Sevilen Calvert Carrillo was born at 10:55 AM on January 5, 2007.  I had tried to talk him into coming before the end of December, but he had other plans. 

I woke up at 1:45 AM to go to the bathroom.  I was extremely crampy, but having been crampy off and on for the last few weeks I didn't think much of it.  I went back to bed, but couldn't get comfortable enough to get back into a deep sleep.  Around 2:45, I went back to the bathroom and discovered that I had lost my mucous plug, which was quickly followed by bloody show.   I knew then that we were having a baby sometime in the next 24-48 hours, so although I got back into bed, I was just a little excited and couldn't go back to sleep~ especially since my first contraction came as soon as I laid down! 

I lay in bed, noting that my contractions were coming about 10 minutes apart or so, and tried to force myself to sleep.  I finally gave up around 3:45 and woke my husband, Rene, up.  His first reaction was, "should I fill the tub?" (which makes more sense if you have read Raenen's birth story).  I called Nancy, my midwife, at 4 AM just to give her a heads up since the contractions were still about 10 minutes apart.  She asked me to call her back in an hour, and said we could go ahead and fill the tub but to just cover it and not get in.  She also told me to get some more sleep, if possible, and to go ahead and call my mom (who was in Ruffin, NC) to come.

Sevilen Calvert Carrillo, January 5, 2007

Rene moved the futon and brought the tub into the living room to start filling it.  He had started a fire, and we put the tub in front of the fireplace.  I was filled with an excited energy, and there was no way I could sleep.  The contractions were still about 10 minutes apart, but I began having smaller, shorter ones in between.  I got my birthball out and sat on it, rolling my hips during the contractions.

I called Nancy back at 5, and she decided to come on over so I wouldn't have to keep calling her, although she said she was going to take her time.   She called Therese, who had agreed to come along as her assistant/my doula (who also trained me in the ALACE labor assistant workshop and is the facilitator for the Richmond Birth Circle).

Nancy arrived at 5:45 (which is apparently taking her time!) and began setting up.  She checked me, and I was a "nice 4" and almost 100% effaced (I had been 2 cm and 50% at my visit on January 2^nd).  Raenen decided that it was time to wake up at this point, and so we took him upstairs to the guest room and put on "Cars" for him.  Therese arrived about 6 AM, and my mom called at 6:30 to see what was happening.  She was already on the Powhite~ I think that's the fastest she has ever gotten to Richmond!

During this time my contractions were still about 7-10 minutes apart.  We thought maybe I was waiting for my mom to get there, but she arrived at 7 and I stayed about 7-10 minutes apart.   Rene made coffee for everyone (except me~ I had my MamaTonic) and he made bagels and scrambled eggs for me for breakfast.  We all chatted a bit, with Raenen running around and wanting me to pick him up.  Finally, Rene brought the TV down from the guest room and put it into the sunroom so Raenen could watch "Cars" with his Grammie, but still be close to us. 

Therese suggested I get in the shower around 8ish, and I figured that would pick things up since it had done so during Raenen's birth.  I was a little surprised when it didn't, but I was able to take a nice long, hot shower and did forward bends during contractions with the water on my lower back.  Therese took an awesome picture of me through the shower curtain.  Rene joined me after a bit and supported me during contractions, until the water ran cold.  We got out and I put on my warm fuzzy robe. 

Therese and Nancy sat at the table, drinking coffee and quietly conversing.  I commented that I was starting to feel guilty that they had gotten there so early, but they assured me that this was the kind of time they loved, more so than rushing in at the last minute.  Nancy offered to check me to see how I was progressing, but I decided against it.

Rene put on some music, and I wandered around the house~ sitting on my ball, leaning against the entertainment center, "dancing" with Rene.  I would peek in on the movie, and got to see the tractor tipping scene and the "big race".  Raenen decided he wanted to watch "mouse "("Secret of NIMH") after "Cars" went off, so Grammie put that on for him.  Rene pulled up the DVD he had made of Raenen's birth photos on the computer to show Nancy and Therese.   By this time it was about 10, and my friend Stacy showed up to get Raenen and was able to watch the end of the birth movie with everyone.

