or Peggy Vincent's Baby Catcher: Tales of a Modern Midwife
. One thing that I found a little difficult about reading birth stories was that I couldn't find very many that sounded exactly like the birth scenario I was planning for. (I have a feeling that happens to everyone)! I was planning a hospital birth, but accompanied by a doula and without the use of medication. It seemed like most of the stories of unmedicated childbirth that I could find were home or birth center births. Anyway, in case the story of an unmedicated, doula-assisted, hospital birth will be helpful to anyone, and in celebration of the 6 month anniversary of my daughter's birth, here is my/her birth story! Settle in. It was a short labor, but I'm going to take my time describing it!
On the morning of July 7, at 38 weeks and 3 days along, I went in for my weekly check-up. My OB checked my cervix and found that I was 2 cm dilated (which I had been for a couple weeks already). Unfortunately, without asking my permission or letting me know in advance, she also did a "membrane sweep", which involves manually separating the membranes of the amniotic sac from the cervix, and can jump-start labor. Had my OB asked me, I would have preferred her not to do this procedure; I was feeling perfectly comfortable and though I was excited to have my baby, I was not in any hurry at that point.
Anyway, several hours later, I was back at home eating lunch when I felt a trickle of water that increased when I went to the bathroom. It seemed different from pee--I couldn't stop it from coming out--but it was certainly nothing like the gush that you see in the movies. Pragmatically supposing that it might be a while before my next full meal, I sat in the bathtub to finish my lunch (two very delicious stirfries)!
