I felt the urge to push, and my daughter’s whole body came out! My husband pretended not to panic
At 32, I gave birth to my third child, standing, all alone in my kitchen… It was not planned! But it was the best moment of my life!
The birth of my third child was a great adventure! During my pregnancy, I had made great resolutions, such as going regularly to birthing classes without pain, asking for an epidural, in short everything that I had not done for my second. And I regretted it, so hard had this childbirth been. With these good resolutions, I was serene, even if the 20 km that separated me from the maternity ward seemed a lot to me. But hey, for the first two, I had arrived well on time and that reassured me. Ten days before the birth, I finished preparing things for the baby, serene. I was tired, it’s true, but how not to be when I was almost at term and I had to take care of my 6 and 3 year old children. I had no contractions, however small, that could have alerted me. One evening, however, I felt particularly exhausted and went to bed early. And then, around 1:30 in the morning, a huge pain woke me up! A very powerful contraction that never seemed to want to stop. Barely completed, two other very strong contractions arrived. There, I understood that I was going to give birth. My husband woke up and asked me what was going on! I told him to phone my parents to come and take care of the children, and especially to call the fire department because I could tell that our baby was coming! I thought that with the help of the firefighters, I would have time to get to the maternity ward.
Strangely, I who am rather anxious, I was Zen! I felt that I had something to accomplish and that I had to stay in control. I got up from my bed to grab my bag, ready to go to the maternity ward. I had barely arrived in the kitchen, a new contraction prevented me from putting one foot in front of the other. I was gripping the table, not knowing what to do. Nature decided for me: I suddenly felt all wet, and I understood that I was losing water! In the next moment, I felt my baby slipping out of me. I was still standing, holding my baby’s head. Then, I felt a mad urge to push: I did and my little girl’s whole body came out! I hugged her and she cried very quickly, which reassured me! My husband, who was pretending not to panic, helped me lie down on the tiles and wrapped us in a blanket.
I put my daughter under my t-shirt, skin to skin, so that she was warm and that I could feel her closest to my heart. I was like in a daze, euphoric as I felt so proud to have been able to give birth in this unusual way, without feeling the slightest apprehension. I had no idea How long time had passed. I was in my bubble… However, all that happened very quickly: the firefighters arrived and were amazed to see me on the ground with my baby. It seems that I was smiling all the time. The doctor was with them and watched me closely, especially to see if I was losing blood. He examined my daughter and cut the cord. The firefighters then put me in their truck, my baby was still against me. I was put on a IV, and we went to the maternity ward.
When I arrived, I was placed in the labor room because the placenta had not been expelled. They took my chip off me, and there I went crazy and started to cry while so far I was incredibly calm. I quickly calmed down because the midwives asked me to push to get the placenta out. At that time, my husband came back with our baby, which he put in his arms. Seeing us like this, he started to cry, because he was moved, but also because everything ended well! He kissed me and looked at me like he never had before: “Honey, you are an exceptional woman. Do you realize the feat you have just accomplished! I felt he was proud of me, and that did me a lot of good. After the usual exams, we were installed in a room where the three of us were finally able to stay. I didn’t really feel tired and it fascinated my husband to see me like this, as if nothing extraordinary had happened! Later, almost all of the clinic staff came to contemplate the “phenomenon”, that is to say me, the woman who had given birth standing at home in a few minutes!
Even today, I don’t quite understand what happened to me. Nothing predisposed me to give birth so quickly, even for a 3rd child. Above all, I discovered in myself unknown resources that made me stronger, more sure of myself. And, best of all, my husband’s outlook on me has changed. He no longer considers me a fragile little woman, he calls me “my darling little heroine” and that has brought us closer together.