I started getting things together for her to take for Raenen, and noticed that my contractions were more frequent, although still not very intense.  I did forward bends during contractions as I moved around the house to get his stuff.  Rene went out to put his carseat into her van, and then she and Raenen left around 10:30 AM. 

As soon as the door shut behind them, I went down to my knees with a contraction, leaning my upper body on the birthball.  I started to get up, when a second one grabbed me and pulled me back down.  Rene was putting counterpressure on my lower back, and suddenly I felt a gush.  I said "my water just broke".  Nancy came over to look and said it was time to get into the tub.  She asked if I needed to go to the bathroom first, and I said that I thought I did. 

I went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet.  That was the most uncomfortable feeling ever!  I said, "I can't stand this. I need to get off of here!"  Nancy had me lean over the bathtub for the next contraction and did her famous "butt press".  Therese came in and said that the amniotic fluid had been clear.  I had a second contraction there, and Nancy said she felt him come down as she was pressing against me.  She and Therese helped me up and into the living room to the tub.  As soon as I stepped into the water, I had the "I've gotta poop feeling" of pushing. 

Rene had gotten into the water and sat behind me, supporting me.  Time seemed to slow down and my thoughts got fuzzy here as I finally entered Laborland.  I remember feeling Sevi's head~ multiple times~ as he crowned through at least 5 contractions.  I had to push easy and blow, trying to avoid the tearing that I had with Raenen.  I reached that point where I actually thought that I couldn't do it… But in the back of my mind I heard Nancy during my last appointment: "When you feel like you can't do it, you're almost done". 

He came out to the brow, and Nancy had Rene stimulate my nipples to try and bring on another contraction to get the rest of his head out.  However, his face slipped out on its own, and during the next contraction he was out!  She brought him up out of the water and put him on my chest, covering him with a towel.  We cradled him in awe, making sure to keep his head out of the water, while she checked my bleeding. 

The placenta followed shortly, and was put into a bowl to float in the tub with us while he latched on for the first time.  We finally got out of the tub and I went to the futon with Sevi (and the placenta).  Therese made a plate of crackers, cheese and fruit for us to snack on while she and Nancy started cleaning up.  They even drained the tub into our garden area~ our own organic fertilizer!

Rene cut the cord and Nancy examined Sevi, who managed to poop a lot just before she weighed him (just like his brother!).  Even so, he was 9 pounds, 4 ounces.  His length was measured at 20 inches, although by the time we went to the pediatrician's office on Monday he was measured at 22 inches.  His head was 14 inches and chest was 14 ½.  She also checked me and discovered that I had torn after all~ a weird buttonhole tear.  She thinks that maybe that was what happened when his face came out between contractions.  Sevi went to his Daddy and she took me into the bedroom to stitch me up, which was awful this time.  Therese tried to distract me, but it wasn't pleasant. 

Afterward, I was able to get into the herb bath, which was extremely pleasant.  I soaked for a while, and Nancy came in to sit with me.  She asked if I wanted Sevi to come into the bath, but it had cooled off by then, so I decided not to.  I got out of the tub and got dressed, and slipped into bed.  Rene brought me a yummy Chipotle burrito.  Nancy and Therese finished cleaning up, and I got my postpartum instructions.  Stacy kept Raenen until about 4:30 PM, so I was able to rest alone with Sevi for a while.

 

When I had pictured what I wanted for this birth, I knew that I wanted more labor time with Nancy.  I definitely got it!  I call this my leisure labor, because I honestly never felt like I was in labor until the very end.  I also knew I wanted a waterbirth, and I definitely prefer the water to the birthing stool.  I had actually intended for Rene to catch the baby this time, but the moment found him supporting me in the water instead.  I knew that I really didn't want Raenen to be there and my body held out for him to leave, which I think is amazing.  It was such a completely different birth, but just as beautiful and incredible and exactly what I needed!

