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Aden Eric was born Saturday, April 12th, 2008, at 1:55pm
On Wednesday, Heather (our Midwife) told us that Mom was a “fingertip” open and 50% thinned, meaning that her body was just starting to get ready to have a baby. She said that it might be a few more weeks, but there was still a chance we could have our baby as early as this weekend. On Thursday evening, Mom and Dad had a nice romantic night practicing our relaxation and massage. On Friday, Mom felt some faint heavy feelings down low in her belly and thought that maybe Aden was moving down to get ready to be born. Friday evening, we went to Shutterfly Kisses Photography to get maternity pictures taken. While taking the pictures, Mom felt that heavy feeling two more times, but only for a second. She wondered if it was practice surges.
On the drive home from getting the pictures, Mom felt more little feelings and we noticed that they were happening every 7 minutes! That was around 10:30 at night. When we got home, we called Heather and she suggested we try to get some sleep but call her if anything changed. We couldn’t sleep because we were so excited that we might have Aden coming soon. In a few more hours, around 1:30am, we called Heather to tell her that the surges were happening every 3 to 6 minutes. She decided to come be with us.
Mom really liked to stand and hug Dad while she felt the surges. She would rock side to side like we were dancing. Dad was helping Mom to relax her body by talking with her. He read some of the meditations we learned in class and also made up his own meditations special for Mom. He would count down from ten to one and Mom would relax every part of her body. We even took a little nap in the birth tub.
In the morning, around 7:30am, Heather checked Mom and found out she was 6cm open and 90% thinned out, meaning her body was definitely getting ready to have a baby! Up until then, Mom and Dad still wondered if it could really be happening, or if it might just be a practice run. Mom tried some different positions and found out she really enjoyed standing in the shower with warm water on her tummy and back. She sang a birth song, which is like a low hum. Dad kept guiding Mom through her relaxations and she stayed very calm and confident.
Mom’s surges were still happening every 3 to 6 minutes, and only lasting about 30 seconds each. At 10:30am, Heather checked again and found out that Mom was completely open and all the way thinned out. We were very surprised. Mom even said that she didn’t think she could be that far along since the surges had been so manageable. Mom had not felt the need to push, so she walked around and relaxed in the shower to see if the surges might start coming closer together.
At 12:00pm, Mom and Dad got in the tub and Mom started to give a little nudge with the peak of each surge to help move Aden down. Mom felt her membranes release soon afterwards. At 1:55pm, Aden was born! He made a smooth entry into the world, and gave some faint squeaks and grunts on Mom’s chest. Natalie (a Midwife) helped make sure Aden’s mouth and throat were clear. Then Mom carried Aden over to the bed to lie down with him and Dad. Aden was so beautiful! He “talked” to us lots in his quiet voice and we just listened and enjoyed every minute with him.
Dad cut the cord once it stopped pulsing. While Mom took an herbal bath, the midwives and Dad checked our little Aden all over to make sure he was healthy. He weighed 8 pounds, measured 19 ¾ inches, and was very healthy and content. Aden nursed when Mom got out of the tub.
We are so glad we took the Hypnobirthing class and had the courage to give natural childbirth a chance. Approaching the birth of our son with confidence and calmness allowed us to enjoy the experience tremendously and bond deeply as a couple. We could not have hoped for a more wonderful way to welcome a child into this world.
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