Dear Ronin,
We have been preparing for your birth for months. Our midwife team from Alma (Kori, Stephanie, Whitney and Tara) has been working with us since the start of the pregnancy. We also took a 12 week “Bradley Method” course to learn all about the labor process. Even with all of this perpetration, the quickness of your birth took us by surprise.
It all started on June 20th…
We were eating dinner, when your mother suddenly leaned back and gave out a great moan. As we watched, her abdomen distended as if you were pushing your legs straight out. She told me that it had been going on all day and we joked for a moment about it being a contraction.
After dinner, we tried to relax and watch a movie, but you continued to push outward. Around 10pm we started to time your “movements” … sure enough, they were occurring approximately 7 minutes apart. These were, in fact, contractions.
Around midnight, we contacted Kori. She suggested that we relax and continue to time the contractions. For a first time mother, labor can take days. When the contractions were under 4 minutes for 2 hours – then we would know things were getting serious.
At 3am, the contractions suddenly jumped to 3.5 minutes apart. Your mother was doing great, but the contractions were getting more intense. Each one lasted about a minute and during this time Sam would need to stop and focus on the relaxation techniques that we had learned. After an hour of this, I wanted to call the midwives back. Sam, thought that we should let them sleep a little longer.
At 5am we made the call. After listening to a few of the contractions, Kori decided to send Stephanie over to our house to access to situation. We also called Mickey (your grandmother) to join us. By 7am the contractions were becoming very intense. Stephanie thought it was time to do an internal exam. Your mother was hesitant. She was afraid that she still might only be at 1cm. Contrary to her fears, the dilation was now 5-6cm. Things were progressing much more quickly then anyone expected. Stephanie left to get everything ready at the birthing center and suggested that we follow in about an hour. Sam jumped in the shower to clean up before we left the house. However, less then ten minutes later, she abruptly announced that she was going into transition and had the urge to push. At first, I did not believe her. Simply put, she was just too lucid. The contractions were now happening every minute or so, but between them, we were talking and joking. She worked through a few more before jumping in the car.
We were very fortunate to have Mickey as a driver. It was now Tuesday morning and there was more traffic then expected. After three red lights, Sam let out a great cry and Mickey shouted “hold on”. Weaving into the the opposite lane of traffic, she ran the remaining lights and got us to the birthing center in record time.
Shoeless and having intense contractions, your mother ran up the steps and into our room at the birthing center. The midwives were all there and tried to ask Sam if she wanted to get in the bed. Your mother ignored them, threw off her clothes and jumped in the large tub.
For the next 40 minutes, your mother focused on pushing. It was painful and she let out great cries, but Sam is the strongest person I know – even childbirth wasn’t too much for her.
I was in the tub behind Sam when you arrived. She was leaning forward. First the bags of water burst. Then I spotted a crown of dark hair. Then a face, head and shoulders in three quick pushes. I reached out to catch you and you opened your eyes before I could even pass you forward (under the water) to your mother.
Your Father,
Gabriel
