Tuesday Nov 24th
2:30 pm -
I went to my appointment with my midwife Neva as per the norm. We chatted for about 10 minutes about baby stuff and then the remaining 35 minutes about everything else under the sun. Kelby was head down, her back was on my lower right side where Neva listened to her heart beat and her feet were at my upper left. She had been this way for weeks now.
Clearly a second baby thing, because I didn’t have any questions. Because, second baby. I had already done this. I reminded her of what room I wanted at the Birthing Inn and then I headed home.
Before I went to bed, I went to the bathroom and got a little excited because I had a little bloody show when I wiped. Made a mental note to tell Neva at our next appointment.
Wednesday Nov 25th
1:00 pm -
I woke up to a contraction and thought. Oh. Ok.
2:00 am -
Woke up to another contraction and thought, I should start tracking these. Downloaded the app Full Term and started tracking them. They were consistently 1 minute long and anywhere from 5 minutes to 10 minutes apart depending if i was up and about or not.
I was in our guest room on the main floor on the bed. During a contraction I would sit up and rub my hips and then lay back down on my pillow and rest until the next one came.
2:55 am -
Thomas came downstairs to work and saw my light on. I told him I was starting to track contractions. He joked and asked if he needed to take the day off. I said no, because the contractions weren’t that bad and it could be a long time.
3:30 am -
Adler joined me in bed downstairs. He asked what I was doing and I explained how my body was preparing to birth Kelby and how the muscles would practice tensing up so eventually they would be fully prepared to push her all the way out. He fell back asleep within an hour.
As I was laboring through the night. There was one point I thought, “Oh man, I forgot about this. I am not sure I am ready for this.” I immediately went in and grabbed my 2 oil blends Valor for courage and Believe because I knew I could do it and I needed to change my mental thought process. Hindsight… I think these 2 oils and me deciding to change my thought process was the reason I never freaked out later on in the process.
4:25 am -
I had Thomas bring our big exercise ball up for me to see if that would help with contractions.
5:30 am -
My contractions started to get closer to 7-8 minutes apart at this point and still a minute long. Totally manageable with rubbing my hips and now breathing through them. I also grabbed 2 beach towels to put under me in case my water broke. Every time I got up to go to the bathroom or anything else, they would get super close together.
6:00 am -
Adler woke up. I told him Kelby was probably coming today and the first words out of his mouth were “I get to play with Emmet for a long time?” I told him i had to get a hold of Emmet’s mama still.
The whole night as I was laboring, I was still thinking that it could be the whole day.
I was thinking about Adler’s birth and that I hadn’t hit transition yet.
I was thinking, I will contact my midwife, the person to watch Adler, and my photographer at about 7 am. So everyone could get a good nights sleep, because I can handle the contractions on my own without even Thomas help.
6:32 am -
The contractions started to get a little closer together and a little more intense. I texted Thomas, “I am starting to not want to do these on my own. Want to come chat for a second?” He came up stairs and we decided for him to finish up work until 7 so he would have worked half a day and take the second half as a sick day.
Keep in mind I am still remembering Adler’s birth where it was almost 6 hours from the time I told Thomas I didn’t want to do it on on my own until I gave birth to Adler.
***From here on out, all the times are recorded according to text conversations (or phone call logs) between me and others, or between Neva and Tiffani to get an accurate timeline of when everything happened. Which is so rad!!!
6:44 am -
I decided to not wait until 7 to text my peeps. So I texted Neva & Tiffani telling them i was contracting and sending them a screen shot of when I was keeping track of my contractions.
She asked how intense the contractions were and if I could talk through them.
I told her I was still managing and able to tell my son to hold on, but not able to actually have the conversation in the middle of it.
I also texted Robyn my photographer as well saying, “Today might be the day!”
6:52 am -
I texted Neva saying i was going to jump in the shower to see if the water on my back would help with the pain management.
She said if they continued the same or more intense, we should meet at the Birthing Inn soon.
I told her I would keep her posted.
6:53 am -
And then I texted Michelle, who was going to watch Adler, to see if her baby sitter was still ok watching him. Since this was the only 24 hours she was not going to be home. Of course that would be the 24 hours that Kelby decided to come.
I got in the shower, still tracking contraction.
