Simply Life

Our Simple Raw Life...A Natural Journey Of Creation

Saturday, September 8, 2012

The Birth of Amazing Grace Peek

This story starts out with a plan. A birth plan.  As soon as I found out I was pregnant I started preparing my birth plan and what I really wanted to happen when my baby came into this world. I visualized it all perfectly, it was full of detail that both JJ and I practiced together. We worked on positions that might be helpful, we had the idea of lighted candlelight and burning essential oils filling the room, we planned for a water birth and had a tub pick out and even had a cabin in th woods picked out  with the perfect deck to fill the tub on so Amazing Grace could be born outside.  We had planned on my sister coming to Tennessee to film the birth, take pictures, and witness a natural birth for herself. We had a midwife we had been seeing and discussing all these things with who was ready to help us facilitate our desires and plans, we were even planning on coming to the farm a few days to a week early just to hang and be there waiting for labor too start.....

Needless to say, nothing went as planned....

I was put on bed rest for two weeks when at my prenatal appointment I was dilated (opening of cervix) to a 2 and 75% effaced (thinning of cervix).  I sat in bed doing nothing but reading and eating to try and build up more fat for the baby, this lasted 4 days. 

I woke up August 31st, three weeks earlier than expected (have no expectations, I say), at 5am with a pop and then a gush of warm liquid flowing between my legs all over the bed,  I shook JJ awake saying "hunny, something just happened," it was the night of the blue moon and he just knew it was going to be tonight. He got up and without any surprise he said, "your water broke huh? I just knew it would".  We both got up quickly knowing we had an hour and half drive ahead of us. JJ was frantically grabbing stuff to pack up, luckily I had everything prepared except for what I would need personally for the birth.  JJ loaded the car and I roamed around confused on what to do. I threw some random clothes into a bag and we started on our way about 45 min later. I didn't have any laboring rushes (better less painful word for contractions) til about 35 minutes into the drive.
My midwife was out of town til the 9th of September, which was no problem since my due datewas the 17-20th, but she set me up with another midwife just in case, this was just that case!

JJ timed my rushes and immediately they were 2 minutes apart. We called the midwife Stacie and let her know to prepare the guest house cause things were happening QUICK! We had to go to a guest house instead of the cabin we picked out because there was couple staying there already.  As the drive slowly lingered my rushes became more intense and I found myself clenching the door and middle console as I lifted my hips and swirled them in a circle during each rush to disperse the built up energy that was moving in my pelvis. During my 2 minute break I fully surrendered into the seat gathering all the possible energy I could stir up. I was soooo ready to get out of the car and move my body.

When we got to the guest cabin Stacie and her two assistants were there setting up the medical supplies and preparing what was needed. JJ helped me move into to the bathroom and I released all I could to get more room in my pelvic floor.  As I hung from JJ's neck during the rushes I felt so heavy and I wanted to be in the water, I asked if we could prepare the tub, Stacie checked me to see if there was any time and I was dilated to a 9, there was no time.
About 20 min later I felt the urge to crawl in the bed and get on my side, I watched an Amazonian woman give birth this way and it seemed to be the only other picture that was in my mind if I couldn't be in the water.

JJ was remarkable and literally supporting my every rush with all his strength.
The midwife left JJ and I alone the entire time I was laboring. She mentioned we were a good team and we knew what we where doing so she was going to just let us do our thing. I felt like it was only JJ and I and it was nice, I kissed him during several rushes and gazed into his eyes and that seemed to help me through some of the more intense ones during the stage right before transition.

I hit transition quite quickly and was instantly feeling the desire to push.  I didn't want to rush the pushing so I could slowly stretch and not tear so I took my time. My breath was now low and animalistic sounding. My inner animal was definitely taking over now. I visualized my body opening and I talked to the spirit of Amazing Grace to connect and encourage her through this difficult part. The midwife came to help and within 20 minutes of pushing the baby was crowning. It became incredibly intense now and I could feel by pelvis separating in all directions, I knew there was only moving forward from here. I began pushing into the rushes and this helped make them feel very relieving. If I pushed with them. The energy inside me was so strong and I felt it coming from the top of my head and moving all the way down into my pelvic area where it would rest if I didn't work to push it out. I was totally exhausted inbetween rushes and found myself flopping my head down just to catch my breath. JJ would offer me water and rub my body.

With encouragement from both Stacie and JJ, I was able to gather the energy and with three more pushes I pushed Amazing Grace into this world.
She was instantly placed onto my chest and I looked at her trying to believe this was real. JJ was full of tears and he wrapped his arms around us both. We stared at this baby for hours and hours. About one hour after birth she started to suck gently on my breast, I cried as I felt this euphoric sensation of Love and connection flow through my body.

She weighed in at 5lbs 10oz, and 18 inches long. She is our little perfect angel and we are both sooo in-Love already! We didn't get to record the birth and we have little photos too but what we do have are the memories we have stored in our minds, hopefully they'll last a lifetime.

Thanks Amazing Grace Peek for choosing JJ and I to be your parents, we are the luckiest people in the world....in my eyes, at least!!





2 comments:

  1. Beautiful birth mama! Way to go! What a tiny little thing! Congrats. Birth, whether it's early in your case or very late in mine, teaches us that we are not in control and to allow our babes to come when they are to come. I'm sure you were a bit surprised baby girl came when she did, but she chose it! Hugs to you mama!

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  2. You are so sweet! I'm thrilled that she was born so perfectly and safely. She is beautiful. Have you heard my favorite song, (which I discovered when I thought my 3rd was a girl and we were going to name her Gracie,) by Ben Folds? Gracie? if not, look it up. JJ should like it :)
    I can't wait to read more of your adventures. Bilirubin is nasty, I'm glad that experience worked out for you three, too.
    My 1st had quite the roller-coaster too, he was also 3 weeks early, my water broke, and I'd planned a natural birth, but he was breach and ended up being a c-section.

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