Aug. 13, 2007 She's Here!!! Birth Story #7
 As you can probably imagine, I am still in shock that I already have a baby in my arms. I have never gone this early and I entered this labor feeling unprepared and surprised. I think that I went into labor partially because I have been so incredibly busy this last month (July). The last two weeks of July were especially busy for me, so I blame part of the early delivery simply on stress. Here are a few things that went on 2 weeks prior to delivery:
- We had a surprise birthday party for my oldest son, which means that I cleaned my entire house (with the exception of 3 rooms) and did this without my son's help.
- I had an appointment with my midwife (where I took all the children).
- I weeded two of my flower gardens at the end of a busy day.
- I went to Sam's Club with my husband and children and walked around on hard concrete floors for two hours.
- We had a sleepover guest for my oldest son the weekend of August 4th.
- I went grocery shopping one last time before I went into labor (another two hours on the concrete floors).
- We had extra guests for dinner a couple evenings.
- We went to a friend's house to go swimming (that is, me and all the children).
- We did a "test" run of our first week of school.
- I did my first day of real school on Monday (August 6)...last year the same kind of thing happened, only I went to the hospital for an ectopic pregnancy and heat exhaustion (after the first day of school).
And the list goes on....
I really wanted to be prepared, but with all the busyness, I wasn't. (O;
And with that said, here is my birth story.
I complained all day Monday of my back hurting, I usually don't complain, but it was VERY uncomfortable that day.
Monday night was a normal night. I didn't do anything different than I normally do before bed. I just took my normal bath, took my supplements, brushed my teeth and went to bed. However, after being asleep for a couple of hours, I found myself getting up to use the bathroom several times after having, what I thought was, a Braxton-Hicks contraction. I got up like 10+ times to go to the bathroom.
At 5:30 a.m., I got up for the last time to use the bathroom. What made me get up was the slight pain that I felt with the "Braxton-Hicks contraction". I figured I would get up and take a hot bath so I could get the baby out of my pelvis...she was really low and I figured a bath might make her move up out of my lower pelvis. I didn't think I was in "labor," but I was in denial that I could be also. I ate a granola bar and drank a large glass of water at that time, as well, as I was very thirsty.
After my bath I decided to watch "House of Babies" and load the dishwasher during the commercials. At one time, I had a contraction that really made me think that I might be in labor, as I stopped to lean over the dishwasher while I had it. At about 6:30 a.m., I went up to tell my husband, with tears in my eyes, that I thought I might be in labor (I was a little frightened at the thought of having a baby this early). Then I went back downstairs and rested on the couch, still in denial, but questioning the thought that I might ACTUALLY be in labor.
At around 7:20 a.m. I began to feel a little cramping in my pelvis, and then it happened...my water broke all over my new couch! I wanted so much to tell my dear readers that I was officially in labor, but I couldn't move! I sent my son upstairs to tell my husband that I needed him NOW, and that my water broke and we were having the baby today!!! I also sent one of my other children for a towel.
I then proceeded to call my midwife and tell her that my water just broke...she was also shocked! I called my mom to let her know that I was in labor (so she could pray as she lives about 1000 miles away) and the I called my friend who was to come over to experience her first live birth (however, she was asleep and did not answer her phone, her husband ended up having to drop in between jobs to wake her up!). We then called a family from church and they came to get the children.
I had all of my birth supplies and such, and I had planned to have a homebirth, but due to the fact that I was only 36 weeks, my midwife and I decided it would be best to go to the birthing center (where my midwife was trained). So off we went (after my friend arrived). My husband stayed back to gather some other things and pick up some things at the store.
I was having mild contractions on the way down to the birthing center, but nothing major.
When we arrived at the birthing center, I was dilated to about 2 cm and I was still not having strong contractions. For a while, time seemed to creep along with the contractions staying about 7-8 minutes apart. My husband arrived about 11:00 a.m. with something to eat for everyone but me (I actually ate a little of his sandwich). I was spilling protein into my urine, so I needed to eat.
I occassionally had a really good and painful contraction, but they seemed too few and far between. Then, at around 2:30 p.m. or so, my contractions stopped completely. It was a nice break, but unwelcomed at the time.
