Cora's Birth Story

I am sitting here in my trusty recliner, looking over at our beautiful 3-week old daughter, needing to write down the events of her birth.  I've wanted to do it right, make it special, make it creative, but really- the fact that she was born at home was pretty special.  But, here we go...

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Cora Lynlie Faulkner's Birth Story

My estimated due date was April 4th, 2014.  I never thought that I would make it to that date- heck, I never thought I would make it to April!  I had hoped for March 31st simply because Scott had proposed to me March 31, 1998.  I thought it would have been a really awesome "full circle" way of completing our family.  I wouldn't be upset or anything if it didn't happen, I just thought it would be a cool story.  I did NOT want an April Fool's baby.  My cousin's birthday is April 1st and I just wanted our baby to have her own day.

March 31st came and even though I was having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, it just wasn't going to happen.  So, I planned to take it easy on April 1st so as to not press my luck with her arrival on the day I was really trying to avoid.  I had a client/friend who was due March 30th that I had arranged to have a backup doula along with me if I was still pregnant when she went into labor.  My client ended up heading to the hospital the early morning of April 1st after a couple days of early labor at home.  Since I was still pregnant and very  close to my own onset of labor, the backup doula was with her.  I decided that I would go to the hospital to check in on her progress and offer emotional support.  Her hospital was 45 minutes away from my house and my mom was NOT happy about me leaving to go so far away from home.  I figured that I was going to a women's hospital where they deliver babies every day, so worst case scenario, I was good.  I arrived to the hospital to find my client laboring beautifully and the backup doula working well with her.  Then, about 15 minutes after I arrived, the backup doula decided to leave.  This meant that I was not leaving my client until her baby was born.

I began having contractions while with my client.  They weren't anything that screamed to me that it was my time- they were more annoying than anything.  I could talk through them and I never let on to my client that I was having them.  To me, there was no need since they weren't keeping me from doing what I needed to for her.  Around 11pm, client and her hubby were resting so I did as well.  It was during this rest time that the contractions were actually gaining intensity.  Client's beautiful baby boy was born at 11:58pm on April 1st.  Normally, I stay with a client for an hour or two after delivery, but due to my contractions, I excused myself early.

I left the hospital at 12:45am, got in my van, and immediately called my sister (Kamrin) in California to distract me from the contractions on the drive home.  Sitting was not my friend.  The contractions gained intensity during the drive.  I got home at 1:30am and decided to labor over the toilet for a bit.  After 15 or so minutes, I was over that so I climbed onto my bed on all fours so I could rock my pelvis and relieve some pressure.  That didn't last long before Scott woke up and I was able to tell him that baby girl was coming.  Scott hopped up to get stuff ready and asked me what I wanted.  I said that I wanted to get in the bath.  While Scott drew a bath, I called Katie- my dearest friend and doula partner.  Even after talking to Katie, I knew that I was in labor but still thought we may have a bit of time before needing to go to the hospital.  

I climbed into the warm bath and was immediately more relaxed.  The contractions weren't stopping and were definitely intense, but in between I was talking like nothing was happening.  I even started shaking- a sign of transition, but the fact that I was still talking in between threw me off.  Katie arrived at 2:45am and I was still in the tub.  She looked at me, listened to me, and immediately said "We need to GO.  You're in transition!  We need to get you to the hospital."  I agreed to go after getting through one.more.contraction in the tub since I knew one was rapidly approaching.  With that next contraction, at 2:50am, my water broke.  I remember yelling that my water broke, asked if the fluid was clear (it was), and said to mark the time.  As soon as the contraction was over, everyone was rushing to get me OUT of the bath, dressed and ready to head to the hospital (my Mom will tell you that she knew that we were never going to the hospital to have the baby).  I wanted to pee first...

While on the toilet, the pressure was intense.  My mom and Katie were both telling me to GET OFF of the toilet.  I think my mom was seriously afraid that I was going to deliver the baby in the toilet.  As it turns out, she had valid concerns.  As soon as I stood up from the toilet, I felt her.  I reached down and could feel her head.  To the floor I went and to the phone for 911 my mom went and I hugged my bathroom cabinets like my life depended on it.  My mom called 911 at 3:09am and was incredibly calm while relaying everything to the dispatcher, and after some significant screaming on my part, Cora Lynlie Faulkner was born at 3:10am on April 2, 2014.  Scott was behind me and Katie caught Cora.  Cora's cord was wrapped around her neck and around her body twice.  Both Katie and Scott worked together to get the cord unwrapped.  They were incredibly calm and handled everything so well.  The 911 dispatcher talked my mom through everything for Scott and Katie...and, me.  

