Saturday's Story: The Birth of Isaac

Jamie offered to share her beautiful story when I put out a request on my mom's group messaging board. Her story below is from the actual e-mail she sent out to her friends and family after the birth of her son. Thank you for offering to share, Jamie! Also, please check out her website. It is a wonderful resource regarding Hypnobirthing (she is a certified Hypnobirthing instructor).

Throughout our pregnancy I have sent periodical updates to share our excitement for this baby with friends and family. The time has come to share with you our birth story. Isaac Edward was born Friday, August 3, 2007...




Thursday, August 2, 2007:

7:00am
Arie and I went to see our midwife, April Kermani, for our 39 week appt. I was dilated 2cm and she said I could expect some cramping from the exam. We left the appt. expecting to see her next week for the 40 week appt.

12:00pm
I emailed my boss at work to let her know I was going home for the day. On this day, I knew the birth was closing in and needed this time to rest. I did not think, however, that the birth would be coming so soon.

2:00pm
I decided to take a few laps in the pool. I ended up staying in the pool for 2 hours. I was having some cramping but figured it was from the exam earlier in the day. I sent Arie a text message, jokingly saying "I have feeling you will have a son tonight, you had better catch up at work today."

7:00pm
Arie and I went out to dinner at Sushi Fever. At dinner Arie and I discussed that this could possibly be our last dinner together alone for a while. I continued having cramps througout the dinner. I could not distinguish between one cramp starting and another stopping. It was just constant cramping. I was unsure that "this was it."

10:30pm
We were at home watching television and Arie had fallen asleep. I let him sleep, figuring that if this was true labor that he would probably need the rest. I tried laying down but the cramps were getting stronger and I began to distinguish that they were fading in and out. I began timing them. From 10:30pm-midnight the cramps were coming every 15 minutes. I began thinking that this was possibly Isaac's final day in my belly. From 12-2:00am the cramps were every 5 minutes apart. During this time I used my relaxation and breathing techniques that I had learned in Hypnobirthing. I was actually really excited that the cramps were closer together and stronger!

Friday, August 3, 2007

2:00am
I woke Arie up and let him know that the cramps were 5 minutes apart. I even showed him my little piece of paper that I had been writing down the times on. He got out of bed and we packed the last few things into our hospital bag. He recommended that we go to the hospital (St Rose Dominican de Lima Campus), since it was a 30-40 minute drive. At this point we were both unsure if this was true labor. As we drove, I stayed calm throughout the ride. Arie kept the conversation light and attempted to video tape me and drive at the same time! Quite funny...

2:30-5:00am
I was admitted to St Rose de Lima hospital at 2:30am. The nurse checked me and hooked me up to a monitor. I was still 2cm and my surges (the Hypnobirthing term for contractions) actually slowed down to about 5-7 minutes apart. At 5am the nurse said that they were sending me home because my surges were still so long apart. She also said I could prob have this sort of feeling for another day or week or two! I got dressed and Arie signed the paperwork for us to go home. As we were walking out the door the nurse stopped us and said..."you know I should probably check you again, just in case." Ha! I was 4cm...and this WAS it!

7:00am
A new nurse came on shift. Her name was Marie and she was such a blessing. She was exactly the nurse we needed for our birth. She knew we were planning a natural birth and asked us if we would like to have a water birth or at least just sit in the hot tub to relax. I jumped at this opportunity. Arie and I had discussed having a water birth before this day but eventually decided that we would go ahead and try a regular birth. Marie had us moved to the room that was equipped with a birthing tub. She began to get the tub ready after checking me one more time. A this point I was 6cm. I told Arie I was going to take "a nap." This was my term for getting into the zone through deep relaxation. The surges were strong but still 5 minutes apart. Arie said he could read the surges on the monitor but that it seemed that I was sleeping through everything.

9:30am
I began to "awaken." The nurse noticed that I was moving around a little and asked me if I wanted to go ahead and get into the tub. In response I told her..."I have to push." Surprised, Marie wanted to check me again to see how far along I was. I was 9.5cm! I told Arie I didnt even realize that I had been in the zone for such a long time. It felt like 10 minutes and it had really been 2 hours. She called April, our midwife, to come on over. In the meantime I moved into the tub. The tub was perfect. It was so hot and the water jets were great! April arrived and within minutes my body was beginning to bring the baby down. It was absolutely amazing that my body was moving the baby downward and I wasnt doing anything. I wasnt even in pain. My body took control and allowed for the birth to take place. It was simply amazing. In between surges I was talking, laughing and enjoying ice cold cranberry juice. In between one surge I even said "I wish the surges were stronger and longer so Isaac will be here sooner."


Before this day I truly wondered if I could and would make it through this birth naturally. And...I did it. I trusted my body to deliver Isaac in this wonderful way. This experience has taught me to never doubt myself and to trust my body. Wow, what a miracle.

10:25am
Isaac Edward Marancenbaum, our little water baby, was born. My membranes (water) didnt
release until he had come through the canal. He was 6 pounds and 15 ounces and 20 inches long. God has truly blessed us with this miracle of life.

After Isaac's birth the midwife determined Isaac was healthy and allowed us to bond with him for the first two hours. They didn't need to bathe, weigh, and measure him right away. The hospital acknowledged our requests and allowed Isaac to have a gentle and smooth transition into our world. Isaac was so alert and calm; he breastfed for the entire first hour.




During the past few days I keep thanking God for blessing us with this little life. He is so precious. We are so thankful. August 5 was my birthday and I couldnt have asked for a better gift.

We will keep everyone up-to-date periodically about Isaac and our new life as a family. As for now, we just want to thank everyone for being so supportive. Raising a baby really does take a village and I am so excited to have you in our lives.