William Peter

On Monday (August 20), I went in for what was to be my last prenatal exam. Everything looked great and when she checked me I was 95% effaced and 2cm dilated. The week before I had had a round of false labor, which progressed me from 80% effaced and 1cm dilated to the aforementioned amount.

All this week (and the week prior), I had been having lots of braxton hicks contractions, in addition to period-like cramping. While annoying, none of it was particularly painful and simply tended to just tire me out. I was more miserable with each passing day. I began to despair that I would never give birth.

Wednesday night I went to bed, tired out by all the usual cramps, braxton hicks, aches and pains that I had been subjected to of late. I went to bed at 10pm but by midnight I was a little restless as some mild cramps were disrupting my sleep. I eventually drifted off but was awoken once again at 2am with some rather violent contractions. Immediately I could tell that these were no ordinary contractions as they were even more painful and powerful than my false labor contractions the week before (which I thought were quite painful at the time). By 2:30am, I was starting to think that this might be the real deal. They started out at 5 minutes apart but by 3am, they had decreased to 3 minutes apart. At this point we called the midwife. She arrived at our house at around 4:15 and by that time, the contractions had gotten even more painful and intense. The first thing she did was check me, and lo and behold, I was 6 cm dilated and 100% effaced! Up until this point I was in denial that I was in real, actual labor. After that it was pretty clear that our son was going to be born that day!

The midwife and her assistant got to work setting up the birthing tub, while I lay in bed and labored. The tub took a couple of hours to fill and by the time I was able to get into it, I was 8cm dilated. The warm water was the best thing I have ever felt. As I sunk in up to my chest, all the weight on my belly was lifted off and the contractions became magically more bearable. At first they calmed down a bit, but they quickly got back into rhythm and before I knew it, they were on top on each other, barely giving me a moments rest. At 6:45 I began involuntarily pushing with every contraction. I could no more help this action than I could prevent myself from blinking. It was like my body just took over. After about 3 pushing contractions, I reached down and I could feel his head just inches away. He was so close to being born!

The crazy thing was, although I was completely dilated and his head was in the birth canal, my water STILL hadn't broken! It wasn't until his head was about to to crown (about 15 minutes later) that my water actually broke. Being in the tub, I only felt it happen but didn't see or feel it gush (it just felt like a pop inside of me). By 7:25 his head was out and with the next push, his body came sliding out as well, at 7:29am. Birthing his head was the most painful and intense thing I have ever done. My midwife was right when she assured me that the body would not be as difficult. It really wasn't! Altogether I pushed for only 45 minutes total!

After his little body emerged, I reached down into the water, picked him up and put him on my chest. He cried lustily for about 5 minutes and then settled right down. His color was good and his breathing was fine. After his cord stopped pulsating, Michael cut it and got to hold him for the first time. The placenta was birthed just moments later. From start to finish, I birthed this little boy in just 5 and 1/2 hours! I only got one tiny tear and so far I have had very little trouble walking around (aside from some initial wobbliness).

We named him William Peter Polakowski and he weighs 7 pounds, 2 ounces, has a head circumference of 13 1/2" and is 19 and 3/4 inches long. He is beginning to get the hang of latching on and did very well on all of his newborn tests. We are already totally in love with him and are very excited to embark on this journey of parenthood!