When I got un the shower I had Thomas hand me my brush and 2 clips to put up my hair to be out of my face for birth. Thankfully I had washed my hair the night before. And put it back then so it wasn't in my face later!
And Thomas majorly cleaner our shower and tub 2 days before otherwise I would have been mortified at the dirtiness!
Adler was running around and playing Legos, keeping himself occupied, while also asking me what I was doing. I felt fully present, not like I was in transition or labor land at all.
Thomas came up at 7 am when he finished work and later he told me he started getting everything he needed together for us to leave as soon as we needed too.
After 3 contractions of standing up in the shower, I decided that it was too uncomfortable and I wanted to sit in the tub instead. So I started the bath water. I sat facing the faucet and didn’t like that, so I turned around so that I could direct the water onto my back to get the feeling of the wand that I had last time at the Birthing Inn.
7:07 am -
As soon as I sat in the water, I saw part of my mucus plug in the water. And then I heard and felt a loud pop and felt the gush as my water broke. I texted Neva immediately and her question was if the water was clear liquid.
Keep in mind that the tub was half way full at this point. I asked Thomas if the water was clear liquid, because I saw the greenish yellow tint to it. He said it is not cloudy. So that is what I told her. It was not cloudy, but a greenish yellow tint to it. That the tub was half full and so it was diluted.
I stopped tracking contractions at this point.
7:11 am -
I heard back that Michelle’s baby sitter wasn’t able to watch Adler and I texted another friend Amy if they would be able to watch him. She said yes and we could bring him over or they could come get him. I told her Thomas would walk him over.
7:16 am -
I texted Amy that Thomas would bring Adler over.
But then things started progressing quickly and in the moment that was all forgotten.
Thomas texted Neva that things were progressing quickly. And she responded that they could meet us at the Birthing Inn at 8:15.
7:18 am -
As soon as my water broke, I was still thinking it could be a while until I gave birth. And I wasn’t sure if I should be sitting in my tub, with the amniotic fluid in there. So I decided to drain the tub and at that point I also turned the water off because it was getting cold. I moved into a squatting position to get off the cold tub. When I did that, a contraction hit me. Once it was done and I was squatting, I reached down to feel what was going on down there and when I felt something, I asked Thomas what it was that I felt. His response… “It’s a foot!”
I knew this was the point where I no longer should text Neva and I called her right away. It went through FT audio, so I hung up to call her back on her cell. She called me back before I could call her.
We told her that Thomas could see a foot and I heard her voice get super serious. She told us it was a breeched birth. That we needed to call 911 because often times breeched babied needed assistance to breath after they were born. Neva told me to get on my hands and knees (I was still in the bathtub) which I did immediately and for us to get towels because Kelby would need to be kept warm once she was born.
Thomas went to get his phone. He told me later he couldn’t find it for a moment even though he had just had it 5 minutes before. This was the only time I heard his voice panic a little and I told him he needed to calm down. He came back into the bathroom while
I realized that it was a moment where he had 3 things he needed to do. Call 911, he was trying to figure out what to do with Adler, and I needed him to be squeezing my hips. In that moment, I was feeling the need to push, but I could hold off a little bit.
He told me later that his moment of panic was that he knew this was beyond his scope of skills that he had learned as a medic in the army.
All while this was happening, I told Adler to go in the guest room to get the beach towels I had put on the bed and the ground in case my water broke there when I was laboring.
Both Neva and Tiffani started driving to get to us. Neva stayed on the phone the entire time with me until Tiffani arrived. She also texted Tiffani updates of what was happening to that we have this awesome timeline! Ok, really it was for their charting, but I can say they did it for me, right?
7:22 am -
Thomas called 911 and told them his wife was giving birth, it was a breeched baby with the foot sticking out and I was in the bathtub.
This was the only point where I remember whining and saying that I didn't want to go to the hospital. Partially because in the moment of pain how I was positioned, I couldn't imagine moving in an ambulance to go anywhere. Neva told me that it wasn’t going to happen because this baby was coming too fast.
He told Adler to go wait at the door to let the firefighters in.
I told Thomas to go get my sports bra, because apparently my complete modesty was not lost in this moment.
7:29 am -
I started pushing right as the Fire fighters and EMT’s arrived. Adler did his job and let them in.
I found out after the fact that the fire truck and Ambulance were just parked in the middle of the street in front of our house. I can only imagine our neighbors concern knowing I was pregnant.
