Congratulations to Neil and Rissy on the birth of their latest son! While this is Rissy's story, so I will be brief, this has to go down as ONE of my favorite days. I was awakened by a text message from Rissy, Friday evening as we were entertaining guests that mentioned her 1st contraction that made her stop in her tracks, in the local grocery store. I knew this was going to head in to the "Real McCoy." Rissy had been experiencing contractions for weeks, but the fact that it made her stop and focus on the bread at the store made me laugh. She did not want to attract attention so while she waited for the contraction to pass she read the ingredients on the bread. This memory is probably indelibly etched in my mind.
I told her to expect the unexpected as I do all of my client's. It was my turn to remember this lesson. I was on standby should she need me during labor, but of course I had in my head a few versions of how this may or may not occur. It was nothing like what actually happened.
Rissy texted me again at 5:24 a.m. Saturday morning the 7th of November. It read like this:
I'm sorry for waking you but i don't know what else to do:( I'm not handling these very well at all:( the pain is unbelievably intense and now with every contraction... (left out, out of respect for her privacy)but I'm not sure exactly. Can you please help:-(
I texted back the info I needed to help her. She texted back..."can I call you?" I texted back with "of course" It is best to hear people in labor to get a better idea of what is going on. She called a few minutes later. When I listened to her, her contraction went from 7-9 minutes to about every minute lasting for 1min 15sec. I could tell be listening to her that she was in transition, but did not want to excite or panic her. I helped her through a couple and suggested she awaken Neil. She had been dealing with these contractions for nearly 3 hours brilliantly on her own. I also suggested she call her midwife. I did tell her after those two things were done, I that I was glad she was on her way and it sounded like transition to me. historically once she approached transition things went really fast. I stayed on the phone while she was en route to the birth center. She was told to go to the one she had not intended on going to as their intended birth center was full...a first. I listened and breathed with her on the phone all the while listening to her taking a break from breathing while still contracting to direct Neil's driving.
She arrived at the birth center and 8 minutes later my third grandson was born.
In hindsight after listening to how she wasn't handling the contractions well and they were so intense I thought to myself "Yep transition is like that!" I thought she did better than she even knows. Her strength, when I know she was so frightened of "natural childbirth" amazes me. She was sure that these intense contractions would likely go on for hours.
I arrived to see her holding her newborn son, still in the tub.
It is truly the BEST birth I never attended.
Congratulations to the entire family and a special bow to my amazing daughter.
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