Happy 1st Birthday, Nora Catherine!

Today is my youngest daughter's first birthday. To celebrate, I decided to post her birth story, so this post is NOT for the faint of heart, or those grossed out by "birth stuff." Feel free to skip over the story and watch the Mumford & Sons video and the slideshow that my good friend Terah put together with the photographs she took :)

Nora Catherine’s Birth Story

Sunday, October 28, 2012, 9:30 pm, 38w3d

I went to bed earlier than normal because I was super tired. I felt kind of bad, but Chris assured me that I was pregnant and needed my rest. After an hour of sleeplessness, I got up to pee, and got back into bed. I think I finally fell asleep, but woke up again an hour later to pee, then an hour after that. I finally got a good stretch of sleep from 12:30 am until 3:45 am, then got up to pee yet again, but this time something was different.

Monday, October 29, 2012, 3:45 am, 38w4d

I started to feel cramps. I got up to pee and got back in bed, and felt the cramps again. 4:00 am rolled around and I decided I was hungry enough to get up and eat something, so I made some toast and then got back in bed. Chris then said it was his turn to get up and head to the bathroom, and I told him I thought I was in labor. His response: “Okay.”

I decided to start timing how far apart these cramps were occurring, and it was anywhere from six to eight minutes. After an hour of this, I decided that if it continued like this, I would call Ann, our midwife, at 6:00 am and let her know what was going on. About 5:15 am, I called my mom and told her today was probably the day. I couldn’t wait until 6:00 am to call Ann, so I called at 5:50. She sounded very tired (I found out later that she didn’t get home until after 3:00 am). I told her that I had been having contractions for over two hours and that I started to lose my mucous plug, and she told me that labor can sometimes pick up during the night but then die down later in the day, and to call back if things pick up. I sent our doula Kelley a text message immediately after and told her that I thought today was the day, that I called Ann, and that I would call Ann if things picked up. Then I sent the photographer Terah a text message to let her know that I was in labor.

Kelley called me about 7:30 am and by this time, Chris was in the kitchen making me scrambled eggs. Chris’ mom was the next person I called. She was very excited and said she would be praying for us all day. I then received a text from Kelley asking how things were, and I told her contractions were a consistent six to seven minutes apart. She said she would get ready and head on over to our house. I called the chiropractor next, which was 9:00 am, to cancel my 10:45 appointment that I had scheduled. The receptionist asked if I needed to reschedule and I told her no, I was in labor! Kelley arrived and helped me through contractions while in the fetal position on the bed. My mom sent me a text message next asking for her hourly update, and asked if she could come over. I said yes and then I received a call from Ann at 10:15 am asking how I was doing. She asked if I could walk and talk through the contractions and I told her not really, that I was mostly curled up on the bed in the fetal position. She said she had a newborn appointment at 11:00 at her house and that she would head over to our house and arrive about 12:00 pm.

We decided to get the bed ready with the spare sheet after this. We discovered that the sheet I bought at the thrift store was a double and not a queen, so I phoned my mom asking if she had an extra sheet she could bring over. She also said she would bring stuff for lunch and dinner. While waiting for people to arrive, Kelley, Chris, and I (and Hannah) hung out in the living room where I would lean on the exercise ball during contractions to help ease the pain. At one point I had to pee, so I went to our bathroom, where I proceeded to puke while on the toilet, while having a contraction. Not the most awesome thing ever.

My mom arrived at our house after a little bit and then Kelley and Chris got the bed all set up. Ann, Neva, the student midwife, and Alyssa, the assistant, arrived about 12:20 pm with all of the supplies. We headed to the bedroom to check my progress.

I got on the bed and Ann checked my progress, while Kelley was standing by me for comfort. Ann then asked if Neva could check me as well. The progress? A seven. Yes, seven centimeters dilated! Say what? Neva timed a few of my contractions while Alyssa set up and filled the pool in the living room. I sent Terah a text telling her I was at a seven and she was shocked and said she would head my way soon.

I got ready and headed for the comfort of the warm water. During each contraction, I transferred to hands and knees from a sitting position, while Kelley poured water on my back. Contractions felt like they were getting further apart, but were staying pretty consistent. I guess I didn’t really care about what time it was and how far apart the contractions were. It wasn’t my job to know anymore, like it was during the night! Neva would occasionally check on the baby’s heartbeat with the doppler, and every time I would hear the pitter patter of Hannah running toward me! She held the receiver and pushed the power button when asked to and would make the sound of the baby’s heartbeat. 

