Avery’s Birth Story

I went to bed October 30^th 3 days overdue and feeling very ready to have a baby.  I woke at 2:30 feeling quite nauseous but was able to get back to sleep.  At 3:30 I woke with either a large movement or a BH, not sure which then I felt a little hand or foot tear through my bag of waters.  I got up to go to the bathroom and waited for a gush or trickle but nothing.  Maybe I was wrong?  I didn’t want to get into bed and have it gush there remembering that we didn’t have the plastic sheet on the bed yet.  I squatted over a towel and got a gush and saw some vernix so I knew for sure. 

I have felt for months that this would be a fast labor and I had a feeling my water would break before labor and if it did, labor would be really fast, I am very glad now that I had the premonition and was able to listen to my body.   

I turned on the water to fill the tub and told a sleeping Ken (my husband) that my water broke.  “It did?”  “Yes, call Pat!” (our midwife) Ken went out to get the phone and came back into the bathroom and asked if I was having contractions “Ken, call Pat NOW!”  I wasn’t having contractions but I knew it was coming, I was hoping getting into the tub would slow things down.  Ken called Pat and then called Stephanie, our good friend and support person for the kids.  Ken came back into the bathroom and told me Pat was at another birth but was finishing up.  I glared at him and was thinking ‘You better get ready buddy – it’s all on you’ but was unable to vocalize that thought.  He reassured me that Pat was finishing and was on her way – that made me feel a little better but it didn’t make him feel any better as he told me later he wasn’t sure she would make it.

When Ken came back in the bathroom I gave him a few orders – get my lavender candle, get me some water, turn on my music and then I need you.  When he came back with my candle and water I told him I was scared and I needed him to talk to me and tell me everything was going to be ok.  He was wonderful reminding me that everything would be fine, that I could do this and that I was strong.  A few minutes later the contractions started.  After I had 2 or 3 I felt much better about my ability to handle them.  After 3 there was no time for fear.  They weren’t consistent in spacing, length or strength.  At some point in time I asked Ken to unlock the front door and write a note telling Pat & Stephanie to come on in.  He had already done that. J  After about 5 contractions I was needing to vocalize.  It was obvious this was going to happen very fast.  I was already in transition.  I was shaking and went from hot to cold back to hot before I was able to say it out loud.  Ken was trying to massage my back but it was hard for him to reach me and I couldn’t turn around because I needed to lean out of the tub – I couldn’t stand for my hands or arms to be in the water. 

This time there wasn’t the exchange of small talk or jokes between contractions, no sweet looks and loving kisses, like we had with Kerianne’s birth we were just trying to get through.  Poor Ken was thinking I was awful bitchy and bossy for it being so early in labor.

During a contraction I heard some noise Ken looked into the bedroom and said “Pat’s here.”  When the contraction was over Pat was in the bathroom.  I told her I was scared.  She asked me what I was scared of and I told her “It’s different” her response was “Every birth is different, your body knows what it is doing, you are doing great work, listen to your body.”  I wanted to tell her that I KNEW all births were different!  I’ve had 3 babies – this is DIFFERENT!  She was concerned that I was scared because she didn’t understand that it came from me knowing it was coming so fast.  She told me later if I had been able to tell her that she would not have been worried at all.

By this time Stephanie had arrived with her son Aiden and they were in the family room.  All of our kids were still sleeping so she was just hanging out.

The contractions spaced out for about 10 minutes and then I felt very pushy.  I would push for just a few seconds during a contraction.  I reached up to see if I could feel a head – the first time I felt for it I had to reach in about 1-2 inches before I felt the head.  At this time I almost asked Pat to check me, I was a little worried that I wasn’t complete.  I didn’t have time to ask her.  With the next contraction I was pushing whether I wanted to or not my body had taken over.  I reached in again and the head was right there.  I had entered the ring of fire!  I really wanted Ken to catch the baby this time.  In my head I was saying ‘Ken, please position yourself to catch the baby.’  What came out was KENNNNNN, I was screaming, the pain was extreme.  In my head I was remembering a birth video I had watched where a woman birthed in her tub at home and the baby just happened to slip out as she breathed heavily, no screaming and I wondered why I was in so much pain!

