Guest Blogger - Hayley Tellier - Positive Powerful Birth Story

So my birth story is a little unique, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

In Feb 2017, I found out that I was pregnant expecting our (me and my husband) first child. I chose to go with midwives to guide me through my pregnancy and delivery. I had seen my friends have amazing births and pregnancies with midwives and that's what I wanted. Going with midwives also afforded me the opportunity to choose to have a home birth if I was comfortable with that. I like having options.The midwives were beyond amazing, I always looked forward to my prenatal appointments. At my 20-week appointment my midwife Alyson told me I was having a girl, and 2 other ultrasounds throughout my pregnancy confirmed this as well! Woohoo, bring on the pink!
Now, like I mentioned earlier I had the choice of having a hospital birth or a home birth. This being my first child, I really wanted to make the right decision. I wanted to make sure that we could be taken care of medically but I also wanted to make sure that my labor was comfortable and safe. Looking back it doesn't seem like such a big decision, but in the moment it was all I could think about for months. I couldn't live with myself if something happened at home that could have been prevented in the hospital. And I would be so upset if I was forced into medical procedures or doing something I'm uncomfortable with in a hospital. Pregnant and hormonal me couldn't make up my mind. My midwives could see that I was having a hard time making a decision give me all the resources I asked for regarding hospital birth statistics and home birth statistics for both Canada and Ontario.
After a lot of prayer and seeking God I really felt at peace with deciding to have my baby at home with my husband and my mom at my side and my midwife there to guide me through the process.
My due date was September 30th. Now, everybody knows that, as a rule of thumb, first time moms usually go overdue, and that's what I was anticipating. The week leading up to that date, I could not wait to get the show on the road. I was ready for labor and excited to meet my baby girl. I drink weird drinks, I walked everywhere, I bounced on a ball, I got a few rounds of acupuncture, and ate lots of pineapple. I prayed about everything I could think about relating to labour and delivery. But my two main requests to God was that I would not go over do and that my labor would be less than 12 hours... And, for a first time Mom, those felt like big asks.
Well September 29th rolled around, my husband was on the night shift on a shutdown at Suncor, and wouldn't you know it my water broke at 7:00 a.m. on the toilet. My husband and I had a plan, that if and when my water broke that I would call him right away and if I couldn't get a hold of him then I will call his boss. Well, 7:00 a.m. was when his shift is done and his phone was dead... Oh my goodness, I was bursting with excitement, I couldn't wait till he got home and I was hoping he was coming straight home instead of stopping at Tim Hortons for breakfast sandwich first. Also, added bonus, water breaking on the toilet = no mess!
Since I didn't get a hold of my husband I called my mom. She came over right away. Then I called my midwife Alyson and she said that she would come around 10:00 a.m. to check how I was doing. My husband finally came home and I told him my water broke, we were meeting our baby girl very soon!
My labor all morning was pretty manageable. Nothing I couldn't talk through, nothing I couldn't walk through. Alyson came, checked me, and said she would stay with me for another hour to see if my labor/contractions would develop. I even asked my mom to go to the grocery store to get apples so I could make apple crisp... Ya, I was nieve. My mom got back about the time that Alyson said that she was going to head out. But before she left I went to the washroom to sit on the toilet for a minute. All of a sudden it was like the floodgates of contractions opened and it was game on. Alyson wasn't leaving.
Honestly from that point on I don't remember a whole bunch. I just remember that the contractions hurt so bad and that at some point I managed to move from my living room into my bedroom to labor on my bed. Also my sister came over at some point and I don't remember her coming over .
At around 5:00 or 6:00 my contractions got to the point where they were reflexive and turned into an involuntary pushing sensation. Reflexive as in when you throw up. Because when you throw up it's a reflex and there's nothing you can do to control that. And that is what my contractions were doing to me. I remember all of a sudden looking at my husband, and all I could say was "...PUSHING!" in a strained guttural voice. So there I was sitting beside my husband in our bed getting ready to give birth. My mom was massaging my neck and shoulders for me and Alyson was helping me push.
I couldn't tell you how long I was actually pushing for but I think Alyson was thinking that I was slowing down so she brought a birthing stool in. I may or may not have pooped a little. No one will ever know. But that awful stool seem to have done the trick. I was on it for maybe 5 minutes and baby's head was starting to Crown. I really felt like I wanted to lay down to give birth so they helped me hop back up on the bed. The midwives have a rule that they have two of them at the time of birth. Cynthia, the assisting midwife, almost didn't make the main event! I progressed a lot faster than Alyson thought I would.
I do remember asking Alyson, "How many more minutes?" (This was as I was 10 cm dilated and Crowning). In my state, I was honestly expecting her to say another hour or so. But when I heard the words "less than 5 minutes." That was the wind in my sails to get me over the finish line.
A lot of people say how painful it was to crown and to push. I really didn't feel that much pain pushing. I don't really remember feeling the "Ring of fire". Thank you God!
The moment finally came, my baby was pushed out into the earth with a big gush, and immediately placed on my chest and wrapped in blankets. My sweet baby's cries were such a relief to hear. I don't really remember much of the frenzy that was going on around me. I just remember holding this squirming little, sticky, adorable baby on my chest. Midwives were taking care of the after birth and my lower body situation and my husband and my mom and I couldn't take our eyes off of this Sweet child. Delivery time, 7:31 pm. God is so good. Not only did he answer my prayer to not go over to you but he answered my prayer for a 12-hour labor. Honestly I wouldn't even consider the first 3 hours labor. But 12 hours from when my water broke. You can't tell me that's not a miracle for a first-time mom!
Anyways, I would say maybe (big maybe because all concepts of time disappeared) 5 minutes past when Alyson came to check and clean our baby girl. She reached for my baby, who was covered in a towel on my chest, and opened the towel and gasped! This was no little gasp either. Her eyes almost popped out of her head and her jaw dropped to the floor as she looked at our baby. "ITS A BOY!!!!" She exclaimed as everybody else's faces did about the same thing that hers did.
Honestly I'll never trade that moment for the world. At that time, in my living room, my sister was on the phone with my dad telling her that the baby was born, then she heard yelling from in the bedroom saying "it's a boy it's a boy!". Of course she told my dad and of course he didn't believe her. So it went with every other phone call she made that night. my nana and papa were in such disbelief that they drove over about an hour later to come see for themselves.
I will say another Hallelujah because I had no tearing and my midwives drew me a bath as they were cleaning up and measuring my baby BOY. Cynthia had her on the bath for me and had lit candles and turned the light off. She said to take as long as I needed to.
Once I was done, I went back into the bedroom to try to nurse my little boy. My mother-in-law was on her way from Sarnia. She stopped to buy some boys newborn cloths and a large chocolate milkshake and large fry from McDonald's for Mama. I don't think french fries in a milkshake have ever hit the spot the way they hit that night.
After all is said and done, I can only give thanks to God for writing and orchestrating a birth story that I couldn't have dreamed up myself. Everything was taken care of. And to top it all off,at the end of the night, my family and the midwives were celebrating in my living room with pizza and chicken wings that they had ordered from the local pizza shop.
I love my birth story. even though there's some things that I can't remember. It's precious, it's gritty, it's painful at times, it's miraculous, and I can confidently say that it is a gift from God.
Momma and Daddy : Hayley and Justin TellierSurprise baby boy: Martin (Marty) Regis Tellier

Thank you Hayley for sharing your amazing birth story with me and my community. It made me cry and laugh and trust God a little more for the prayers I am praying over my own birth.

xo

Heather