I'm in Love

Well, from the conversation with Lynet, I know she's in real early labor, and I know that she may quit in the daytime. Oftentimes, the uterus relaxes during the day, and then kicks in again when the sun goes down.

I have a theory about that. I have been taught that two hormones basically have opposing effects on the body. These two are oxytocin and catecholamines, of which adrenaline is one. First of all, oxytocin is not pitocin. Pitocin is a man-made chemical, and the contractions that Pitocin raises are horrible in intensity and length. Oxytocin is actually the hormone that comes around when you're in love. It's a lovely hormone; everything is relaxed and loved. But it gets overridden with adrenaline, which comes with any anxiety or worry, any stress of the day. So in the daytime, there are all kinds of stressors that happen, and oxytocin can't do the job of causing contractions because adrenaline takes over. At night, when everybody is sleeping, the oxytocin can work unimpeded.

Anyway, I get to Lynet's house. I check her on August 6, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. She's one cm. I kind of figured that one. She's only having contractions every 10 minutes or so. I don't consider that labor, but she does. I stay for awhile, seeing if anything will intensify. I take a little nap in Dawna's bed. It's amazing that I can take a nap, because Gary's dad Jimmy is there installing a door into Lynet and Gary's bedroom doorway. It will help with privacy. They're temporarily living with Lynet's mom, my sister Martha. All their belongings are in this one huge room, but there's no door in the doorway. Lynet's in early labor, and Jimmy is installing a door. The noise and activity are probably having a bearing on the labor. Anyway, for a couple of hours, Jimmy has to go get some supplies or something, and there's no noise, so I take a nap. I'm so glad. I wake up around 2 pm when the hammering begins again. Lynet's not doing anything, so I go home.

She calls me a little after midnight to tell me that her labor contractions really got going at about 8 pm, and they're coming every 5 minutes. Would I come check her? I haven't slept yet. Of course I'm awake. I kind of think that this check is premature mainly because it was Lynet who called, not Gary. I know it's time to go to a birth if the lady can't talk anymore.

Anyway, I get there at about 1 am. August 7, 2008. This is going to be Andrew's birthday, but I don't know yet how long a day it will be. I'm still tired from Birch's birth, and here it is an hour past midnight. Lynet's a whopping 2 cm after 15 hours. Oh, boy. This will be long.

Somehow, we make it to daylight. Martha and Billy get up early to milk the cows, so by 5 am or so there's movement in the other end of the house. I check Lynet again at 5:41. 3 cm. She works with her labor, changing positions, walking, resting, drinking. She does very well. I'm not doing as well as she is. I can't believe how s-l-o-w it's going. This is my first time to midwife for a family member. I don't know if that makes me tired, or if it's the hard birth I just came off of. But I feel that this birth is just going to be slow. I hope that pushing goes faster.

At this time her contractions are coming every 3 minutes, lasting 90 seconds. That's hard. Usually moms don't have this type of contractions for very long, but everything about this birth seems to be happening the hard way.

At 10 am we get Lynet to go outside and walk around some. She's now 5 cm. Usually that's more than halfway, because the last 5 cm usually go faster. It won't take much to go faster than the first 5 cm, since they took 24 hours!

Lynet eats lightly throughout the day: toast and jelly, pudding, granola bars. At 1 pm, we notice white floating "things" in the bath water. Hmmm, vernix? Perhaps her water broke without anyone noticing?? Vernix is the white waxy substance that coats the baby's body while in utero, to protect it from the slightly alkaline amniotic fluid. At 1:50 I check her again, and I feel a bulgy bag of waters, so I conclude that only the outer bag is broken. Not everyone knows that there are actually two bags! The outer one is the chorion, and the inner one is the amnion. She's now 6 cm.

She begins to sway and squat during contractions, after Martha encourages her to do so. I agree, saying that it will help her baby come on down. Martha's a go-getter. She's ready to get the show on the road. Lynet complies. She's ready for this to be over, too.

Around 2:30 she cries out, "The contractions never quit!" Honestly.

