BRIGGS ROYAL BEAZER
Wednesday, May 6th, 2020
8:35 am
7lbs 14oz
19.5in

As usual I was very emotional as the end of pregnancy approached. I had a few nights with some mild contractions that never escalated and I was tired from the restless sleep; something I hadn’t experience this much with previous pregnancies. The day before he was born I had mild rushes throughout the day, but I knew this could go on for days; I was still 8 days from my due date and I had gone over last time. I was feeling so close to labour though and I could feel baby sitting so low. Cooper had been a big handful that day; I think he must have known in a way that everything was about to change. I was really tired! Thankfully my amazing mom took him for a couple hours so I could relax a bit. I went on a little walk with my oldest, Porter, and then came back and relaxed for awhile before making dinner, all the while having mini rushes every so often. That night after getting the toddler to bed I had a warm bath. Russell put the big kids to bed and we joked that night that tonight would be a good night for the baby to come; Russell had no patients the next day, so it would be easy for him to miss work. He talked to my belly that night, telling the baby that they could come now. Our expectations were very low though considering my due date was still more than a week away.

I woke up at about 1:30 am with some rushes. I just stayed laying down relaxing as much as possible and breathing through each little rush. Cooper woke up just before 2:00 and I was hoping Russell would get up with him (which he did), because I didn't want anything to stop the rushes from coming. I started timing each rush after 2:00. The rushes started to get mildly more intense. When Russell came back to bed at around 2:20 he could hear me breathing through them and excitedly asked “Are you in labour”? Which I replied quietly and calmly to with “Possibly”.

We were both trying not to get our hopes up. I stayed in bed for as long as possible breathing and quietly moaning through each rush. They slowed down for a little while and I was worried they were going to stop, but then they increased in intensity. I got up and walked around a bit, then went back to bed, then to the bathroom and back to bed. Then finally I couldn’t lay down through the rushes anymore, I got up and knelt beside the bed so I could lean forward, breathe and moan through each rush. Finally, at 5:00 am I called the midwives, I was pretty sure we were at the real deal now and this wasn't going to stop.

Russell got up and started to prep the pool for the birth. I got up to do a couple things between rushes. My rushes slowed down a bit, but continued to come and get a little more intense. I was still praying at this point that things wouldn’t stop. The midwife, Terri, arrived at 6:00 am and checked me. I was 6cm dilated already. I knew for sure now that it was game on! We were going to meet our baby very soon.

Russell called my mom, who wasn't responding to texts, and Rhonda, who came to take photos, to let them know that baby was on its way. The Midwife went about prepping birth supplies.

Russell started to fill the pool, but our hot water tank didn't have enough hot water to fill it all the way. I got in anyways with it half full just before 7:00. The warm water was such a relief! I was feeling the rushes a lot in my upper thighs and my legs were getting very tired and sore.

Rhonda arrived about 7:00 am. The kids were all still sleeping, despite all the noise from me, the pool being blown up, and people talking down the hallway. Porter surfaced at about 7:30 and Cooper shortly after. Porter was excited, but stayed very quiet and sat down on the couch; he remembers Cooper’s birth and knew exactly what was going on when he came up the stairs to me sitting in the birth pool. Cooper was noticeably surprised by the scene when he came out of his bedroom, but was a little nervous to come near mom.

All the while I was working through each rush in the pool; lots of low moaning, horse lips, and deep breaths to stay grounded through each rush. Russell or the midwife were doing counter pressure on my hips and lower back for awhile, which was very helpful. Russell had also started to heat a huge pot of water on the stove because our hot water heater was taking its good ol’ time to heat up more water for the pool. He ended up dumping in 3 large pots of hot water before we were finally able to top off the pool with the warm water from the hose.

My mom arrived around 7:40 I think, but Edith was still sleeping. At 8:00 I finally told Russell he needed to wake Edith up, because I needed the kids to leave. Things were picking up and I needed less noise and distractions. My mom left with the kid, with plans to return shortly to be there for the birth.

The second midwife, Eve, had arrived about 7:30. Eve sat down next to the pool and helped me stay focused and gave encouragement as things progressed. Terri continued to monitor the baby’s heart rate. Baby’s heart rate remained great throughout labour.

With each rush I needed to turn over onto my knees and lean on the edge of pool, moving my hips in a circular motion through each rush to deal with the sensations and help baby move down. Sometimes I would hang onto Russell, who knelt at the edge of the pool, or look into Eves eyes. Between rushes I would sit and stretch out my legs and relax as much a possible. For awhile my legs were cramping after each rush, which did not feel good, but thankfully the warm water and a leg massage helped so much. Terri wiped my brow and face with a cool cloth which felt nice.

That moment when Russell joked about calling our child Chewbacca if he had come on May 4th

I was starting to get a bit of vaginal pressure during each rush. It all felt very surreal and overwhelming at one point and I let out tears between each rush. Eve encouraged me to let it all out. I knew now that I was so close to holding my baby in my arms, but also knew what it was going to take to get him here; a lot of emotions surrounding that thought.

I had been staying well hydrated with juice and water, so at about 8:30 we decided I should try and get out of the pool to go to the bathroom; potentially to make more room for baby to move down and a bit of walking wouldn’t hurt either. I knew that getting out of the pool would be intense, rushes always feel harder out of the pool. Russell helped me out of the pool and the midwives pat me down with towels to dry off. I had a big rush hanging onto Russell right after getting out of the pool. I knew when I got to the toilet that, that would be a really intense position (it always is for me), but what happened next was totally unexpected.

I could feel the next rush coming as I sat on the toilet and then a ton of pressure, a burst of water and baby’s head was halfway out. I was in a half squat over the toilet as Russell hung onto me. I reached down to hold the head as it came out; this was so intense!! Eve was right there to support me as I delivered the rest of the head. The head was out in one rush. Within seconds, the body came out and with the help of Eve, I pulled my baby onto my chest. It was so fast! I hadn’t even really pushed, my body did all the work.

I was overcome with emotion as I held my baby and sat down, leaning into Russell and ugly crying, feeling it all. I was so shocked; it had happened so fast at the end. I just looked at Russell and said “wow I did it” totally in awe of what my body is capable of. I think with each birth I am more in awe of the whole process. Within minutes my placenta was delivered (into the toilet; again so fast) and Russell cut the cord. We had another BOY! Who peed on me right away. He was the sweetest little thing, a little swollen with the biggest lips at first. He had a full head of hair and the Beazer stamp on his face.

Natural birth is so beautifully hard! I can’t imagine doing it any other way though. For me giving birth at home is one of the best experiences of my life. The best part about home birth is being at home right after! Comfortably in my own bed surrounded by the most amazing support. We never felt rushed, we were completely free to take our time and soak up all that fresh baby goodness. There is an extra level of peace and calm that I love about a home birth.

After the midwives had done checking on me and baby and cleaned up, we were left to rest and snuggle the rest of the day. I could hardly believe he was here, pure perfection in a tiny little body, resting on my chest! My heart is so full!