Bigna's birth story or how to drive your husband completely insane ...

Bigna is our second-born and it thus is difficult not to compare her birth story to Andrin’s birth story, but I will try my best to document my recollection of her wonderful entry into his world.

My pregnancy with Bigna was easy and sometimes, I felt bad because I did not feel like I really could focus on her growing inside me because there was so much else going on, most of all Andrin’s need for attention and love.

Her birth story actually already starts weeks before her actual guess date of February 16^th, 2011. I was at the obstetrician’s office and the midwife was doing the prenatal check since my obstetrician was attending to another birth at the hospital. At that time, I was 34 weeks pregnant. The midwife looked at me and asked if I was aware that I was having pretty strong contractions. I looked at her and told her that I had been having Braxton Hick’s contractions for a while now. She had a worried look on her face and told me that it would be great if I would be able to hold out to have this baby until I was 37 weeks pregnant. My obstetrician also had been making comments about Bigna being born early, even though I always had the inclination that this would not be the case. She felt that everything was speaking for an early baby again like Andrin who was born at 38 weeks and completely surprised us. At our 36 week appointment, the obstetrician checked me and told me that I was 80% effaced and 1 cm dilated and ready to go into labor. I panicked and got everything ready: put up Bigna’s co sleeper in our bedroom, installed the car seat in the car, and took care of some other little things. I still had another week of work ahead of me and was just hoping that I would make it until week 37. At my next appointment, I told the obstetrician that I did not want to be checked since I did not really see why. My intuition that Bigna would teach us patience grew stronger. At 38 weeks, my obstetrician gave me this surprised look when I walked into the office and checked me again: 80% effaced and 3 cm dilated. She told me to make an appointment for 39 weeks, but that I would not need it since I would give birth before that. Bigna proofed her wrong. My appointment was on Monday and on Saturday, I started having pretty strong contractions around noon that lasted all day until I went to bed. Clemens already got the airbed ready if our friends John and Keiko would have to come over in the middle of the night. On Sunday, I did not have any contractions at all and on Monday, there were as strong as they never were before (February 7^th 2011) and when I told the obstetrician at the appointment, she was just smiling and shared that Bigna would be her favorite baby because she was on call that night and at the hospital anyway. As soon as she said that, I knew that Bigna would not enter this world that night! The next few days were a waiting game and I did not have any contractions at all, in fact, I was feeling as energetic like I had not felt in a long time.

On Saturday, February 12^th, 2011, I went to bed with no indication that this might be the night that Bigna would decide to make her long journey into this world. I was awoken by our neighbor’s loud party next door. They were blasting their music and it sounded like the stereo was in our bedroom. In the last couple of weeks, I hardly got any sleep, mostly due to pregnancy hormones, but also Andrin’s nightly wake-ups. Sure enough, not long after I woke up by the blasting music, Andrin also woke up. He called from his room and asked us to put “different music on, please.” I could not have agreed more. I felt bad for him (and us) and got up and settled him back again. When I returned to bed around 2.30 am, I could feel contractions. I started paying attention to the contractions around 3.15 am and they were about eight minutes apart. Clemens woke up around 4.30 am and I told him that I was having contractions, but that they were now about 10 minutes apart and had slowed down. He did not go back to sleep, even though I told him to try to get some rest. He wanted to get up around 5.30 am and notify our support team. Since the contractions slowed down again, I was able to convince him that it was not necessary. And around 6.00 am, Andrin woke up and we started into our day. By that time, my contractions had almost stopped completely again. Somehow, I had the feeling that there might be more to this and Clemens and I decided to give our friends Becky and Beau a call around 8.00 am and asked them if they could pick up Andrin for the day. I felt like I could not really focus on Bigna until Andrin was taken well care of. Beau and Richie picked up Andrin around 9.00 am and what a relief to see that Andrin just went willingly and happily with them. When I told him shortly before they arrived that Beau was coming, he looked at me with a knowing look and said “Mami and Papi going to the hospital. Bigna coming out?” The night before, he wanted to read a book about being a big brother. He had not really been interested in that book, but suddenly requested to look at it again. He knew as well that his baby sister was ready. When we strapped Andrin into the car seat of Beau’s car, he looked at Beau happily and said “Bigna coming out.”

At home, we tidied up a little bit and then I asked Clemens (who was ready with his timer on his I Phone the entire time) to go for a walk. And this is where the story of me driving him crazy really begins. As soon as we started walking, I started to have contractions again. They were now anywhere between four and six minutes apart. I kept walking and did not want to turn around and Clemens kept trying to convince me that we should go back, that he did not want me to give birth on the sidewalk, that our obstetrician had told us that the contractions should be five minutes apart. After a nice walk, I first talked with our doula, Julie, and told her that I would call the obstetrician, but that I still felt pretty comfortable. I called the obstetrician, did not even have to introduce me and she just replied with “it is about time.” She told me to go to the hospital and have them check me. I told her with a strong opinion that they would send us back home again.

By 10.00 am, we were at Sacred Heart Hospital at Riverbend. I felt comfortable and felt like the contractions had eased again. I had the feeling that we were prematurely at the hospital. At the hospital, they monitored Bigna’s heart beat and my contractions (which were visible, but hardly noticeable to me). The nurse in the triage room checked me and told me that I was completely effaced and about five centimeters dilated and that there was no chance of me going back home. We got settled in our room and already in the triage room, our doula, Julie, had joined us as well. We were walking the hallways, and I felt comfortable and optimistic. Around 11.00 am, our obstetrician arrived at the hospital and checked me. At that time, I was already 6 cm dilated. The obstetrician stepped out again and we did some more walking, talking, and waiting. The nurse monitored Bigna’s heartbeat which was still completely fine. The obstetrician returned around 1.00 pm and felt like my labor had stalled. I was only about 6.5 cm dilated and the contractions were easing. She suggested breaking the water since everything was slowing down. After some discussion with Clemens, we decided to break the bag of water. About five minutes after breaking the water, strong contractions started. Bigna’s heart beat had to be monitored because of breaking the water and I felt uncomfortable lying on the bed without the possibility of moving. There was little time between contractions to relax. I asked to have the tub filled up since I remembered from giving birth to Andrin that it felt wonderful to be in the tub. I was in the tub for about five minutes when I felt that I just had to push. They called the obstetrician which had left the room again and the nurse checked me to say that I was about 8 cm dilated. The obstetrician came into the bathroom telling me that she never had done a water birth and that she would like to check me. She verified that I was ready to push and I started pushing around 1.55 pm. I remember telling Clemens that I could not push hard enough, and I remember him saying that I had done it before. Well, he was right and Bigna was born at 2.05 pm. The obstetrician had to clip the umbilical cord right away because Bigna had it once around her neck and it was so short that she was not able to lay her skin-to-skin on me. Bigna was completely covered in vernix. She started crying right away and it was the sweetest cry ever. For the next couple of hours, we just enjoyed holding Bigna and welcoming her into this world.

Welcome, little one!