Baby Rylan Arrived – My Delivery Story (Feb 13, 2019)

WARNING: This post contains graphic pictures and descriptions of childbirth, feelings and bodily fluids. Read at own discretion. Also, some information has been altered for privacy.

Many of us were awaiting for the birth of our baby #3. I was due February 10, 2019 and the day had come and gone. I started posting pictures to Facebook and Twitter how I was one day overdue, two days overdue. Thankfully, day three overdue never happen because our little man decided it was finally time to be welcomed into the world.

It was a normal Tuesday evening on the worst ice storm we had this year. The roads were extremely slippery, winds were gusting at an all time rate, and roads were closed all over the city. After watching a movie with my hubby, I decided to call it a night at 1am. Not thinking I could go into labour tonight! Well, I was very wrong.

At 3am I woke up feeling a massive pressure in my southern regions. The feeling of weight, or pressure. “This seems off,” I thought. I normally only ever felt this type of pressure when I was standing. Maybe I just need to go to the washroom. As I headed up the stairs I noticed my body started to tremble. I didn’t feel so good and I was super tired as I had only been sleeping for 2 hours. As my normal habit is to bring my phone with me to the washroom to keep me busy, I decided to message my sister-in-law and see if she was still up as she was normally awake till 4 or 5am. I told her I wasn’t feeling so great. Her response, “Baby soon?”. Of course, at this point, I had no idea what was actually occurring, but I was convinced this may be the night. I started to feel more pressure “down there” and decided to call my midwives to see if maybe they should come assess me. When I called, I was thinking I was done in the washroom and stood up. HOLY PRESSURE. Okay…so I needed to sit back down. The paging service came on the line...

Service: Paging service. How can I address your call?

Me: Can I have my midwife Paged please?

Service: Your name and number?

Me: (provided)

Service: What is the reason for your call?

Me:…… …….Um….I think I may be in labour???

Service: I’ll send out the page and have her call you.

So at this point I’m thinking, “Am I in labour? I can’t remember what it really felt like last time….I think I’ll treat this as a yes”. Remember….I’m in the washroom on the toilet and every time I try to stand up I get this rush of pressure. It doesn’t hurt, but I feel the need to sit back down.

Phone rings……

Me: Hello?

Midwife: Hey, so what is going on?

Me: I think I’m in labour? I’m on the toilet and I keep getting a rush of pressure when I go to stand up. I felt the pressure while I was sleeping thinking something is off and decided to try going to the washroom. I have the shakes and now I have loose bowels.

Midwife: If you feel you need to push, get OFF the toilet!

Me: Well, I don’t feel like I need to push or anything. I don’t even know if I’m actually in labour…..Oh….just hang on a sec…. (heavy breathing….while I have what I felt was a Braxton Hicks contraction)…… 1 minute later – Okay…yea…I don’t want you to come and this not be it.

Midwife: Do you have blood or anything yet?

Me: No I don’t. Just pooping a lot, the shakes and the pressure. I can’t get off the toilet.

Midwife: Okay, I’ll just get my things and be right over. Tonight may be the night!

We hung up the phone and my mind started to go all over. Tonight? Augh, I’ve only slept 2 hours. I want more sleep. I have a show I wanted to finish, my kids are sleeping, now I have to get things ready? Blah, alright, lets do this. (with a huge amount of hesitation and not being impressed)

Let me point out – When going into labour naturally, this is the one downfall. You have NO idea when or where it is going to happen and mine always seem to be the middle of the night.

I called for my husband downstairs where he was sleeping in our room. “John!……. John!………JOHN!……” No response. Thinking to myself you have GOT to be kidding me. Here I am stuck on the toilet and I need to have the birth pool ready and some things need to be moved. Just so happens we had a friend upstairs who I called and he came down.

Friend: What’s going on, are you okay?

Me: I think I’m in labour and I can’t wake John. Can you go fill the pool?

Said friend heads downstairs and yells at John three times to wake him up as he heads into the mechanical room to grab the hose to fill the pool. I finally had the ability to get off the toilet and head downstairs. I knew I needed to change into a different shirt and bra and set up the birthing ball to lean on.

