Brontë's Birth story

Here is the story of Brontë's birth. I wrote much of it during & shortly after my labour, then took forever to finish it off. I decided I might as well post it on the anniversary of the day I went into labour (Spoiler alert! this is not the day she was born).

Yup, we even carshare when we're having babies.

On Thursday, September 5th, I woke up around 6 am to some contractions which started to get stronger, to the point I needed to do deep breathing through them. Definitely not just Braxton-Hicks. I saw blood-tinged mucous when I went to the bathroom several times after that, which told me she was on her way. I started timing contractions, which were irregular,  but around 10 minutes apart & a minute long.

Once I got up, had breakfast & got going on a labour project--juice packing pears for freezing. During the day, things slowed right down & the contractions got less strong & farther apart. I found myself getting easily annoyed by Linnaeus, the landscapers across the street, the construction noise in the back of our house.

At BC Women's with Midwife Traci.

Oli picked up a car at noon, which we booked until midnight Friday, thinking that should be plenty of time. My labour with Linnaeus was under eight hours from when I woke up with contractions, so I was expecting to be holding a baby sometime later that evening.

Tired after doing all the hot work with the pears, I laid down to read in bed. Fell asleep in a few pages & slept well for an hour. I woke up to nearly no contractions--just crampy achiness around my waist. Hungry too. The neighbourhood had quieted down, but my seriously noisy three-year-old was really annoying me now.

Contractions continued to be on & off, still kind of painful, needing deep breathing to get through them picking up in the evening & continuing through the night. I got a few stretches of an hour or a half hour of sleep at a time. Disheartened, frustrated & emotional the logistics were also still bugging me--our car booking expired at midnight & could only be extended until 5am Saturday. I decided to get up around 7:30 for a shower & by early afternoon, with my contractions still not really progressing, I paged my midwives.

Oli on barf bucket/fan & cool wet cloth duty.

Traci came over an hour or so later to check me & the baby. Blood pressure, heart rate--everything was fine. But I was only 4-5 cm dilated, which, for an 'experienced' mom, is still early labour. So Traci suggested I have a good meal, take some gravol & have a shower, then go straight to bed for a few hours' nap. Hopefully my labour would get going in the evening. She left us with the recipe & an ingredient to make a 'labour cocktail' to help things along just in case.

We finally decided to switch cars, thinking that we'd need one possibly through Saturday. I checked the Modo site & discovered another vehicle just a few blocks from the one we had that was available right through the weekend. Oli left to return the first & pick up the second. Shortly after he left, I laid down on our bed for a minute when I hit transition. My contractions just suddenly got intense & much closer together. I was pacing the house, hanging onto the door frames when I called Oli & told him to GET. HOME. NOW.

Staying upright was instinctual during both births.

I called the midwife & our doula photographer, Jackie. When talking to Traci on the phone, she asked me if we were going to make it to Women's or if she should come to the house. I hesitated for a while & said we'd make it to the hospital. In the throes of full-on labour, but not getting the urge to push yet, I thought we had time. Jackie made it to our house just as we were packing up the car (luckily she lives very close by) & we drove off through the bumpy Tea Swamp streets towards BC Women's Hospital.

We parked the car at 5:25pm & got ourselves into the admitting where we met Traci & I scribbled a vague semblance of my signature on two forms. We were rushed into a room as I grunted, "I want to push". Traci checked my cervix when we got in & I was nearly there. I paced the room, going from toilet to leaning on Oli to leaning on the raised bed, moaning & trying to breathe deeply. After a few minutes, hot & sweaty, I threw off the last piece of clothing I was wearing. I started wanting to push & bore down a bit as I was holding Oli's shoulders. It was at that point that my water broke in a big gush all over the floor & Oli's shoes. Just like in the movies. I remember being delighted to have experienced the drama of it, not to mention the relief of the pressure for a moment, & being happy that the fluid all over my legs & feet & the floor was clear--nothing to worry about.

More or less the position B was born in.

My memories are a bit disconnected, but I know that at 6pm the midwives changed shifts. Andrea arrived & said hello, but Traci decided to stay because she knew it wouldn't be long.