I remember hearing someone say it was Engine 13 and smiling because that was the engine from the fire station right up the street that we walk to all the time. The firemen knew immediately that this was outside their realm. So they waited for the EMTs to arrive.
7:31 am -
In between all of this, while still on the phone with Neva, I texted Amy asking her if they could come get Adler. I was still unsure if I would need to be transported at some point and wanted Adler to be in capable hands.
Thomas told Adler to get his shoes and coat on and wait for Amy to come get him.
At some point, I remember calling out and asking if Adler was ok. He was so quiet, which he normally is not, that my mama brain was wondering if he was ok with what we were doing in the bathroom, with 5 new adults in the house, all of which were emergency responders which he loves. And he hadn’t said a word. Neva told me to focus on this kid (meaning Kelby) and as Thomas is squeezing my hips in the bathroom and not able to leave, he asked one of the firemen if Adler was ok. And he reported back yes.
There were 3 firemen and a guy and a girl EMT.
I was in the tub on my hands and knees still and Thomas was sitting by my head and was putting pressure on my hips by squeezing them together. At one point I think he was going to do something and I remember saying, don’t leave me! And Neva then saying, Thomas, Mica doesn’t want you to leave. Mainly, I just didn’t want him to stop squeezing my hips, because the pressure was helping with the pain. He truly is a rock star for sitting next to me for 20 or so minutes squeezing my hips in a super awkward position.
The lady EMT came in immediately and sat on the toilet which was the perfect place for her to catch Kelby.
From the time Thomas first saw Kelby’s foot until the time I started pushing, her foot and leg were coming out a little bit more on its own.
With my first actual pushes, Kelbys one leg and her bottom came out. Next push her other leg came out. The EMT started touching Kelby as she was partially out and I remember telling her not to move hold her. She said she wasn’t, but it was so uncomfortable when she touched Kelby vs when Kelby was just hanging there.
7:35 am -
The lady EMT started talking to Neva about what to do and I will say she asked a few questions again and again, but she did awesome with following exactly what Neva was telling her to do. They agreed to not move me as Kelby was coming soon!
Another push and she was out all the way to her mid stomach above her umbilical cord. Neva asked about the cord being flat or full and it was full which was awesome because she was still getting all the oxygen and good stuff she needed from me.
Each time I pushed, my head was pressing up against the corner of the tile in our shower. It was incredibly vivid as I was pushing that the pain was registering in my head against the tile and in each contraction.
Thomas did an amazing job with each of my pushes to remind me to visualize her coming out. That wasn’t something that was a part of my birth with Adler and with Kelby, it was exactly what I needed from him and I loved it.
I also would hear Neva on the phone telling me Mica, you can do this.
I looked down between my legs between contractions and looking at Kelbys legs and bottom just hanging there, I watched her meconium poop drip down all over my legs. Weird.
They asked about cutting the cord and Neva told them multiple times not too. They listened and did not.
7:36 am -
One minute later and another contraction, more encouragement from Thomas to visualize her coming out, and she was out all the way past her shoulders with only her head remaining to be delivered.
7:38 am -
One final contraction and one final push and her head came out and she was caught by the lady EMT. Immediately they wiped her down while using the blue bulb to suck out her nose and mouth. Thomas was watching her squirm as they did it and he said he knew she was just fine as she protested.
She cried within seconds of everything being cleared. They had a little oxygen going and didn't put it over her face, but kept it with in a few inches of her so that she could get the flow if it to help her if she needed it.
Thomas jumped up right away and ran out to see if Adler was ok. He said that he saw Amy and Andrew walking with him down the street not quite to Alder St. So they may have still been at the house when Kelby was born. Amy said that she told the fire fighter that her name was Amy and she was the neighbor here for Adler. I love our community!
As soon as I knew Kelby was fine, I asked for assistance to turn over and get my leg around her umbilical cord, because I had not yet birthed the placenta and thankfully the cord was still attached. I flipped over and laid back in the tub. They put Kelby on my stomach and wrapped her in some towels.
Because it wasn’t a planned home birth, they just grabbed our white towels and I remember watching the blood and the meconium poop thinking, well we can buy new ones later.
