It has taken me a full week to get this out. I have been trying to process it all....that and 4 kids keeps me a bit busy!! I just took my 1st nap since she was born!!!
After a false start on Wed where I progressed to 4 cm and stopped I felt like a walking time bomb. Saturday we walked for the better part of 4 hours!! I went to bed thinking that if that didn't do it nothing would. I did ask my baby to consider coming out the next day as my DAd would be home and able to help with the other 3 and it would nicely complete our circle. Her oldest brother was supposed to come Jan 8, but was 7 weeks early. It felt right that she should come on that day.
Sun Jan 8 I was awoken at 4:30 with a very intense contraction. I was going to just go back to sleep but something told me to get up. I went and sat on the couch and was feeling very shivery. By 5 I knew this was real. I called my Mom to come stay with the others and then woke dh. He laughs that I let him sleep in "one more time". Truth was he is kinda loud and I didn't want him to wake the kids!
My mom arrived around 6 and off we went.
The hospital was about 45min away. I kept asking him to stop during contractions....notreally possible on the expressway! I did make him stop at red lights and stay through contractions. Bumps are very uncomfortable during contractions! We got there, did the 20min test strip, got settled. The room was kept very dim and we were left alone. The nurse we had was amazing!! She was so calm, peaceful, and respectful of what we were doing. I feel like we got as close to a homebirth as we could with our birth team. Iwas checked about 45 min after we got there and was 8cm!! I knew I was transitioning in the car....don't rec it. The mw was there when we needed her. I asked for her once just for a calming measure and again when I thought I should push. I was fine until it was time to push. I hadbeen dreading that part and had some fear. Why I don't know. I had done this3 times before. I fought this stage really hard this time. I tried not pushing, I ranted and wanted to just leave my body. I could not give in to it. I know this is why I pushed longer with her than my last 2!! I pushed for 30 min. I watched her head emerging and then I had to shut my eyes to concentrate and PUSH. God the relief of that head! Then the shoulders and body slid out in a hot rush. My wonderful husband got to catch her little body. He cried like a baby. He who was afraid of having a girl. He shouted with joy "it's a girl". I fell in love a little bit more right then. She was out and perfect in every way.
Cait was eventually weighed, 7lbs 12oz! This made us laugh. I guess my uterus has a timer: it's Sunday, baby is 7 12oz, out. My last 3 babes were born on Sundays and all weighed 7lbs 12oz!!! Weird.
My Mom and Dad brought our boys up to meet their new sister. They all adore her and she never wants for arms to hold her. Our family is complete.
I think that covers it. My water never broke until pushing, but that is how all my births have gone. Midwife was amazing. We feel out family is complete, but there is a part of me that is sad that we will not be doing this again. I am just trying to savor every bit of Cait as a newborn. Ahhhh the hormones.
Time to nurse!!
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbNnDJi4ZOXyg
hope the pic link works- I think you have to cut and paste.
After a false start on Wed where I progressed to 4 cm and stopped I felt like a walking time bomb. Saturday we walked for the better part of 4 hours!! I went to bed thinking that if that didn't do it nothing would. I did ask my baby to consider coming out the next day as my DAd would be home and able to help with the other 3 and it would nicely complete our circle. Her oldest brother was supposed to come Jan 8, but was 7 weeks early. It felt right that she should come on that day.
Sun Jan 8 I was awoken at 4:30 with a very intense contraction. I was going to just go back to sleep but something told me to get up. I went and sat on the couch and was feeling very shivery. By 5 I knew this was real. I called my Mom to come stay with the others and then woke dh. He laughs that I let him sleep in "one more time". Truth was he is kinda loud and I didn't want him to wake the kids!
My mom arrived around 6 and off we went.The hospital was about 45min away. I kept asking him to stop during contractions....notreally possible on the expressway! I did make him stop at red lights and stay through contractions. Bumps are very uncomfortable during contractions! We got there, did the 20min test strip, got settled. The room was kept very dim and we were left alone. The nurse we had was amazing!! She was so calm, peaceful, and respectful of what we were doing. I feel like we got as close to a homebirth as we could with our birth team. Iwas checked about 45 min after we got there and was 8cm!! I knew I was transitioning in the car....don't rec it. The mw was there when we needed her. I asked for her once just for a calming measure and again when I thought I should push. I was fine until it was time to push. I hadbeen dreading that part and had some fear. Why I don't know. I had done this3 times before. I fought this stage really hard this time. I tried not pushing, I ranted and wanted to just leave my body. I could not give in to it. I know this is why I pushed longer with her than my last 2!! I pushed for 30 min. I watched her head emerging and then I had to shut my eyes to concentrate and PUSH. God the relief of that head! Then the shoulders and body slid out in a hot rush. My wonderful husband got to catch her little body. He cried like a baby. He who was afraid of having a girl. He shouted with joy "it's a girl". I fell in love a little bit more right then. She was out and perfect in every way.
Cait was eventually weighed, 7lbs 12oz! This made us laugh. I guess my uterus has a timer: it's Sunday, baby is 7 12oz, out. My last 3 babes were born on Sundays and all weighed 7lbs 12oz!!! Weird.
My Mom and Dad brought our boys up to meet their new sister. They all adore her and she never wants for arms to hold her. Our family is complete.
I think that covers it. My water never broke until pushing, but that is how all my births have gone. Midwife was amazing. We feel out family is complete, but there is a part of me that is sad that we will not be doing this again. I am just trying to savor every bit of Cait as a newborn. Ahhhh the hormones.
Time to nurse!!
share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbNnDJi4ZOXyg
hope the pic link works- I think you have to cut and paste.
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