True stories about birth and giving birth

Day 730. “Here I am!” (Artúr)

Posted on 2012. Oct. 4.

We were expecting Artúr to be born by the end of August. As Ági has her annual holiday in August we thought that somebody else would come to assist unless somehow I managed not to have the baby until September. Ági, however said that as I am a “repeater”, it is a different category and she would like to come and be with me at the delivery. She was spending her holiday in the Zala Mountains with a family that wanted to have a home-birth and where the next baby could come at any time.

In the first days of August my belly got hard. We had learnt during the course that the more times somebody gives birth the more difficult it is to decide if she has real or predictive contractions. I called Ági, and she said that if I was giving birth at that time she couldn’t come. She advised that I should rest a lot. But even hanging out the clothes to dry made my belly harden. “Then don’t hang the clothes.” – was the answer.

One day, however, when we were talking, it turned out that she had to come to Budapest for a couple of days. So I had to last out until that time. I had my plans: I would make some jam, and go to the market alone. The saleswomen wanted to help carry the fruit but I didn’t let them. If hanging out the clothes had caused contractions this would make me go into labour!

But whatever I did during that couple of days, nothing happened. As Ági was getting farther away from the city the contractions started again. Then the whole August had passed and Artúr didn’t want to be born until another ten days. During the last two weeks the children spent the night at my mother’s. In the evening they had dinner, a bath, put on their pyjamas and got into the car. At my Mum’s place we told them their bedtime stories and waited until they fell asleep. Next morning they had their breakfast there, Mum took them home and we went to the kindergarten with Samó. For a while it was exciting for them, but later they didn’t enjoy it so much. But I definitely didn’t want them to be there at childbirth, it didn’t work at Leo’s birth either. But every day I felt that I might have my baby that night.

When the big day did come I was sure. In the afternoon in the kindergarten I said that I would give birth that night. I even called Mum that we would not take the children as usual, but she should have come for them immediately because they annoyed me. I started to pay attention to what was happening inside and though the contractions were not stronger, I knew it had started.

We spent the evening together with Ádám, and after a while we called Zsuzsi, who was our doula at Samu’s birth. She told us to call Ági, but I didn’t want to disturb her, because we had already spoken during the evening and as she had gone to bed, I wanted to let her rest for a bit. But Zsuzsi insisted on it and then I accepted her view.

It might have been around one am., when Ági arrived and then everything stopped. She said that she would go back to sleep and that Ádám should have slept too. I was left to Zsuzsi because “it was close to nothing”.

They had just gone to bed when the labour started again, I went into the bathtub again – familiar situation: at my first childbirth it was Zsuzsi, and it was the bathroom, too – everything was very similar. All of a sudden nothing was good in the tub anymore, I got out between two contractions and went down to the living room and got on my knees by the armchair. Zsuzsi tried to pack and bring everything needed down but wasn’t quick enough so I shouted out to her, which made Ági and Ádám – neither of them sleeping just waiting for something happening – be there immediately. And of course Zsuzsi got there, too. Not much time passed, I guess it might have been around two or half past two.

Soon Artúr was born, and in the morning his brothers came.

I wrote this e-mail to my friends about the childbirth at that time:

After one month of ”we are having a baby today” Artúr has finally been born!

It happened at 4.40 am. He was quick, it took about four hours to labour and the pushing stage lasted for ten minutes. Ági and Zsuzsi were completely left behind, I said I was about pushing and they thought that we still had some time. When they were about to start perineum massage with some oil, Artúr was already on his way out. When his head slipped out, the baby said something that I would interpret as “Here I am!”. It wasn’t either sad or happy. It was a statement. I don’t know how he could have air in his lungs when only his head was out; the rest of his body was still in the tight tunnel.

Tomorrow Ádám is going away for four days following the orchestra. The Baby is beautiful and gets cold very easily. He is wearing a coat, covered with a blanket and his hands are still cold. I’m fine, but the memories of the contractions are still very vivid.

Artúr is the first grandson who can be given the first bath by Mum. She couldn’t even be there with the first one, with the second one we let her watch it, and now she has taken the baby so that we can be with the big ones for a bit.

P. N.

Janka > > >

Véletlenül kiválasztott mesék.

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