Elza Constance Rosengren Has Arrived!

Little Elzie made her big entrance on Sunday, March 20th at 1:23AM. She weighed 7lbs 15oz and was 20 inches long. The other children are so excited to finally have their little sister here!

The rest of this post will involve details of the labor so if you're not interested...you've been forewarned :-)

Serious contractions started around 11:00pm, around the time that Abby returned from her evening performance in Fiddler on the Roof. I think mentally I couldn't start labor for real until I knew all my kids were safe at home and tucked in bed. At this point we still weren't sure if I was "really" in labor. But as it got be around 11:30-45, I was having difficulty walking through the contractions. Around midnight I went to the room that we had set up for the birth and sat on the birthing ball and leaned on the bassinet for several contractions.


Kent said that I probably got into the birthing pool around 12:30. Contractions slowed in frequency, but not in intensity for a little while. Kent was wonderful, making sure I stayed hydrated and wiping my face with a damp washcloth in between contractions. I felt so connected with him, and it seemed he knew instinctively what I needed.

In the preparation for this birth, I had learned a lot about the type of hormones that are released by the body as it is birthing the baby. Interestingly, they are the same hormones that are released by the body when creating the baby. The main hormone, called the "love hormone", Oxytocin, is released by the body causing the uterus to contract. So the more love you feel, the stronger and more powerful your contractions are to bring your baby to you. In contrast, Adrenaline (which is caused by fear) when released by the body, actually acts in opposition to the hormones of love and generally is to blame for the "pain" of childbirth.

My goal with this labor was to eliminate fear and thereby eliminate the "pain" associated with the birth. So instead of feeling like I had to conquer each contraction, I was open to them, welcoming them, encouraging them to work as hard as possible to bring my baby to me. The pressure was intense, but I have to admit, it wasn't particularly painful. By 1:00AM, I was going through transition and feeling the strong urge to push. At this point, as is usual in transition, I felt like I was not up to the task. A dear friend had brought me some essential oils in preparation for the birth and Clary Sage had been useful to her in transition. Kent got me this and had me sniff it in between contractions. It was amazing how well it centered me, and allowed me to catch my breath. There were around 8-9 pushing contractions and at 1:23AM, not even 2.5 hours after starting we were holding our beautiful baby girl!

For those that are interested in herbal preparations and essential oils that I used during the birth and post partum :

Throughout the entire pregnancy I drank several cups a day of my own pregnancy tea blend.

 I had 3 glasses of a very strong tea of red raspberry leaf and squaw vine tea at the onset of labor, to augment the contractions (1oz of red raspberry leaf, 1/2 oz of squaw vine to 3 cups of boiling water).

Clary Sage essential oil, as mentioned earlier, for centering during transition.

For after the birth, we prepared Dr. Christopher's Formula of BFC tea and soaked several sanitary pads in the tea and froze them, these have been amazing in bringing down swelling and tenderness.

The leftover tea is used as a cleansing rinse after using the bathroom.

Right after the birth, Kent made me freshly squeezed orange juice (delicious!) and also a few glasses of water with chorophyll will be taken, as needed, over the next few days.

We will also be using the loose herb from the BFC with sea salt and minced garlic as a sitz bath to soak in twice a day to aid in healing.

Kent has also been having me take the BFC internally, since this afternoon. This morning I was really sore (particularly my abdominal muscles), since taking around 10 capsules an hour this afternoon, the soreness has all but disappeared. The herbal theory is that if you give the body the building blocks it needs to heal, it has no reason to be in pain...this appears to be true in this case ;-)

I used a blend of healing essentials oils to help with post partum bleeding that my friend made up - she calls it the Boo Boo blend. It contains yarrow, carrot seed, galbanum (sp), lavendar, and maybe one other, but I can't remember it. I've been taking it internally up to 7 drops at a time, as I feel as I needed it.

Overall, this birth was everything I had hoped for and more, since I didn't expect the labor to be so quick!

If you're interested in buying any of the essentials oils or herbs I have talked about. I buy everything I can from Mountain Rose Herbs. Their quality far surpasses any other herbal company that I have bought from. I have NEVER been disappointed with their products. Buying and capsulizing your own herbal medicines are a fraction of the cost of buying them already packaged.