Our sweet boy, Ezra, was born at home at 4:21 this morning after a very fast birth. He weighed in at 10lbs, 4oz and measured 21 5/8". So far he is a sleeping and nursing miracle and a delight to all, especially his 2.5 yr old sister.
It is hard to believe that less than 24 hrs ago I was lamenting the prospect of being pregnant forever!
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I've finally finished writing Ezra's birth story. It's kind of long...
Saturday night, after putting our daughter to bed, my husband and I watched a movie. At about 10 PM I started noticing that the braxton hicks I was having were a little painful. They still felt nothing like the early labor contractions I had with my daughter so I thought they were just strong braxton hicks. I had lost part of my mucous plug and had some pink discharge in the three days prior, but knew that could mean nothing.
At 11:30, when our movie was over, I confessed to my husband that I thought I might be having contractions, but still wasn't sure. I thought if I went to bed they would peter out. I got in bed at about 11:40, my husband said he would join me soon. I timed three contractions just to see if they were at all regular--they came seven minutes apart and lasted exactly a minute. By 12:15 my husband had come to bed and kept telling me to fall asleep so he could. I lay as still as possible until I heard him snoring a little bit and then I finally got out of bed at 1ish.
I knew I needed to get some rest but had a hard time finding a comfortable position on the couch during the contractions. I ate a piece of toast, tried to check MDC (but our internet was down), and read a little bit between contractions. I was so concerned about my husband and daughter getting as much sleep as possible that I didn't really pay attention to how close or strong the contractions were. I really wanted to get in the bath but our bathroom is right between the two bedrooms so I waited.
I kept thinking about calling my mom to come over but didn't want to wake her up if I was still in early labor. I think I was so preoccupied with everyone getting as much sleep as possible, that I didn't factor in my labor well. I was really unsure about where I was--I thought I was just having painful early labor.
At two I decided to take a bath and then call my mom. I was in the bath for almost an hour. I tried reading between contractions, then just lay with my head on the edge of the tub between them. I found sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bathtub (facing the outside long edge of the tub) was the most comfortable. At least once I got out of the bath to have a bowel movement.
I started breathing, chanting and moaning through the contractions. I heard my daughter get out of bed and go in my room. She asked my husband, "Where is mommy?" but I couldn't hear his response. I did hear him take her back to her room. I was feeling loud during the contractions and decided to get out and call my mom. I wanted either her or the tub and felt like it would be best to get out of the tub in hopes that my daughter would sleep more.
I opened the bathroom door and my husband was sitting in the hallway (where we sit to get our daughter to sleep--just outside of her room) and grinned at me, "I know what this means," he said. I told him I was going to call my mom and went in the livingroom. I know now that it was 3 AM when I called my mom. I felt emotional and really thought I just needed her to come for emotional support--not because I was close to giving birth. I called and told her I hadn't even called my midwife yet, but I just wanted her to come over. She said she was on her way. A few minutes later I decided to call my sister too. She was to be our daughter's support person and while my daughter was still in her bed she wasn't falling back asleep. I thought my sister might be needed sooner rather than later.
I think the contractions started getting stronger when I got out of the bath because I really wanted to get back in to wait for my mom. I was in the bath when she arrived and in between contractions she told me she though we should call my midwife. I was concerned that it was too soon, I didn't want everyone to lose too much sleep, but my mom (former midwife, ob nurse and current nursing instructor) assurred me it wasn't too soon. She told my husband it was time to get the bed ready. She realized I was close, but I still did not.
My water broke shortly thereafter and the contractions intensified. I got out of the tub to go to the toilet. I was sitting there and realized that I was pushing. I said to my mom, "I think I'm pushing. Am I pushing?" Just after that my midwife arrived and someone told me that the bed was ready. I made it as far as the bathmat and had to kneel down. My sister arrived then (at 3:40) and in between contractions I was helped to my room.
I climbed on the bed, and since my husband was holding our daughter who had woken up about ten minutes before, I grabbed onto my sister for support. I knelt facing her for a while, my arms wrapped around her neck. I felt my baby move into my birth canal and realized, finally, that this baby was coming soon. That realization allowed me to relax mentally; I had thought I had hours to go and here I was with a nearly crowning baby.
The pain was so immense, however, that I found myself tensing my entire body. Reading Ina May must have come back to me because I knew that if I concentrated on breathing out during the contractions that I would be able to relax and allow my uterus to push the baby out.
And that is just what happened. I breathed out as forcefully as I could and felt with each breath that my body relaxed and the baby moved. I never helped push; I didn't use my abdominal muscles at all. My baby crowned through an entire contraction and the space between, and the the head and one hand (under the chin) was born. Nearly two minutes passed before my baby's body emerged, at 4:21 AM.
I laid down on my side and lifted him to me, discovering that he was a boy by moving his cord from between his legs. We lay facing each other, him crying gently (he isn't much of a crier) and me taking him in.
Afterward everyone was joking about camping out in shifts the next time we have a baby. Two of my cousins (one the birth photographer) had arrived maybe five minutes before he was born and my mother-in-law didn't make it until about ten minutes after.
