Mark Brishen was born on Sept. 27, 1996
He weighed in at 9 lbs. 6 oz., 21" long
No one knows the exact time of his birth, I didn't look & no one wrote it on his chart......

Labored at home for this one, although I was supposed to be at the hospital so they could administer antibiotics intraveniously while I was in labor, but this one kinda snuck up on me LOL.  We made in just in time, basically. I should've stayed home........next time......

Unfortunately, while I was laboring at home, my husband & father-in-law decided that was the day to renovate our kitchen, a project which was  supposed to have been done months before.  I was ready to kill.  It is  difficult to relax when your kitchen is being ripped apart, and sounds of renovation going on below, which echoed thru our old house.  I went downstairs to get something to eat, and everything in my kitchen was all over the dining room, pots, pans, herbs & spices, etc.  I cried.  I yelled at them, how rude they were being while I was trying to have a baby!!!! Yes, I was a tad PO'd LOL.

Finally that afternoon I drifted off to sleep, after having sat in the tub for awhile, taken a shower, gave my baby belly a good massage w/ some sesame oil, put on a relaxation tape & my headphones & drifted off......

Woke up around 6:00pm w/ contractions every 3 minutes.  Long ones, too. Waddled downstairs w/ my suitcase, told Mark it was time to go, waited 30 minutes for in-laws to come over to stay w/ Hannah, and drove thru rush hour traffic to the hospital, normally about 20 minutes away, it took 40 minutes to get there.  People in cars next to us giving me odd looks as I breathed thru contraction after contraction, lifting my butt out of the seat when they hurt.  I wanted to tape a sign to the window saying "I'm having a baby"....

Finally get to the hospital, the stupid woman at the desk asking me questions I'd already answered on my "pre-admission form" which I firmly believe is a joke......When she asked me when the first day of my last period was, I took a deep breath, took a lick on my sucker, and calmly said "It was 9 months ago you b****h, if you don't get me to my room NOW I will have my baby on your floor".  I got one of those "You irritating laboring woman" looks, and was told which room to go to.  Waited for my midwife, Carol, to show up....but had other midwives w/ me while waiting, Gratl, Sue, and another who I can't remember her name.......they were all wonderful.

Very little intervention here, no fetal monitor, only had the heplock (even tho I didn't want it, I had to, but thankfully no IV fluids, etc.)  Was "allowed" to eat/drink whatever I wanted, no one bugged me about pain meds, didn't want 'em.  Finally Carol shows up, I'm ready to go.  My water had broken about 10 min. before, all over my socks, contractions were coming on strong, asked Mark to get me some dry socks, but irritated the hell out of him because I wouldn't let him touch me until a contraction was over.  Took at least 5 minutes for the poor guy to change my socks.  It was weird, I was completely naked yet I had to have a pair of socks on.  Go figure.

Carol did perineal massage between pushes, I had a beautiful birthing experience with him.  After his head had crowned, Carol told me to reach down & touch his head.  I remember I kept rubbing his sweet little head thruout the rest of the delivery.  When he was born, he was put on my chest, he had come out completely clean, no yucky stuff on him at all, he looked like he'd been out for 2 days!  He looked into my eyes, looked around the room, and started nursing away like a pro.  What a sweet baby.  Mark cut the cord about 5-10 minutes later, and we donated the cord blood to the hospital, but took the placenta home with us, and buried it under a little pine tree seedling.

I asked for something to eat, I was starving.  They brought me chicken & all that stuff, which my husband immediately devoured w/o asking me if I wanted any.  Oh well.  My parents came in w/ Hannah about 15 minutes after Mark was born & she got to meet & hold her new little brother.  It was so cool......

We had to stay in the hospital for 3 days to monitor Mark because I didn't receive antibiotics for the beta strep thing, but he was fine.  He roomed in with me, I never let the little guy out of my sight.  I had a roommate, who drove me nuts.  She was so unsure about nursing her new baby, and every time it was "feeding time" she would call in a nurse, turn on all the lights, and they would have to show her again & again how to nurse her daughter.  I was so tempted to walk over to her, pick up the baby, grab her breast & stick it in the baby's mouth and say "Here!  Nurse your baby!  It is not rocket science!" Never before have I seen someone analyze breastfeeding so much in my life........

Mark was a beautiful baby, full head of dark hair, beautiful skin color, and he looks exactly like his daddy did when he was little.  I was afraid to have a boy, but he is the love of my life....I thought that since I was a woman, and I'd had a daughter, I wouldn't know what to do w/ a boy.  What a  weird way to think.  I fell in love w/ him the minute i looked into his eyes, and that leads to the circumcision issue.  I knew already that I was opposed to it, but was getting a lot of feedback from family & friends about why I should circumcise him.  One look into those eyes, feeling such whole & perfect love for him, I knew I couldn't do anything ever to cause him harm....

Next birth story I tell you will be about a homebirth hopefully..... ;-)

 ~ Tina (chinacat)

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