Tristan's Birth Story

This is greatly overdue, but here it goes (to the best of my memory)

It was 2 days before my due date and I was just starting to fall asleep when I felt a really strong pain in my back and abdomen, I cringed and moaned a little bit, “Maybe this is it!” I thought. I nudged Nick awake and told him that I thought the baby might be coming, he was very groggy and asked if I minded if he went back to sleep, and so he did. The contractions continued for the next hour and a half, and then stopped. So much for that!

I had a very restless sleep that night. I kept thinking that maybe the contractions would start again. I was so anxious to have this baby and to not be pregnant anymore!

In the morning Nick woke up and realized that he’d slept the whole night, and no baby. He decided to not go into work that day, I had a midwife appointment that morning so he decided to go along.

During the appointment my midwife handed me some documents about inducement and carrying past term, “Just to ward off the demons” she said. Nick was convinced that she didn’t think the baby was coming anytime soon. I really, really hoped this wasn’t the case! We spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying the fact that he wasn’t at work and it was just the two of us. I was exhausted from the lack of sleep the night before so I went to have a nap. I woke up and had a long, relaxing bath. I got dressed in a nightgown and headed downstairs to see Nick.

As I was standing talking to him I felt something trickle down my leg. I thought I must have not done a very job drying myself off, I was so big now I must have missed a spot! But just as that thought crossed my mind I felt a huge gush, and I stared at Nick in disbelief - my water just broke! It was just after 9pm, so Nick thought he’d better call everyone to let them know before it got too late. Our midwife said to try to get some sleep as it could be a long night ahead.

I lay there but there was no chance of sleeping. Nick meanwhile was washing the floor, feeding the cats, touching up paint on the walls, all of his projects he had meant to do before baby arrived!

At about 10pm my contractions started, and they were STRONG. My first one knocked me down on my knees, I couldn’t believe the intensity. They were coming about every 15 minutes, and an hour after they started I told Nick to call my mom and our doula to let them know they needed to come soon.

The contractions kept getting stronger, but I found that if I leaned against the stairs I felt like I was in a better position to deal with them. My dear cat Chloe sat with me on the steps and licked my forehead, she must have been wondering why I was in such pain!

Nick started the shower for me and I sat there letting the water rush over me, it was so nice to have the distraction and the heat was making my back feel so much better. The water started to get cold (stupid small hot water tank!) so I got out and sat in the rocking chair.

At about midnight my mom and my doula (Tamara) arrived. As I sat and rocked Tamara massaged my feet and my mom and Nick held my hands. The contractions were coming about every 5 minutes at this point and I really hoped my midwife would get there soon.

At 1 am my first midwife Patti arrived. She checked me and said I was already 5cm dilated, “Thank God! Halfway there!” The contractions were so strong and I couldn’t fight the urge to push. Patti ran a hot bath for me and taught me a breathing technique to help ward off the pushing. I relaxed into the water and tried to let my mind slip away. I alternated between the water, the toilet, and crouching on the bed. Nick held my hand the whole way and Tamara stroked my back. I was so incredibly nauseous and kept having to vomit. Patti offered me some gravol to help make it stop but in my head I kept thinking, “Gravol is a drug, no drugs… can’t take drugs.” So I refused and kept on puking (stupid stubbornness). I just tried to focus and be in my own thoughts. Everything else just seemed to melt away…..

It seemed like only a short while later when Patti checked me again and said I was 9cm, almost there! At this point I could not fight the urge to push and she let me just give in. I was in so much pain and so exhausted that she thought I should get into the tub again. I hadn’t planned for a water birth – but it looked like that’s what I was going to get!

So there we were, me in the tub, Nick holding my hand, Patti sitting beside, my mom, and Tamara filming the birth, all in my little tiny bathroom! We were still waiting for my second midwife Kimberley to arrive and I hoped she wouldn’t miss the birth!

The baby crowned for about 15 minutes, in between pushes I felt his head and his hair floating in the water. Almost there… just need to focus…Kimberley finally arrived, and I pushed and pushed, and finally HE WAS OUT! Patti put him on my chest and Nick and I just stared in amazement. We did it! At 3:53 am on his due date, June 14, 2006, our little baby Tristan had arrived. He screamed out his arrival and Nick looked at me and said “I’m sure this is the only time I’ll say this, but that is the most beautiful sound in the world.”

After the midwives checked out me and the baby and handled all of the paper work, Tamara and my mom kissed us goodbye and tucked us into bed. There we were, Nick, Tristan, and I, all snuggled together as a family.

Wow, what a night! It was such a gift to have had such a wonderful birth, at home, naturally without any interventions, just as I had wanted it.