Russell Jay Thiriot
Born 4:59 pm 06/27/2013
9 lbs 2 oz. 21 inches long
The birth took place at Nova Natural Birth Center. It was a water birth and everything went well.
Melissa and baby are doing great. We all went home later the same day.
Paul and I attended Hypnobirthing. It is a methodology and a belief that if the body is relaxed, and not in a flight or flight mode, birthing can take place with no pain. Well I add my experience to the millions of others that it does work.
Labor Story:
At 37 weeks and 1 day I had a midwife appointment. I was dilated to a 4 and 90% effaced. She recommended that I not wait too long before coming in if labor started. Well on the way home I started having contractions. We decided to head back. We ordered chinese takeout and watched Dan in Real Life to pass the time. We walked around the building a few times and caught lightening bugs. Around 11 I decided I was getting a good nights sleep before having this baby and we all went to sleep at the birthing center. The next morning we walked over to a deli and ordered breakfast.
The midwife, Kelly, checked me and I had only dilated to a 5. So around 10 we started a labor starting routine of herbs and things like walking, belly rub and such. Two hours later I was in more active labor(noon). I walked around the room relaxing and squatting a lot. At around 4 I was checked and I was at a 9 and basically 100% effaced. We decided to break my water. After they broke my water, things got intense. I managed to get in the tub before I hit transition (thankfully). Transition was the scariest part because instead of throwing up like last time, I freaked out.(the adrenaline rush of transition can cause different retains). So this time for me I started thinking, " What in the world am I doing?" "This is the stupidest thing I have ever done" "Why did I want to do this?" and had a general sense of panic. Thankfully that passed after a little bit thanks to my two Hypnobirthing specialists, Paul and Diana (my sister-in-law who has had 3 babies naturally using Hypnobirthing who was kind enough to by my unofficial Hypnobirthing doula.) Then came the 'breathing down' part. It went really well and I really didn't feel like it was very straining on my body at all. I couldn't even tell when Russell's head came out. His shoulders got stuck a bit but a few 'pushes' later and he was out.
Conclusion:
I have had a lot of mixed feelings. After preparing so much and spending a lot of time teaching myself to relax, it seemed almost anticlimatic how easy birth was. So I suppose that all the practicing paid off.
I always looked at people who birthed natually with a sense of admiration. So I thought that I would feel some awesome feeling of "YEAH, I just birthed naturally!" but that never really came; which to be honest was a little disappointing. However, it is probably better for my pride that it didn't.
All in all, I am incredibly happy with my decision. Birth is a NATURAL body process and I am glad that I was able to have a relaxing, comfortable, un-rushed birth where everyone was so loving, encouraging, kind, and not determined for me to give birth on their time table. I am really happy about how things turned out and wouldn't change a thing.
This is the face you make when you find out your kid weighs 9 lbs 2 oz.
Grandma and Grandpa Thiriot teaching Lincoln about babies in the waiting room
Kelly the Midwife
