The Birth of Tabitha Zuriel Lawton

Tabitha was due on January 26th. However, she was very high so I wasn't surprised when I was late. If she would have been lower in my pelvis than I am sure I would have had her on her due date.

We were all wondering if this was going to be a January baby or a February baby. I was hoping for a January baby just because that would mean less days to be pregnant. Because she was so high, I had indigestion and her head was on top of my pubic bone which made things rather painful at times.

The last week and a 1/2 I walked about 1.5 miles each day and the last week I started binding the baby up so that she was off my pubic bone in hopes that she would drop down into my pelvis. Yesterday we went for a walk in the afternoon and I took a nice nap after we got back from the walk. Nothing really made me think that I would go into labor yesterday until the evening. I felt like I might be on the verge of labor.

Then at about 10 PM I started having some contractions. I was hopeful, but not too hopeful, because I had contractions like them off and on for the last week or so. But then at about midnight I started having regular contractions 6 minutes apart lasting between 30-45 seconds. This is a pretty normal pattern for my labors. I finally called my midwife at 1 AM and talked with him, but didn't tell him to come right then. He lives 1 1/2 hours away. I said I would call him at 1:30. By 1:15 I knew he needed to come. My contractions were more intense and I could tell the head had dropped behind the pubic bone into the pelvis. My midwife said he was on his way.

I waited until 2 to call the assisting midwife that lives about 7 minutes away. I told her to get here about 2:30 AM. Then at about 2:20 AM I called her back and said to hurry. At this point I was estimating my delivery would be at about 3:00 AM. Gil had started filling up the birth tub at midnight, but since our hot water heater is only 38 gallons, it wasn't very full. However, it was full enough for me to get in the tub after I got off the phone with Lydia. Gil started boiling water on the stove to add to the tub. The warm water really takes the edge of the contractions. It had enough water to help some and Gil was able to get some more into it right after I got in. (He is an absolutely wonderful husband!). Lydia arrived at about 2:30 AM , brought in her stuff and started checking everything BP, heart rate, questions, baby heart tones etc. I had called Bill at 2:20 after I talked to Lydia to see where he was and he was outside of Delta, should have been another 45 minutes. Well he made it in about 25 minutes. He arrived at 2:45 AM with one glove on, but it was rather ripped. I questioned him and he was trying to put it on in the car in case he arrived and I was pushing. It made me laugh. He made the 1 hour 40 minute trip in 1 hour 11 minutes. Lydia had things set up, Bill brought in a few more items and then at about 3:00 AM I was pushing.

Although her head was engaged, she was still very high. My contractions were a lot stronger, harder and longer then what has been normal for my other four. That is one reason I wasn't sure if my midwife should leave at 1 AM when I called or later because at 1 AM her head was still above the pubic bone. By 1:20 AM it had engaged and things really started heating up. I think that is because she was so high. I pushed about three times and out she came. (A little more pain than that, but I was glad to have her in my arms.) Instead of pushing on my ribs, stomach and pubic bone.

She was born at 3:08 AM. She weighed 9 pounds 2 ounces, 20 1/2 inches long, 14 cm head circumference. Large baby, but little head so it wasn't bad.

Gil was wonderful once again. He is a great nurse and dotting husband and father.

Tabitha and Mommy