by Tanya Bacon


7:30 AM on December 29, I woke up having to pee and experiencing a little contraction. No problem, I was used to it by that point. I got up, did my business, put some food in Tucker’s dish, and sat down to eat cereal and watch TV on the computer. I also got on Facebook to see that my baby application had updated on my page-“40 Weeks Today!” “Ugh. Mornin’ world,” I posted. I finished my cereal and decided to start revamping the birth bag. I got up and walked the 4 steps to the table where my paper was that had a list of what we needed…when my water started breaking. I grabbed my towel and waddled quickly to the bathroom carefully holding the towel to me so I didn’t “break” all over the carpet Keith had installed THE DAY BEFORE. When I got to the bathroom around 8 AM, I heard Keith waking up.

“I think my water just broke!” I yelled.
“Really?” he asked as he ran into the bathroom. “Are you ok?”
“NO!!!”

I felt an incredible urge to poop, but I couldn’t. I went from toilet to tub to toilet to floor to tub and back and forth for a while feeling so very uncomfortable and wondering why I couldn’t walk around. It was my understanding that I’d be able and wanting to walk around during the 1st stage of labor. During this time, Keith was calling my mom and the Birth Center, letting them know that my contractions were irregular and we weren’t sure how far apart–maybe 4-5 minutes? Every time I heard that, I’d scream, “Closer! Continuous!”

There really was no break in between. Alright, maybe a tiny one, but not much. Finally, Keith called the Birth Center and told them we were coming in NOW, and they agreed that was best. He called my mom and told her to meet us there instead of our house. He came in and said, “Tanya, after this one, you HAVE TO get up and we need to go!”

That is when I started frantically yelling for him to find things to bring with us (and we had just moved, so he didn’t know where anything was).

“Put Tucker in his cage!”
“I can’t find him!”

I looked behind the toilet where he had been hiding earlier-labor is scary! Nope, no Tucker dog.

“Check under the bed!” Yup.

I finally got the gumption to get up, barely put clothes and slippers on, and waddled my way quickly to the door. My eyes darted at things to grab on the way out, but I clung to my pillow instead and climbed into the car. The carseat was in the back now, so my seat could only go back so far. I ended up with one knee on the door and one hitting the shift. My oldest sister called Keith’s phone on the way-I think I freaked her out because I was in mid-contraction and screaming . I remember wanting to push a NOS button on the car and bypass the 10+ lights.

“Half way,” Keith told me.
“Great, then I might have the baby in the car!” I thought.

I still kept feeling that urge to poop. Finally, around 9:45 AM, we arrived. Keith let me out and helped me in-I’m not sure if he even parked the car really! A man held the door for us and BOOM! another contraction.

“Do you guys know where to go?” he asked.

We thought so, but he helped us as the midwives were coming out to meet us. We were escorted into the “extra” room because families were just leaving the other rooms and the midwives were quickly trying to clean them.

“WATER BIRTH!!!” I yelled.

They checked me-not very hard to do since I was pretty much stripping as I walked in. (It was chilly outside, but I was so hot and clothes were feeling SO uncomfortable!)

“Ok, she’s in 2nd stage and pushing!” I heard Emily, the midwife, say.
“So THAT’S why I wasn’t walking around!” I thought.

After a few pushes, the tub and room were clean, so we ended up waddling over to the other room. I just started going, not really knowing where to go, and Keith chased me with a blanket trying to keep me covered up. I didn’t care-I was in the zone and just wanted this baby OUT and in my arms! I kept reminding myself she’d be here soon and I wouldn’t have crazy charlie horses in my leg/hip or contractions anymore after that.

In the tub, the water was warm. I almost immediately felt more relaxed-well, as relaxed as you can feel in 2nd stage labor. The next little while was a whirlwind. The pressure built up more and more, but through it, I felt my little girl’s head more and more, too.

The “ring of fire” was terrible. I think because of the location of it, it was the worst pain I had ever felt. I felt like I was just going to rip apart. (I’m just being real with you, like the poop comments.)

In the end, this is how I remember it:

“Tanya, look at me! Next time you feel a contraction, PUSH!” Emily told me.So I did. Hard. In an instant, things almost went south. I had no idea why, nor was I frightened by it, but I was told to get up out of the tub and onto the bed. My husband, the midwife, and the nurse all lifted me up and helped me onto the bed. Apparently, I had a little baby head coming out during this.

I heard, “Call the midwife! Call for oxygen!” It got a little more frantic in the room for a minute. I made it onto the bed and thought, “I have to do this NOW or this is going to get bad!” I pushed once–maybe twice–and felt an enormous, almost gooey pressure leave my body. I looked down and saw the most purpley-gray baby with dark hair! She was screaming!!! She was HERE! Almost immediately, she was skin-to-skin with me and we had a blanket over us. I just wanted to hold her, have Keith hold me, and go to sleep.

The blood clots were “fun.” I had to have Pitocin and Cytotec after she came out so that I didn’t bleed out. But I had no tears, only “skid-marks.” It still burned a little, but not nearly as bad as tears would I’m sure.

Our Daisy Lynn was born at 10:52 AM, not much more than an hour after we made it to the Birth Center. She weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces and was 21.5 inches long.

I found out afterward that the cord was wrapped tightly around her neck. The midwife tried to pull it off, but it was way too tight. That’s why I ended up on the bed. I didn’t hear my mom crying on my husband’s shoulder and almost hyperventilating, or her praying out loud. I’m convinced though, that because of her prayers, along with ours and those of our family and friends, God saved my little girl. I am SO very thankful that God saved her. We are SO BLESSED to have her.