EMS arrived just under 10 minutes after Cora was born.  By the time they checked her, she had pinked up from her original blue.  A little joke- when I asked what her APGAR score was, they said that she was a 12!  My little overachiever was given a score of 12 when APGAR scores only go to 10!  HA!  

Hello, sweet baby girl.  That was quite the entrance you just made!

Daddy cutting the cord with a scalpel from EMS

Proud Daddy.  Yes, I am still on the bathroom floor back there.

He can finally breathe and laugh.  :)

I had joked throughout most of my pregnancy that I was going to deliver at home.  I loved the idea of a home birth, but I was considered "high risk" and no one would have ever signed on for that responsibility.  With that said, it was NEVER intentional for me to have this home birth.  Just because Katie and I are doula's doesn't mean that we are irresponsible or negligent purposefully.  We are not the doula's who pass themselves off as midwives (big NO-NO!).  We happily tell clients that we do NOT do medical procedures and that if it requires gloves, we don't do it.  :)  With that said, if the roles were reversed, I would have no hesitation in doing what needed to be done in order to deliver a baby as safely as possible and that's exactly what Katie did.  While many women have unassisted births all of the time, that was never in the plans for me.  It may make for a fun story now, but I want to be clear- we had NO idea that Cora would make such a rapid entrance.  We had a strong suspicion that her entrance would not be long since Ethan's birth was also fast, but Cora's labor was so much different than his and that ended up suspending a quicker decision to go to the hospital.  In hindsight, I should've gone straight to the hospital after leaving my client.  But, let's face it- if I was able to drive home, surely I wasn't close to delivering, right?  Guess not.  Even if we had left for the hospital when Katie first arrived, we wouldn't have made it; we would've had a baby mid-route in the car.  We were safer staying home and letting EMS come.  We are eternally grateful that everything ended well and that both Cora and I are good. 

EMS gave me over a half an hour to deliver the placenta.  I was having intense contractions again but no sensation to push.  I didn't have any of that with Ethan's placenta.  The doctor just "guided" it out and I didn't have to do a thing, nor did it hurt.  This beyotch of a placenta had other plans.  It retained.  That means that it would need to be manually extracted.  Scott needed to drive to the hospital so I wanted my Mom with me in the ambulance.  I thought she would ride in the back with me, but she had to ride in front.  It did bring me some comfort having my Mommy with me through it all.  So, I held Cora as we were taken to the hospital via the ambulance.  Holding Cora, having way strong contractions without any way of moving positions, having an IV placed in the ambulance, all while on a bumpy ride was no picnic.  We arrived to the ER and all I could say was, "Get it OUT!"

Before leaving home for the hospital, Mary was holding Ethan.  All of the commotion woke him up (ya think?!?!?).  He had seen his baby sister for the first time and even signed, "Hi, baby."  As soon as Mary told me that, I started to cry.  My sweet boy.

Ethan meeting his sister for the first time

 

Sweet smooches from my boy

This.  The moment after I was told Bubs signed to his sister.  Overwhelmed with emotion in that moment.

Lighting up the neighborhood.  BOTH of my children's first car ride was in an ambulance.  :/

Retained placenta can kiss it.  My doctor arrived to my room and had to manually remove beyotch.  Yes, I was turned into a human pumpkin being scooped out for Halloween.  That was excruciating.  I could've given birth to Cora again, happily, before ever wanting to feel that pain again.  

Once Cora was checked out and given a clear bill and I no longer had beyotch taking up residence, we were all able to breathe and say, "Holy bleep.  That JUST happened."

♥♥♥

Katie doesn't want a big deal made of what she did for us, but I will just say that she was a rock.  I know that Scott and my mom were able to remain as calm as they were because Katie was calm.  Even though we aren't in the delivering babies ourselves business, we do see birth a lot more than anyone else that was in that bathroom and her experience kept everyone focused.  Thinking of the "what-ifs" has affected both of us.  It has been quite the emotional roller coaster when thinking of the events and honestly, they are traumatic for all of us.  Shoot, her having to see and hear me in the moment of birth earns her mad props and if we weren't close before, well- we are now!  :)  {Love you, Katie!}

So, there you have it.  I am so thankful that my Mom was here, that Mary arrived just in time to be here with Ethan, that EMS was fast, for Katie, and for Scott.  We ended up making a pretty fabulous team.  

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Cliff's Notes Version

• annoying contractions started evening 4/1
• intense contractions started early morning 4/2
• labored 30 minutes or less in the bath
• water broke in bath 2:50am 4/2
• baby born on bathroom floor 20 minutes later 3:10am
• Stats:  7lbs. 10oz. 21"

 Next up...how to cause a major sh*t storm at the hospital.