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Evan Michael Sex: boy Born: 09 March, 2009 Age: 0 years & 258 days Birthday in: 107 days Starsign: Pisces Development: See the 8 months page. Biggest achievement so far: -

Birth details

Original due date: March 1, 2009
Type of delivery: Vaginal (without pain relief)
Duration of labor: 3 hours!!!
Weight @ birth: 6 lbs, 12 oz
Length @ birth: 20.5 inches

On March 9, 2009 my boyfriend and I went to bed late---it was almost 2am. I commented to him that I was having cramps, but these felt different, because there was back pain involved. I still wasn’t sure if they were contractions or not, since I had been told by girls on the forum that there would be no doubt in my mind. Anyway, I fell asleep and then awoke to a contraction about 4:45. Then there was another one 20 minutes later. I knew that if it was labor, I would need energy so got out of bed to get some toast.



0545 I got out of bed, tried to eat, contractions 20 minutes apart.

00600-0645 had 6 bowel movements, violent throwing up and then contractions were 15 minutes, 10 minutes apart and finally one on top of the other!!!

0700 I could barely walk from toilet to bedroom to wake up Michael, and he called my midwife (who lives hour and half away) since I couldn’t talk through a contraction at that point. My midwife said she’s send a back up right over. I naively said to Michael, “Maybe I’m farther along than we think.” While waiting, We had filled the tub but I couldn’t sit in it at this point! The only comfortable place for me was on the toilet.

0750 Margie (backup midwife, lives around the corner from me and has delivered over 2200 babies!) arrives, checks me and I’m already at 9 cm!!! I had never met her before, I was so relieved to know that the pain of dilation was almost over, I couldn’t bear any more.

0755 Water breaks while I’m sitting on the toilet- it was clear

0805 10cm already , start pushing while in a kneeling position at the side of my bed. I was SO thirsty and drank water after nearly every push! Also at one point between pushes I took the time to apply lip balm to my lips because they were so dry. LOL.

0835 Margie recommends squatting, and that really sped things up! I squatted between Michael’s legs at the edge of the bed, he was my rock. The baby dropped further down the birth canal just from me switching into that position! I remember during every push in this position, my legs started trembling due to my muscle exertion. I am so glad Michael was holding me, he later said he couldn't believe how strong I was and he thought I could possible break a finger or two since I was squeezing them sooooo hard.

0840 Margie sees his head and says he has dark hair!! She tells me to reach down and feel his head, (that was so surreal, talk about an incentive!) and that he’ll be out in just a few more pushes. (I finally figured out what ‘push’ or ‘bear down’ means. It means push like you’re going to have to poop for your life, and I did literally poop during lots of the pushes. I couldn’t have cared less though. I wanted him out. Anything I excreted was immediately wiped up.)

0855 Evan is born! He was born with his hand beside his face, or else he would have been born FASTER. The hand by his face causes me to tear and the only time I used profanity during labor was pushing this out. I remember saying, "HOLY F*&K!" and Margie said, "That's how you got here, my dear." ;)

0910 placenta delivered, Michael cuts cord

0920 baby nursing, he is so alert!

It really is incredible how things worked out. Even if we had planned on a hospital birth, we probably wouldn't have made it in time, let alone have time for an epidural!!! It was so fast, I am still in shock. Thank God for the midwives, otherwise I know my boyfriend and I would have had to deliver the baby on our own. I couldn’t even lay down when Margie checked to see how dilated I was…I just couldn’t have imagined getting into a car to go to the hospital at that point, it would have been impossible. I don't know how women give birth laying down--it's so inefficient!

It was cool to be in my own bed, nursing Evan for the first time. What an experience of a lifetime. So intimate, only three of us there to welcome my beautiful son* into the world.

*He really is cute, too. When my best friend came over to meet him, she said, "Oh he is so cute! Now I don't have to lie to you about it!" LOL. Classic.

**I gave birth wearing a bikini top. I had put it on when I still thought I cared about modesty and thought there would be time to labor in the tub.

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