Part Two: The Birth

If your reading this, I hope you also read the part one of Ruby's birth story. It lays the foundation for the rest of the story (and builds a little bit of anticipation too) :)
So where I left off in the last post, we were waiting... and waiting... and waiting. Not that we expected her to be any earlier than her big sisters. This is the first pregnancy that I have been able to feel any practice surges and at around 39.5 weeks, I started having them pretty regularly. Nothing more than a tight sensation, it was pretty exciting to be able to feel so much of what my body was naturally meant to do. It was pretty exciting! One night in particular they became regular for an hour or so and then faded away. That is when the excitement started to dim a little. As each day passed, I of course got more and more anxious as to when this lil' bit would make her move to join us on the outside. The practice surges continued and I even had a couple more evening where they would get on a rhythm then fade. I checked my cervix a few times but it was always pointed back and too far to feel. We tried a lot of stuff to get contractions to start and make them last. Obviously nothing really worked. I had said all along that I had a certain feeling that She was going to be a June baby and sure enough, May 31 came and went just like any other day.We did get out our birthing tub around then, to make sure it would be an easy set up. It was already blown up and leaning against the wall ready to go.  My Father-in-law came to visit the weekend of the first, I had been feeling particularly tired the days he was in town with us. It was an all over tired that I couldn't really get out of. Mentally and physically, I just couldn't really make myself do much of anything. Sleep was pretty scarce at that point so I figured it was just due to that. We had planned on Saturday to spend the day just hanging out then eat dinner out and go to the Movies in the Park that night (they were playing Tangled!!)
When I got up that day I felt like my surges had changed or just kind of shifted. Still not any kind of pain or anything I was just having to stop what I was doing until each one would pass. I did some laundry, and a few other things but nothing too taxing. Around 3 or 4 is when I went to lay down while everyone was playing outside. While laying down I started to feel like something was definitely changing on the inside. I listened to my relaxations while laying down. I was able to get some really good, much-needed rest during that time. When Eric came in from outside he made a comment about starting with out him, I laughed and let him know that something was definitely different and that I probably wouldn't be going to dinner or movies in the park. So they ordered some food from O'Charley's and brought it back, I was not hungry because all I could think of was when I threw up during labor with AnaB.. it was soooooo gross, and I really didn't want that to happen this time. I had a couple pieces of chicken and some potato soup and that was it. Shortly after that I decided to take a relaxing bath. While in the tub I started thinking, I could be having a baby tonight! This was definitely exciting! I put the doula and our friends on alert for the evening and went back to my relaxing. While in the bath I decided to check my cervix to see where it was. I couldn't feel it still because it was pointed back so far but I could feel Ruby's head moving! It was a pretty weird feeling, in a totally awesome way. :) Around that time I was kind of starting to have to focus my body into relaxing through the surges. It was about 9 and I let Eric know that this was definitely it. He went to town and got the girls to bed quick and then blew up the birth pool the rest of the way and started filling it up. I let the doula know to come on when she could and the photographer was on her way. Just after I got into the birth pool, Darin, my photographer friend, arrived. The change between tubs was pure bliss! I was kind of struggling to relax until I got into that warm massive tub, once I got in and submerged my belly, it was just like nothing was really going on! I was able to chat through my surges for a while and was able to stay relaxed no problem! This of course changed over time but at that moment it was a little slice of heaven for me. We put on some music through Pandora and my favorite song was the first to play. I Wont Give Up, by Jason Mraz. It set the tone for the rest of the night. I wasn't going to give up, I had a great team supporting me and loving me through every surge that came. Eric took to rubbing my arms lightly and whispering relaxation cues into my ear. He was so great about reminding me to keep my body relaxed and to breath. I started to depend on him for comfort. Things progressed pretty quickly, for a while I was asking him to keep filling the tub because we had to turn the water off to let the hot water come back. I was trying to keep my bladder empty and body clear of waste so I got out several times to use the bathroom and keep things down there as empty as possible. It always helped and made me feel better. The surges were never more than pressure, though. Granted it was a LOT of pressure, I'm not sure I would have categorized anything as painful. It helped to labor in different areas; I sat on the toilet, in a chair, standing supported by E, and in a few different positions in the tub. All worked great for the first few surges then they would start to be uncomfortable. The tub was always the best though. I felt like the only thing doing any real work were my birthing muscles and I was able to keep the rest of my body relaxed with lots of focus. There was one point where I got out of the tub to use the bathroom and when I got back in, I started to get nauseous through a couple of surges and then... the bucket we had set aside for the what if.. came in REALLY handy. :) That yummy dinner I had eaten came back up... a few times. I was so happy to have a bucket though because last time when I was in labor I didn't have a bucket and my favorite throw pillow suffered the consequences (and whoever had to clean it up..). After that though I was ok except for a couple of times later when I started to feel nauseous but was able to keep my stomach calm with calm breathing and relaxation.