I then moved over to the bed & decided to kneel on it, leaning on the raised back. I think it was at this point that I told the nurse I needed to vomit & was handed a small cardboard container, which I filled quickly. She scrambled to get me a large bowl & after a few times through, I'd emptied my stomach & was fine. I started to push in earnest with each contraction & felt the burning feeling of the baby's head stretching my body. The warm compresses that the midwife applied helped. I remember smiling a lot because I knew she was going to be here soon. Just after her head was born, I felt the midwife moving the baby around as she came out. I remember thinking this was a bit odd, as they'd just let Linnaeus slide out naturally.

She was here! My sweet girl was here! The midwife handed the baby through my legs, she & the nurse helped me turn around on the bed so I could hold the slippery little thing. Her cord was a little short, so she had to stay on my tummy until the placenta was born & her cord was cut. The midwife soon explained the manoeuvring: Brontë's hand was on the side of her head as she was born. Thankfully, our capable midwife, Andrea, was able to manipulate baby to avoid her shoulder getting stuck or damaged. The placenta came without much fuss, beautifully intact with the amniotic sac attached. Once the cord stopped pulsing, which took quite a while, actually, Oliver cut it & our wee girl could come up higher for her first breastfeeding.

Still euphoric after B's arrival.

She latched on like a pro & had a short feed before we went upstairs to the room where we'd stay the night. I had originally wanted to leave the hospital as soon as I could & recover in the comfort of home, but we were advised to stay. Baby's Apgar scores were great & she was doing everything that she should, but the midwife noticed something odd about her bum. A pediatrician was soon in the room, examining my little girl in closer detail. The doctor seemed satisfied, but recommended that we see the pediatric surgeon before we leave about a strange bump she had on her skin. *

Linnaeus had been staying with our friends for over a day, so Oli went home to collect him. I stayed with baby Brontë in the hospital that night, sleeping relatively well, spending a lot of time staring at her as she lay in the little clear plastic bassinet or with me in the bed. The surgeon visited us the next day, took a look at baby B & said fairly nonchalantly that the oddity on her bum should resolve in a week or so & to call his office for a checkup in a month or so. Reassured, I focussed on the visits from my parents, Linnaeus' first meeting with his new sister & the midwife, who discharged us less than 24 hours after we arrived at BC Women's.

Despite the length of my early labour & the fact that baby girl was in what I've since learned was compound presentation when she popped out, Brontë's birth was a positive experience for me. I was able to give birth without any pain medication again, moving as much as I wanted to, & following my body's cues. I was only in active labour for about two hours, & pushed for just ten minutes. Though her hand may have caused the tearing I experienced, I healed well, & was back to my usual activities quickly after the birth.

I'm very grateful to have had two wonderful births at BC Women's attended by the capable midwives from The Midwifery Group on Main Street. If you're planning to have a baby, I urge you to consider a midwife as your care provider. From when I got the positive pregnancy test & made my first appointment to when they did the final 6 week newborn checkup, I received wonderful care.

I'd also like to thank Jackie Dives for the incredible images she captured of Brontë's birth. If you're considering birth photography, newborn photos or are looking for a doula, I recommend contacting Jackie. Take a look at her website for more of her work.




* The bump & a couple of other things were actually red flags that indicated that Brontë had a tethered spinal cord. I think that most of the medical professionals we dealt with at BC Women's knew this when she was born, but didn't mention it because it needed confirmation with imaging later. Probably also because they knew we didn't need the added stress in her first few weeks, since it's not a life threatening issue. For more on her spine, I've also blogged about it here.

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She's Here!

Our little daughter was born yesterday evening! She's 7 lbs, 13.5 oz, a chubby little thing with brown hair & a hearty appetite. We have yet to figure out a name...

Early labour was about 34 hours--a bit tiring--but active labour was under two hours. She & I are both doing really well.

