Positive Birth Story

"The Miles Circuit is so relaxing!" My friend told me confidently as we discussed my tentative birth plan. I tucked that information in the back of my head saying I wasn't going to try it until I actually felt ready for baby to come.

I had an annoying head cold that was not going away any time soon. At my 38 week appointment, my midwife mentioned that baby could be posterior. That night, I felt hiccups way up high, making me wonder if she was also transverse. It felt like fears were bombarding me from all sides. How can I breathe through contractions if I can barely breathe the way it is? What if we have to do a version to change her position? What if she stays posterior and I have unmanageable pain while in labor? What if she comes before we can get to the hospital? (the hospital was 2 hours away)

Within a couple of days, I felt hiccups down low again. I breathed a prayer of thanks. The morning of 39 weeks I felt sick to my stomach and couldn't keep food down. The triage nurse that I spoke with on the phone didn't seem concerned, probably just a stomach bug. I was miserable all day, scared I would go into labor feeling so gross.

By the next morning I was actually somewhat hungry again. This was good because we were packing up our family and moving to LaCrosse WI for the next several days until baby came. We wanted to be close to the hospital and not have the stress of wondering if we would make it in time. My mom came with us to help with the toddlers.

We got settled into our cozy Airbnb Thursday evening. Jasper got sick that night. The girls slept well. By morning the temperature was low 50s (which is absolutely crazy for WI in December!). The babies played outside all morning. I again wasn't feeling very good, but the weather was lovely and provided us all with good spirits. 

When we put the babies down for their naps I told Allen I was going to try this "Miles Circuit" thing. Basically it is a series of positions to help baby be able to wiggle into optimal birth position and has been know to even kick start labor. Afterwards, I told Allen to not let me believe my friend when she tells me something is relaxing. The 90 minutes of positioning and exercises were far from relaxing. Later, I found out that I was supposed to work my way up to 90 minutes starting with only 15 minutes at 37 weeks and then doing it every day until I could do a full 90. Well, I guess I know now!

We needed to stock up on food for the babies and they needed longer naps if possible, because none of them slept well. We loaded up our tribe in the van to go to Walmart. Almost as soon as we got in the vehicle, I felt a contraction. I didn't think much about it, but when two and three more came on our short drive I began to wonder. Keeping an eye on the clock, I noticed they were coming every 6 minutes. Allen made a "pit stop" at the hospital so that we could easily identify our parking area if we would be in a hurry when I was in labor. As we started for Walmart, I was timing my contractions and they were getting stronger. After a short discussion, Allen and I decided we really didn't need to go to Walmart with the way I was feeling and the babies still hadn't fallen asleep. We drove back to our Airbnb and Mom took the babies for a drive, hoping they could settle in this time. 

In the meantime, my contractions slowed down and I wondered if it had just been a false alarm. Allen and I gathered our belongings and talked about our plan. Deanne was driving over at that moment to relieve mom of baby care responsibilities. Mom returned and N was still awake, but the other two had fallen a sleep. 

My contractions were picking up again, coming every 5 minutes. I told Allen that I wanted to go to the hospital for peace of mind at least. We hugged the babies goodbye and Allen got our bags in the car. Just then, Deanne pulled in and we told her goodbye as well. Mom decided to stay so that Deanne wouldn't have to care for all three children by herself. 

As we drove the 12 minutes, I was relaxed and much less fearful than I had been for a while. As contractions came, I thought "Breathe in God's love, breathe out fear". I felt God's peace fill me.

We walked slowly to the labor and delivery unit stopping a few times, but not for long. My contractions had eased up quite a bit again. Someone asked me if I needed a wheel chair, I laughed and said "No thanks". They checked us in while I lay in a small room listening to baby Belle's heart beat through the monitor, such a beautiful sound!

We got there around 4:30 in the afternoon. Though I wasn't dilated very far yet, we were thankful that we came in when we did. The unit was full and we got a cozy corner of it (even though we never made it to an actual labor room). Things progressed fairly quickly and thanks to Allen's back rubs and a heat pack (those things work wonders for back labor!) I was able to manage the contractions well. I guess I should really thank my friend for her advice, though the Miles Circuit was quite uncomfortable, it may have aided in a more comfortable labor, and for that I am quite grateful.

My water broke around 8:30 or 9 in the evening and we welcomed our sweet baby at 10:11 PM. This last hour and a half was definitely the hardest, but so so worth it when Gracia was placed in my arms, warm and loud. She has a healthy set of lungs!

All in all, we had a very good experience and are so grateful for our God being with us and giving us such a sweet gift. There has been so many times that I've thought of Pearl through this pregnancy and birth. We still don't understand why we couldn't keep her, but her death has helped us realize how truly valuable and precious the gift of life is. 

Job‬ ‭12:10‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind.