by Kimberly Cudd
     I woke up at 4 am, 11/5/12, knowing I was in labor, but not wanting to believe it just yet. After a false alarm at 38 weeks that resulted in 8 hours of contractions but no baby, I wanted to be certain before I made any calls. After an hour of increasingly strong contractions, I woke up my husband and told him to get ready. The contractions were about 5-7 minutes apart already and about 30-45 seconds each. At 6 am, we called my mother to come watch our 4-year-old, and then we called the Birth Center. They advised me to wait an hour and call back. I knew it was only a formality and that my baby would be born that day, so I breathed through a few more contractions and at 7 am, we called back, happy to report stronger contractions. We live an hour from the Birth Center, so they advised us to come on in.
 
  One of my very best friends had agreed to be my doula, so she was the next call we made. I knew she’d set me straight when I looked at her and said “I can’t do this.” She also happens to be a great photographer, and I knew she’d capture the moments of my labor and delivery through the lens of her camera! At about 7:30am, we were on the road. I was nervous about handling contractions in the car, but the changing scenery offered a welcome distraction. I had approximately 15 contractions during the hour ride.
 
   Sarah and Emily were both working that morning, and I remember feeling so relieved as I saw their faces because I knew they could handle whatever was about to happen and felt confident in their ability to guide me into my ‘dream birth.’ It was 8:30 am when we arrived, and Emily was happy to announce that I was 5 cm dilated. She was very reassuring and enthusiastic about how well I was doing, which was incredibly encouraging and gave me the extra confidence I needed. She suggested trying the shower to see if that helped. I sat on the birthing ball as my loving husband aimed the shower head at my belly. It was awful. The contractions were intense and close together, and I remember gripping the handrails and holding on for dear life just to keep my balance. I began to dread each contraction because I knew I had to put so much effort into holding on and couldn’t relax, so I asked to get in the tub.

 

    It was a few minutes before the tub was ready, but as soon as I slipped into the water, I knew my baby would be born there. Before going into labor, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about a water birth, but once I got comfortable in the tub, there was no way I was going to move. The warmth of the water was so comforting that I was able to relax and just let the contractions work. Although I never made a sound, my husband was vigilantly aware of each contraction and at one point confessed to the nurse his fear that I would break his hand. She smiled and suggested only offering two fingers for me to squeeze.
 
    Sarah came into the room to see how I was doing, and I told her I was feeling slight pressure like I had to go to the bathroom with each contraction. She checked me and began getting things ready. Pretty soon, I had a contraction and just found myself pushing. There was nothing I could do to stop, so I quietly whispered to Sarah, “I’m pushing.” I kept waiting for her to give me some instructions on what I should be doing, but instead she encouraged me to simply do whatever felt right and to listen to my body. It was exactly what I needed to hear because it gave me confidence that my body knew what to do and that I was capable of birthing my baby.

 

    My water broke as the baby was crowning and Sarah exclaimed, “I can see his hair floating in the water.” Then I knew all the old wives tales about hair and heartburn were true. And though I never would have guessed I’d be having my baby within 1 hour of arriving at the Birth Center and only 15 minutes of pushing, Samuel David Cudd was born at 9:20am, 8lbs 2oz. I will never forget the feeling of elation at holding that little miracle in my arms, warm water surrounding us, and knowing that my body accomplished what it was created to do.

 

photo credit: Jessica Cole at Mirrors of Life Photography