My midwife asked me at about 3 p.m. if I wanted some herbal tinctures to help speed the labor along and I was all for it. She gave me the herbal concoctions along with an herbal tea at 3:00, 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. and let me tell you, they worked!!! Almost immediately after she gave them to me, I began to feel my contractions and they hurt!!! With each contraction, I began to say the Lord's prayer to help me through the pain. Focusing my attention on the prayer instead of the contraction helped tremendously!
I was supposed to take the herbal concoction every hour after the first three doses, but after taking the first three, I opted to stop because they had done their job.
By the time I took the third dose of herbs, I began to enter transition. My contractions were very painful and every 2 minutes. I had never experienced transition before, so this was all new to me. My husband and midwives also noticed that all the color had drained out of my face which typically means that I will be at the pushing stage soon.
It was about 4:50 p.m. when I finally felt the urge to push. I got up on the birthing stool and the midwife checked me and I just had a little cervical lip left, which diminished with my first push. I pushed for about 5 minutes or so, and she began to crown.
Once she crowned, I felt the "ring of fire" and with that I pushed out her head. Then I paused briefly, cord was slightly around her neck. Once the cord was removed, I gave another strong push and out she came! The midwives untangled her from the cord, and in the process I learned that we had another beautiful girl. She began crying almost immediately, so I knew that she was okay. Besides being a little blue around her fingers and toes, she was perfect.
As I now reflect on the whole birth experience, I feel very blessed. God took care of me and my baby girl. She came in God's perfect timing!
My children have all been more than willing to hold and cuddle our new little girl. And the boys have graciously accepted the fact that we had ANOTHER GIRL!
I look forward to the years ahead, when I begin to teach my 5 dear daughters to cook, sew, and joyfully serve the LORD.
OUR NEWEST BABY GIRL!!!
Born: August 7, 2007
Time: 5:04 p.m.
Weight: 6 lb. 1 1/2 oz.
Head: 13 1/2 inches
Length: 19 3/4 inches
Blessings!
Heather
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Jul. 24, 2007 Birth Story #3
A Trial and a Blessing
When my youngest son was about 9-months-old, I found out that I was expecting again. Unfortunately that pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at about 8-9 weeks. I will not go into detail because this is supposed to be a birth story. (I will write up my experiences with miscarriage sometime down the road.) So, to make a long story short, when I found out that I was expecting again, I was a little fearful but mostly ecstatic, elated, overjoyed AND I felt that God had promised me this child.
I conceived immediately after my miscarriage. There was no cycle in between. I found out that I was expecting around January 22 (exactly 1 month past the date of my miscarriage).
Many emotions flooded me at this time, but mostly JOY filled my heart. I KNEW God would keep His promise to me. The entire time that I mourned the miscarriage, I felt as if God was telling me that He would give me the next child and He did. My miscarriage actually drew me into God's arms, strengthened my relationship with Him, and made me more aware of how much I needed HIM.
The Birth
My baby was due on October 8, 2000.
On October 7th, a Friday evening, my husband and I were having a peaceful evening. The boys were asleep in bed, and my hubby had asked me to help him to grade some papers (he was a teacher at the time). I helped him for a while, then I decided to take my bath.
It was about 9:30 p.m. when I hopped into the tub and after just a couple of minutes of soaking, I felt my first light contraction. I finished up the bath and then joined my husband again downstairs. I decided to call the doctor on call to let them know that my contractions had begun. I also called my friend who would be watching the children while I was in the hospital (this time we were going to the hospital due to the fact that our insurance would only cover a midwife if she was helping a doctor in a hospital).
I, once again, began to grade papers. The contractions were somewhat irregular and not too painful. But the longer I sat, the more intense they became. I had called my mother to let her know that I was in labor, but this time she could not come to the birth...we had moved 1100 miles away from them the year before (for a job). The contractions continued to be irregular, but they were becoming more and more intense. They became so intense that I stopped grading papers and decided to go up and change into my pajamas/hospital clothes. While I was changing I had a really hard contraction (it was about 11:25 p.m. at the time). Once I was changed, I laid down on the bed to wait out the rest of the contraction (it was a good, long, painful contraction). I rested for about 10 minutes, then went back downstairs and sat down on the love seat. Soon after I sat down, I had another contraction, but this time my water broke. I immediately called the hospital and told them that my water had broke. The nurse asked me, "Do you have the urge to push?" I said, "No.....(then), YES!!!!" We immediately called my friend, who we expected to already be at our house, and told her to meet us at the hospital.