More on the whole birth story a bit later for those of you who want the details. :)

You Can Help Mothers & Babies in Africa with Shanti Uganda

During the last days of my pregnancy & into my labour when Sprout was on his way, I never felt afraid. I'd had attentive prenatal care from my well-trained team of midwives, the trip to nearby BC Women's Hospital was quick in a Modo car with my husband & our doula. At the hospital, my midwife Laura & the maternity nurses were able to focus on my care & helped assist me to what I consider to be a fantastic birth experience.

My memories of the last hours of labour are a little fuzzy because I was able to focus inward while I did the work of pushing that baby out. After the birth, my midwife Laura quickly & painlessly gave me a few necessary stitches which dissolved as I healed within days. We chose to stay overnight at the hospital where I was fed, clothed & provided with everything I needed. When we left BC Women's we were feeling nervous about suddenly having an actual baby to take care of, but I was focussed on breastfeeding, sleep, diapers, not risk of infection.

Chances are, if you're a woman who gave birth in North America, you have something in common with me: you received timely care from well-trained professionals & medical intervention when needed. You, like me, probably don't have any friends who died in childbirth.

Let's contrast our experiences to the mothers of Uganda, in rural areas particularly. Desperately short of trained health care professionals, Uganda can offer little prenatal care to most women. Currently many women in the community have no access to medical support when complications arise during the birth process. By the time they make their way on the back of a bumpy motorcycle ride to the closest clinic, it is often too late. 

Don't forget, this is also in the context of the African HIV epidemic. According to the UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic 2010, about 6.5% of Uganda's adult population is infected with HIV.  (For comparison Canada, the CIA World Factbook reports a rate of 0.4%.) What's particularly disturbing to me is that 18% of new HIV cases in Uganda are transmitted from mother to child. This is very often preventable with proper medical care.

Now that you know a bit more about what birth is like for many women in Uganda, are you interested in helping to change the situation? Here's how: Become a Birth Partner with Shanti Uganda.

A little background on Shanti Uganda:

Kim Ridgewell & Natalie Angell began with a vision to bring the healing power of yoga & conscious birth to communities experiencing trauma in Uganda. They created Shanti Uganda, beginning with workshops for Ugandan youth, continuing education workshops for midwives & supporting an existing women's income-generating group. Within a year they expanded, establishing a new women's group & graduating 28 HIV-positive women. Between 2008 & 2009, Shanti Uganda ran multiple birth education workshops for midwives, provided over 100 Safe Birth Kits, graduated over 28 HIV positive women from their savings & craft training program as well as establishing a reusable menstrual pad distribution program. In 2009--with the financial support of Off The Mat Into The World--they constructed the Shanti Uganda Birth House & Learning Centre in Nsaasi village where they are now working towards the long term goal of reducing maternal & infant mortality in Uganda.

Shanti Uganda’s Founder & Executive Director Natalie Angell-Besseling has seen the difference that the Birth House makes in the lives of mothers & children. She says, “Over 100 women die giving birth in Uganda every week. Not only is Shanti Uganda providing a safe, empowering environment for women to give birth, but we are defying these statistics & creating a new norm for birthing women in Uganda. Of the over 100 women who have given birth at our centre in our almost two years of operation, 100% have left healthy, happy & supported by our dedicated team of midwives.”

Now you know a little about the organization, here's how you can help: Become a Birth Partner!

With a severe shortage of doctors across Africa & access to care very limited in rural areas, 1 in 22 women die during childbirth. At the Shanti Uganda Birth House & Clinic in the rural Luweero District of Uganda, their dedicated team of six trained Ugandan midwives are the key to improving birth outcomes & reducing maternal & infant mortality rates in Uganda, but they need your help.

The Shanti Uganda Birth Partners program is a monthly donation that is used to provide consistent care to expectant mothers & their babies in rural Uganda throughout pregnancy and birth by providing:

· 24/7 midwifery care
· Pre & post natal nutrition, education & yoga classes
· All lab tests
· Sterile equipment & birth supplies

How much does it cost to become a Birth Partner?

· $100 per month supports the birth of two babies/month

· $50 per month supports the birth of one baby/month
· $25 per month supports the birth of one baby every two months

Why regular donations?

