So at 9:08, Jen confirmed that my water had broken and told me that I was free to push whenever I felt the urge. That was all I needed to hear! The last several contractions during transition had been the most intense yet, with my body wanting to push if I let up my focus for one instant. So, on the next contraction I curled up, chin to chest, and gave it all I had! Joel tells me that on each contraction I gave 3-4 good pushes; and on a few contractions, I gave it 5! Jen was so encouraging, coaching me to curl into it and focus the push down at the bottom. At first I wanted to vocalize while pushing, but she told me to keep the air inside my lungs to help give stronger pushes. I remember her constantly telling me how perfectly I was pushing, that I was really moving the baby.
Jen called the nurse in as I began to push. They took turns listening to the baby’s heartbeat between each contraction; a few times the heart rate dropped a little, but always stayed above 100, which they said was what they wanted. Also, the baby was helping me all the way – even though she turned and gave me some back labor, she also kept wiggling and turning throughout pushing in order to find the best way to come out. We could see her kicking and wiggling from the outside – it was so cool to think of her in there working with me to birth her!
Jen encouraged me to turn onto my side in the tub, that it might make the pushing a little easier. Joel gently held my head above the water as I leaned to the side. For me, starting to push at the beginning of a contraction was painful as I tensed and curled up rather than relaxing, but the pushing itself felt fantastic! I think that’s why I gave it so many pushes each time, and didn’t rest during any contractions from there on out. I was almost reluctant to stop pushing as each contraction subsided. I literally felt no pain as I pushed; instead it felt like a huge relief!
Unfortunately, Jen noticed a little meconium when my water broke so she told me I would have to get out of the tub for the actual delivery. She said this gently but with some humor, and asked me not to kill her for making me get up and walk in the middle of pushing. If I thought getting out was tough during labor, it was just awful during pushing! I had pushed the baby down far enough to be able to easily feel her head when I reached down, so to get up, climb out, and waddle the two steps to the bed was really not ideal. Wow.
My terrific attendants took care of quickly drying me and helping me onto the bed. I got onto my side again to continue pushing. Again, I had no sense of time, it felt like I had only been pushing for a few minutes when Jen and Bev, the nurse, told me that I was getting really close to meeting my baby! They took turns holding a small mirror so that I could see her head. We all touched it and enjoyed the full head of hair that our baby was apparently to be born with. Jen called for oil, and applied it as the baby started to crown, helping me to accommodate her head. She coached me wisely through this part, telling me when to relax and allow the baby’s head to stay where it was for a few moments. It was a very controlled process that allowed my body to adjust and stretch; it was intense, and I felt very full, but it didn’t burn until the baby’s head was actually in the middle of crowning and I was pushing her out. So the “ring of fire” for me was very brief, and a great motivator to get the job done!
Checking the heart rate again just after a contraction that helped the baby to crown, Jen told me that the heart rate had dropped to about 80 or 90. She said it wasn’t an immediate problem, but that the baby needed to come quickly now. She said she would prefer for me to deliver the baby on the next contraction or else she would like to do an episiotomy to help speed it along.
Again, that was all I needed to hear! On the next contraction I gave four of the strongest pushes I could possibly muster. I let out a yell on one, then held the energy inside for two more pushes as I brought my daughter into the world. I watched in the mirror as much as I could, but had to close my eyes to focus. Joel said it was the most amazing thing he had ever seen, to watch his daughter be born before his very eyes. She was a sturdy baby with broad shoulders, and Jen helped as I delivered the rest of her body on the next push.
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