As I headed down the stairs I see John sitting up all in a daze…I’m pretty sure he had no idea what was going on or if he even registered what was happening.

Me: John….are you ready?

John: What?…..

Me: I think I’m in labour and “friend” is getting the pool ready.

John: Okay….(as he proceeds to get up and get dressed)

As our friend was in the process of filling the pool, I was setting up the birthing ball and blankets and John was moving a few things around so the midwives would have room to set up their equipment. To ensure I was ready for them to check me when they got in I removed my bottoms….well, there was the blood she asked me about earlier…. YEP I’m 100% in labour, now how long before they can get here. I got on my hands and knees and leaned on the birthing ball.

Me: I need a bowl or something under me….I have the poops and it’s loose. I need something under me! (Yes…this totally happens – so far every birth I have)

John: (Gets a bowl and puts a grocery shopping bag in it and slides it between my legs)

A little history – My first daughter who is now 7 was two days early from my delivery date on the hottest day of the year. I had her in 3 hours and 35 minutes around 6:08am successfully in a birthing pool. – My second daughter who is now 5 was two weeks and one day late and was born on the worst snowstorm of the year. As she was super stubborn, I went to the hospital to have my water broken, signed a waiver and drove BACK home. As this was such a bad storm, my midwife had got stuck behind a car accident and when I called her for a status ETA she told me she would be around 20 minutes. I needed to get on my hands and knees and Keagle the baby in every contraction to delay birth. That labour was 1 hour and 25 minutes and baby girl #2 was born around 1:25pm successfully in the birth pool at home – Baby #3, an ice storm? I had a feeling this would happen….I keep thinking if I was to have a baby #4 I would expect a flood!~

Once again, I called my midwife and told her I was in labour 100% and wanted to know how long she would be….she told me about 15 minutes…(You are kidding!!!) So….I got on all fours, butt in the air and started to Keagle every contraction to keep baby in. Now…I had no idea how far dilated I was, but I knew I was at least 3cm from my internal the day before. But how long was I going to last keeping this baby in?

Because I was able to have the birth at home, in advance I had already discussed with two of my friends and my sister-in-law to come to the birth. My one friend used to be a Doula and she had been with me in my previous births for my two girls. I could not have got through labour without this amazing woman. However, she had retired, but still agreed to be there for me because we both knew what an amazing connection we both have. Well…now that my labour had started, I had already told my sister-in-law to come right away and I called my one friend Sarah.

Me: (Phoning Sarah)

Sarah: Hello? (keep in mind this is around 3:30am and she had to work the next day.

Me: Hey, so I think I’m in labour. Can you come over now?

Sarah: Yeah, I just have to get ready and I’ll head over. Do you want me to stop and get you a coffee or anything?

Me: No….it’s okay. Just come here quick. (WHAT??? COFFEE??? I was thinking…I knew my previous labours were super quick….do NOT stop for coffee…)

Sarah: Okay, I’ll be right there.

FYI ~ I had found out after the birth my one midwife was thinking of getting coffee too prior to her arrival! Good thing she didn’t.

With each contraction I Keagled. I did this for 30 minutes. Thankfully, due to the help of my husband, he was able to do a “hip compression” where he pushes on my hips during each contraction and it helps tremendously with the pain. Then the midwives showed up. If I’m not mistaken, I had called a few of my friends that wanted to be there for the birth and I think my sister-in-law got there before everyone! Finally, the midwives arrived and they set up as quick as they could. All the while, my friend was still in the process of filling the pool.

Then I realized!!!! I forgot to call my other friend who used to be a doula!!! I quickly dialed her and told her to come quick. My labour had started. She said she would leave right away. Because this was all happening so quick, some of this is a bit of a blur.

Once the midwives had set up a bit of their equipment, I was assessed and was already at 8cm. All of this had occured in under 45 mintues.