Becoming a Birth Partner enables Shanti Uganda to provide consistent levels of support and care for pregnant and birthing women in rural Uganda. These regular donations require the least amount of administrative costs, allowing Shanti Uganda to stretch every dollar to help as many women as possible. Monthly donations also help give Shanti Uganda the confidence to invest in long term projects like the Birth House.

Help babies have the best start to life: Become a Birth Partner Today!

Two years old!

Exactly two years ago, at 9:51am, Sprout popped into the world & my life hasn't been the same since. :)

Decorating the loot bags for his birthday party.

Can't see the forest for the trees

I just went to a baby shower yesterday & now that I think of it, I've got a few friends who are at various stages of pregnancy at the moment. It seems like 80% of my social circle has had kids in the past two years or will have one this year. I've been thinking about labour & birth lately as a consequence. It seems to me that many women focus a lot of their energy on learning about & planning for the birth. This doesn't really make sense, because aside from the fact that your memories of it will last a lifetime, it's such a small part of parenting. If you're lucky like I was, it'll only be eight hours. I'm pretty sure I spent at least double that amount of time in prenatal classes & who knows how many hours reading about birth beforehand. I wish I'd spent half as much time learning about breastfeeding as I did about birth--feeding Sprout (at first) was way harder than pushing him out.

That said, birth is an emotionally huge milestone to pass. When I was talking it over with Oli, I started to realize that focussing on the temporariness of labour & birth is a powerful coping mechanism. It was something I think our prenatal instructor emphasized: just get through the labour one contraction at a time. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, but I think that when I was in the throes of a powerful contraction, knowing that it would be over in a minute or two helped. Recognizing the peak & then trough of each wave, rather than focussing on how much it hurt or how many more of them were to come was beneficial to me.

Talking to my midwife Laura Willinganz,
about six hours into labour.

I suppose all that reading & those prenatal classes did prepare me in the sense that I was confident in my body's ability to handle the pain & to push this little baby out. Learning as much as possible about normal birth made me less afraid. Fear makes pain so much more intense. I think that's why losing my first little baby, Arrow, at 18 weeks seemed so much more painful than giving birth to an eight-pound Sprout. The contractions I was feeling not quite halfway through my first pregnancy felt wrong & extremely scary; I remember it as excruciatingly painful.  My labour with Sprout, in comparison, was quite calm & although I did a lot of moaning near the end, I didn't cry or complain about the pain.

I think if any of the first time moms out there want some advice about birth, I'd say try to be in the mindset where you can't see the forest for the trees. Don't think about long you've already been in labour or worry about how many hours of contractions you have left to go, just breathe through them one at a time.

One year

Mama, Papa, moments-old Sprout & our midwife, Laura.

Exactly one year ago today, I was feeling contractions, but I thought they were just Braxton-Hicks, so I ignored them & went to bed. A couple of hours later, I was woken up by real contractions & just a few hours later, at 9:51am, Sprout was born. (The whole story is here, if you want to read it)

It's been an incredible year, full of challenges & huge joy. I feel completely different, yet somehow more me. I knew motherhood would change my life, & it's such a cliche, but I really didn't understand how much.

We had Sprout's big first birthday party on Sunday. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. Oli & I even managed to relax some of the time & there were no major mishaps. Visit my Picasa album to see the highlights.

How did the birth go?

I get asked this a lot, especially by my pregnant friends. So here's the story for you all to read...

Around 2am on Tuesday, August 10th, I woke up to contractions. Took me a few minutes to realize that they were not Braxton-Hicks, that this was it: labour. I finally woke Oliver up around 3am--he assumed I was in very early labour & tried to get me to go back to sleep, thinking we should rest for the long day ahead of us. I absolutely could not sleep or rest at that point, so I paged my midwife, Laura. She talked to me through a contraction or two & suggested a shower, which would slow my contractions down if it was just pre-labour. The hot water was soothing, but after four contractions in there, I realized things were not going to slow down.

