UBAC Birth Story of Leonardo Alfredo

 

On Sunday morning we woke up on my husbands day off, it was super sunny and warm with the birds chirping- spring is near. I am 41 + 6 days pregnant and today feels like the day. Around 10 am I start feeling intense pressure directly in my cervix. They come every 10-15 mins, I knew this was the start. We decided to run to Target to walk around an run by the post office. The whole time we went my pressure in my cervix stayed consistent- I was getting excited. We came home and my toddler and I planted 5 sets of seeds for our garden. We chilled as we patiently waited for things to progress.

 

Around 7 pm I realized I was starting to moan through contractions and got nausea- I knew I was entering active labor after a chill 10 hours of early labor. Now that I knew tonight was the night I started to make babys birthday cake with my toddler. Every couple minutes I had to breathe through a contraction. There was no pain in my uterus at all, all contractions just felt like a painful pressure in cervix. After the cake was done I put my toddler to sleep and hopped in the shower. I let my husband sleep and I labored alone through the night, switching from the shower to the bed and sleeping inbetween surges. I would vomit after each contraction which was worse than the contractions themselve. I ended up waking up my husband and he would rub my back and we would fall asleep between surges. The sun started to rise and I couldnt believe the night was over and baby wasnt here yet.

 

My contractions slowed down to give me a break when my toddler woke up. I was exhausted and knew my body just was resting before things were going to pick up. My husband encouraged me to move around and told me that baby would be here by noon if I get in a good mindset. At 9 am I started to squat against the oven and deeply breathe/moan in a squat during each contraction. These were starting to really hurt but I knew we had to be getting close. My husband told me I was losing mucus plug! Finally! I wiped and it kept getting bloodier! This was a boost I needed. Contractions started to come on top of each other! I knew I was close to meeting my baby. I was being quite verbal in the kitchen leaning on my yoga ball while in transition.

 

I glance into the living room to see my toddler had put himself down for a nap while Im moaning/mooing my head off feet away lol. I started to get really shakey and told my husband to start the bath. We went to the bathroom and I started pushing in the tub. I was NOT waiting for FER to kick in and was really wanting baby out. I screamed and pushed and was so uncomfortable having no stablilty in the tub and it was stalling my labor (water did the same with my first birth as well). I got out of the tub and squated during my next contraction and my water broke! The water was so perfectly clear!

 

Such relief came with it, I knew baby was right there. I squated holding myself up on my sons potty chair and the bath tub. My husband could reach in and feel babys hair! He never stopped encouraging me. I pushed with each contraction screaming profanities at the top of my lungs. I had never felt such intense firey pain before as I felt with baby in my birth canal. I screamed "I can't do it, fuck fuck shit" so many times as I did indeed doing it! I was getting so close! My toddler wakes from his nap and opens the bathroom door- he leans in on daddys back and looks into my vagina as I scream louder than I ever have in my life lol. He then asks daddy for a cup of cereal. We tell him to watch dinos and we will be out in a second and so he went. I hopped back in the tub only for contractions to 100% stop. I quickly get out of the tub and lean up against the tub on my knees.

 

I push and baby is finally offically crowning!! I push but my contractions werent lasting as long as I wanted them too. Finally I push and babys head comes out! Worst pain of my life, like being ripped in half with heat. I thought baby was completely born! My husband says he needs my help and I think he means to pass me baby. I lift my leg and start screaming as I think my husband is touching my vagina only to realize its babys head hanging out! Holy ouch. I change into squating position as I hold onto the bath and I push and feel the pressure of babys shoulders. I push one last hard time and baby's shoulders pop out and the whole body slides out into my hands. A huge gush of blood and amniotic fluid instantly follow and bring so much relief! Im holding my slippery baby and go to unwrap the cord from around their arm, as I pull the cord down their little leg swings open and I see a penis! I tell my husband its a boy!!

 

We thought a girl the whole time, big brother will be so excited! The cord seems short and is adding discomfort on my lady bits. I sit in the tub holding my instantly alert crying bloody fresh and new baby! I couldnt believe I had actually done it! I was just in shock from all that vaginal birth was- so intense. I was so proud of myself, the whole labor I trusted my body to progress and birth my baby and had zero fear. I knew baby was safe the whole time. It felt so amazing to not have any fear during birth, even with the pain. Baby weighed approximately 7 lbs 2 oz & measured 20" long.  Born at approx 5:04 pm after 31 hours of labor from first contraction. I think I only felt contractions in my cervix and not uterus because I drank RRL tea religiously from the start of my 2nd trimester. My uterus didnt feel any pain! 

 

*Backstory: My firstborn I was put under for an "emergency" c section after a birth center transfer for "not progressing". His labor was started with a membrane sweep at 41 + 4 days. I was full of fear for his birth and when I was terrified of losing him for no reason. The midwives transfered me for "failing to progress" and at the hospital the pushed epidural lead to my sons heart rate dropping and them rushing for a c section after 31 hours. Luckily I analyzed his birth and realized my interventions caused his birth to turn the way it did so I was able to have a healing UP/UBAC with baby #2! It felt amazing to not check my dilation and just trust the flow of labor to naturally unfold. To know my body was made to grow and birth my baby. It felt beyond amazing to get to catch my baby and hold him to me instantly- my firstborn I didnt see til he was 3 hours old. Only 1 week postpartum and I'm forgetting the pain and totally looking forward to my next freebirth!