Reflections on Motherhood and Life as a Doula

Thursday, May 12, 2011

A Tribute to Dads - Jose's Story

Due to a few issues we are having at home (my husband almost lost his finger on a piece of sheet metal and sick and teething children), we have postponed Michael's story part 2.  I am going to continue with the other birth stories and leave Mike's story for when he's feeling a little better and up to writing it.

Jose's wife sent in his story with a little introduction:

Hi, I saw your blog and thought I would send you this blurb my husband  
wrote soon after our first son was born. He didn't get all the details  
perfect, but this is HIS story, so I'm not going to altar it. Just a  
little background: I was planning a homebirth but was hospitalized at  
33 weeks with preterm rupture of membranes. They wanted to induce me  
at 34 weeks, but let me have my way and go into labor naturally, which  
happened just before 36 weeks. My beautiful son was born without pain  
medications and was perfectly healthy! My husband, who had witnessed  
two of his sisters give birth, was much more well-prepared for this  
even after taking Bradley classes with me, and he was a great support  
during labor. Now we're expecting our second, and once again planning  
a homebirth!


Jose's Story
After nearly two really tough days it was found that Adel's white 
blood cell count went up and she was moved to the delivery wing. 
After crazy hours of contractions they began to wane and with the 
high white count we opted for pitocin, not what we wanted, but the 
baby's health was our prime concern. The pitocin brought the 
contractions a lot closer together but less intense as before. 
Finally after midnight she began to feel the urge to push, the 
doctor had come in about a half hour earlier to measure dilation, 
this was going to determine how quick or long this was going to 
take. The doctor measured seven centimeters and this news was great! 
only three more centimeters to go for full success. The contractions 
became so close together that the doctor and nurses were all on 
standby. Adel was able to move and shift and do whatever made her 
comfortable, the doctor was real great and compliant with whatever 
Adel wanted.

I found myself engaged like I was a nurse, I was her coach and 
wanted to help her make this experience real, rational and joyous, 
while in her state of changing pain and frustration. Finally the 
moment came when the baby's head was beginning to show, a lump 
formed in my throat, she had to give all she had and if I could I 
would have taken her place. A few pushes with a few breaks in 
between - first the head would crown, then disappear. Another push 
and the head was out a bit more but not quite enough, the 
desperation showed on Adel face and tears. One final push and there 
came out this little human made up of the two of us. NO words can 
express what flooded my soul. Like a wave of emotions slamming 
against the inside of my eyes I held back the tears only because I 
didn't want the distraction of not being able to see clearly this 
little part of me that was getting immensely huge in my heart. I 
blacked out everything around me as Adel reached down to take the 
baby, the doctor passing it...then an interrupted check on the 
gender which to my great surprise revealed my greatest dream that 
I'd shly made known, a boy. My Boy! Welcome home.

Tobi is healthy weighing in at 6 lb 4 oz and 19.5 inches long. 
Pretty good for a 36 week and six day baby!  He's doing really well 
and will be held here for at least 48 hours of monitoring....Then 
we're going home. God is Good! and every time we, or anyone else 
calls his name they'll say it, whether they no it or not.

I'm very thankful and appreciative of everyone's love,support and 
prayer because it really makes a difference.

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