Our doula got here around 11:45-ish and we used her Doppler to check Ruby's heart rate, it was a beautiful sound. She was strong and healthy which made me feel stronger. I vaguely remember the music playing on the Ipad in the background, but a few songs stuck out to me and made me laugh. One of the songs that came on was Avril Lavigne's So Much For My Happy Ending. Haha in college this would have been totally awesome because I used to blast some Avril in my dorm. However, in this moment... it was not so appropriate. But someone changed it not too long after it came on. There were several others that only made it a few seconds before someone changed them but they always made me laugh on the inside. At this point I was very reliant on Eric rubbing my arms and back during my surges. There were a couple of times he walked away and I would get really mad eventually though Heather (our Doula) started stepping in rather seamlessly when he had to take care of something. The only way I could tell it was her was that her fingers were smaller and slightly cooler than Eric's.  I do remember thinking, I am so glad we hired a doula! There is just something empowering about having another woman attend the birth who knows what is going on and what you're feeling. She reminded me a couple of times to relax my forehead or my shoulders and again, just like Anabelle's birth, the female voice was a breath of fresh air. I was always glad when Eric came back though, he was my rock this time. I felt so safe when I knew he was right there. He kept me calm when all I wanted to do was tense my whole body fighting the surges that were rolling though me. Eventually the surges got into a rhythm of starting out at their peak then rolling down, then peaking again and then tapering off. The only thing I could imagine in the surge was "opening blossoms, opening flowers," that's what I kept telling myself each time. I would visualize my tissues unfolding like a blossom as the baby made her way down. (super Hippie-like, I know). I had to imagine my cervix opening or it seemed like it would stay shut! I felt like it was a double whammy, though, because with the first peak it was so intense and I was starting to get that pushing spasm. Eric was very good about reminding me to breath and relax and let my body do the work as opposed to trying to force myself to push. It felt so good to breath back into control and become relaxed so my body could do the work. after maybe 5 or 6 of those kind of surges I knew something was different, I could feel myself stretching more from the inside and knew I needed to change positions. I had been on my knees in the tub leaning over the side, and so I switched to sitting back and leaning up against the back of the tub where there is a little seat. Eric got behind me, not in the tub but leaning over the side into the tub still rubbing my arms and back. When he was climbing behind the tub, he tripped over something and about fell on top of me!! He caught himself and the only damage was a bunch of water splashing all over the floor (hard surface floor, so no biggie). :)
I started to have surges again once I got situated and they still brought with them the feeling of stretching and tightness inside. I knew that this was it. Eric made a comment about slowing myself and not to push but to calm that urge... I quickly shook my head and said, "Nope she's coming". I was told afterwards that they all started rushing around getting the video camera ready and the doula grabbed a mirror for us to see. I started working with the surges, I would start out with a push but would be reminded to take a breath and breathe her down. I think the combination was fabulous! The doula grabbed her Doppler and checked miss Ruby again, she was of course doing wonderful! I was so empowered by that! I can't tell you how many surges I had or how many times I "pushed" before she came out, all I can remember is the mirror and the image of this white thing coming out. Eric reached down as she was crowning to feel if the cord was around her neck and all he could feel was a slimy thing. She was coming out still completely in her amniotic sac! SO COOL! She crowned almost completely before it ruptured and he was able to pull it away from her face! (if you Google babies born "in the caul" you'll find that it is very rare for babies to be born like that and to think we almost experienced it is sooo stinking cool!!) Anyway, at this point, that mirror was giving me determination and something to work towards. I could see what was happening and whats even more amazing is I could feel her turning and moving her legs still inside! It was like she was kicking and pushing against me to get out. It didn't take much after that before she popped out into the water. There she was, just kinda floating in front of me... I remember there was just a second maybe two that we just looked at each other as she was still under the water but her eyes were open. It was so surreal, it didn't register