After being checked, I leaned back on the birthing ball on all fours. Rocking my hips back and forth. Breathing through each contraction with everything I had. My last birth, I found a breathing method that works excellent for me by taking a breath, making a super small hole with my lips like you are about to blow a bubble and pushing the air out of my mouth hard, but super slow. The contractions were super close and already lasting a minute and I already felt like I had to push! But what about the birthing pool? I was supposed to get into the pool after I was around 8cm to deliver the baby….Well, the water was too cold to deliver the baby in and the amount of time they would of needed to get it warm enough was too long. So, for my first time ever, I decided to forfeit the pool to deliver on the floor! The contractions continues for another few minutes… Then it happened….my water broke! (We are almost at the finish line!)

Me: My water just broke….

Midwife: I don’t think that was your water, I think you just peed a little….

Me: I’m sure that was my water. I could feel it break inside…

Midwife: (looks at the bowl under me and see’s the liquid is clear)….

The midwives advised me I can push when I feel ready I just need to let them know. I was able to put about 1 inch of my finger “inside” and I could feel the head – I do this to feel how far the baby is from crowing so I can focus my breathing so I don’t tear.

Me: Okay, I think I have to push now.

Midwife: Okay. Just go when you are ready.

As the next contraction started, I could feel the baby’s head moving down slowly. Within that same contraction, I started my first push and the baby’s head started crowing. This is a feeling I feel moms never forget as it’s a burning sensation. I love this feeling as I know it’s the end of the road in just a few short minutes for me. As the head started crowing, my midwife guided my push so I don’t tear.

Midwife: (while baby was crowing) Okay, just breath though this part.

Me: Okay, …. (as I take small breaths and just focus on not pushing here)

As my hand was still on the baby’s head, I felt it out fully. But the contraction was over. I needed to wait to push anymore.

Midwife: Can you push more?

Me: I’ll need to wait.

Midwife: John….are you ready to catch this baby?

John: YESSS!!!!!

I felt the next contraction starting and I pushed. Oddly enough I wasn’t even pushing super hard. I still had my hand on the baby and I could feel the shoulders come out, then the body, and the remainder of the baby’s body was delivered! As John was behind me, because he was doing the hip compressions, he was able to catch the baby as soon as it was out.

Baby: Waaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

The relief of pain was finally over and the new baby was here. But what did we have? I was still on all fours and I turned around looking at John.

Me: What did we have?

John: A baby boy!

I turned back around and rested my head on the ball. Thinking, thank you! This is all over and we got the baby boy we wanted. (Sigh of relief) We named him Rylan.

From the time my water broke and I pushed twice to deliver him, a whole 3 minutes had passed! What an amazing experience and so flawless.

We wanted to wait for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing prior to cutting, so everyone helped me up off the floor and moved me over to my bed where we waited. Daddy had the pleasure to cut the cord.

It was time to wake up his two sisters. We had our friend go wake up the kids and they came down to be introduced to their new baby brother. My oldest was super tired, she is 7, and though she was excited her baby brother was here, after she saw him she went back to bed. My youngest, who is 5 however, had been awaiting eagerly for the moment for so long! I was only a few weeks pregnant and she wanted the baby out now! Once she saw her brother, she was instantly in love with him.

Rylan was born healthy, strong, and super amazing just like his dad. John was super excited to meet his son as he has been wanting a boy for a very long time. The bond between those two will be ever lasting as they can share so many special moments together as father and son. As for me, it is now 3 weeks after Rylan’s birth. I have lost over 22 lbs to date, but still have around 11 lbs to go to reach pre-pregnancy weight. As dad and I are hugely into martial arts, after I have been cleared to get back into my workout routines, I will be going back into Brizillian Jui-Jitsu, Karate and Kickboxing as I was before.

Life will forever be changed now that our little man is here. But the love for him will be forever lasting.

I hope you enjoyed the story of Rylan’s Birth and it can inspire others how amazing and beautiful a natural at home birth can be.

If you have any questions about giving birth at home, please feel free to email me.

Until Next Time – Follow Me: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, & Instagram.

Sincerely,

Mama Robbins