Rosemary Johns
7 lbs 3 oz
20 1/2 inches
November 21, 2022
Early in my pregnancy, I had the impression that my baby was going to be born later than my due date. This was interesting because my other three babies all came within 7 hours of my due date. I was grateful for the impression and was able to adjust my mindset so that I wasn't depressed or upset when this baby didn't come on her due date. Starting at about 37 weeks, I started having contractions. They were stronger than Braxton Hicks, but they weren't labor-like at all. I could talk, eat, and sometimes even sleep through them. I knew it was my body's way of getting ready to birth, so they really didn't bother me much.
The kids were thrilled that a practice labor
meant they could swim in the birth tub.
On Saturday the 19th, I started having stronger contractions, and they were every five minutes. After about an hour of this, I called my mom and the midwife, and they headed to my house. The contractions were strong and consistent for four hours, and then they stopped altogether. When the midwife left, I was dilated to a 3, 50% effaced. I was so discouraged. I had never experienced practice labor before even though it's super common in subsequent pregnancies. It was a game of mental gymnastics to think that I was going to meet my baby and then to go to bed with no contractions happening and no baby. It also undermined my confidence a bit. I wondered how I could be so out of touch with my body and this baby. I was concerned that maybe I wouldn't recognize actual labor when it started in earnest.
Sunday, I was completely exhausted. Ty took the kids to church, insisting that I stay home and rest. I spent the morning sobbing off and on. I was mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted. After my meltdown though, I felt pretty good. My family came up and brought dinner, and we played some games. I had a few contractions, but they were super sporadic and not strong. When my family left, my mom offered to stay, and I told her to go home, insisting that nothing was happening, and she might as well sleep in her own bed. I promised to call her if I needed her and to check in in the morning.
About 20 minutes after my parents left, I lost my mucus plug. I had never noticed when that happened before, so it was interesting to me, but I also know that losing your mucus plug doesn't necessarily mean much. Labor could still be days away, and I hadn't had any contractions in hours.
Ty and I went to bed around 10, and once I was in bed, I started having contractions every 15 minutes or so. They were strong enough that I couldn't sleep, but it felt just like the practice labor from the night before. Around 11:15, I got in the bath hoping that that would stop the contractions so that I could get a good night of sleep. The contractions slowed down in the tub but didn't go away. I got out just before midnight and prayed fervently that if I was in labor, I would know for sure and that if I wasn't, the contractions would mellow out enough that I'd be able to sleep.
At 12:01, just after I finished my prayer, I had a contraction that literally drove me to my knees. I had another one five minutes later, and then another one. They were so intense. I called my mom and explained what was happening. I told her I was pretty sure that it was labor but that I wasn't totally confident. I asked her to pray with me on the phone. She started to pray and as she asked that things would be clear, I was hit with a huge surge, requiring me to breathe and vocalize through it. My mom told me she was on her way. I asked her to call my sister, Hailey, and I called the midwife.
I was still having a solid 5 minutes between contractions, so I got the hose hooked up to fill the birth tub and went in to wake up Ty. I told him I was in labor, and he said, "Okay, just a minute." I went back into the living room (my labor space) and sunk to my knees as I worked with the contractions. The midwife, Eve, arrived sooner than I anticipated, and I was in the midst of a contraction. She came and knelt next to me, rubbing my back and providing counter pressure and reassuring words while she listened to the baby's heart rate. She was also able to place my IV, a precaution to give me IV pitocin to stave off a hemorrhage due to my history of blood loss. We labored together that way for several minutes. It was a beautiful experience. Eve has cared for me at The Birth Center for over 7 years, through all 4 pregnancies, births, a miscarriage, a transfer from home to hospital, trauma, postpartum, and more, but this was the first time I've ever really gotten to labor with her. It felt like a gift to have her there. During that time, the birth assistant, Kate, arrived and started filling the tub and setting out equipment, and I started to wonder where Ty was.
