Ten Minute Birth.
A Very Special Ten Minutes.
It Takes Ten Minutes.
It can take ten minutes to go for a run, to have breakfast, to hang washing on the line, to make a bed. It can also take ten minutes to birth a baby.
A Tiny Beginning.
Poppy Seed To Honeydew (melon).
It is hard to believe that my baby started as a tiny poppy seed. According to Wikipedia, it is less than a millimetre in length.
By thirty-six weeks pregnant. I was showing a visible bump with a baby the size of a honeydew melon inside me. According to Wikipedia, honeydews can grow to 15-22 Centimetres. And weigh from 4.0 to 7.9 pounds.
Birth plan.
My midwife started coming more regularly once I reached 35 weeks gestation.
We discussed my birth plan. I was looking at having a home birth. We talked about all the things that I needed to have ready. She made a list that included.
- Lots of towels.
- A plastic sheet.
- A few plastic bags.
- Warm blankets for baby and me.
- Maternity Pads.
It felt exhilarating to have the plan in place. It made birth feel more real for me.
At 37 weeks, my midwife was planning to drop off the pool, liner, and drugs to go in the fridge.
I had always wanted to have a water birth. I was hoping that it would happen.
What birth time is the most common?
How long was your birth?
Average, Fastest, and longest Births.
The average length of time for a woman who is having her first baby to reach active labour is about eight hours or more. With subsequent births, it can take about five hours or more, which is according to community midwife Clare Herbert. (www.babycentre.co.uk).
The fastest time to give birth is two minutes! By Mary Gorgens. Who got up to go to the bathroom and had her son two minutes later, which is according to Sherry Huang (www.parents.com).
The most prolonged birth to ever happened according to Larisa Brown (www.dailymail.co.uk) Is a lady called Joanna Krzysztonek who was in labour for 75 days! She had to lie down upside down for almost ten weeks.
Birth And Affirmations.
I did not expect my son to make his entrance into the world so early. I had his bassinet ready, his baby clothes neatly folded and in his drawers, some soft toys prepared to be touched and held by him, and his capsule car seat already in place.
It was over two weeks before his due date. I was hoping to make it to full term. That did not happen. Neither did my water birth.
It happened early in the morning. My husband was fast asleep. I felt something wet slide down my legs. I knew that our baby was getting ready to arrive. I yelled at my husband to wake up. After calling three times with no response, I knew that I was on my own. I listened to my body and was ready to birth our son on my own.
I grabbed my phone and headed to the kitchen. I text my midwife at two am and just said " Having Baby". As the pain got intense, I was thinking back to the birth affirmations that I had been reading and tried to focus my pain on them.
Bible Birth Affirmation.
Ten Minute Birth.
It happened so fast. I was on all fours in my preferred birthing position. As the pain increased, I chanted birth affirmations in my head. " That this will last but a moment. Whereas I will have my baby with me for a lifetime." It was not long before my baby boy slid out of me. I felt ecstatic, relieved, and tired. I placed my baby boy on my chest. I told him how much I loved him. He had beautiful blue eyes that were gazing at me and the world around him in wonder. I yelled out a few more times for my husband. I could not believe that he was missing this. I could not believe that I had given birth on my own and in Ten minutes. I rang my midwife and told her that I had just given birth.
2:10 am.
Just Birthed.
The midwife arrived about ten minutes later. She was shocked to see me all alone. I had to answer the door with the umbilical cord still attached to the baby and me.
I felt relieved as she took over. She cut the cord, and I pushed the placenta out. I was feeling shocked and in a state of unbelief.
I went over to the couch to rest and have newborn cuddles with my son. The midwife woke up my husband, who came into the lounge looking very surprised and shocked. I let my husband have a cuddle with Ethan while I went to have a much-deserved shower. I watched the water trickle down my still rounded belly. I felt like I was in a dream. It was hard to believe that the birth had happened already.
The baby was a good size at 36 weeks. He weighed 3050 grams and was 33 cm long.
The midwife got breastfeeding established with the baby. He was too sleepy to feed at first. But once he got settled and latched on, he was happy to suck away.
The Newest Family Member.
The midwife left us to it. We were all tucked up in bed together. I do not think that I got much sleep that night. I was high on adrenaline and unbelief. I could not believe that our baby was tucked up in bed with us. All warm and pink. I had to keep telling myself that this was all real. We decided to let Ethan, which is the name we choose to be in bed with us for the first night.
At about eight am. Our older children began to wake. Unaware of all the excitement that had happened in the early hours of the morning. Hannah raced into our room first. She jumped onto our bed, and as soon as she saw, Ethan started saying "Baby baby". That is right, we said. Then I carried Ethan into Riley's room. I said to Riley that we have a present for you. It is your baby brother. Riley was so excited. "Hello," he said and waved to Ethan. We slowly morphed from a family of four to a family of five.
Ethan.
All Births Are Special.
Birth is an exceptional experience as you are bringing a unique little being into this world. We need to celebrate this whether you birthed fast or slow. At home or in the hospital. Vaginal or caesarian. Medicated or natural. It will probably be the most important journey that you will ever go through.
References.
Huang,S.(2018).Did this woman have the shortest birth ever? Retrieved from http://www.Parents.com
Herbert, C.(2017, May).How long will my labour last? Retrieved from http://www.babycentre.co.uk
Brown, L.(2012, 10 March). In labour for 75 days! Triplets' mother spent it all lying upside down to save two babies. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk
Wikipedia. (2019, 26 June). Poppy. Retrieved from http://www.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia. (2019, 18 June). Honeydew (melon). Retrieved from http://www.wikipedia.org