to me that she was the baby that had just come out of me. Then I snapped out of it when someone said "pick up your baby" :) I picked her up and brought her to my chest and we wrapped her in blankets and towels. It was the most amazing feeling to be in this warm tub with my sweet girl in my arms finally. Someone said "1:38" then she let out a cry and all was right in the world. We stayed in the water, all snuggled up, for a little longer then we decided to get out, get dried off, and do the umbilical cord stuff. Eric prepped the bed with a plastic cover and a few plastic backed sheets. Eric and Heather helped me out of the tub, and she made a mention of how clean the water was, there was of course a some blood from the birth and some other... sinkers... but the water itself was clear which is not usually the case in water births. I wonder if it had anything to do with the sac staying intact for so long. Anyway, once I got situated on the bed, Eric held the cord for a few seconds to see if it was done pulsing and once he established that it was no longer pulsing, he clamped it off at two points and cut! So cool! :) Heather had sterilized some umbilical scissors for us so it was the same as having it done in the hospital. Rubes and I sat on the bed for a bit and she got busy nursing, then it was time for her to get measured, weighed and head circumference. She was 8lbs even, 21.5 in, and her head was 14 cm. :) Perfect in every way. Once she was measured and weighed, Eric got a diaper on her and wrapped her up in a blanket so that I could give her a bath with me once I got the placenta out.
I was resting against some pillows on the bed just kind of waiting for the right time for the placenta to come out. Heather said she could tell it was right there ready to come out but she wasn't going to pull anything or force it to come out so I gave a couple of small pushes and out it came all in tact and amazingly beautiful. :) Heather showed me the different sides and where the cord attached. She held up the mostly still intact sac and showed me how strong it was. I am still amazed at it all. Seriously, it was awesome!! She packed it up in a cooler to take home with her for the encapsulation process. I was pretty excited about that. :) I sat there for a few minutes on the chux pads and let myself rest, my legs were really shaky for some reason. Eric ran us a bath in the bath tub with some herbal stuff mixed in and Ruby and I got in and got cleaned up a little. Mostly I just cleaned her hair and wiped her little face. I couldn't help but admire how perfect she was (and is), her head seemed so perfectly round and what stood out to me the most was her little dimpled chin :) Its one of my favorite traits of Anabelle's because she gets it from Eric and to see it on Ruby jut made it even more special. :) Once Ruby was clean Eric took her and got a diaper on her and some pjs. I stayed in the bath to soak my down stairs in the herbs for a little bit longer. Eric and Heather were also cleaning up and putting our room back in order. Heather left shortly after that and Eric helped me out of the tub into some comfy clothes and out to the couch to relax with Rubes while he finished cleaning.
We were so in awe of how everything went. It was unlike anything we'd experienced and we were kind of on a high for the rest of the night. Oh how I wish we had asked someone to be at the house when the girls got up. We were pretty miserable after not sleeping all night and they got up around 6:30 or 7. Poor Eric got up with them and got them all taken care of. But that day and the days following were kind of a blur, running on little sleep and with high energy girls and new baby and milk coming in and whew! It was pretty exhausting.
I honestly wouldn't change anything about our experience though. It was magical! I know this type of birthing isn't for every one and honestly I wouldn't even recommend it to most people. We knew what we were doing going into it and prepared ourselves for anything. Even up to the day of the birth we said that if either of us was uncomfortable with the situation or if things went in a direction we weren't sure of that neither of us had any hesitation going to the hospital that is right up the street. I don't have any pictures yet but I will add them as soon as I get them.
Hope you all enjoyed Ruby's birth through story as much as I enjoyed the entire birthing process! :)

**Updated with pictures**

   Above, Darin had walked in the room just as I got in the tub. I was in bliss :)

                    Focusing

           Gotta love a cool wash cloth

            Oh the rubbing.. it was amazing

              Partners

            <3 This was above the tub

            Creating a welcoming loving atmosphere for Ruby

            Contraction in the bathroom

        Contraction in the chair in the way back to the tub

         Ahhhh back in the water... so much better!

         Oh Hi Heather! :) She walked in while I was in the bathroom.

          I might be asleep here.

         Just some of Ruby's baby goodness :) 

         "Reeeeellllllaaaaaaxxxxxxxx Breeeaaattthhhhh your baby down"

           Hi Ruby!! My face there cracks me up!

        Time for a hat and a little suction

         Love that newborn blue-ish color :)

          Bliss

          Snuggle

   Cutting the Cord

     The ultimate DIY-er Super dad

   Time to weigh her

        8 pounds!

     Ready to measure

         21 inches!

     All is said and done... Pure awesome

      Sweet sister!! :)

      And she's done

  Such an amazing big sister!

  Even now, she could sit and watch her for hours

    And... now she's done... ;)