Catalina Myown Briggs

It all started about 3am. But I was still in denial that it could be the real deal. By 4am. I decided it was time to get up and read my Ina May Book just because I couldn't seem to concentrate well to do other things, like sewing or stitching.
Ben wakes up around 7am. And I was feeling that this birth could take quite a long time, I was just hoping it wouldn’t take as long as Faith’s birth. (48 hours)
The girls woke up the regular time or maybe even a little earlier that normal. We fed them, and got Lulu ready to leave the house by 8.30am. My heart felt bad for letting her go. I am such a mama bear when it comes to my kids but I knew it wasn’t going to be easy labouring with her at home.
We called Sara (our midwife) pretty early (can’t remember the exact time) to let her know that we are in very early labour. She offered to come but I declined her offer because I thought it was too early and I didn’t want her to wait for me all day long although, I know she had no problem with doing that.
Ben and I decided to go for a walk with Faith. Somehow the contractions were more manageable if I kept moving. We had the walk but I was getting cold and we just saw Sara and Jennifer driving by so I wanted to go back.
When we got home, they were already boiling some water to make the PP pads and wash.
We sat around for a while, and Kellie got there too.
Eventually, I got in the pool but I kept looking at the clock and wondering about my Lulu’s naptime. Kellie turned the clock around so I wouldn’t look at the time anymore and instead, focus on my labour. I just knew it was about lunch time and I was getting hungry. (YES! You do get to eat at your homebirth.)
Eventually, the girls let me know that they were leaving for lunch but before that Sara let me know that she was heading to South Haven because the mom whose due date was after me needed her help and she only had one back up apprentice there AND her water broke at 9 that morning.
I was feeling ok with the idea. I wanted for Sara to be there, but I also knew and trusted Kellie’s wisdom and knowledge with the birth, so I had no problem with Sara leaving to help that other mom.
Ben and I decided to go for another walk(so this is after 12pm.) to get doughnuts at Sandy’s but it was closed. We forgot it was Saturday, not Friday.
So we just headed to Charlie’s to get something to drink and a snack for Faith.
Kellie caught up with us to ask us if it was ok for Penny (her 11 months old baby girl) to come to nurse and that she was staying and Sara and Jen were going to leave.
When we got to the driveway of our house, we saw a dog fight. A pregnant woman was int he middle of all of this.
I mean, seriously woman! Let the dogs fight and protect yourself. You have a child growing inside you. It was so not worth the risk.
The mom of the pregnant woman is on the ground trying to separate the dogs and yelling at her daughter "get away from here", the pregnant woman is trying to grab her dog, our next door neighbour is trying to get her dog. IT WAS CHAOS!!!

Well, that didn’t help with my labour, it almost stopped it.

I covered Faith's ears and eyes as i have another contraction but so, so mild.
I tell Ben "Go help Honey!" and he goes, but i worried that my husband will get hurt too.
Anyway, i got in the house with Faith. Ben gets home and i feel much better.
Kellie, Sara and Jenn were still there but at the end they all left since labour was going very slow.
We laboured as long as we could and called Kellie to come at about 4pm. She came and brought Penny with her. Faith was thrilled to see another child in the house!
After a while we decided to go for a walk, Kellie, Penny and i.
That walk felt like forever but it helped. By the time we got home, i was exhausted and really put it in my head that I had to have this Baby before bedtime (8pm) because I was missing my Lulu.
I started to contract harder and harder but voicing it out loud for the Baby to come out.
I squatted every time I knew a contraction was coming and that helped so much. My bottom was hanging so there was no pressure on my hips and that felt really good.
FROM NOW ON, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
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Eventually, Kellie saw some more of the mucus plug coming out. I wanted a mirror to see what was up down there. I got my mirror and yes, the time was coming and I wanted it to come.
I wanted to hold this Baby so badly, and have my Lulu home. I couldn't let Lulu go to sleep somewhere else. It just didn’t feel right to me.
I told Ben to call his brother and tell him to keep Lulu for a little while longer because I knew the birth was going to happen soon. Kellie asked what we wanted to do, either call Yolanda (the backup midwife) before pushing, during pushing, after Baby was here or not at all.
From here on, time goes flying to me, so we told her to call Yolanda so she can be here to check on the Baby.
Kellie makes the phone call, and as she is about to hang up either with Yolanda or Stephanie (doula-midwife apprentice and friend), I feel the strong urge to push.
They both come (Ben and Kellie)to the living room, I yelled for Ben’s help to push, he holds my hand while trying to see what is happening. I wanted him to catch this Baby and be a big part of this birth so he was confused in what to do.
Now, this is what they say it happened… they say that they could see a little bit of hair but nothing big yet, I had another urge to push and the entire head was delivered (Penny (almost 1)and Faith(almost 4) are screaming and crying at this point. ^_^) and I am screaming as loud as I can and my socks got wet with warm fluids. I had almost no time to feel the “ring of fire”. Baby crowned too quickly and it was painful.
Kellie tells me to pant (sp?) and I hear them say something about the baby having to turn.
I am looking at the ceiling, hanging from my arms/elbows at the edge of our couch.
This is the part that I have never been giving the opportunity to do myself, so as I look at the ceiling, I am doubting whether I can deliver the rest of the body.
I keep thinking “How do I do this?, I told them not to pull. They aren’t going to help me get the body out. Why aren’t taking the Baby OUT?. Ok. STOP IT! And push one more time.”
…So I did and it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard in my life. She cried so loud, Ben was almost crying, Kellie was cheering me up and in her voice you could hear her happiness for me. The girls stopped crying. Faith asked me if I was ok. I told her “Come and see the Baby”. And Penny was taking it all in.
Yolanda gets there few minutes after the Baby was born. Stephanie held Penny. Stephanie missed the birth by 2 or 3 minutes. She got lost trying to find my house.
Yolanda checked on Catalina….and she is PERFECT!!!!
Catalina was born at HOME on April 9th, 2011 at 8.14pm. After about 16 hours of labour give or take, only 3 strong mama pushes.

She is great at breastfeeding and sleeping.
I could not be any happier. She is an ANGEL!!!!
And Ben and I have fallen in love for the fourth time.
Faith and Lulu are doing great with her.
Faith wants to take over all of Catalina’s time whether she is asleep or awake and Lulu keeps repeating “Baby, Baby!”
All in all... I LOVE my homebirth experience.
I got something (A LOT) out of it. i felt empowered, respected, loved and cared for.
I still smile when i think of it and i am sure that feeling will never go away.

NOTES:
*The mom in South Haven had her baby 6 minutes after i had Catalina.
*She did needed Sara more than me. She pushed for several hours.
*She wants to meet with me so we can compare birth stories.
*I just want to tell her, that next time she plans on conceiving to call me ahead of time so we dont get pregnant around at the same time. ^_^
*I wonder if she return the pool back to the store after using it. LOL.
*Neither of us had a waterbirth.

HER NAME...
We were thinking of naming her Georgia at first but since we have named the girls after Ben's family members, i decided it was my family's turn this time around.
The only name that i really liked other than Ines was Catalina.
Catalina is a very much Spanish name, and Catalina was my Great Grandma Mother from my mom's side of the family.
Myown is the middle of Ben's Grandma who passed away about 4 years ago.
We thought both names are pretty unique and no other family member has used them in their kids so it was a perfect fit.
I hope Catalina likes her name when she gets older because we really try hard to find a name that could go with her and that is as unique and precious as she is.