Molly's notes at the birth.

Molly, our doula for the birth, took some notes as things went. Its nice for me to read over, as I was so much in the moment while it was happening, I dont have much of a time-line.

Julia, Greg and Olive’s Birth Story

Jan 7, 2010

14:00 Julia calls to let me know that she lost her mucus plug the day before and that she’s been feeling crampy on and off for the last couple days.

23:00 Julia calls to say that contractions have been coming every 15-20 min since 6 pm.

Jan 8, 2010

05:00 Julia calls to say that she hasn’t been able to sleep. Feels like she should sleep but is awake with anticipation. Not sure what she should do. I go over. Contractions have subsided a bit since we spoke. Greg is sleeping. We drink tea, chat and watch “Pretty in Pink” to try and relax. Julia dozes off a bit during the movie. I leave at 7:30 to attend another birth. Julia is feeling much better and more relaxed. She’s going to try and sleep some more.

15:00 I call to check in. Julia was able to sleep for a couple hours. Contractions are still every 15 min or so.

23:00 Julia calls. Contractions are every 5 min. She feels ready to go to the hospital. I suggest coming by her place first and then going together. On my way, Greg calls to say say that the intensity of the contractions has picked up and they’d like to go straight to the hospital. I come by in the taxi and pick them up.

23:45 We arrive at hospital. Greg and Julia go into triage. Julia is examined and her cervix is effaced and dilated 2 cm. The nurses encourage walking for 1 hr, before admitting her.

Greg and Julia go walking.

Jan 9, 2010

02:00 Settle into birthing room. Contractions are more intense, 3-5 min.

02:25 On foetal monitor for 10 min. Foetal heart rate is good. Julia is on the bed on all fours. Greg and Molly take turns applying pressure to hips and lower spine.

02:35 Pees, Contractions are coming fast and are more intense. Julia labours in various positions: Sits on ball, kneels, side-lying. Julia is feeling nauseous so I give her some peppermint oil to smell which seems to help a bit.

03:30 Julia is re-examined. Dilation: 5cm. Decide to take a bath.

04:00 In the bath. Use showerhead to spray warm water on Julia’s back. Keep applying pressure to lower spine. Around 04:30 Julia starts grunting during contractions – sign that the pushing stage is approaching. Leave bath and go back to the room.

04:30 Dilation is 8-9 cm with bulging membranes. The station of the baby is 0. Julia rests in side-lying position

04:40 Membranes rupture. Fluid is clear.

04:50 Dilation is 9 cm with a cervical lip, but nurse is able to push the cervix away with her finger during a contraction. Pushing stage begins. Dr. Mclaughlin is called. Julia pushes on her back/semi sitting. Dr. McLaughlin encourages small pushes while delivering the head.

05:32 Baby born. Baby is welcomed by Julia, Greg, Molly, Dr. McLaughlin and nurse (name forgotten: Fabiana?) Baby is placed skin to skin with mom. She is healthy and vigorous. Apgar score is 9/9.

05:37 Placenta is born. Dr. M looks for tears. No suturing is needed. Julia feels very shakey.

Over the next hour and a half, Greg sits skin to skin with Olive while Julia eats cookies and some grapefruit and recovers from post birth jitters. Breastfeeding is initiated soon after the birth. Baby is alert and feeding well. She feeds on both breasts. Everyone looks proud, confident and full of love and joy.

By 7:30. Mom, Dad and baby are resting comfortably in postpartum ward.

Congratulations Julia, Greg and Olive!

Olive Bean

I started feeling some mild cramping in my belly last Thursday, around 6pm. Like menstrual cramps, I could walk around and ignore them mostly. Morgan and I were at a Walmart buying Borax to wash our cloth diapers, and every ten minutes my belly was calling me to look at the time. The contractions stayed that way for the next day and a half.
I had trouble sleeping, more from anticipation than pain. And Greg and I got in a few little fights. Emotions were high! On Friday night at 11:45 the contractions had progressed to 3 minutes apart. I could not talk through them. I couldn't think! I would grab Greg's hands swinging down into a squat and bow my head 'til they passed. Or if he was sitting kneel, lock my hands behind his knees, and dig my face into his lap. We took a cab to the hospital.

They put my belly on a monitor and did a cervical check. My contractions were coming every 3 minutes but I was really having 1 strong upper belly contraction, and then about 4 or 5 lower belly ones. Although painful for me, the lower ones were not opening me up, and I was only 2 cm dilated. The solution? Go for a LONG walk!
We were sent to the deserted first floor hallway to pace. At every contraction I would stop to sway my hips moving the babies head down to apply pressure on my cervix, hopefully driving a positive feedback of hormones to increase the contractions. At first I could walk to one end and back in between contractions, then as the hour progressed I could not get halfway down one way. I would slow-dance with Greg. I started to feel like I was going to die with every contraction, and the hour would never be up!
When we got back up to the labour ward, and were admitted, I was checked again, and was now 6 cm. The baby was coming fast! The contractions every minute or so. I could not talk through them, or concentrate. I would nod yes to questions and immediately forget what they were about. Greg and my doula Molly helped by rubbing my back, holding my hands, and applying pressure to my hips. I had no epidural or pain-relief. Just my mommy toughness. I took a bath when it got really painful. I also found making a low guttural moan helped focus me during contractions. During my bath, one of my moans turned into a grunt, and Molly knew I was getting ready to push.

Pushing is an active sounding verb, but it just comes and there is not much choice. Denying the urge to push hurts just as much, and I knew I had to go with that, despite its intensity. I was brought back to my bed, and checked again. 9cm. during the next contraction I had to resist that urge, and the nurse would move the remainder of my cervix out of the way, and then the baby would come.
My doctor showed up just in time. At 5 am I was in between that rock and a hard place. I repeatedly whimpered "I cant do this!", but I was and half an hour later, 5 32 am out came my baby girl.

I was completely in shock. Endorphins running through my body, she was placed on my chest, and I just shook. I shook for almost 45 minutes afterward. During that time Greg and I were left alone. I breastfed her, and then Greg took off his shirt and held her skin to skin.
In my euphoric state I kept thinking of the song "Daniel" by Bats for Lashes. And I asked Greg to play that for us on his iPod. That's the first song she ever heard.
We had talked about the name Olive months before, but wanted to put naming her aside until we saw her face. Through the labour the name came back to me as a gut feeling, and I think Greg felt that too. And then in that room, with the music coming quietly out of Greg's headphones we knew to call her Olive Daniel Underwood.


Daniel from Bat for Lashes on Vimeo.

We were all brought to the post-natal ward together, and we stayed there for a day and a half. Olive was completely healthy and so was I.

In the past week she's gained about 35g a day. I can see her getting bigger. She opens her eyes and looks around for faces. Mostly Greg's. We've been learning to breastfeed together. I have to get her to open her tiny mouth up wide, and stop chewing on her fingers. She wiggles out of her clothes, diapers, and blankets, has a good control of her neck, and sometimes sleeps 4-5 hours at a time. But mostly during the day. (She is trying to kill me via sleep deprivation). Overall she is a pretty awesome baby. Too cute.