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I had looked into delivering at a birth center so I could have a waterbirth...

Early on in my pregnancy, I had looked into delivering at a birth center so I could have a waterbirth. Felix was against it, just as he was against a homebirth. So we "compromised" and we were going for a hospital birth, again. I wanted little to no interventions during my labor. I did a pitocin-induced labor with no meds with my first delivery, I wanted to go on my own with no meds. (I went on my own with Diego, my second delivery, but caved and got an epi 90 minutes before he was born) The compromise was that I would deliver down the hill, 60 miles away with my favorite OB instead of near home with the doctors I disliked.

Wednesday, March 1, we went down the hill so Felix could work on his mom's porch. We had been toting everything with us pretty much everywhere we went.....clothes and supplies for 3 days for Felix and the kids, and all my stuff for me. It was tiring. I was 3 days past due, and just wanted to stay home. I was NOT in the mood to deal with anyone but my husband and kids. I was tired and cranky, and down the hill we went.
I had been losing my plug for a few days, but thought nothing of it, I was losing so little each time. I never lost any of my plug with Isabella, and didn't lose any with Diego until I woke up IN LABOR with him. We came home late that eveing, and I was restless. Isabella went to bed, and I laid down with Diego to put him to sleep. This was about 11:00pm. I couldn't get comfy in bed, waited until Diego went to sleep and snuck out, about 11:20pm. He woke, so I went back with him, stayed until just after midnight. I realized that the Braxton-Hicks I had just had was a little more than usual. I got on my birth ball on the computer for a while. Felix went to bed about 1:30am. I hadn't said anything to him about it, I really didn't think anything of it. About that time I had a REAL contraction. I knew this was different. Contractions were about 10 minutes apart, if not longer, and not intensifying. I just attributed the strength of them to my being tired from the long day. I got up for a drink, and felt something strange. I went to the bathroom, and found nothing.

It was 2:15am, and I started timing contractions. They were 7-10 minutes apart, sporadic at best, and still not intensifying. A good friend of mine had spent a week before her delivery (HBAC) in prodromal labor with these same symptoms, so I was leery about waking everyone and driving down the hill. The original plan was to drive down to Angela's, have my doula (Christy, my HBAC friend) follow us and labor there until I was ready to go to the hospital. A thought of taking a bath, and all that flew out the window!!!

I got in the tub at about 3:15am, after trying numerous times to call Christy to tell her that we would be heading down the hill sometime today. Neither of her phones were being answered (the house phone had the ringer off, and her cell phone wasn't by the bed!! She had had nightmares about this EXACT thing happening!! LOL) I left her a message telling her that I was getting in the tub, but no rush, I would call her when I got out, and not to call here and wake everyone. I wanted Felix to get some rest.

In the bath, my contractions were STILL sporadic, intensifying and then the next one would be near nothing. I slept through early labor, and woke up with contactions 5 minutes apart with Diego, and went on to labor for 11 hours with him, so I was sure I had plenty time, since I wouldn't be going to the hospital until it was time to push anyway. I decided after about 45 minutes to get out of the bath, I was sleepy. It was about 4am.

I got up, wrapped my robe around me, and had a contraction that made me see stars!! I went to the computer to sit on the birth ball and roll on it, since that had been comfortable before. I wrote my groups that I would be heading down the hill shortly, and would update when I got home. II did not send it right away, just in case. Another cotraction hit, 5 minutes after the first. I immediately went in and woke Felix and told him he needs to wake up NOW. It was now about 4:20 I threw on a pair of brand new sweats and a tank top. It was 24 degreees outside, and I was HOT. I leaned over the side of the bed having contractions about every 90 seconds while trying to put my shoes on. I remember going in the front room and sitting in the chair to tie them and jumped up immediately, it was waaaay too painful to sit like that. Within 5 minutes he had both kids in the van and ready to go. I hit send on my email to send to my groups. It was 4:45am. I was walking out the door after taking a sip of water and ran to the bathroom. I threw up, twice. I have never thrown up during labor, and it scared me....I knew at that point that it was CLOSE. I grabbed a bowl to hold and a towel to sit on (I don't know what possesed me to grab the towel, but I'm glad I did), ran outside and had 3 more contractions trying to get in the van....all about 1 minute apart. I kept telling Felix to drive to Christy's, we weren't going to make it down the hill. The closest hospital is about a 15-20 minute drive from my house. Christy lives about 5 minutes past the hospital. I was hoping to get to her house to wake her, leave the kids with her husband, and have her go with us. I found out later Felix had no intention of going to Christy's. Smart man :)

