Push! Push! PUSH! That’s all my body is saying to me. I’ve been in labor for over a day. The baby decided to take its sweet time coming out. And since I demanded an all natural home birth I had no choice but to ride out the hours of painful contractions.
I started in bed, laboring for hours. When that wasn’t working we moved me to walking circles in the backyard. It didn't last long before my screaming was getting too loud and was drawing the attention of neighbors. I waddled inside and into the birth pool set up in the living room. But with how much I was moving around, water ended up splashing everywhere proving this was not the right move. You suggested the bed again. That way I can at least try to get some rest too. I nodded, too out of it from the 16 hours of labor I’ve already gone through.
We don’t even attempt to put clothes back on me before we waddled me back to our bed. I have to stop on the way there to cry through a contraction. You let me lean on you and grip your shoulders as the pain reaches its climax.
Thankfully we made it to the bedroom before the next contraction. The mattress wasn’t as soft as it usually would be. A thick plastic cover was wrapped around it to protect it from any fluids that may come out of me. I lay down on the thin sheet covering the plastic.
You prop me up against the pillows right as the next contraction hits. I grab my belly and moan loudly. I collapse against the pillows as the contraction ends. I whine and pant as the pain subsides to a dull ache.
“No more…” I cry out. When the next contraction starts up.
“It’ll be done soon,” You reassure me.
That turns out to be only slightly untrue. I lay in bed for another 5 hours. I try to sleep between contractions which I learn is easier said than done. Just as I would be about to slip into sleep a sharp pin would jolt me awake. I decided to wake you up too.
“Help me up,” I weakly ask after I accept the fact I wasn’t going to get any sleep like this. “Let’s try walking again to get things moving along.”
You nod still half asleep yourself. You help shimmy my legs to the edge of the bed. You squat in front of me and gesture for me to place both of my hands on your shoulders. Right as my hands find purchase I’m squeezing your shoulders. A harsh contraction ripping through me. You help support me up and let me rest my head on your chest as I breathe through my contraction.
I whimper to you to signal the contraction ended and it was time to move.
I nod yes. I start to stand as you help pull me up. You grunt as you lift my heavy frame off of the bed and onto my feet. I use you to balance myself before I’m able to adjust my footing to at least hold up my contracting body.
I could feel the baby’s head was now resting lower thanks to the help of gravity. I groan and start to waddle around the bedroom. The head resting on my cervix made my waddle significantly more exaggerated. I move my hands to one holding up my belly and one supporting my back. You follow me around to make sure I wasn’t going to fall over if a contraction suddenly hit.
I lead us to the living room. We started to do laps around the large birthing pool. Each step made my hips ache more and my legs shake. Suddenly, there was a gush of fluid between my thighs. I look up at you with a mix of relief and fear.
“My water just broke,” I squeak out before an intense contraction rips its way through me.
I lean on you for support as a moan and sway my hips through it. As the contraction fades I try to continue my walking. The weight on my cervix is much worse now that there isn't something to cushion the baby's head.
“Do you want to get in the pool?” You ask. “I can warm it up.”
I shake my head and moan out, “There’s no time.”
You go to ask me what I mean. But you get cut off when I’m crying out again and baring down. The head is moving down fast. I can feel it slip inch by inch into my birth canal. When the contraction finally ends, I fall to my knees. You help guide me so I don’t land very hard and hurt myself. You sneak around behind me to help hold me up and rub my back. I lean on you and try to remind myself to breathe.
After a bit I start to moan and push again. I lean back on my knees and into you. My belly constricts and contorts as I push hard with my contraction. This happens a few more times before I can feel the head start to stretch my opening up.
“It burns!” I cry out as I push again. The head is big. We knew that I would be. I was almost over due and we both came from big families. I cry out again as the head starts to appear. The skin around my opening strained to stretch around the head, forming the famous tear drop shape. The head slipped back in when my contraction ended and I stopped pushing.
“Please. Come out,” I beg between gulps of air.
You try to comfort me but your words fade away when I start to groan once again. I push again hard. The head starts to slowly slide forward. I scream and bare down harder. By the time the contraction ends the head is half way out of me. I pant and squirm through the painful minute between contractions.
Finally, a contraction starts up again. I take a deep breath and push. With a bit of grunting and moaning the head finally pops free. I collapsed back onto you. I take a moment to let the baby’s shoulders twist. Then I find myself pushing once again. With one last push the baby slid out of me. I reach between my legs and pull it up to my chest. I look up at you exhausted but smiling. “It’s finally here.”