I needed to start timing the contractions but I'd actually had trouble doing that before I spoke to Laura because I was expecting my belly to feel tight & then relax in between them. I didn't know when to start & stop the online timer. It felt hard all the time, the only change was the pain of each one. 

After about two more hours of pacing the house, sitting, standing, kneeling & timing contractions, they were around three to four minutes apart & mostly a minute long (the magical 4-1-1 rule) so I called our doula, Becka, who headed over to our house, & then the midwife again. Becka helped me keep breathing deeply through the contractions, provided massage, physical support & encouragement. I think she also spoke to the midwife on the phone about how I was doing. (A lot of details like that are difficult for me to remember because I was really starting to become focused inward, less & less aware of what was going on around me.)

We agreed to meet Laura at BC Women's. Oliver got our things ready, fed the cat & picked up a Co-op car to drive us to the hospital. I think he thought we still had a lot of time at this point, but as I was standing outside waiting for Oliver to lock up the house & unlock the car, I started getting the urge to push. I wondered if any of the neighbours heard me moaning outside--it was around 7am. Between intense contractions, I got into the back seat with Becka & Oliver drove us carefully to BC Women's. I remember thinking that the trip to the hospital often slows labour down a bit, so I stopped worrying I'd have the baby in the car & was able to relax (as much as you can when the strongest muscle in your body is squeezing for all it's worth every minute or two).

We got to the hospital around 7:30 & made our way in, pausing a few times for contractions between the car & the entry way. By this point I was getting pretty loud, 'moaning & toning' as our prenatal class instructor Aleks would say. I scribbled an approximation of my signature on a form & got my bracelets, then was whisked into the assessment area where my water broke, finally. The midwife checked to see how dilated I was. As she felt for my cervix she said, "Oh, hello, baby! Lisa, you're 10 centimetres!" The urge to push that I'd been trying to ignore on the way to the hospital was overwhelming. I was moved into a delivery room nearby on the main floor, rather than in Cedar, the 'fancy' ward upstairs because things were so advanced.

The next two hours are hazy, almost as if I had my eyes closed the entire time, though I know I didn't. I tried various positions--nothing was comfortable--but after trying sitting, squatting, kneeling, side-lying, standing & leaning on Oliver, Becka or the bed felt best. I know there were three different nurses with us at various times, but I doubt I could pick them out of a lineup now. I was totally focused on each contraction, visualizing how my body was opening up & how my baby moved as I pushed. Laura & the nurse spent a lot of that time crouched on the floor behind & below me, monitoring the baby's heartbeat intermittently, applying hot compresses, reassuring me that I was doing well & I was safe.

Just before 10am, I finally gave one last huge push, only realizing that his head was out when I felt my son's little body make a quarter turn inside me & then slide out. He let out a cry immediately & Laura passed him up between my legs & helped me get up onto the bed. I can't possibly describe the joy that I know Oliver & I both felt at that moment. Oliver even got over his aversion to all things blood-vessel-related & cut the umbilical cord himself.

The rest of the story is a bit less blurry in my memory, but I was so distracted by the fact that I was now holding my squirmy little Sprout in my arms, looking into his eyes, watching with amazement as he nuzzled around & started breastfeeding with surprisingly little help.

Delivering the placenta was a breeze, likely because I'd decided to go with an oxytocin shot in the leg when the baby crowned (didn't even feel the jab). Even getting a few stitches & learning that I had a second-degree tear couldn't distract me from the incredible high that I was on.

Sprout received his bracelets & then we were wheeled upstairs to a room in Dogwood, where the three of us stayed the night. We could have gone home that afternoon, but decided we might as well take advantage of the helpful staff, healthy meals & other services at BC Women's.

I had hoped to try a water birth, but I feel truly blessed that I had a quick labour & that I was able to manage the pain without any drugs at all. Throughout the entire eight hours I felt safe & supported by my midwife, doula, nurses & of course, Oliver. I have heard many 'horror stories' of birth: stressful, frightening, disappointing, alienating & even tragic experiences that left the mother scarred. I really want to put my story out there, particularly to mothers-to-be, as a counterpoint.