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My babe has arrived! - Birth Story and Photos Added

2K views 34 replies 31 participants last post by  beansavi 
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Liam James is here! We left shortly after I posted my update for the hospital, and he arrived at 4:38am on 09/08/07! He is 7lbs and 20 inches, a long, skinny babe like we predicted. I jumped into the birth tub about 20 minutes after we arrived and that is where he was born, it was the most intense and empowering experience of my life. I will update soon with the full birth story and lots of pictures!

Oh and......NAK!

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I'm sorry this took me so long, we've been having some nursing issues that are hopefully going to be resolved very soon. I miss checking in on everyone and seeing updates on all the new babies, hopefully I can start posting again on a regular basis soon!

Late thursday night and early friday morning I started losing bits of mucus plug. I had contractions that lasted about an hour around 5am and stopped, so I didn't really assume much of it. At 1:30 on friday afternoon Andrew and I went to a barbecue for ROTC and everyone was asking me if I felt like the baby would arrive soon considering it was my due date, fully expecting to go late I told them no. Shortly after leaving the barbecue around 2:30 contractions started up again and I had the desperate urge to get a few last things and finally purchase a new exercise ball, and still wasn't convinced labor was starting. Contractions became regular around 5:30 and I could time them as lasting 40-50 seconds and being around 2-3 minutes apart, still wasn't entirely convinced I was in labor.

I decided I would try and get some rest and laid down in bed which really kicked things into gear and I had to get up and move. I alternated between pacing around the house, sitting on the exercise ball, and rocking in my rocking chair with the heating pad on my back. Contractions got more intense and all I wanted to do was strip off my clothes and get in the shower for some relief. A little before 10pm Andrew called our mw and told her how close my contractions were and that I was ready to try something else, she suggested the hospital so we told her we'd leave shortly and she would have my room ready. As Andrew rushed around getting the last of our things together I sat in my rocking chair in the dark and fireworks started going off down the street from our house. What a way to kick off the arrival of a baby!

It seems every staff member in the hospital was waiting for us when we arrived, they get maybe 200 births a year here so its typically a very exciting thing for everyone, especially a water birth. I consented to a 20 minute monitoring strip and saw that my contractions were almost on top of each other which I hadn't even realized until I saw it on the screen, I had been doing a good job of losing track of time and really going inside myself during them. My midwife arrived and checked me, I was 5cm and 100% effaced.

She got me off the monitor and the birth tub was almost filled so I jumped in and felt immediate relief. The rest of my labor was really peaceful and serene, my midwife would come in from time to time and sit quietly with us and the nurses would check my blood pressure, everyone was very quiet and left the lights off. It was mostly Andrew and I alone together. He did a fantastic job of keeping me going and making sure I stayed hydrated. I never went through the kind of transition I thought I would, contractions were lasting longer and I began vocalizing through them, and using the water to rock my body back and forth, but I never felt like things were out of control like I had imagined.

She checked me for the second time and I was 9cm, I started feeling pushy shortly after which helped break my water, but had an anterior lip so stayed between 9-10cm for about 2 hours. That's when things became really frustrating and painful because all I wanted to do was push and couldn't, I tried resting on my right side in the pool and after 3 or 4 of the most painful contractions , I was REALLY ready to push.

The nurses and my mw were quietly encouraging me to keep going and reassured me I was doing a great job. I alternated positions during pushing, and was able to reach in and feel the baby's head descend. Talk about motivation! My body had completely taken over, pushing his head out was unlike anything I have ever experienced, I don't think I will ever forget the feeling of his body leaving mine. As soon as he was born I scooped him up and held him close with a warm blanket around us, Andrew announced at first that he was a girl, but I told him to look again and he confirmed a boy


His cord was cut and we spent some time relaxing in the warm tub, after getting out we spent a little over an hour cuddling in bed and nursing until I felt ready to clean up. I ended up with a 1st degree tear but didn't need stitches, although that hasn't been the most fun thing to deal with. Our stay in the hospital was a pleasant one, our birth plan was entirely followed and everyone was really helpful, something one doesn't expect often in a hospital birth. It turns out that maybe a handful of the 200 births at our hospital are water births, so we were pretty fascinating to all the nurses since many people start out in the tub but feel better birthing on dry land.

He's an awesome little guy and I really can't imagine life without him now, although a part of me still can't believe I actually gave birth. Here are some pictures:

After Arrival

Laboring in the pool

Just born

Proud papa

Still a little too small for his newborn clothes

Nursing

Proud mama

On our way home
 
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