Natural Birth Diary: Renzo

On the evening of July 20th, I decided to watch the "Business of Being Born" one more time before it would be my turn, in hopes that it would keep me motivated. Three minutes before the documentary ended, I started having labor pains.

It was very different than my labor with my daughter. It was all in my abdomen and felt like menstrual cramps. I didn't believe it was happening at first and waited a while before I notified my midwife.

My husband, daughter and I went for a walk around 8pm and contractions were 2 minutes apart and getting pretty painful. I decided to tell my midwife what was happening and that I would keep her posted.

Contractions stayed at 2 min apart and lasted for a minute and I just kept walking around the house. I finally asked my midwife to come over around midnight after my husband prepared the birthing tub.

My midwife arrived and we told my husband to go get some sleep while we listened to nature sounds and walked around.

I was checked at about 5am and was 5 cm and I was in and out of the tub. It was hard, difficult work!

I was really trying to stay on top of each contraction with barely any rest in between. Sometimes they stayed at 2 min apart and sometimes they were right on top of each other.

It was difficult to keep my mind together over all the pain...I kept thinking in the end and how much longer it was going to last. I said to my husband and midwife many times that I didn't think I could keep going and they just kept encouraging me.

My daughter woke up around 7am and my mom arrived and made us some breakfast.

When I was about 9 cm around 9:30am, my water bag came out fully intact. It was so crazy! It just floated there and never did end up breaking.

I was then ready to push. I was squatting in the tub for about 30 minutes pushing with every contraction when my midwife suggested that I turned around on my back with my hubby and other midwife holding my legs up to get him to move down. That definetely did the trick!

Since my daughter was a C-section and I never got past 5cm when in the hospital, I had never pushed before. It felt so unreal...I was sweating bullets and pushing with all my might. Finally his head was born and my daughter reached down and caressed him.

Two more pushes and he was out!

It was so amazing.

He was 9 lbs 2 oz and I didn't tear at all!

We hung out in tub while waiting for the placenta and when it stopped pulsating, we cut the cord. My husband was crying and my mom was in complete awe. It seriously was the most beautiful and amazing day in my entire life.

That night, we all piled in our big king bed and slept pretty well.

Renzo is doing great and breastfeeding like a champ. Oh, one more thing...this tops a c section any day! I am not in any pain or drugged up. I'm eating and walking and everything. Pretty awesome!