Between contractions I went to use the bathroom and found Ty still in bed with no recollection of me trying to wake him. I found him at exactly the wrong point in his sleep cycle. Poor guy. He got up and was totally disoriented, especially because when he came into the living room, Eve, Kate, and my mom were all there ready to go, and things were so intense for me, I was ready to get in the tub. Historically, Tyler and I have had some time to labor together before we got to that point. I got into the tub, and at about 1:30 am, Hailey arrived. I had a few more contractions, and we tried to decide if we should wake up Will who we planned to have at the birth at his request. I felt like the baby was still kind of high, and I didn't want to wake him too soon and have him up too long.
I asked for a cervical check just to gauge how close we were. Cervical checks aren't routinely done by my midwives, and it was the first time I had ever asked for one or even had one in the throes of labor (with the exception of Simon's birth which was in a hospital). I was at a 9, and in Eve's words, my cervix was "melting away." I had one more contraction and asked Hailey to go get Will. The two of them snuggled up on the couch. We had had a lot of conversations about labor and birth so that he would know what to expect. He was a little nervous when he heard the sounds I was making, but he was quickly reassured.
A few minutes after he got settled, I decided to push. I had felt like I could push at any time, but I wanted to really maximize my energy, so I was able to be patient up to that point. I pushed, and felt the baby move down, immediate and apparent progress. I pushed a second time, and I heard Eve say, "You are so good at this," and felt my water break. Immediately after, I felt her head. My favorite part of labor is when I can feel the baby's head with my hands before they are born. It's this beautiful in-between moment when baby is still cozy in my body, but I know I get to meet them soon. Every time it gives me the boost I need to do the hard work of pushing. This time it triggered a sort of exhilarated laugh/sob. Her head was born into my hands. I stood up, Ty physically holding me up, my mom's hands underneath mine, Eve there, guiding and supporting, and she was born. I sank back down into the tub. It was 1:57 am, less than two hours of active labor.
Eve started the pitocin right away, and my mom helped Will come around the tub to see the baby. She was pink immediately and had the best APGARs of all my babies. Will was really concerned about her crying and just wanted her to feel better. I rested in the tub for a bit, and Ty and I toasted the birth with homemade apple cider. We marveled at this perfect little human, obviously the tiniest of our babies and settled on Rosemary for her name, Rosie for short. I was about ready to get out of the tub when she decided she wanted to nurse, so I ended up staying in longer. Will carefully dumped the warm water over Rosie's body to keep her comfortably warm. I had super minimal bleeding which was a huge relief. My membranes took a little longer to come, but Eve was patient and right there with me, and they came fully intact. It was such a relief on the heels of the major issues I experienced after Bea's birth.
We moved into my room, and I had a nice snuggle in bed with Will and Rosie and Ty. It was such a precious moment. Will was so in love with her. My mom and Hailey made us breakfast sandwiches. I didn't have any tearing, and I felt great. I was able to get up and use the bathroom. We had the infant exam bedside. Will helped Eve every step of the way, and I was grateful all over again for a birth team that truly serves my whole family. We all guessed Rosie's weight, and I guessed exactly right, 7 lbs 3 oz, 20.5 inches. Will got her footprints stamped on his forearms, and he was so proud of his "baby sister tattoo." Eve identified a lip tie and tongue tie, and we decided to see how breastfeeding went before we would decide what to do about those.
I had about a half an hour with just Rosie and me as we rocked in the rocking chair, knowing her older siblings would wake up anytime. She is so sweet and so little. I was able to just bask in the gratitude of her safe arrival. When I first heard Will and Simon wake up, I was so excited. I heard Will telling Simon all about the baby. They came running out. Simon and Bea were so excited to meet their baby sister, and Will proudly told them about her birth and showed off his tattoos which Simon and Bea were very jealous of. (Luckily, they got their own baby stamps the next morning at our home visit). Eve came back Monday night and performed a frenectomy to correct Rosie's lip and tongue ties. Then she came back on Tuesday morning to help release her tongue a little more after a rough night of nursing struggles. This was my first experience with any ties, and it has definitely made breastfeeding more difficult and more painful, but it really does feel like a small struggle in the face of all that was beautiful and good and miraculous and healing about this birth. We're so happy to have our sweet baby Rosie earthside.
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