I call Ashlea to come. She gets there at 3:45. She becomes my caretaker. She can tell I'm exhausted. And she takes over listening to baby heart tones. She tells me to lie down and rest. And she encourages me. This is a new role for Ashlea. She's usually pretty matter-of-fact. Today she must know I need more. And she gives it. Thank you, thank you.

I massage some Evening Primrose Oil on the cervix and try stretching it some. It gives a little bit. Lynet is patient while I'm doing this. She's lunging with one foot on the bed, then the other, at my suggestion. Sometimes this opens up the pelvis, and helps if the baby has his head cocked a little crookedly.

At 4:30 she's 8 cm. Wow. I apply more Evening Primrose Oil. Lynet keeps standing, walking between contractions. She's crying. Everything is so intense.

At 6:14 I rupture the bag of waters. I hope this will make the final dilation go a little faster. At 6:26 she says loudly, "I'm pushing!" So I let her push a little bit. That sometimes helps open up the cervix all the way, and it certainly feels better than just letting the contractions peak while you try to relax.

But when I check her again at 6:38 and 7:55, she still has a "lip" of cervix. Grrr. I hate to do it, but I ask her if I can help her get to complete by pushing the cervix out of the way during a contraction while she's pushing. She agrees to it. She becomes my heroine when I push on the lip and she doesn't scream or kill me. Believe me, the procedure is excruciating. But we get her to complete. I sometimes think we would still be in labor if we hadn't done this. But of course we wouldn't be. It would just have taken longer. If that can be possible.

Anyway, at this point, Andrew's little heart which has held steady all this time, begins to dip somewhat. Not dangerously. But still. So I put the oxygen on Lynet, and it brings up his heart rate. We try pushing McRoberts (see last post) for 15 minutes. Then we try left side-lying for 15 minutes. Again we're trying to find a good position so that Lynet can make good progress. At 9 pm we move her to the birth stool. Then 15 minutes later back to left side-lying. Back to McRoberts 45 minutes later. She's making progress, but everything about this birth is slow. She only does McRoberts for 11 minutes before she tries squatting facing the bed. Oh yes, baby! This is your position, girl!!!!

We start seeing a good wedge of head. It only takes 33 minutes from the beginning of the squat until baby Andrew is born at 10:44!!! I think we all get a prize for this one. Do they give a prize for childbirth? Oh, yes. They do. As I look into Andrew's eyes, I catch my breath. This baby is beautiful. It's probably because he's kin to me. (Groan.) His eyes are just so contemplative, and his mouth is beautifully full and rosy.

He begins to breathe immediately. His cord is so short that Lynet cannot hold him. I place him on the bed in front of her, and she just looks at him. Time just stands still.

As soon as we cut his cord seven minutes later, he's passed around. Daddy Gary gets him first, then he's passed around to Moome (Martha), Elita (Nana), Jimmy (Papa). Somebody calls Wita (great-grandmother) since she's already gone to bed, and she gets in on the love. Grandpops (Billy) also gets in on it, and Dawna. James has already gone to bed, but he's been excited all day, and since he's only 6 years old, he gets to sleep. And Gary makes Aunt Caren hold the baby, too, although it sure makes her nervous. Oh, the love.

And I'm so relieved. My great-nephew has been born. My hands touched him first. Lynet didn't tear, and she didn't bleed. It's all done. And it has only begun. The love.

I leave after 1 am. Caren makes me promise to text her when I get safely home. Boy am I glad my house is only 15 minutes away, but, Oh no! I have to get gas before I go anywhere. I sigh and just go get gas. Then I go home. Caren texts me, worried. I tell her when I get home. Then my beautiful husband turns the light on for me as I come into the house. He gets up and envelops me in a hug. He's never done this before. I usually take a shower after a birth. I don't after this one. I fall into bed. I take off my glasses anywhere, and spend many minutes looking for them when I wake up because I can't remember where I laid them.

When I wake up in the morning, I fall out of bed onto my knees and thank the Almighty that I'm still alive. And that there are three new babies and three new mammas and daddies. I am deeply grateful. He is my strength, my light, and my salvation. And He continues to guide me every step of the way.