Brendan Michael
10/29/01, 11:42 PM (on his due date, even)
9 lbs, 6 oz, 22 inches long
15.5 inch head circumference!
We had quite an interesting ride on the way: having him flip from head-down to butt-down-breech a few days before his due date (flipped back, more on that in a moment), being diagnosed with polyhydramnios (too much amniotic fluid, about 3 LITERS of it) at the last minute - literally the day he was born, then having my water break during a non-stress test right after that diagnosis and ending up at the hospital instead of the birth center as planned, and the hospital insisting on pitocin despite the fact that my labor was progressing at a reasonable pace, and me actually avoiding pain meds despite both pitocin and the fact that I progressed from 4 cm to 10 cm in just over an hour!! Pushed for less than half an hour, and despite that massive head (which, by the way did not mold, so I gave birth to him at that size…), not one stitch needed.
Let me just say, HypnoBirthing really WORKED. Not just for the dealing with pitocin without needing pain meds, but also for turning the breech presentation - we did a hypnosis script to get the boyo to turn head-down, which worked within 12 hours. (maternal stress/muscle tension is one of the causes of them not turning back on their own, it seems - you have to really relax the muscles to give them the space to shift, and hypnosis is a speedy way to address hidden stresses.) Even the hospital nursing staff, who are usually very casual about administering meds, were rooting for me to go the whole distance without, partly because of how wonderfully they thought I was doing. Compared to the media version of birth, and to the usual reaction to pitocin, it was a very peaceful, nearly silent, calm labor (apparently I even smiled during contractions!) - it was a lot of effort on the inside, staying focused and really working to relax and move out of the way of the contractions, but it didn’t show much! (though I admit to wanting to smile during contractions, especially every time I felt him move downwards with one - I just didn’t think I had smiled!)
Anyway, lots of unexpected stuff, but a great experience nonetheless. My recovery is going well, and we’re adjusting fast to the new addition. He’s totally beautiful (of course), and his big brother is thrilled to have him around (so far!).
Pics (the one of epeepunk is not a great pic, but the rest aren’t bad): http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/b/brendanandgabe/