I continued having contractions every minute. I did very well, I never lost control, I never yelled out. (With Isabella, I was yelling and screaming throughout transition) I did a lot of guttural sounds, grunting and moaning. At one point, I remember asking Felix to turn up the radio....I had to ask him twice, he could harldy hear me, I could not speak above a quick whisper. I wanted the radio up to drown out my noises as to not scare Isabella too much. (Diego was alseep through the whole thing, lol) I remember the feeling of driving over the top of the hill to Apple Valley, over the Mojave River. As we hit the top of that hill, I realized we weren't going to make it to Christy's house. The next 3 contractions I sat totally silent, with a pen in my hand. I made no movement, my breathing was steady. I was so still and quiet that Felix thought I fell asleep. Until he heard a crack, which was me breaking the pen, lol. I had this overwhelming feeling to go to the bathroom....and I knew I didn't have to go...I knew I needed to push. I told Felix I needed to push, to pull over and call 911. Why, I have no idea, we were so close to the hospital. I opened my eyes and saw in the distance the blue H sigh for the hospital, as he was starting to pull over and asking me where it was. It had been years since he was there, and dark out. I lifted myself up and felt bulging, felt down and I could feel his head. I laid my seat back a bit, I couldn't get it all the way down, pulled my new sweats part way down my backside and pushed with a good grunt, with my hand on his head. I told Felix "head's out", I ran my thumb down the back of his head to his neck to check for the cord, there was none. I pushed again, and delivered him as my water broke, and pulled him up. Felix, still racing down Highway 18, looked at the clock and said 5:00. I looked at him, his eyes were open, he was moving his arms and legs, but hadn't made a noise beside a small squeak. I sweeped his mouth, and that made him mad enough to make a bigger noise. I watched for his breathing, it was fine, no laboring. He just didn't want to cry :) I thought his head looked strange to me, like the coloring wasn't right. We found out later he was born in the caul, having the amniotic sac over his head. I stuck him under my shirt.

We pulled into the ambulance bay at 5:03am. Felix ran in to the ER and asked for help, I don't know what he said, but a doctor and a couple nurses came out. The doctor had his back to me, directing the nurses. I pulled Aidan out from under my shirt as a nurse looked around the doctor's shoulder. The look on her face was priceless. she caught the doctor's attention, he turned and looked, opened the door, stared at me in disbelief, and said "Baby's here!" I said "Baby's BEEN here!" They clammored to get clamps for the cord, only had one, then couldn't get scissors, lol. I was still waiting to deliver the placenta. So many questions,,,,when did labor start (1:30am), when did your water break (right as he was born), did you pull over and deliver (no)....As they were clamping and cutting his cord, I realized Isabella was there. I looked at her, her eyes were the size of saucers. She has seen babies born on television all the time, natural and sections. But real life is totally different, especially when you're only 5. I asked if she was ok, and she said yes. I said "Scary, huh?" and she said (with a big grin) "Yeah, it was scary". Diego was still asleep, even with all the commotion. Felix called Angela, and told her I had had the baby in the van, could she come and get the kids...but he neglected to tell her we were in Apple Valley and not Riverside!! He managed to get back with her, and she drove out.

They took Felix and the kids upstairs while Aidan was looked at and then sent upstairs to a warmer, and I stayed in the ER until I delivered the placenta. Besides the IV I got just long enough to get a bit of pitocin to deliver the placenta. It had been almost 30 minutes and still no urge....with the other two, the placenta was out right after the babies...this time I couldn't even feel my muscles to bear down right and push. But I got my birth plan!!! I had wanted no pain meds, little to no intervention, intermittent to no monitoring, and the ability to push when I wanted, not when told, in whatever position felt right, and to utilize a bath or shower for pain management. They took Aidan upstairs to be with Felix and the kids in the room, then took me up. They weighed him, cleaned him up and all that right there, so the kids got to watch that. I took him and nursed him, without a word from Diego. (He had weaned himself 3 weeks before Aidan's birth.) It was a very exciting day, all the nurses wanted to see the "car-baby".

But I have to say, there is something very empowering about delivering your own child...being the first one to touch him, knowing that my hands, hands that will love him better and more than anyone else, were the first ones to touch him, the first touch he felt. I still run my hand over the crown of his head and remember what it felt like when he was born. I drive past the spot where he was born every week, and smile.
My email groups were very axious to know what happened, since I posted at 4:45am that we were headed down the hill and then Christy posted that he was born at 5:00am. THAT was fun!

People ask if we were scared....The answer is no. You'd think that if that happened to you, you'd be terrified. I've had that same thought, I know of a mom who had her baby on the side of the road in her car. I thought if that was me, I'd be flipping out!! But there's really no time for that. You just do what needs to be done. I spent the next week or so entranced on how he got here. In the hospital, I would hold him and look at him and think this is a dream, I'm going to wake up any time now and be in labor, lol.
Easiest labor by far, only 3.5 hours. Maybe next time Felix will be comfortable with a homebirth, since I went past that and went unassisted!!

As for the "mess" in the van.....never wear new sweats to the hospital and deliver in the car.....you won't be bringing them home with you....my sweats and the towel caught it ALL. He literally had nothing to clean :)

5.17.06

Aidan Gabriel Gaytan
Thursday, March 2, 2006
5:00 am
8 pounds, 10 ounces
19.25 inches

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