the water birth...

I know a lot of you have questions about the water birth... so, I hope this clears things up.

The concept: Hot water is a pain reliever... just like a hot pack. They say that during a delivery hot water can  decrease the pain by 4 points on a 10 point pain scale. Being in a bath can also speed a delivery along because the buoyancy of the water decreases the pressure on the tail bone creating a more conducive passageway. Some people also believe that a water birth is the most peaceful way for a baby to transition into the world... from amniotic fluid, to water, to mothers arms. If allowed a new born baby could swim under water and it is technically not "born" until it takes its first breath of air.

The tub: It was the size of a bathtub but was deeper (so that your body would have room to float and be completely submerged), it was brought into the delivery suite bathroom upon my request and Tyler filled it up with a hand shower. I WAS THE ONLY ONE IN THE TUB! It had very pillowy sides and bottom... and was very comfortable.

Monitoring: I had 2 waterproof/wireless monitors strapped to my belly. One measured Parker's heat beats and the other my contractions.

The birth: When it was time to deliver Parker, two midwives came into the bathroom to assist. One was positioned on my left, Tyler was on my right and the head midwife (Liss) was near my feet. Liss simply told me to do what my body wanted to do... during a contraction let your body push. I tried to aim for three pushes per contraction. I felt his head come out half way... Liss told me she could see his head. At the next contraction I felt his head pop out completely and again Liss told me that his head was out. At this point she put her hands in the water to support his head and neck. Then I gave one more push and out he came. Liss reached down, and pulled him up onto my chest. He did not cry at first (which is normal for water births), but instead took a few deep breaths... then he let out his first cry. They put a warm towel on top of him and he soon became very content. They clamped the cord, and let Tyler cut it. Then I handed Parker over to Tyler so that I could hop out of the tub and onto the bed to deliver the placenta. Once I was on the bed, Tyler put Parker back on my chest and he had his first feed.

The recovery: One of the nice things about having a natural birth is the recovery. As soon as Parker was born, I felt great and without pain. I was a little shaky but was walking around by myself 30 minutes after the birth.

The funniest moment: Right before my last contraction Liss told me that once I felt his body come out, I could reach down and pull him onto my chest (basically performing my own delivery). I responded, "no thanks, can't someone just hand him to me". In retrospect, I guess it would have been cool to say that I delivered my baby... but I also love the candid response I gave in that moment and did not want to have to think about anything but pushing, let alone pulling Parker out of the water myself. Tyler and I will never forget that moment!

The scariest moment: I knew that as soon as I let myself panic and succumb to the pain, I would be done for. Unfortunately, I panicked right away. I was very surprised how painful the contractions got so fast. The pain shot down my legs, up my back and wrapped around my entire middle. I felt like throwing up... I tried to make it to the bathroom but collapsed to the floor. Liss came in, and asked if I needed anything. It was at this point that I requested the tub. It was not until I got into the tub that I felt like I could control my emotions. I closed my eyes, and kept telling myself that this was good, my body was supposed to be in pain. I stopped fighting the contractions.

Overall: I still cannot get over the whole thing. It was the scariest, most painful experience of my life. At the same time it was the most amazing, joyful, and beautiful experience of my life. I have never felt so proud of myself and so accomplished.