After on and off contractions for nearly 2 days, I got a call around lunchtime from mom saying they'd decided to head into the hospital. She'd been up since the early hours of the morning with very early labour. Contractions now, however, were anywhere from 5- 10 minutes apart and lasting a minute or more. If they were in the city I might have suggested they wait a bit longer. But, they had a long drive in from the country and no one wanted to tempt fate. I too got ready to leave to meet then at the hospital around 1:45pm.
I entered the Labour/Delivery/Recovery room to find mom deeply engrossed in hard labour kneeling upon the bed. There was a small flurry of activity as the nurses tried to start her IV line. She had tested Group B Step Positive and chose to accept antibiotic treatment during her labour. Dad and I sorted out our various supporting roles to help mom through each powerful surge. We were all so excited that mom was already 4-5 cm dilated, 75 % effaced and baby's head was at 0 station already. Things were certainly moving along quickly.
For a while mom laid on her left side with her right leg propped up. Dad offered her all his love, supportive words, soothing touches, cool water and cool cloths.
The nurse brought in the laughing gas. We encouraged mom to try using the etonox to slow down her breathing and hopefully take the edge of the intensity of this rapid labour. But she wasn't very interested in it. As 3pm approached we suggested that mom move back to kneeling as she had seemed better able to cope with the surges in this position. The midwife found mom to be 9 cm dilated and then a short 10 minutes later fully dilated and ready to push!
The amniotic sack had not yet ruptured, so as pushing began the midwife released the waters baby had been floating in. Dad expertly rubbed mom's hips and helped keep a steady supply of cool clothes covering mom's neck, back and forehead. I did my best to encourage mom's deep vocalizations as we all reminded her to direct her energy and breath down through her body to guide baby into this world.
The midwife requested that mom lay back down on her right side and I held a mirror up for her to see the baby's head playing peek-a-boo with the world as she eased baby down the birth canal. A few more pushes brought baby to crowing and mom reached down to feel baby's downy little head. A pause at the peak of intensity and then, finally release at 3:45 pm a beautiful little boy was passed into his mother's loving arms.
The snow was melting away as I drove home later that evening; it was as if the love that warmed everyone's hearts in the birth room had spilled out into the world. I found that my trust in birthing women,and the universe over all, was renewed by being permitted to share in this birth.
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