Levi's Birth Story Part 2

Saturday May 7th, sometime after 3:00AM

Getting in the birth pool was heaven! I still had hard contractions that I had to really focus on to stay in control but the water just lightened me so much. Throughout labor Mike pressed an ice cold wash cloth to my forehead on a pressure point that the doulas had told us about. And as my contractions got harder I pushed my head into his hand even harder to help me get through the pain. Long story short I have a little scab on the bridge of my nose from where he and I were both pressing my head, lol!

Me when I first got in the birth pool.

Mike pushing on the pressure point on my forehead.

The labor with Levi was much more intense than with Evelyn. I don't remember so much pain with Evie, nor do I remember feeling so barely in control. My contractions seemed to come more often, more intense, and much longer than I remember with Evelyn. I think a lot of the reason for that is this is my second baby and my entire labor from water breaking to birth was only 7.5 hours long. With Evelyn my labor from water breaking to birth was 16 hours. My body had 16 hours to get Evie down and out and only 7.5 hous to get Levi down and out.

While I was in the birth pool the nurse wanted to monitor Levi through a contraction. I allowed her to do so but in order for her to get a good reading I had to kind of sit up and to the side (NOT comfortable while contracting!) and it just so happened I was having one of my hardest contractions. I remember saying "Ouch!!" and "Stop it!" to the nurse. It was AWFUL! Once my contraction was done I told her I didn't want to be monitored anymore. Anyone that works in L&D will tell you that not monitoring the baby through contractions is really scary for them, this nurse, though herself a DONA certified doula and doula trainer was not happy that I refused fetal monitoring (I found out after the fact). A few contractions later my doctor (who up to this  point had been sitting in a chair watching me labor and not interfering at all) came up to me with a piece of paper and said that I needed to sign it if I didn't want fetal monitoring. He had no judgement in his voice, no concern of his face, just very relaxed about the whole thing. I signed the paper and continued to labor.

The nurse monitoring me through the monster contraction.

The doctor sitting watching me labor. =)

At this point I was getting really impatient. I wanted Levi OUT! I wanted to hold him and mostly I wanted to stop being in pain. I had been checking myself throughout labor and I could feel the top of his head, it was awesome! But I also thought I could feel the inner water sac (amnion sac). With Evelyn she was born in the amnion sac so I thought the same was happening with Levi. And I also thought that because he was in the amnion sac that it was slowing his travel down and out. I asked Dr. Martin to feel as well, he said he felt a bulge too. I asked what we could do about it. He gave me a little finger condom basically with a tiny plastic hook at the end and said I could sweep the hook on the bulge and it should break the amnion sac. I tried doing it and the bulge didn't go away so I asked him to try and he did and nothing changed when he did it either. Turns out that was poor Levi's wrinkly forehead I was scratching, LOL!

The finger condom that scraped poor Levi's head.

The entire time I was in the last stages of labor I was getting updates that my Dad was almost to the hospital. At about 8AM he called to say he was a half hour away. I was thrilled. My Dad was at Evelyn's birth and I really really wanted him to be at Levi's as well. Around this time I was fully dilated and basically just in a lull waiting for the urge to push. I was still contracting but no urge to push yet. I looked at Cindy my doula and I told her that I didn't want to push til my Dad was there with me. I started to cry. At 8:30AM my Dad arrived. I instantly felt the urge to push and he held my hand so Mike could get in the water behind me to catch Levi. Cindy, my doula, and my Dad held my hands as I pushed Levi into Mike's hands. My Mom took these amazing photos of the entire experience.

My Dad and Cindy holding my hands while I pushed.

As I was pushing it hurt sooooo bad. The ring of fire was intense! And I had a few pushes where I almost got him out and then he slipped back in, VERY frustrating (and normal)! When I finally got his head half in and half out of me I started to panic inside. I didn't want him to stay like that too long so I pushed as hard as I could to get his head out. The burn, the pain, whoo ee! But finally his head was out, I was SOOO happy! And I thought, great, now that his head is out the rest of him will just slide out, no pain. Not so much. I had to push his shoulders out too, and his chest. And again I got a little panicked because I didn't want his head to be under water too long, even though I knew he was breathing through the umbilical cord it still scared me. So I gave one final push and out he came and then my next panic attack was getting him through my legs and up out of the water as fast as I could. Everyone said that his head and shoulders shot out and that I bolted up so fast to get him out of the water that they could hardly get pictures. In my mind it was an eternity but I am glad in reality it was quick.

Levi swimming into Mike's hands. =)

And at 8:59 AM Levi Edward Jasper Saltzman was born =)