My husband ran up to get our boys and put them in the van (I have never seen him move so fast in my life!!!). Meanwhile I was waddling to the door, trying not to push. Once I was on the porch, the urge to push was so great that I was holding myself (like I had to pee) and bouncing up and down. Mind you, our porch was 10 feet from the road so everyone that drove by got a glimpse of what was going on. Once everyone was safely in the van, my husband helped me into the van (where I sat on a towel). Thankfully, we were only about 5 minutes or so from the hospital.
The entire way to the hospital, I was trying not to push, but the urge was so great that I had no choice. I was holding myself up using the arms of the seat because sitting was almost unbearable.
We arrived at the hospital at 1 a.m. My husband went in to tell them that we were there and an emergency room nurse (who was waiting for me with a wheelchair) immediately came out a got me. Again, I held onto the arms of the chair with my hands so I could keep myself up off the chair...and I was still pushing (but trying not to). While my husband parked the van, they raced me up to the maternity ward into a labor and delivery suite. They helped me to strip my bottom half down and onto the bed I went. There was no time for an IV (thankfully). The doctor, whom I had called at 9:30, was still NOT there. The nurses were very kind though and told me to try and wait on the doctor, but if I couldn't, they could deliver my baby.
I couldn't do anything but push (and say, "I'm sorry!"). By the time my husband had parked the van, grabbed the boys (then 20 months and 3 1/2 years), and came up to the delivery room, the baby was crowning. Still, no doctor. When my oldest son saw me, he said, "Mommy's messy!"
The boys were very intrigued with what was going on. They were told to sit in the corner, but once they saw the baby coming out, they had to see what was going on.
Soon after the baby crowned, the baby was born. They set the baby up on my chest and my husband revealed to me that we had a girl!!! A girl, finally! She was born at 1:17 a.m. on Saturday, October 8 (her due date). After my husband cut the cord, the nurses put her in the plastic crib. She didn't cry, but she was as pink as could be. She was just looking around peacefully. Two minutes after she was born, the doctor walked in, shook his head and walked out of the room. She weighed in at 8 pounds 7 ounces, and she was 20 inches long.
Twenty minutes later, my friend arrived to take the boys back to our house. God worked everything out perfectly. I even got to "break in" a nurse (she had never delivered any babies without a doctor present, but there were other nurses there who had delivered babies without a doctor).
She was my biggest baby by far, but my easiest delivery. I am blessed to have her as a daughter and with every pregnancy afterwards, I have been reminded of her fast and furious delivery.
(She's the one with the goofy smile and the crown of roses and ribbon.)
Blessings!
Heather |
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Jul. 11, 2007 Birth Story #2
I found out that I was expecting my second child shortly after my husband and I discussed the issues of using birth control. As we did our research, we discovered that some birth control pills could cause a miscarriage (or keep a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterine wall). When we realized this, we decide it was time to stop. We would trust God to control our family size.
Just a couple weeks after our discussion, we found out that we were, once again expecting. My oldest son was about 9 months old when we found out, but I was elated! During this time, we decided that once our lease ran out on our duplex that we were going to try to purchase a home. We found a delightful home that, at the time, suited our family.
My due date was January 8, 1999 and that day came and went. I began rearranging furniture around the time of my due date, and cleaning everything that I could get my hands on. I actually rearranged an entire room!!! The nesting urge had hit me, but the baby stayed safely in the comfort of my womb. My mother-in-law arrived about a week after my due date, and waited along with me for the impending delivery. She kept me company as I impatiently waited to go into labor.
I went in for a stress test at about 9 days overdue. The midwife said the baby was fine and that we would wait it out. Tuesday, January 19, my mother-in-law and I decided it was time to go grocery shopping. When I arrived home that day, I noticed that I may have began to lose my mucous plug. Finally, a light at the end of the tunnel!
At about 11:30 p.m. that night, I began to have contractions. I called my mother, and she couldn't help but come over and wait out the night with me. The contractions were very irregular for the longest time. They seemed to regulate a bit by 7 or 8 a.m. the next morning so we called the midwife and told her we were coming in. When we arrived there, I was only dilated to 1 cm, so the midwife told me to go eat breakfast and go to the mall to walk for a while. UGH!!!
