| Midwifery Care Associates Simmonds and Simmonds, Chartered Phone: (240) 514-0140 Fax: (240) 514-0148 Email: cnm@midwiferycareassociates.com |
| 11301 Rockville Pike, 3rd Floor North Bethesda, MD 20895 (in the White Flint Mall) ~ 77 Thomas Johnson Drive, Suite H Frederick, MD 21702 |
| "Certified Nurse Midwives offering respectful, competent, gentle health care to women throughout their lives" |
| Homepage Meet the Midwives History of MCA Forms, Links, and Handouts Consulting Physicians Birth Stories Shady Grove Hospital |
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| Natalie JoAnna made her official appearance at 12:36am on 12/2/07. She was 10lbs 3oz....Yes, you read that right!!!!! It was a completely drug free, vaginal delivery!!! I had a little girl in one of the birthing rooms at the Maternity Center in 2005, and the day after I took my pregnancy test, I found out that the Maternity Center Birthing Center was closing...I was distraught. I wanted to have this baby with the midwives and I did not want to have her in a hospital. I have BIG babies and I didn't want a Doctor cutting me up. After visiting with the Midwives and knowing that they would be there with me through my entire birth, I felt a little better, but was still worried about being in a hospital environment. So here is my birth story... I woke up at 4 am. on December 1, 2007 and went to the bathroom, as soon as I laid back into bed I felt my water break and I have never moved so fast back into the bathroom. I decided that since I was GBS negative and having no contractions, there was really no danger of me staying home, so I went back to sleep. I woke up during the night with 3 contractions, but no big deal. Then my two year old woke me up at 6:30 am and my contractions were still irregular. I knew that my husband and his sister were finishing putting in hardwood floors in our house, so I figured when they finished I would call the midwives and let them know that my water broke. We called our midwife at about 1:30pm and she said that I could stay home for a couple more hours, but if I was not having regular contractions by later in the afternoon, to come to the hospital to be checked. So after the floor was done, we got loaded up and went to the hospital. I was still having irregular contractions, nothing too bad; they just felt like severe menstrual cramps. My husband didn't believe that I was in labor because I was able to have conversations with him while I was having contractions (with my first daughter, I was writhing in pain and only 1cm). Well, at the hosptial, it was confirmed that I had a high water break and was at 4cm! I was admitted at 5:30pm and the midwife broke the rest of my bag of water. Because I was low risk and everything was going well, I was able to walk around the hospital. I went on 3 trips (an hour apiece) and then spent a lot of time on the birth ball. I wasn't REALLY in pain (a.k.a. shedding tears) until I hit 6 cm. Then all heck broke loose. I was 8 cm at 10pm; then there was an anterior lip (9.5cm). I had to push past that with the midwife's fingers inside, trying to manually flip the lip. At one point I told her since she was in there already, she should pull out the kid! Finally she was able to flip the lip and I was at 10 cm. I had a natural birth with my first and planned on it with my second as well....But this HURT! And since nobody seed to want to offer me drugs, I asked for them. The midwife informed me that it was too late to have any drugs! When Natalie was born, she was like a corkscrew! She was spinning around as she came out. With my first, after the head came out, everything else seemed to slip through. With Natalie I had to push every bit of her out, even her feet! I thought I was hallucinating when I heard the midwife say that my baby had to be over 10 pounds. When they brought her to the scale, everyone gasped! All I could think was about the lady in Russia who had the 17 pound baby...Luckily mine wasn't THAT big!! My "little" girl was 10 pounds and 3 ounces. In the end, I did it with NO drugs and didn't even tear! The hospital stay was great!! I was in the new wing of the hosptial and had my own room. It was the time I needed with my new baby that I would not have had having a toddler at home. One of the midwives came to visit me everyday and they were wonderful!! The nurses were great and I loved being able to get up and get myself a snack whenever I wanted one (like at 1 a.m in the morning). My experience with the midwives and giving birth at Shady Grove was the best experience I could have had. I truly believe that I could not have done it without my wonderful midwife!!! |
| Natalie JoAnna, 12/2/07 |