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Birth Stories

Raenen Carlos Carrillo was born naturally at home on 9/24/04 (his actual due date… Talk about punctuality!!).

 

My mom had come up over the weekend for my blessing way and went with René and me to our prenatal visit on Monday, 9/20/04, which happened to also be my 30th birthday.  Nancy, my midwife, checked me and I was 1 cm dilated.  She said that labor wasn't imminent, but that I would probably not make it to my next visit. My mom decided to go home and returned on Wednesday.  On Thursday, my mom and I ran a few errands in the morning, and during the whole day my back was killing me.  René rubbed it for me some and I lay down with him when he went to bed, and took a nap.  That night, I watched "Must see TV" and then tried to go to sleep after the ER season premier.

 

I tossed and turned for about an hour, and around midnight I was rolling over when I felt a "pop" followed by a sharp pang.  After the pang subsided and I decided it was safe to continue to roll over, I felt a trickle of liquid on my leg.  I jumped out of bed and ran to bathroom.  My mom asked if everything was ok, and I said "I think my water just broke", to which Mom replied "WHAT?!"  She came into the bathroom with me, and I called my best friend, Stacy, to see if what I thought was happening was really happening!  I then called René, who had just arrived in Stafford for a meeting, and then I called Nancy. She told me to try and get some sleep, make sure that the baby moved within the next hour and to call her back once contractions started and were about 5 minutes apart.

 

I started having contractions around 12:15 AM.  They actually started off about 5-7 minutes apart and lasted about 30-60 sec.  I called Stacy back and she came over around 1 AM.  I did forward bends over the bed during contractions, and Stacy rubbed my lower back.  We decided at about 1:30 that the contractions were close enough to call Nancy back (about 4-5 minutes apart).  Nancy listened to me for a few contractions and asked me to call her back in about an hour.  I asked her if we could fill up the big labor tub, but she said to just get in the shower and then we would fill the tub when she got there.  René finally got home while I was talking to Nancy and we got in the shower together.  I sat on the birth ball while René squatted behind me and held the shower head on my lower back during the contractions, which felt really good.

 

Within the hour my contractions were about 1 minute apart, so we called Nancy back and she arrived about 15 minutes later, around 2:45.  We got out of the shower and Nancy checked me.  I remember her saying "Open your eyes and look at me.  You're all done!  You just have to push this baby out!"  She gave us the option to fill the tub and birth in the water, but I decided to just birth in the bedroom.  Since I didn't have the urge to push yet, I remained on the bed while Nancy, René and Stacy hurried and prepped the room.

 

Once I finally had the urge to push I got on the birth stool.  I switched a couple of times between the birth stool and squatting on the floor to push.  After 51 minutes, Raenen made his debut at 3:56 AM.  It was incredible~ so fast and so surreal!  One minute, his head was out and the next he was on my chest.  After I birthed the placenta, I slid back onto the bed and lay on my left side, cuddling my newborn son.

 

After about an hour, during which Raenen latched on for the first time, René cut the cord.  Nancy examined Raenen, who by this time had already pooped a lot of meconium out! His stats were 9 pounds, 14 ounces and 22 inches long. His head and chest were 14 ½ inches, and he was perfect!

 

Nancy gave Raenen to René and then she got the bathtub ready with the herb bath.  I relaxed in the tub for a bit and then Raenen joined me.  It was so incredible to have him in there with me. He was such a perfect little person! So calm and peaceful, and I just cradled him in the water.

 

It was hard at first~ trying to get used to nursing and having someone be totally dependent on me, and also letting go of the little things like doing the dishes or the laundry. But Raenen is the most good-natured baby, and we are blessed that he is our son. There is nothing better than his huge gummy grin! I think that part of the reason he is such a good baby is due to the peaceful way he came into the world, surrounded by those who love him. I know that when we are ready for our next baby, we are definitely planning on having another homebirth with Nancy!!!

Raenen Carlos Carrillo, September 24, 2004

Jill Gammon Carrillo