Even once Kelby was on my stomach, they kept using the oxygen for a while. She kept crying and I realized afterward that she was probably cold. In the moment, I was trying to calm her. I tried to feed her and she wasn’t interested. Thomas went down and tried to dry some towels to warm them up for her. It didn’t really work.
Once Thomas vacated the area next to me and Kelby was on my stomach, the fire fighter who had the oxygen moved over and kept it near Kelby. We chatted about his kids and I also asked him if he attended many home births. He said it was actually more then you would think, but this was his first breeched home birth.
The lady EMT did say that since she worked for a DR, it was her job to tell me that they would suggest we go to the hospital. Since I had already had Kelby and we were all safe and sound, I felt completely fine staying where I was until my midwife showed up and at that point Tiffani was just minutes away.
Another fire fighter who was doing paper work said something like, ma’am, I know its a little awkward timing, but can I get your social? This was after I heard Thomas stumbling over my age. He was so cute doing math from his age to figure out my age.
7:55 am -
We hung out in the tub with Kelby on my stomach covered in towels until Tiffani arrived.
Tiffani arrived and everyone cheered that yay! The midwife was here! Neva hung up at that point. Tiffani came in and saw Kelby. Checked her out and was content with her vitals.
She then helped me deliver the placenta. She told me to cough which was an interesting feeling. It took a few times, but out it came. She checked it to make sure it wasn’t missing pieces. It again was all a bit chaotic, so I didn’t get a picture like I did with Adler’s, but we did freeze it in case I need it later for a tincture or encapsulated. It is awesome if you struggle with post partum depression and is amazing for down the road when I hit menopause.
She then checked her umbilical cord and saw that it was no longer plump and pumping blood, so she started to clamp it. I asked her if Thomas could cut it with his special knife. She asked if it was a broad sword and we laughed because that was a different client. I said no, it was his knife he carried both tours in Iraq and that he had cut Adler’s cord with. I tried to get pictures which was really hard holding Kelby in a bathtub at a weird angle.
Once the cord was cut, She took Kelby and wrapped her up and gave her to Thomas. He took her out and showed her to the crew before they left.
Tiffani helped me get out of the tub and into the guestroom bed with basically a doggy piddle pad underneath me. I had Thomas also get our leather gather mat under me to as extra protection. I wasn’t paying attention and he didn't know to put the leather side up, so he put the suede side up. Dang.
Thomas brought Kelby back to me and we nursed and she attached great immediately.
Neva made it to the party! Just in time for all the fun stuff. Tiffani started cleaning up the tub and doing laundry for all the towels. Wow, I had no idea and that was such a blessing!
They said Kelby was going to be a big baby and she was at 8lbs 10.6 oz! And she was 20.5” long. They measured her head and her chest too. All her stats were great.
As I was laying in bed with Kelby, I watched Adler and Gannon walk by. I looked at my phone and Terry told me that they were going up to the school to play for a little bit. It was then that I noticed that Adler still had his pajamas on! It is weird to watch your child walk by your house!
I was also able to text a few people at this time as I laid there, including my photographer, the original childcare friend, Amy whose family watched Adler, and a few others. Thomas called his parents during that time as well.
10:30 am -
They stayed, did paper work, and checked on me checking off all the post delivery things like making sure I was able to go to the bathroom and then after a celebration shot with Thomas, they left.
Thomas immediately vacuums and cleans the floors because of everything the fire fighters and EMTs bring into the house. Lol.
As soon as the boys were done at the school, they dropped Adler off and he came in to meet his sister! So stinking sweet.
As I typed all this out, I wish I were a fly on the wall to watch all the chaos of 5 emergency medical people, me and Thomas, with Neva on the phone and the firefighters on the phone with a DR at Mary Bridge as well.
I will say that for as crazy of a birth story this little lady had, God was in it the whole time. I not once panicked or thought of what could go wrong. It happened so fast that honestly it didn't really dawn on me that it was happening right then in my tub. It just happened. And I never hit labor land where I wasn't able to talk because I had to focus. I never stopped smiling. It all happened so fast. I kept comparing it to Adlers birth and when I hit transition and that never happened, Oops. God kept me calm and Kelby safe and sent us the perfect people to be a part of her birth.
Our sweet family of 4 and our chocolate cake from MET market to celebrate my birthing day. I did the same thing with Adler. :) Happy birth day little lady!!!
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