Ken was in position to catch the baby, he was massaging my perineum, “I have my hands on the head,”  two pushes and the head was out, “I have the head.” I got a break and was really enjoying it – part of me thought ‘That’s it, I’m done, no shoulders for me, thanks’  The head being out without the rest of the baby made Ken and Pat a little uneasy but I was in no hurry.  Pat encouraged me to push the baby out.  The way Ken was positioned she couldn’t see the head and she was getting a little nervous.  “Keri, push your baby out”  “Come on Keri, push your baby out”  “SHUT UP!” was my response, I am pushing damnit! I thought.   I planted both feet on the floor of the tub and pushed as hard as I could.  The baby was out and Ken laid the baby immediately on my chest, he was crying.  I took a peek to see what we had and announced that it was a girl!

Stephanie came in holding Aiden asking if it was ok for them to come in, of course it was.  Ken had run upstairs to get the boys.  He stopped at Brendan’s (8 years old) room first and pretty much yanked him out of the top bunk, Cory (10 years old) came out of his room, my screaming woke him up already.  Ken was saying “We have a new baby girl!”  The boys came down and were beaming from ear to ear.  Cory asked her name and I told him it was Avery McKenna, they both approved. 

The cord was short so I had to keep her low.  For a moment Pat was a little worried about the amount of blood in the tub and asked if we could cut the cord.  I asked her if we would wait a while longer.  A few minutes later she told me she was fine with the amount of blood and no longer worried.  Well after the cord stopped pulsing Pat prepared to clamp it but the cord was so short she couldn’t really get to it so I had to deliver the placenta first.  Avery was nursing and we waited for a contraction and I just had to push a little to get the placenta out.  Ken asked the boys if they wanted to cut the cord.  Cory said no thanks but Brendan was very willing.  Pat clamped the cord and asked if we wanted to say a prayer.  Without prompting Cory said “Thank you Lord for our beautiful new sister.”  What a beautiful moment, I was so proud!  Brendan tried to cut the cord but needed help from Ken.  Stephanie was taking pictures.

I moved to the bed.  Pat examined me – no tears or abrasions.  Pat was taking care of all the post birth stuff.  She was examining the placenta.  She asked if we wanted to see it.  Ken, Cory and I all said no.  Brendan came in the room and I asked him if he wanted to see the placenta – he jumped at the chance, he had also carefully examined Kerianne’s placenta with Pat.

Ken pulled out the call list and the spreading of the news began.  Of course everyone wanted to know how big she was but we didn’t know yet so they would have to wait.

A good friend and neighbor saw all the cars out front and knew I was either in labor or had the baby.  She brought over some crushed ice – she knows I like it and when she opened the front door Stephanie told her I just had the baby, she came back to our room and congratulated us. 

Kerianne (16 months) woke up and Ken went to get her.  He brought her into the room, she pointed to the baby and said “Dada” which is her word for baby.  It was so wonderful to be there with all of my children.

Pat was ready to do the newborn exam whenever we were. Avery was about 2 ½ hours old.  After the exam Pat weighed her and asked for guesses beforehand.  I said 8/2, Ken said 8 even, Pat said 8.5 and my neighbor Chandra said 10 pounds – I looked at her like she was nuts.  Pat placed Avery on the scale and Ken said “I want to change my guess.” I asked why and he said they were already at 9 pounds and were still moving.  Pat said 9 pounds, 8 ounces!  I said “Are you sure?”  Ken said “I’m looking at the scale.”  I asked again, she just didn’t look like a big baby to me, she surprised us all.

The herbs had been steeping on the stove and Avery and I took an herbal bath together.  Pat helped me out, drying me off very tenderly.  While I was in the tub Pat got a call from another mom, her water had broken but no contractions yet, it was going to be a busy day for her.

Pat was telling us that she felt bad because when she got Ken’s call she very quickly left the family she had just birthed with.  They were finished, already had their herbal bath but Pat told us she just bolted.  She assumed I had been in labor for 4-5 hours when my water broke.  From the time we called her it took her 40 minutes to get to our place, she was there for about 30 minutes before the birth.

Stephanie made the boys breakfast and brought fruit to Pat and I.  The boys were off to meet the school bus, they couldn’t wait to tell everybody. 

Pat had us sign some papers, gave us instructions, congratulated us, told us she loved us and was on her way about 4 hours after the birth.

Stephanie asked if we wanted her to stay, leave or take Kerianne.  We chose to have her take Kerianne so that we could try to get some rest and relax.  It was nice to have this time to focus on Avery and cop a nap.

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