Birth Stories: Shawn’s Birth Story
Over the next few weeks I hope to post some encouraging and inspiring birth stories from friends and readers. If you have a birth story you would like to include please email me: [email protected]
Today’s Birth Story is from Shana Dieli of Shanamama.
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I woke up on Friday, May 30, 2008 at 7:08 a.m. and immediately started feeling what I thought may have been contractions. I sat down at the computer and started timing them. Surprisingly they were all at 3 minutes apart. There were a couple that were 5 minutes apart and then they were back to 3 minutes and 2 minutes apart. I was in denial for the first half hour that it could be real labor. You see I had woken up that morning with the intention of getting all my last minute stuff done before the baby arrived, including doing my belly cast which I had always wanted to do but had never seemed to ever get around to doing it.
But he had other plans. After an hour my friend Gena convinced me that I should call my midwife and this was more then likely real labor. I contacted my midwife around 8:00 and she answered the phone saying “you’re not in labor are you”? I laughed and said actually I believe I am. So she made plans to drop off her kids, grab her supplies head out our way. As soon as I hung up with her I called Steve and told him I think that he needed to come home and he left immediately. Next to call was my mom and told her I needed her here ASAP to help me with my twi kiddos and to help set up. Off she went and got my younger sister from school and came over.
While waiting for everyone to get to our house I decided to take a shower to help me through the contractions (and hello I hadn’t showered yet and there was no way I was going to have a house full of people while delivering without showering. Yeah those are the random things that run through my head while in labor). Since I was home alone I brought the kids in with me and let them just play in the water while I held onto the side and let the water wash over my back. By the time my mom got there at 9:10 a.m. I was bent over the side of my bed breathing through the contractions and the kids were still playing in the shower. My sister helped me with the kids and Laura (friend and midwife) had called my mom asking her to go buy some last minute supplies for the birth. So she left and it was just the kids, my sister and I. My sister made them breakfast and kept them busy which I was beyond grateful for.
By the time my mom got back it was around 9:45-10:00 everything became a mad rush. They lined the bed with a shower curtain and lots of towels and then put one on the floor also in case I wanted to walk around. I “quickly” got onto the bed in all fours position with a pillow under my arms. Steve walked in a couple minutes later. I was so worried he wouldn’t make it because he was coming from Los Angeles which is over an hour and a half away, so to say I was happy he was finally home would be an understatement. He immediately came over and held my hand. I told my mom I feel like I need to push because I was having pressure in my lower butt area. She then picked up the phone and called Laura and was like “WHAT DO I DO”? I found it kind of funny she called Laura and not Christy but my mom had never talked to Christy so it did made sense. She said it might help to put pressure on the sides of my hips, HOLY CRAP that did not help. I have very sensitive hips and have suffered from hip and back pain most of my life so that was a no go.
No more then five minutes later Christy came running in. She quickly got gloves, grabbed her jar of olive oil, rubbed it on me and said okay whenever your ready Shana. I never ever, seriously n.e.v.e.r thought that I would be a screamer, but man oh man did I scream. But at least I did so into my pillow and not at my husband right LOL. Christy explained to me that the screaming doesn’t help because it makes me tighten which pushes the baby back in. So she suggested that if I feel more comfortable making some form of noise to try grunting. :::Insert my laughter while contracting at her telling me to grunt like a dog:::.
Soooooo I tried my hardest to grunt/breath instead of screaming. I *think* I did pretty well, at least they told me I did. Finally after about 3-4 pushes the head was out. Christy said hello to the baby and giggled and said she always loves this part because it’s their first look at the new world. Everyone was like someone take a pic and my sister Tia was the only one right there with a camera. Poor thing was very hesitant (she was only 17 then) so I said told her “Just take the fucking picture Tia”. I wasn’t yelling it or being mean, I actually very quite calm which had everyone cracking up. Two more pushes and at 10:31 a.m. we had a baby! He was 8 lbs. 8 oz. and 21 1/4 inches long and just absolutely beautiful. My oldest who was then five was the one to announce that it was a boy 🙂 I was so excited and I KNEW it was a boy! Steve was in shock. He was totally convinced we were going to have a girl…always trust a mothers intuition 😉
It was an absolutely amazing birth experience. I enjoyed doing it all natural and being in my home, my own element. It was very comfortable and no one was telling me what to do or how to do it. It was all up to me. Example, when Christy said okay I’m ready Steve asked does she push now and her reply was whenever Shana feels the need to. She is in control here, it’s her body and she will know what to do when the time is right. And I love her look on birth. In a hospital it’s the Dr who delivers your baby but that’s not how she see’s it. It’s the mother who delivered the baby, the Dr, midwife, whoever is there to assist but the mom did all the work.
So that was how our beautiful bouncing baby boy was born!
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About Shana
Shana Dieli is the creative writer behind Shanamama. She resides in Central Oklahoma with her husband & three young children. She believes that laughter is the recipe of life & she enjoys bringing a smile to everyone. If she isn’t chasing after her kids you’ll find her behind the lens of a camera