At some point, my dad arrived. He took Hannah out for a walk down our street. As usual, she picked up various rocks and sticks and leaves. There was also a trike at the end of the cul-de-sac that she hopped on. They came back and she finally wound down and fell asleep on her big girl bed! I am thankful that she was able to sleep through my labor pains.

The next to arrive was Terah with her one-month-old daughter Piper, who was born on the previous full moon! The decision to hire a photographer was one of the best I made. To capture the birth and be able to reflect on it in the future, to remember details, I would not want to have missed. Mary, Kelley’s apprentice arrived next. At that point, I was about eight centimeters dilated. When she was informed of this, she was shocked at my calmness. In the words of Ann: “This is what eight centimeters looks like at a home birth!”

I would continue to get in the hands and knees position during contractions and rock back and forth while Kelley poured the warm water on my back. Once they started getting closer together and I was nearing the urge to push, Chris came over to the pool and held my hands while I leaned on the side of the pool. Neva lubed me up with olive oil so the baby would slide on out and reduce the risk of tearing. I felt like a turkey getting ready to cook, with the warm water and oil!

The urge to push began about five minutes before 3:00 pm. Ann assisted with stretching while I pushed. The contractions were happening one right after the other and I kept pushing while holding Chris’ hands and leaning over the side of the pool while on my knees. Starting to push was tricky, as if I had forgotten how to do it. And I was afraid of tearing, so I wasn’t giving it my all in the beginning. So every time I felt a burning sensation, I would blow out a few short breaths and then get back to pushing. I cried ouch a few times but never thought I couldn’t do it. My support team was so encouraging and positive that I knew I could get the baby out. The pushing was a lot shorter than with Hannah’s birth; a total of nineteen minutes. At 3:14 pm, my baby’s head was born. One more big push, and out came Nora Catherine, in the caul. I flipped over and sat down and received my new daughter in my arms. Overwhelmed with emotion, so incredibly happy to be done pushing, I cried and started kissing her, before I knew she was a her. Someone said something about a “she” or “her” but it was instinctive, as we have another beautiful daughter. I checked between the legs and confirmed that it was a girl, and called her Nora for the first time. After the umbilical cord had finished pulsing, it was clamped and Chris cut it. I then pushed out the placenta.

Nora was then handed to Chris in a hot towel and I prepared to get out of the pool and into bed. Once I got there, I was greeted by hot towels and a fresh bed. Nora successfully latched after a bit of fumbling around and she proceeded to poop on me and all over the towels that we were wrapped in. After a little while of nursing and vitals being taken, she was weighed and measured and was examined by Ann. Six pounds, fifteen and a half ounces, and nineteen and a half inches long. Then Hannah woke up and got to meet her baby sister for the first time! She was very interested and held her while in Daddy’s lap. Kisses and hugs followed shortly. Once it was determined that everything was okay and Nora and I were both stable, the birth crew departed. My parents hung out and we had chicken for dinner. Then Kevin, my brother, arrived with his new fiancée Monica. We visited for a bit as they doted on their new niece, then they departed to get ready for the next day’s schedule. Then it was just our little family of four.

*It has been calculated that Caulbearer births may be as few as one in eighty thousand births.

http://doulamomma.wordpress.com/2010/01/02/born-in-the-caul/

*Some say that a child born this way may have special intuitive powers, be destined to be a midwife, have extraordinary luck or never die by drowning.

http://www.birthingway.com/caul.htm

"Exactly how this grace thing works . . ."

Music is one of my very favorite things and I have been blessed to see some of my very favorite bands the last few years. Being a rather sentimental creature I like to remember the anniversaries of the most significant gigs and spend some time listening to the music.

Today is 3 years since I was blessed to see Mumford & Sons at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. I can't believe that much time has gone by and I still haven't seen them play live again! Unfortunately I have no idea where my camera card with the show pictures has gone but some lovely people put their videos on YouTube so I can relive the show through them.

At that time M&S only had "Sigh No More" and some EPs out so most of the songs performed were the amazing ones I still listen to practically daily. I say most because they also performed some early versions of songs which later appeared on "Babel."

The always delightful and eccentric King Charles opened the show, followed by Mt. Desolation, composed of members of the band Keane. I confess I usually do not listen to opening bands before I go to shows but enjoyed both immensely.

