Born June 4, 2016 1:28 a.m.
9 lbs 6.5 oz, 21 1/2 inches
Midwives of Hale Kealaula; Selena Green and Jaymie Lewis
Photos by Jenna Toilolo; Captivating Creation Photography https://m.facebook.com/captivatingcreation
It all began a few weeks prior with a few light surges during the early morning hours and I was sure that this little ‘boy’ (I swore up and down that I was carrying a boy throughout the entire pregnancy lol) was going to arrive earlier than his EDD.
However March 27th came and went and still no Clover baby. Of course, being a Midwife in training I knew that ‘he’ would come in his own good time. Daddy however was getting a bit anxious and wanted to make sure that I had a ‘Plan B’ should baby not come by 42 weeks. I assured him that we had pre-registered with Queen’s hospital so we could go there if our OB (wonderful Dr. Bliss Kaneshiro, who I heard isn’t accepting new patients at this time) thought it was necessary.
The morning of June 3rd, I picked up my children in Kapolei, did some errands and went grocery shopping all while having some pretty consistent surges 🙂 Walking through the isles of Sack n Save in Nanakuli pausing and holding on to the cart while telling my son to hold on a second lol. Of course my wonderful Midwife; Selena Green was aware and had told my amazing Midwife Sister; Jaymie that I was having some surges.
When we got home we put things away and settled in to have dinner, still having some surges once in a while; and then while sitting in my seat on our ‘new’ couch, my water broke. Daddy was a little surprised as he was setting up the grill outside to BBQ some ribs and was a little taken a back by the liquid on the ground (I stood up after the first gush).
My midwife called to double check how fast my births were after waters broke and I told her that both my previous births were 5 hours. So she let Jaymie and my beautiful friend Jenna who would be taken these amazing photos know that it was time to come. As predicted the surges came stronger and longer, though I was able to eat and drink fine, joke around and help give daddy some directions on what could be done before the Midwives arrived.
After that is basically a blur but I do remember holding everyone’s hands while laboring in the pool. Getting an ice pop, laughing, being on hands and knees and moaning but most of all as it was getting to the most intense point. Jaymie was whispering in my ear to let the energy go down and out, so when the surges came I did just that. It helped tremendously and I remember pushing not long after that, it seemed like not very long but it was probably about an hour of pushing her down.
When her head emerged, I thought it would be quick that she would slide out as my previous to babies did. However little Clover’s shoulders were stuck and Jaymie had to get her little arm out first before she was fully birthed at 1:28 a.m. on Saturday June the 4th. As soon as she came out she wasn’t breathing for a bit so we rubbed up her back but still no breaths, so I gave her a few puffs as we are trained to (just the air that’s in your mouth, not big breaths) and I heard her first little gasp. We gave her a little bit of O2 also and she slowly came around and began breathing on her own.
We didn’t know the sex of our baby yet, so I quickly flipped her bottom over to see and saw that I had been wrong the entire pregnancy. My ‘boy’ was a little girl, my daughter Cierra and daddy were quite happy with the news! I was in complete shock lol
Then I saw that there was quite a bit of blood in the water and I could hear Selena and Jaymie saying that I needed to get out of the pool so they could monitor my bleeding. I got a shot of Pitocin, some Hemhalt tincture and eventually a placenta shake to control the bleeding.
As soon as I was out of the pool and on the couch-bed in the living room I felt the most horrible migraine I have ever had come on. (Towards the last days, I finally got upset and actually cried out to, “bring it on!” It hurt so bad, it honestly couldn’t get any worse)
After that I was in a fog and just knew that I was in pain. Everyone tried to help remedy the pain but it just wouldn’t subside and finally I called my beautiful friend Mileka to ask if she would please come and massage my migraine away. She was a God sent and the migraine subsided enough that I finally felt I was able to enjoy this little baby girl. After a few days I noticed that my thirst could not be quenched no matter how much water I drank and I was hospitalized for dehydration. We began loading me up with electrolytes and soon I felt like there was hope at the end of the tunnel.
The migraine still persisted so I called on the chiropractor I had seen prenatally and that we send all our clients at Hale Kealaula to; Dr. Christine Lipat at Niu Health Chiropractic. She adjusted baby and I and we both were SO much happier, Clover had been a bit fussy at the breast for a while but after she was adjusted was doing wonderfully.
Of course after all of that, my breastfeeding was a bit hampered and I had to start little Clover on some formula (which still kills me a bit) and we are now doing well with both.
Fast forward to today and Princess Clover is a very expressive, talkative, loving, happy and beautiful baby’s in the world 🙂
We have had so much support since pregnancy and we wouldn’t have been able to be sane and doing well without you all: our co-workers (too many to list), family; the Yadao ohana especially Aunty Roxanne and Aunty Noella who were one of the first visitors we had and the Skal ohana who have been supportive and sending their love and support from day one, love you all.
We’re most grateful for our birth team who had to come almost every day post-partum for one reason or another with me (we always say birth workers/body workers are always the ones that need the most care lol and it was no different with me!) Selena, Valerie, Jaymie…Adam and I are so eternally grateful for all your care and love.
Photos by Captivating Creation Photography https://m.facebook.com/captivatingcreation