FullOfStitches.com blog.A good laugh leaves me in stitches!

A birth story:

Wednesday morning, I started having mild contractions and losing my plug. I have gone into labor by my due date every time, so I knew this was probably the beginning. Since I didn’t want to overdo it, but had to get the house in order, the children came to my aid and helped me get things ready for my first guest (my Mom was flying in Thursday to help). They’re hardy helpers and get paid in video game time – cant beat that!

Ben came home early from work, just in case, and I let him know that I was in early labor. He started watching me like a hawk. He and the girls picked up dinner, then he and I went for a walk.

I took a warm bath to let myself relax while he put the children to bed. Little Guy (3yo) was fighting sleep, so I suggested Ben help him.

I called my midwife to let her know i was in early labor and would call when the contractions were closer. I waited for the next one (10 minutes) and since I started nodding a bit, I lay down on the couch to sleep as much as I could.

About 12:30, I woke to a long strong contraction. I went back to the bathroom and warmed the bath again. I didn’t think to time the contractions, just moved between toilet and bath as I felt I needed to. At one point, I thought about lying down again, but when I stood up, I got another contraction that forced me to squat. I grabbed my phone and texted Ben – lol.

I normally get sick during transition, and this time was the same. I threw up a bit, and the back labor was intense. I called out, “Ben!” and slid back into the tub to wait for him to put counter pressure on my hips. I threw up again and the bag of waters broke. He woke up and started for the couch (last place he’d seen me), and I called him again.

As he walked into the bathroom dialing the midwife, my contractions shifted and I started pushing. I reached down and said, “Tell her the head is out.” he repeated this to her and I heard him say something like, “I don’t know, she’s having contractions, I’m just repeating.” then the baby finished emerging and I rolled to my back with her on my belly. Their phone conversation was about a minute

We put a cloth over the baby and I felt the placenta release, and I pushed it out and set it below her while he got a bowl (“Check the time, she’ll want to know”). Ben came back with the bowl and I plopped the placenta in, checked the gender, and he took the baby and wrapped her in a towel.

I rinsed and got out, shaking with the adrenaline and chill, dried and dressed, grabbed a washcloth and went to get postpartum supplies from the other room.

My midwife’s assistant doesn’t live far and made it over pretty quickly. I was nursing the baby and holding the bowl. Ben got a space ready for me in the bed (towels just in case), let the midwife in and cooked me a breakfast sandwich.

We had all been surprised by how quick active labor had been. Then we were surprised again by the baby’s size! I had been measuring small for dates, but she was 8 pounds! Average for my babies, but I figure because she’s the shortest baby at 20″ that she just wasn’t taking up as much room.

It was more like a nice visit than a necessary checkup and the pair left with some of Ben’s home brew to try (haha, shouldn’t they be paid in beer?).

Then Dylan slept on Ben for her first night earth-side, as our babies have traditionally done.

James 1:17

Reading Brigitte Jordan’s Birth in Four Cultures is beginning to open my eyes. Yes, it’s a suggested reading book for my schooling (midwifery), yet she delves more and deeper into how natural learning occurs than many other books I’ve read. I’m in chapter seven now, where she describes the native midwife teaching her to perform prenatal massage by placing her (midwife’s) hands over hers (student) on the mother’s belly. The midwife’s knowledge is more in her physical body than in her spoken words.

The chapter also references another work: about Liberian tailors and how they apprentice. The apprentice starts off more play than work, allowed to work with the least expensive items – fetching and cleaning, learning what is in the shop, then moves up to sewing the less expensive garments (like previously cut pieces to be sewn together, and I’m guessing his button skills will be well practiced by now) well before he is ever allowed to cut fabric.

So do we when teaching our children.

They play with the bubbles as we clean the dishes. They sweep up little piles with the dustpan and brush while we’re sweeping the larger floor. They play with dough while I’m making bread. These activities teach them responsibility, importance, and hospitality.

Christ is known to talk in parables, but how did He teach His disciples to be mighty men of God? (Men who when with Him were recorded mainly as squabbling over who would be the greatest!) These men witnessed His humility – taking the time early each day to pray and align His desires with His Father’s, associating with and healing those that most of His people felt were undeserving..

How frustrating can it be to be the only (thinking/able/rational/fill-in-the-blank) person in the vicinity? Homeschooling, no, Parenting can be a huge lesson (for us!) in humility, patience. They need to play, yes, but they also need direction. If there is a child, there is learning, but what would be the cost of constant play? To move a family from poverty takes a parent willing to read to the children. To motivate a child takes interaction. To continue to live learning takes mastery of the basics and advancing challenges.

