MamaZayha    
 
 
WE DID IT!
Jamie and I are the parents of a little boy! Zachary Isayha Shmuel Katz Pollock (Zayha, ZIP) joined us on Wednesday 6/7/06 at 3:39 am in Portland OR. He was 7 lbs, 15 oz, 19 in.
 
Here’s the full story:    
 
Zayha was due on June 4 according to OHSU, or June 5 according to the midwives at Alma Water Birth Center.
    On Monday 6/5, I had my appt at the midwives. I’d been having fairly constant Braxton-Hix contractions, not painful at all nor consistent, just tightenings across my tummy for several days. They said it could still be 7 to 10 days - I couldn’t believe it. I had Laura, the lead midwife, check my cervix - I was already 3 cm dilated. She could feel his head - my mucous plug was long gone. His soft spot was big & wide, meaning that I have a wide pelvis & he wasn’t squeezed at all.
    While she was feeling him, Zayha tucked his head and she could feel the suture lines; then he turned his head back and forth under her fingers! “Smart boy!” she exclaimed.
    Even though I was already dilated, they said it could still be days...but now I had bloody show!
    Jamie had been joking that Zayha would be born on June 8, the day of his Commander Cody show. It was his first national booking, and he’d poured tons of money & time into setting it up. To not be there to see & make it happen would just be...ridiculous.
    I myself wanted a 6/6/06 birthday - I wasn’t scared, thought it would be cool! Best of all, if he’d be born at 3:30 pm on 6/6, he’d have a Libra moon conjunct mine, and a Libra ascendant like both Jamie & I.
    On Tuesday, 6/6, mom and I went for a walk around the neighborhood. We were concerned about Jamie missing his show, so we asked Zayha to either come REALLY soon, or to wait until Friday.
    When we got home, I had a breakdown in Jamie’s arms, because of my concern about Commander Cody. He reassured me that not only would Zayha come when the time was right, but that Jamie was prepared to miss the show entirely. Of course his family came first. He also reminded me that because I’m a master manifestor, my concern may be what causes the delivery to happen at that awkward time. I called upon my reserves and let go of my attachment to my agenda. Zayha would come when he was ready, and the timing, no matter what it was, would be perfect.
    That night, at 10:36, Mom and I were watching TV, and I stood up to go to the bathroom. I flooded! Water went everywhere! I ran (well, waddled) to the bathroom and Mom bought me a towel. I called Laura to let her know; she told me to go to bed and get a good night’s sleep. She’d have Laurie stop by to check on me in an hour.
    Suddenly she asked, “Are you having a contraction right now?” A moment before she asked, I’d realized that I could feel a cramp! She said she could hear it in my breathing. I was impressed.
    By the time Laurie showed up, I was definitely having strong contractions. I couldn’t decide whether to walk, sit, lay down, or sit on the toilet. Just like how I always peak on the toilet because I’m never sure if I have to go or not, I had the same sensation now.  I decided sitting on the toilet was the most comfortable place to be. At first Laurie agreed with Laura about waiting until morning, but within the half hour she was there, I was already having regular contractions, about 4 minutes apart! She asked us to wait an hour or so, then head over to Alma.
    The contractions hurt, but instead of moaning and groaning about it, I decided to tone. Tone, don’t moan! I vocalized the pain by singing. I tried for low notes, but when it really hurt I couldn’t help singing high tones.  It helped - instead of making ugly noises, I made pretty ones instead.
    We made it to the water birth center a little before 2 am.  I got in the tub almost immediately - what a comfort to float! I kept singing my way through the pains.
    At some point I heard Jamie call out that he needed a hand. Later I learned that, as we pretty much had expected, he got a little woozy once I got loud and there was blood in the tub. At the time, though, I had no idea this was going on, only that I was overjoyed when he showed up and started stripping off his clothes to join me in the tub. Once in, he kept looking into my eyes and telling me how proud he was of me, how much he loved me, and how well I was doing. I kept singing, and he sang with me.
    Fairly quickly, it became hard to keep the sounds pretty. It hurt! I wanted to push! There was a moment where the pain was unbearable; I inhaled sharply and I think I screamed. Laura exclaimed, “That’s your baby coming!” Even though i was only 8 centimeters, Zayha was heading into the tunnel. I asked if I could start pushing, afraid it wasn’t time yet, and Laurie assured me it would be OK.
    The worst part was as he went from the womb into my canal, but once he was there it got a lot easier. I could even relax a little more between contractions, and the pushes weren’t excruciating anymore.
    Laurie suggested i put my finger inside and feel for his head. There was a cone-shaped soft spot about 2 knuckles deep. I gasped with delight - he was really there, and he was really coming! And he was only two inches away from us! Later, Jamie and Yvette, Mom & Laurie described that moment as a light beaming out from me, washing over all of them. Everyone noticed the wonder, excitement, love, enchantment channeling through me and was deeply touched by it.
    The pushing practically felt good: rough, but satisfying. After each push I’d measure his progress, and hold up my finger to show Jamie where he was. Two knuckles, one-and-a-half knuckles...one knuckle. I asked Jamie to push on my perineum to help it stretch and keep it from tearing.
    When Zayha’s head began crowning, I pushed my skin back carefully around his head, hoping it would also stretch and not rip. After the next contraction, his head would come out a little more, then go back in. I noticed that even though I was in the jacuzzi, I was still essentially on my back with my feet up in stirrups. I asked if I could get up on my knees, and they said sure. I pulled myself up on one knee and balanced on one foot.
    My right hand was on Zayha’s head, and at the next contraction most of his head popped out. I tried to feel for his face, but couldn’t distinguish the direction. The next contraction happened quickly, and the baby slipped right out into both my hands!
    I scooped him right up out of the water and brought him directly to my chest. Jamie’s loving hands on my shoulders guided us back into his arms.
    I caught my own baby, and Jamie caught us!
    The three of us cuddled together in the tub. The baby’s eyes were open, and he looked around at us. He made little huffing noises, but was breathing right away. He didn’t cry at all, simply lay on my chest taking us all in.
    Yvette was in charge of the time: 3:39 a.m.  The entire labor and delivery took only 5 hours!
    
 
 
 
A tranquil moment...the first two days. After that, we get a few hours of peace and a few more hours of making him peaceful.  
 
Poor gassy boy, learning to digest!
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
The Whole Entire Birth Story!