After transfering and having an ambulance birth with our 3rd child, I am pleased to announce we had a successful homebirth on June 5th.

A few days prior to the birth I was extremely emotional.  I cried over everything and over reacted to everything.  My BH’s we’re coming every 15 minutes for a couple hours once or twice a day and then go away.  I’ve been staying at MIL’s, who is my MW since 38 weeks, just in case, as we live far from her and planned the homebirth to be at her house.   The night before, just like every other night, the BH’s started 15 minutes apart.  SIL, her 3 kids and MIL arrived home about 10pm.   My contractions now picked up to every 5 minutes apart.  Then seemed to stop after about half an hour.  I called DH to see if he’d left yet.  I didn’t think it was labour yet.  But MIL had called him early in the day to tell him to come down.  My SIL and her DD had a strong feeling that that night labour would begin.  My back was hurting so bad and my BH’s were so strong.  I told SIL I was losing confidence in going natural.  If it hurt this bad already, how could I handle it when real labour started?  I’d been breathing through my BH’s for 2 days.
SIL started to wax my eyebrows and they picked back up.  I told MIL how I was feeling and she told me I’d need to be checked after my eyebrows as I needed a dose of antibiotics for GBS and I tend to go quick.  It’s now about 11:30pm.  MIL and SIL busy themselves preparing the bed and setting everything up.  I’m half laughing.  “What if it’s just more fake labour?”  I said. After all it was Wed. And I wasn’t due till Mon.  I’ve never even gone 1 day early before.   MIL said it’s not fake, it all helps and if we have to take stuff down that’s fine.  So I paced around for a bit and called DH again at midnight.  He was gone this time.  Last week I’d been 2cm and so posterior my 2nd MW couldn’t access effacement.  When MIL checked me I was 4cm, bulging bag and full effaced.  But still, I wasn’t convinced this was it. 

SIL’s husband and FIL were upstairs trying to get the Jacuzzi tub in for me.  So I hoped into the hot tub.  Ahhhh, wonderful water.  So much better!  But I was so tired.  I had always woken up in labour after having sleep.  Now I was going into labour at bedtime.  I ended every contraction for awhile with a yawn.  SIL got me her blow up water pillow from her last home birth to try and relax in-between.  My contractions were 2 minutes apart, but only very short.  At first, in between, I’d laugh or hum or sing.  Then as things progressed, I’d start asking why labour had to hurt.  I’d try hands and knees, floating belly down, sitting, squatting or anything I could think of while in the hot tub.

About 1am I decided I needed to get out and lie down.  I was too tired to be up.  As I thought, it got even stronger out of water.  I started to feel I couldn’t do it, but MIL, SIL and my 2nd MW were really helpful.  I also had my 2nd’s student there.  She looked scarred of my intensity.  I almost wanted to reassure her.  MIL called DH and he was 2 hours away.  I was 6-7cm and it was apparent he wasn’t going to make it.  MIL said she could break my water and then it would be over faster.  I was scared it would start to hurt more, but over faster was what I needed at this point so I agreed.  Soon I only had a lip left.  But my legs were hurting all down my inner thigh.  Nothing relived the pain even a little.  I tried on my knees leaning on the bed.  My contractions stopped, but the leg pain went on.  They moved me back up on the bed.  I kept trying to move my legs to a different position.  I couldn’t believe my legs were causing all the problems instead of stomach or back.    MIL was trying to move the lip, but I yelled for her to leave me alone!  My MW tried that with #3 and it’s horrible! I was pushing anyway, but getting nowhere.   After a bit my 2nd MW went up and turned him.  Turns out he was posterior.  As soon as he was out of posterior, on my next push everything felt different.  I felt him engage in the birth canal.  A few pushes later and I could feel his head.  I pushed with all I had and soon my beautiful boy was born!!!  It was 2:28am we waited for him to root and latch on himself while enjoying some skin to skin contact.
We waited for DH to come so he could cut the cord.  He ran into some car troubles so FIL went out to get him.  DH arrived around 4am.  He cut the cord and we did the measurements.  

 I was sooooo big.  A week prior to his birth an u/s said 8lbs 15oz and I was relieved.  I didn’t think he’d be over  10lbs then and DS1 was 9lbs 15oz.  So we did the measurements and learned why he came early.  I guess he knew if he waited much longer he wouldn’t fit to come out.  He was 21” and 10lbs 14oz.  We had to search through a few outfits till we found one that fit.  He’s so cute and full of rolls and chubby cheeks.  His hat keeps popping off his head though, lol.

He’s here and he’s healthy.  He’s got a great latch and I am so in love with him!   Pics will be up soon.