My challenge this weekend: prepare for the schoolyear. What “schedule” will we have? What materials are still in want? Prepare!

Today, as I studied the Well Woman Care module, Ben took the children for a grand adventure. I sat and read up on contraception and cancer. They drove around finding a gift and getting balloons.

With my foot injured, they’d dropped me by the coffee shop this morning, and they picked me up after getting the cake this afternoon.

Now, they’re getting the house decorated & I’m not allowed in. Shh.. I think I’m having a surprise party..

This weekend is Study Group, and I’ve got all 3 modules’ questions just about done. Still have Projects & Essay Q’s to go. I’d love to have all this written work behind me & get to births. Patience, by the Lord’s grace, it will happen in time.

I received my Digestion Module back today. Didn’t do bad. I love that Shannon jots notes to help us learn more about the subject.

I need to resend another module, the file was corrupted, but they’re getting in. Slowly, but surely.

I’ve been working away at the Study Group modules. With M & H out of state, catching babies, it’s down to just K, D & I who attend our Study Group. My children were in VBS this last week, and the nursery gals even took the Little Guy, so M, Tu, Th, F, I was able to sit in the cafe and study! (Wed, the big 2 had piano lessons)

Saturdays, Ben takes the children -to see a movie today!- and I get to study more! I’ve got 3 modules almost done in just a week!!

My computer wasn’t working the other day (I’m posting from my phone), and I’d Really like to type them up & send them in, so I’m hoping it just needed time off.. Ben said it started up fine today, but staying on once it was warmed up was the issue this week.

Learning to be a Midwife, Lesson One:

Learn to sleep at the drop of a hat, waking ready to work and get to sleep again fast, to conserve energy for when it’s needed.

The site was hacked this summer, apparently yahoo didn’t support the auto updates for WordPress. My technical support has changed the server and we should be up and running (though as slow as ever to post new content).

I’ve started apprenticing this week and will be attending births pretty soon!

I took the train. It was so pleasant. And quiet. Just Alex and I riding the train. I have fond memories of riding the Tube train in England – those rare occasions that I overcame my tendency towards being housebound. The nice thing about becoming a midwife (or any career, I suppose) is there are new things to learn. This week it was NRP with Karen Strange.

Neonatal Resuscitation (NRP: the P is for program) is pretty much CPR for newborns. There are many other factors to be considered with newborns than with adults, which is why it’s important to be taught how to resuscitate properly. Karen is the current leading authority on NRP from the Midwifery Model of Care.

..more (hopefully) later, fussing baby!

Right now, baby’s hiccuping. Thump thump through my belly against my thigh.

We had our checkup today. I think it’s the first time she’s seen the girls fight. Being one of 11, she knows it happens, but it’s still too cute at this age. “How do you keep a straight face?” Haha, practice! Everything looks good with baby. Everything looks good, baby was ‘dropped’ again, so measured more than last time, but a little less than for dates (normal in the last few weeks). This could be a tiny 7 pounder. We’re earliest 37w4d, latest 38w6d (39 weeks tomorrow), so definitely in the ‘safe’ zone for birth. She’s had a Sunday afternoon birth each weekend this month, and the next gal in line with me isn’t due till the 11th, but she’s having more regular contractions than me -which is typical, I usually have sessions of Braxton Hicks once or twice in the last month then just go into labor. With #4 was the first time that I had regular daily contractions before the birth (every morning for 2 or 3 weeks, then they let up and one day I was in labor, in the morning).

It’s always interesting to see how it turns out. Short or long, day or night. Could be this weekend, or next.. or whenever. No need to rush to meet the new little!

Gee, I hope they’re only Braxton Hicks. Thankfully, I slept really well last night, but before that I’d started in on the tightenings. Ben got home, looked at me, and asked what I was doing vertical (as in, sitting up). Yeah.. I asked him to get up with TJ this morning and get him going for his classes, so far it’s been me, but I’m not making breakfast or lunch for the kid: I seriously cannot stand for long with out pain right now. I just have to ride it out at least another week and a bit I think.. or is it two weeks? Obstetric weeks can be counted two ways: entering the 37th week means that you’re at 36 weeks, so I’m still confused whether the 20th or 27th is the earliest I can “safely” deliver. I think my midwife counts old school, but the U/S tech had that I’m 35+, so I’m aiming to stay on the down low till next weekend. Then, if baby comes, baby comes.

Right now, I’ve got to go lie down and hope that Ben gets up to feed the boy.