Dylan's Birth Story

When I first started this blog I was trying to decide where to begin. Do I jump back 3 years ago when Abe and I got married, 1 year ago when Dylan turned one or just pick up where my life is now. I wanted my first blog to be about a very special, very memorable, very defining moment in my life; the day my daughter was born and I became a mother.

Because when I had her I was still using my 35mm camera (more like refusing to go digital) I had to scan my pictures into the computer. I finally found time to do that and can blog about her birth. Let me also add that I have since then converted to a digital camera and love it!

The idea of delivering at a birthing center with a midwife always intrigued me. Once I became pregnant I began researching my options. The moment I toured the birthing center, met with the midwife and asked her my zillions of questions I knew it was the place for me.

The idea of a drug free delivery did not scare me at all. A good friend of mine, Cheryl said "It's pain with a purpose." That comment has always stayed with me. I wanted to be as present as possible during her birth. By that I mean, I wanted to feel everything and not miss out on the complete experience. I trusted my body to do what is was naturally made to do without intervention.

Wanting a drug free delivery was not the only reason I chose a birthing center. I truly believe the more interventions you have, only leads to more interventions that could have otherwise been prevented. I do not like the way our medical community views birth. They treat it like an illness instead of a natural process that women have been doing for ages.

There are many things routinely done in the hospital I did not want. I knew if I opted for a hospital delivery I would have to be very vocal about my wishes, maybe to the point of pissing (for lack of a better word) off the staff. Although I feel they should respect any mother's wishes I do understand there are protocols and hospital policies. I felt it would be better for all if I just chose another place to deliver. One that allowed me to design my own birth plan and give me the support I needed to carry that out.

Now I do not want anyone reading this to think I am anti-technology. That is not the case at all. I am very grateful for the medical advances we have to help pregnant women considered high-risk. It is very necessary in some cases. I just believe that for healthy women with healthy pregnancies, less intervention is better.

Most people do not know this but our country has one of the highest infant and mother mortality rates. Why is that if we have all this wonderful technology to offer women giving birth? Hmmm, maybe we are not doing something right.

I really did not mean to go off on such a tangent! This is just something I feel very strongly about.

Okay, finally here are some pictures of Dylan's birth. My sister, Tami drove in to take the pictures. The only people at her birth were Abe, Tami, my midwife and a birthing assistant.

This picture was taken about a week or two before her birth. The birthing center is located in Denton about 5 miles from my house. www.inannabirth.com

There are two birthing rooms. Since I was the only mama in labor at that time I was able to choose with room I wanted. I chose the one with the birthing tub, just in case I felt like getting in for comfort or having a water birth.

I began having contractions around 5pm but it did not occur to me I was in labor until around 9 or 10pm when I called my midwife and told her what was going on. She confirmed I was in labor and to call her when my contractions were around 5 minutes apart.

Abe (working the evening shift at that time) just got home from work. I sent him on an errand on his way home to pick up some Cookie Crisp cereal (I craved it my entire pregnancy). By the time he got there I no longer had an appetite. My contractions were not that bad, just strong enough to make me stop what I was doing and unable to concentrate on anything else. I was trying to watch the season finale of Lost. That was not working out. Luckily we had TIVO.

We filled up our jacuzzi bathtub and I got in to relax. That helped a lot. Abe timed my contractions and when they were every 3-5 minutes (two hours later) we headed to the birthing center. When we arrived at the birthing center I was already 7 cm dilated. Hallelujah! I kept thinking on the way to the birthing center, it we get there and she says I am only 3 cm, I don't know what I'm going to do!

The pain from the contractions came and went but I had back pain the entire time. Abe constantly massaged my back. I did most of my laboring sitting on a birthing ball.

I was not connected to an IV or a continuous fetal monitor, so I was able to move about freely.

My midwife was in the room with us almost the entire time. Here she is checking Dylan's heart rate with a Doppler.

Abe was able to help "catch" Dylan as she was born. I was not sure if he really would do it but the moment was so exciting and fast he just reached down and grabbed her! She was born at 4:10 am.

Dylan having her first newborn exam by my midwife.

7lbs 10 oz, 20 1/2 inches long

Breastfeeding for the first time. We started breastfeeding within the first hour after delivery.

Hello world.

Once I felt up to it we were discharged from the birthing center. We were headed home 2 hours after I had Dylan. My midwife and birthing assistant came to the house a couple of days later to do a home visit.

My entire pregnancy, birth and just being a mother has been the greatest experience of my life, thus far. I cannot wait to do it again!