Jyn’s 8th Baby {Hospital Waterbirth}

I have been pregnant every year since 1998 with the exception of 2004. We lost 2 in that time, but I have effectively been either pregnant and/or nursing for the past 14 years.

Just because you have been pregnant and have birthed a lot does not mean the next one will be easier. Your body doesn’t stay stretched out. You have to do it all over again. You have to contract, you have to open, you have to efface and dilate.

My 7th birth was harder and needed way more intervention than my 6th, so when #8 came around, we really had no clue what to expect!

I was due July 14th, but was walking around in labor for 2 weeks prior to the 4th of July. I was dilated, stretchy, 4-6 centimeters and my bag of water was bulging- to my midwife’s amazement. I had bloody show, I passed the plug constantly (as it renews itself). My pubic bone was separated so I was super uncomfortable. I PRAYED for it to end, I had never felt so ‘done before!

Late on the 3rd of July, I noticed the contractions I had been enduring for the past 2 weeks were every 5 minutes, now. I started timing them at midnight and finally decided to call the midwife at 1am to discuss if I should come in. On one hand, the contractions were regular and, knowing I had Group B strep and needed the antibiotics, should get in sooner than later so I could get the full 2 recommended bags of IV fluids in before birth. On the other hand, I didnt want to be premature and drag everyone in only to have everything stop, like it had in the past.

By 2am after chatting with the midwife, she finally said, “Jyn… come in and have your baby!”

So I gathered my husband, woke one of my daughters and got any last thing we needed which felt like the equivalent of a backpack prepared for a week’s stay in the wilderness. I texted my mom to come stay with the rest of the kids, and we left.

We got to the hospital at about 2:30am fully expecting it to be busy because, after all, it was now the 4th of July. It wasn’t.

They had the birthing pool ready and hot- but I couldn’t get in yet. They had to monitor me first. I actually didn’t even get into the tub until 3:30am. Enduring contractions in the hospital bed was awful.

As the contractions came closer and harder and he moved down more- the pain in my back got worse and worse. I attribute that, now, to my separated pubic bone which was probably pinching in the back. I was worried about a stretchy but not fully dilated cervix being dragged down with the baby’s head. This is what happened 2 years earlier with my 7th. So I was prepared with some Astroglide to help ease the baby’s head through the cervix and out with minimal scraping on the inside. With each contraction I eased the cervix around his head myself, but really- he felt more like he was going to come out the other end!

Finally, at 9 centimeters dilated my water burst with a sonic boom and he was coming and the contractions were harder.

With a primal roar, out came his head and shoulders at 6:17am on the 4th of July- and up to my bosom with a great big sigh of relief and “Ohhhhh!”

The water was quite warm as I had insisted, and I started bleeding a little more than we wanted- so they had me get out to an awaiting bed. The whole ordeal, on video, looks so quiet and collected and calm- absolutely the farthest from how it felt! I felt, most of the time, like I was on the edge of insanity!

Jude Elias was officially 7lbs, 9.5 oz and 19 inches long- beautiful and full of life! The placenta was huge, with 2 lobes (like a heart) and a very thick long umbilical cord that pulsated forever, it seemed!

We rejected the Vitamin K injection as well as the silver nitrate. He was my second child to not receive the Vitamin K injection and my second child to leave the hospital with absolutely no jaundice! It also took them 30 minutes to get a proper PKU sample because… his blood kept clotting.

{Story and photos submitted by Jyn Meyer.}