Off we went. First we found this little country diner to eat (where all the hunters go to eat breakfast). My son loved the place because he got a huge stack of pancakes, his favorite. Once we were finished eating, we took off to the outdoor mall.
The weather was actually really nice that day. The sun was shining, and I think it was in the 50s. Perfect weather for walking outdoors. We walked and walked, and shopped and shopped, and I labored and labored. I would stop at the benches with each contraction and breathe it out.
Shortly after lunch time we decided it was time to start heading in the direction of the birthing center. I was downright tired of walking stairs and walking on the hard sidewalk, I just wanted to rest on something more comfortable than the hard benches at the mall. However, before we got to the birthing center, we had to make one more stop at Walmart. By that time my contractions were 5 minutes apart and getting stronger with each contraction. I was extremely uncomfortable, but again very calm for the most part. Finally, after our trip to Walmart, we were headed straight for the birthing center...no more stops.
We finally arrived at the birthing center at around 1:30 p.m. or so. The midwife checked me and I was dilated to 7 cm. YEAH!!! I was immediately ready for the jacuzzi with jets. Oh, what a relief to get into the hot tub. It was so relaxing!!! Especially after walking all over the place!!!
When I got out I was dilated to about 9 1/2 cm. Again, NO transition. I was beginning to feel the urge to push, but I needed to empty my bladder one last time. Once I did, the midwife checked me and I was complete.
At about 3:55 p.m., I began pushing...this time I decided to try squatting. Although the squat bar was on backwards, I did find it much easier this time. I had such an urge to push that the midwife was telling me to slow down! I told her, "I can't stop pushing!!! I have to push!!!" After about 25 minutes of pushing, I had a baby! Much faster than the last time! I laid down and she put the baby on the warm towel on my tummy. I couldn't wait for my husband to tell me what I had. I immediately threw the towel off and screamed, "It's a boy, it's a boy!" Our second son was born at about 4:20 p.m. on January 20, 1999 weighing a whopping 7# 14 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long.
My husband tells me that I was crying, but I don't remember the tears, just the joy I felt knowing that I had another little boy. I don't remember much after that. I do know that I tore a little again, so the midwife had to stitch me up.
Nursing was also much easier! He didn't have any problem latching on and nursing. In fact, I think he may have nursed for the first 1 1/2 hours after he was born, but my memory has faded since then, so I am not positive on that fact.
He had me on a schedule within the first week of his life. He nursed every 2 1/2 to 3 hours. He was very colicky, but very much a sweetie!
Blessings!
Heather |
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Jul. 11, 2007 Birth Story #1
As I grow nearer to the birth of this baby, my mind goes back to my previous birth experiences. I have shared these on my other blog and would like to do so on this blog as well, so here goes....
My first pregnancy was a very exciting one. I had never experienced pregnancy, so every new "stage" that I entered was an absolute joy to me. I had folks telling me how healthy and energetic I was for being pregnant....What?! Am I supposed to be sick? The only thing that I really dealt with during this pregnancy was low blood sugar and anemia. I had to relearn how and what to eat, making sure that I avoided sweets and increased my protein intake. My midwife also told me to take liquid chlorophyll and eat leafy green salads for my anemia.
I had chosen to have a midwife deliver me, so I went to their clinic for all of my appointments and the birth. When she checked my pelvis for size, she told me I would have no trouble delivering babies. It was all a new experience, but a very enjoyable one. We were hoping for a boy.
The day drew nearer to my due date which was July 31, 1997. I can remember on July 20th...the day of the full moon, hoping to go into labor. That night my husband and I went for a walk, walking up and down hills and such. That didn't work. I was somewhat disheartened but I knew that I wouldn't be pregnant forever.
On Saturday, July 26th, at 4:30 a.m. I woke up to my first contraction. I was excited, but went back to bed...I am not sure how long I slept, but I was able to go back to sleep. I had irregular contractions throughout the day. We were scheduled that day to clean the church, so that's what we did. I would stop for each contraction, but they still weren't regular at that time. My husband had some brush to haul off, so he and I drove separately to my folks house...Yes, with contractions I drove to my parent's house. (O; The contractions had begun to get more regular, but they weren't really strong yet. We had dinner at my parent's house...PIZZA, but I was getting more and more uncomfortable and was only able to eat one piece. I also took a hot bath at their house to help with the pain.
