The Perfect Breech

This was to be my seventh birth. The whole pregnancy had been my easiest so far and, though anxious to get it over with and hold my baby, I was feeling pretty good.

I had been having contractions every morning (3:00ish) for several days, but when these woke me up at 3:30, July 24, I could tell they were a little different. I was a few days past my due date, and I could tell from previous experience these were the real thing. I walked around some and then, lay down to try to rest. About 4:30, they were coming 5-7 minutes apart and were getting stronger.

"I'll wait this one out and one more, and then call Andy. Another 15 minutes or so, if things don't slow down, I will call M" I thought to myself.

At that instant my water broke.

"Oh, Andy."

"mmmmmyeahmmgm?"

"My water just broke."

"Ok...zzzzz"

So enthusiastic. :-)

I called M and my mother, and then took a quick shower. I have had three previous labors start with breaking water. This time it hurt though. Unusual

Andy helped me breath through the contractions while we waited for everyone to get here. He is great at keeping me from getting too stressed at any time, but especially during labor. He cracks jokes and talks about, anything I show an interest in, but mostly just sits close and holds my hand, helps me breathe and tells me it is almost over. I often look into his eyes during the worst part of a contraction and try to blow the hair out of his face. It really does help (he has a beard).

My mom arrived at 5:30 and began picking up and washing my dishes. For some reason I had not felt like washing them before bed last night. M arrived shortly thereafter. She took my vitals and called A, her assistant. My children usually get up around 6:30, so we discussed what I wanted done with them. We decided to wake them up and for Mom to take them to her house. I have had short labors before, but I have also had a couple of long ones. I decided I really didn't want them here for the worst part (it would distract me too much) and they were fixing to wake up anyway.

I don't really remember when A arrived. I was a little busy. I do remember thinking about a birth story I had read on the internet a few days ago where the woman called her contractions surges. They didn't hurt she said. I told myself "These don't hurt they are just surges." I answered "Yeah, right!" What I didn't realize was just how close to birth I was and that they really didn't hurt in comparison to this point in past births.

"I feel a popping sound during the contractions."

M just looked puzzled. I don't know if it was an unusual thing to experience or if my grammar was too bad to understand. I don't always make a lot of sense when I labor.

I did try very hard to concentrate on not tightening any muscles in my body this time. I guess it did help to reduce the pain because I was kind of surprised when M asked me to move to the couch where she had just set up for the birth (as per a previous discusion we had had).

"Is that an order or a suggestion?" Andy asked.

"A STRONG suggestion." M replied while watching me breathe through another contraction. I moved with help from Andy and A. I had one bad contraction just as I got down on the couch. I couldn't see or reach Andy so I grabbed A's hand and blew the hair out of her eyes for this one. She has pretty eyes.

"Are you comfortable?" A asked me when I was settled.

"No" I replied. Ok, you shouldn't try to crack jokes when you are in labor. (Yes, A I was as comfortable as could be expected at these times. Thank you.)

M had not had a chance to do an internal to check progress yet so she began to prep for that. My body began to push the baby out without my help. I informed M and tried very hard not to push while not tightening muscles either. That is kind of a contradiction of muscle control.

After one of these contractions, I could feel something at the birth canal opening. I saw A look at M and say

"Uhh, M?"

"Babies crowning. Doesn't feel right." I thought to myself

"I see" M nodded to A

"Let's get a baby!" to me.

"Can I push?"

"Yes"

I don't know how many times I pushed but it wasn't many. I could feel M delivering the baby. I know from previous births that the head is the hard part, then you get a minute to breathe, then you push the shoulders out.

"How long is this head?!" I asked myself. She just kept delivering baby and delivering baby. The relief of the neck was a very long time in coming.

Finally, I could feel the neck, after M did something that hurt. I didn't take time then to figure it out then, but now I know she pulled the hands down out of the way.

"Ok, I get to breath a little until the next contraction." I thought.

"Can we have one more push?" M asked. She delivered my two previous babies and never had told me to push (I already knew when to from previous births and anyway, your body tells you). She was perfectly calm and quiet now, not the least bit upset, but it registered as unusual to me.

"Something is wrong. My Baby needs me to push NOW" I thought. One more good BIG push (even though I was not having a contraction) and she was out. I opened my eyes (I close them when pushing) and saw my baby lying between my legs ... upside down! Breech!

This one was a little purple. I had flash backs to my first baby who had been born with the cord very tightly around her neck and had been down right blue. They had to put her on oxygen and I hadn't been able to hold her for four hours. Thankfully, she is fine now. Our newest one began to breathe immediately and pinked right up. No need of Oxygen.

We now knew the popping sound had been; the foot kicking my cervix. That is also why the water breaking hurt; she kicked me.

At ten pounds even, she was my biggest baby, yet I believe this was my easiest birth. Official birth time is only around four hours of labor. I have only had one faster and he was induced in the hospital. M and A were wonderful; my little girl is strong and healthy. Andy is a proud Papa and shows his little girl off. I am thankful for all of God's blessings He has given and for keeping us safe during this whole thing. I had prayed that God would do some miracle to have us in the safest place for Jacklynn's birth. I believe He hid the breech position from us so we would stay home, the safest place for this child.