The summer has quickly come and is now almost over. We have had lots of fun this summer which I plan to post more about, but as of right now I feel the need to post about Matthew's birth before the details get too foggy. If reading about birth stories isn't your thing, (water breaking, contractions and the sorts) this post may not be for you.Matthew was due on July 30th. The week before I had been checked and was super soft and dilated some. With David I never truly went into labor on my own so I was convinced after this check that Matthew would arrive on or before his due date. Well about a week after my due date had come and gone I was extremely frustrated. I tried everything I could find to induce labor but nothing seemed to help. I finally decided to try acupuncture. I had never done acupuncture before but I simply couldn't stand on the sidelines and do nothing, even though that is really all your body requires for the most part. I was having some contractions before I went to accupunture, but nothing too strong. I had gone to the accupuncture Tuesday evening came home and went to bed. I woke up about 3 hours after I got home and my contractions were getting stronger. I labored on and off through the night and when I woke up the next morning they were back to being mild contractions. Pretty much all day Wed. I labored on and off but my contractions never became regular.
I spoke with my midwife Wed. afternoon and was told that if they didn't get closer together that she wanted me to take castor oil in the morning and then again 3 hours after the first dose. I really didn't want to take it but my contractions weren't getting closer together. So in the morning after laboring most of the night I took the castor oil. Although it didn't have any affect on me at all until after the birth. The time came for me to take the second dose but I decided I wanted to be checked before taking any more.
We got to the birth center at about 11:45 am. When they checked me I was dilated to a 7. It was great news. We were going to have a baby and I wasn't going home. We had forgotten the car seat at home, go figure and so Doug went back to the house (we live fairly close) and I continued to labor. When he got back I was dilated to an 8 and we decided to break my water. About 30 minutes later I was ready to push and about 20 minutes later Matthew was born. At 10 lbs 10 oz. I could hardly hold him because I was so weak and he was so heavy. Celia was there to witness the birth and Doug was by my side the whole time letting me squeeze his hand as tight as I could. David and my Mom came to the center to meet little Matthew and we all went home a few hours later where both Matthew and I recovered.
With David I started off in a birth center and ended up having him in a hospital due to some mild complications. This go around, I feel so blessed to have had no complications with Matthew so that I was finally able to give birth the way I had always wanted to, drug free and in a birth center. All in all I had an easy birth and the experience was amazing! The two things that I learned from this birth is that one, I will never ever in my whole life take castor oil again, and the second being that babies come when they are good and ready.
(41 weeks prego!)