We headed home sometime around 9 or 10 p.m. and I continued to labor at home. I was having some bad back labor, quite painful, but my contractions were still not very close together. I got on all fours to help the back labor. I can remember rocking back and forth on my hands and knees, and having my husband rub my back (around the sacrum). Around 11:30 p.m. or so we decided it was best if we headed to the birthing center, my mom and sister had come over and they followed us there. Yes, we had called the midwife already, so when we arrived she was waiting on us.
I feel very blessed yet today to still have my mother and sister alive. As they were driving to the birthing center, they were nearly hit head on by someone who appeared to be drinking and driving. God was watching over them, for they arrived safely to the birthing center and were not hit by that driver.
We arrived to the birthing center at 12:30 a.m. There my midwife checked me and I was dilated to 4 cm., I still had a long ways to go. I was beginning to get really uncomfortable, so my midwife suggested that I get into the hot tub with jets. That was SOOOOOO relaxing, I absolutely loved the jacuzzi, in fact while I was in there I could hardly tell that I was in labor. But the time did come for me to get out and when my midwife checked me again I was dilated to 9 cm!!!!
I continued to labor in bed, never experiencing transition. At this time the contractions were coming about five minutes apart, and were pretty intense. However, I was sleeping in between my contractions and I remained calm and focused throughout the labor. Normally, I am a high strung individual, but when I am in labor or pain, I become quite calm and controlled. Unusual, I know. (O;
Finally, I was near 10 cm. with just a little lip that the midwife easily pushed out of the way. I was now able to push, and it felt so good to push. I relieved the pressure that I was feeling. I think I began pushing around 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. I pushed for a long time! I was still resting in between contractions nearly falling asleep, but when the contraction came again I would push. I pushed for nearly 2 hours, until the midwife threatened an episiotomy...then I pushed with all my might and the baby began to crown. Once the head was out, the midwife checked for a cord around the neck and the cord was around the neck twice....no wonder I had such a hard time pushing the baby out!!! Once the head was out, I gave a gentle push and out came baby at 6:57 a.m., Sunday morning, July 27th...the day before my birthday! What a great early birthday present!
The midwife had put a warm towel on my tummy and then baby, and my husband came over to reveal to me that we had a son! He weighed 6# 13 ounces and was 22 inches long. Once the cord stopped pulsing, my husband cut the cord. Then the midwife took our baby boy, rubbed in the vernix, and gave him to daddy while I delivered the placenta. When the midwife examined the sack, she made and amazing discovery! My placenta was very large, in fact it was a double placenta and there was a double sack as well. The midwife showed me the sack. The sack that my son was in, a line down the middle, and a sack next to where my son was. TWO SACKS!!! I was amazed and very grateful for the one son that I had. The thought of possibly having twins was quite amazing to me. What an awesome God we have!
I tore a little with the delivery, so the midwife put in a couple of stitches (one's that dissolve). I was able to nurse him almost immediately, but as a first time mother, I struggled to get him to nurse. I stayed at the birthing center for about 4 hours and then was able to go home. I don't remember much when we got home, except when I had to nurse him at about 12:30 a.m. I remember sitting up in bed, Indian style and dreaming that I was feeding my son peas and carrots!!! Oh, what the mind does when you are so exhausted. This feeding he actually seemed to "get it" that is, nursing, finally he was nursing well. I remember that I had struggled all day trying to get him to nurse.
My mom and sister came to visit me the next day, and brought me flowers and a balloon for my birthday. I think I had actually forgotten it was my birthday, but that birthday in particular, I felt very, very, VERY blessed!!! I have received a son from the LORD!!!
 Blessings!
Heather |
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As you can probably imagine, I am still in shock that I already have a baby in my arms. I have never gone this early and I entered this labor feeling unprepared and surprised. I think that I went into labor partially because I have been so incredibly busy this last month (July). The last two weeks of July were especially busy for me, so I blame part of the early delivery simply on stress. Here are a few things that went on 2 weeks prior to delivery:
