started again Wednesday morning. They kept getting longer and stronger. But they'd go away when I'd lie down and rest. Started feeling a little antsy, but not frustrated yet. We decided to just hang out and let things happen -- or not. We're not going to actively try to start labor yet. It'll happen when it happens. Of course, a few more days and I might change my mind.

By Wednesday afternoon, I was getting REALLY cranky. Cami was very good today, but she still needs me. And every time I'd sit up or get off the couch, I'd have a contraction. So we took a little walk. Then we came home and had a bath and a glass of wine. Contractions continued all evening until I went to sleep.

Contractions started again Thursday morning. We had an appointment at the midwives that afternoon. The baby has been in position for weeks. I'd been having contractions for four days and the non-stress test showed the baby was tolerating them well. They kept getting stronger
each day, which was good. But they just weren't productive enough for labor. I was dilated to almost 2 cm and 40% effaced. So I was really ready to go anytime.

I just have an "irritable" uterus that contracts over every little thing. And these nonproductive contractions could wear out my uterus before the work of true labor starts. So my midwives wanted me on bed rest to stop ALL contractions for at least 48 hours. This would give my uterus a chance to rest and be ready for the work ahead. If I was successful at stopping the contractions for the weekend, I had my midwives' blessing to kick-start labor any way I'd like come Monday.
(If I wanted to.)

Unfortunately, the only way I could get the contractions to stop entirely was to lie down and really rest. Almost to the point of napping! Every time I'd get up (or even sit up!), I ended up having contractions. Now I was getting tired, cranky and frustrated that I couldn't take care of Cami.

On Friday night, I wasn't thinking and got in the shower. When the water hit my chest, I started contracting like mad. So I didn't think it'd take much to get me going.

By Saturday morning, I'd gone 36+ hours without many contractions. I had to severely limit Cami's nursing. She only got about 15-20 minutes at the breast on Friday. She was pretty understanding -- except at 3 am!

We planned to try to kick-start labor on Sunday evening. Otherwise I would have had to stay on bed rest to keep from having contractions. On Saturday night, Ron put Cami to bed. I was hiding in the family room so she wouldn't want to nurse. At 11:30 pm, I was sitting in Ron's recliner reading and my water broke. I almost floated away from the flood! I called upstairs and told Ron. Then I called my mom, midwife and doula. I made a bed on the family room floor and tried to get some sleep.

I was able to get some rest. The contractions continued to get longer, stronger and closer together. My parents got here from St. Louis at 5 am and we all slept until about 8 am. Then we finished packing and I took a shower. At 11 am, my midwife Gayle suggested we head in to the hospital. Then we wouldn't have to make the hour-long drive with me in hard labor.

We arrived at the hospital a little before noon. My contractions were 8 minutes apart, 60 seconds long, but not really strong. We went to triage, but I wouldn't let them put me in the same room we had for Cami's birth three years ago. (We spent 4 hours in there that day!) The triage nurse checked me and I was dilated to 3.5 cm.

Unfortunately, both ABC (Alternative Birthing Center) rooms were occupied. Although both moms had already delivered, there weren't any postpartum rooms free to move them into. So if I was admitted, I'd be put in a regular room. And my labor was still not really active. So we decided (with Gayle's input via phone) to leave the hospital and come back around 3 pm. We planned to get some lunch and try to get labor going by walking and nursing Cami.

We left the hospital around 1:30 pm and went to lunch. But I couldn't sit down. So I'd pick up a piece of my chicken quesadilla and nibble while I paced the restaurant. (The waitress about flipped when she heard that I was in labor!) My mom took FOREVER to eat, as always.
Finally, I said that we needed to get back to the hospital. No one moved, so I announced that I'd just walk myself! Well, that got them going!

We met my doula, Pam, in the lobby a little after 3 pm. I sat down to nurse Cami. When I couldn't stand it any longer, I'd ask her to stop and she'd go play. Then I'd call her back to get things going again. (I didn't want to go back upstairs until I was sure they couldn't send me away again!)

We went back up around 3:30 pm and were sent right to an ABC room. We got to skip triage! Pam helped set up a play corner for Cami. My parents settled in at the table off on the far side of the room. I changed into my nightgown and tried to find comfortable positions for laboring. I liked lunging while pressing my hands against the wall. Cami ran around the room playing.

Gayle arrived at 4 pm. Cami kept cheering for me, "Go mommy! Go mommy!" Ron let me grip his arms, but I didn't want him touching me during contractions. By 4:30 pm I had moved to the queen-size bed, up on my hands and knees. My parents took Cami outside to blow bubbles.
At 5 pm, they came back to the room. I was thinking that I can't do this anymore. And I couldn't remember why I didn't want drugs. LOL!

Gayle checked me at 5:10 pm and I was 10 cm with anterior lip. I couldn't believe it! At 5:15 pm, I start pushing. (Finally, had bloody show with the first push.) But on my hands and knees, I was pushing uphill. So I moved to lie on my side and they set up the mirror so I could see. That was great motivation! Cami, Pam and my mom were at my side. (My dad stayed WAY on the other side of the room.) Ron, Gayle and the nurse were at my feet. Ron got to deliever the baby while Gayle talked him through it.

Ron lifted the baby up right into my hands. I announced, "It's a boy!" Cami said, "It's so cute!" He was born at 5:28 pm on Sunday 5/7 with the cord around his neck and a hand up on his cheek. The baby went right to the breast, but wouldn't latch on. I had bleeding that wouldn't stop, so was given Pitocin. And had one stitch to repair a very small tear.

Cami and Ron got on the bed with us. And Cami held her baby brother for the first time. He started nursing a little later. Gayle left right away to get to attend a birth in the next room. Pam left to go home and my parents took Cami to get dinner. Once we were alone, Ron and I decided to name our son Francis Daniel. Later, Ron took Frankie to the nursery to be measured and weighed. He was 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 19 inches long.

Later that evening, Cami and Frankie napped together on the bed while Ron and I ate dinner. My parents took Cami back to our house and spent the night with her. (Our first night apart!) The next day, we tandem nursed for the first time. And were discharged that evening.