Then it was time for Mumford & Sons. I really could not believe I was seeing them play live. It was a huge crowd, with those of us on the ground floor standing cozily as close to the stage as possible, and more people up in the balcony. The band had a backdrop or two and two strings of lights going from the sides of the stage to the center of the ceiling, much as they still do now. As you can see in the video below, the lights were used to great effect. When you put on a good show because you are passionate about the music and not just "performing" you don't really need a lot of flash and bangs.

I can't really remember my favorite live song but I do remember how enthusiastic the crowd was in response to the band's joy. It is a great delight to be at a show where the crowd is swaying, dancing, singing, clapping, and participating in the music. I'm very much an introvert but when you listen to such music you cannot help moving along. Marcus Mumford is one of the most Joyful performers I have ever seen. He literally beams it when he plays and the rest of the band participates with such enthusiasm. I wished the show would go on and on.

I still listen to the songs from "Sigh No More" nearly daily. A friend of mine, who is also a fan, and I were talking about their music on Facebook one day and how we can hear their songs over and over without getting bored of them. She likened them to saying prayers such as the Hail Mary over and over. The lyrics are so rich and deep that you always find something new in them and they provide a certain comfort. I have noticed that sometimes I will be listening and a line will hit me in just a certain way and I can't help but get teary-eyed. It's like God is speaking to me. If you have never listened to Mumford & Sons I strongly recommend them. In addition to literary allusions, there is so much Catholic Truth in their music and even the sad parts have hope.

I could go on and on about their music but I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs, performed at the show I attended:

"Whatever our souls are made of . . ."

There are many reasons I love autumn and one is that every October I re-read one of my favorite books, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. I first read it as a sophomore in high school, and immediately loved it, but didn't begin reading it annually until a couple of years later.

There's something about the change in weather in October, the moodiness of it, the leaves dying and turning colors & the starkness of bare tree branches, the rain & mist & chill, the mercurial nature of the month, which so suits WH that I couldn't possibly read it any other time of the year.

At the high school many of the sophomores still read it, usually in the spring, and it remains one of my favorite books to discuss with them. It seems people tend to have strong reactions to it: love it or hate it, there is no in between. Even students who have graduated often ask if it is time for my reading. I look forward to it with great anticipation every year.

 The difficult decision is which edition of Wuthering Heights to read. I confess: I cannot help buying copies of  it or Pride and Prejudice, two of my three favorite books. If I visit a new bookstore I always look for them on the shelves (what sort of reputable bookstore doesn't carry the Brontes or Austen?). When I travel and find bookstores, such as my favorite in Portland, Powell's, I always spend time visiting the Jane Austen section and the Bronte shelves, and usually purchase a new (to me, at least) copy of one or both. The first time I ever visited Powell's was when I was in Portland for a Bobby Long folk concert and to commemorate my trip I bought WH with this cover (pictured in my photo above) because it so perfectly represented the trip. I often tuck gig tickets, receipts, parking passes, and the like into the books so when I open them I find little pieces of memories. As I only go on these trips a couple of times I really only purchase a couple of copies a year, usually second hand or old, interesting versions. Who knows how many I have?

My favorite is probably the one I bought used as my "lake copy" many years ago, which you can see in my photo. I carried it around in my purse and then my school bag for ages resulting in the cover becoming more tattered than it had been when I got it. A couple of years ago it fell off entirely but I am reluctant to tape it back on and instead carefully hold it or place it in whatever bag I'm using when reading it. I have never written in this one but every time I pick it up I am reminded of conversations I have had about it, places and times I have read it, trips I have taken it on, and how much I love re-reading beloved books. (For an excellent post on this sort of thing, which could have come from my own heart, visit here.)

I have yet to see a film adaptation which properly cast or conveyed the story, unfortunately, though some have got a few of the actors right or parts of the story right. (The only actor I can think of who could be Heathcliff so perfectly is Richard Armitage.) And while I love Kate Bush's song "Wuthering Heights," (my favorite version is Pat Benatar's) what has most exquisitely captured the essence of this novel is "The Enemy," a song written and performed by one of my absolute favorite bands, Mumford and Sons, for the 2011 film. I'm listening to it on repeat as I write this.

 It gives me chills and brings tears to my eyes.

Now, I must be off to light a woodfire-scented candle (in the absence of a fire place), make a pot of hot Yorkshire Harrogate tea, and read more Wuthering Heights.

Do you have any books you always read at a certain time of year?

Cheers! xx