It is hard to believe that less than 24 hrs ago I was lamenting the prospect of being pregnant forever!
***************************************
I've finally finished writing Ezra's birth story. It's kind of long...
Saturday night, after putting our daughter to bed, my husband and I watched a movie. At about 10 PM I started noticing that the braxton hicks I was having were a little painful. They still felt nothing like the early labor contractions I had with my daughter so I thought they were just strong braxton hicks. I had lost part of my mucous plug and had some pink discharge in the three days prior, but knew that could mean nothing.
At 11:30, when our movie was over, I confessed to my husband that I thought I might be having contractions, but still wasn't sure. I thought if I went to bed they would peter out. I got in bed at about 11:40, my husband said he would join me soon. I timed three contractions just to see if they were at all regular--they came seven minutes apart and lasted exactly a minute. By 12:15 my husband had come to bed and kept telling me to fall asleep so he could. I lay as still as possible until I heard him snoring a little bit and then I finally got out of bed at 1ish.
I knew I needed to get some rest but had a hard time finding a comfortable position on the couch during the contractions. I ate a piece of toast, tried to check MDC (but our internet was down), and read a little bit between contractions. I was so concerned about my husband and daughter getting as much sleep as possible that I didn't really pay attention to how close or strong the contractions were. I really wanted to get in the bath but our bathroom is right between the two bedrooms so I waited.
I kept thinking about calling my mom to come over but didn't want to wake her up if I was still in early labor. I think I was so preoccupied with everyone getting as much sleep as possible, that I didn't factor in my labor well. I was really unsure about where I was--I thought I was just having painful early labor.
At two I decided to take a bath and then call my mom. I was in the bath for almost an hour. I tried reading between contractions, then just lay with my head on the edge of the tub between them. I found sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bathtub (facing the outside long edge of the tub) was the most comfortable. At least once I got out of the bath to have a bowel movement.
I started breathing, chanting and moaning through the contractions. I heard my daughter get out of bed and go in my room. She asked my husband, "Where is mommy?" but I couldn't hear his response. I did hear him take her back to her room. I was feeling loud during the contractions and decided to get out and call my mom. I wanted either her or the tub and felt like it would be best to get out of the tub in hopes that my daughter would sleep more.
I opened the bathroom door and my husband was sitting in the hallway (where we sit to get our daughter to sleep--just outside of her room) and grinned at me, "I know what this means," he said. I told him I was going to call my mom and went in the livingroom. I know now that it was 3 AM when I called my mom. I felt emotional and really thought I just needed her to come for emotional support--not because I was close to giving birth. I called and told her I hadn't even called my midwife yet, but I just wanted her to come over. She said she was on her way. A few minutes later I decided to call my sister too. She was to be our daughter's support person and while my daughter was still in her bed she wasn't falling back asleep. I thought my sister might be needed sooner rather than later.
I think the contractions started getting stronger when I got out of the bath because I really wanted to get back in to wait for my mom. I was in the bath when she arrived and in between contractions she told me she though we should call my midwife. I was concerned that it was too soon, I didn't want everyone to lose too much sleep, but my mom (former midwife, ob nurse and current nursing instructor) assurred me it wasn't too soon. She told my husband it was time to get the bed ready. She realized I was close, but I still did not.
My water broke shortly thereafter and the contractions intensified. I got out of the tub to go to the toilet. I was sitting there and realized that I was pushing. I said to my mom, "I think I'm pushing. Am I pushing?" Just after that my midwife arrived and someone told me that the bed was ready. I made it as far as the bathmat and had to kneel down. My sister arrived then (at 3:40) and in between contractions I was helped to my room.
I climbed on the bed, and since my husband was holding our daughter who had woken up about ten minutes before, I grabbed onto my sister for support. I knelt facing her for a while, my arms wrapped around her neck. I felt my baby move into my birth canal and realized, finally, that this baby was coming soon. That realization allowed me to relax mentally; I had thought I had hours to go and here I was with a nearly crowning baby.
The pain was so immense, however, that I found myself tensing my entire body. Reading Ina May must have come back to me because I knew that if I concentrated on breathing out during the contractions that I would be able to relax and allow my uterus to push the baby out.
And that is just what happened. I breathed out as forcefully as I could and felt with each breath that my body relaxed and the baby moved. I never helped push; I didn't use my abdominal muscles at all. My baby crowned through an entire contraction and the space between, and the the head and one hand (under the chin) was born. Nearly two minutes passed before my baby's body emerged, at 4:21 AM.
I laid down on my side and lifted him to me, discovering that he was a boy by moving his cord from between his legs. We lay facing each other, him crying gently (he isn't much of a crier) and me taking him in.
Afterward everyone was joking about camping out in shifts the next time we have a baby. Two of my cousins (one the birth photographer) had arrived maybe five minutes before he was born and my mother-in-law didn't make it until about ten minutes after.
:
Wowee, what a big boy!! Love his name 
