A Birth Story and a Load of Photos

Let's start with the photos and then if you don't want to read about the details of sweet Ben's birth you can ditch out on the blog and still get the good stuff.  Deal?

 

 

He was asleep when I laid him down and then apparently he wasn't.  I guess the light out the window was way too interesting.

 

We bought Isaac this new little table so he could have a special place to do fun things while I am caring for the baby.  So far it's successful about 25 percent of the time.  But hey, I'll take it.

I love photos of my boys and their Daddy.

 

 

 

first bath at home

Isaac reading a book to Ben.  I wasn't sure how to take a good picture of it and still be able to monitor the situation so the big book didn't end up on Ben's head.  This is what I got.  Certainly not as adorable in the photo as it was in person.

My attempt at a one week old photo shoot.  It was only moderately successful.  I suppose I should have just hired a professional.

 

 

 

And The Birth of Ben:

I had an appointment with my Doctor on my Birthday.  She had to bump it up a day due to a death in her family.  She stripped my membranes (for the 3rd time) and said if I delivered before 6 am the next morning she would be there.  Otherwise I was left to whom ever was on call.  Jacob took the afternoon off to celebrate my birthday and we went for a long walk with Isaac hoping to get things going.  I was feeling more regular braxton hicks contractions but nothing significant.  We had planned to go out to dinner and by the time that rolled around I was having second thoughts because things were feeling "different."  After about 30 minutes I decided it was probably nothing and we should go out as planned.  So we headed to Red Robin for some burgers.  PS: Red Robin made a stupid new policy change about their bottomless fries.  Jacob blogged about it if interested.

I ate a lot at the restaurant, way more than is good for a person under normal circumstances and way, way more than is good for a very pregnant person.  I do NOT recommend a huge meal the night before giving birth.  Just FYI.

Most of my braxton hicks contractions had subsided and I was resigned to the idea that this baby wasn't coming in time for my doctor to deliver.  And that proved to be true, by about 3 hours.

At about 4 am on December 5th, my water broke.  I woke up to use the restroom and felt a little bit of fluid, nothing gushing or anything, but I was pretty certain that my water had broken.  So I woke Jacob and called the Dr's office.  The on call doc called back and had us head to the ER to check for sure if the water broke. We called our friend Lori to come stay with Isaac.  I had changed out of my pj's and was putting on my shoes when any question of "if" my water broke were answered.  I stood up and definitely had a gush of fluid.  So I changed again and we made our way to the ER.

Once there they did the amni-sure test and admitted me.  I was dilated to a 4 same as I had been at the appointment the previous day.  I was having some contractions but nothing severe.  Labor wasn't progressing very quickly so they decided to put me on pitocin and started that drip at about 8 am.  I had warned the staff that I progressed very quickly with Isaac on pitocin after my water broke so they were monitoring me closely.  The nurse was watching the monitors and adjusting the level of pitocin drip every so often.  I started feeling more and more uncomfortable while sitting on a ball and Jacob rubbed my back.  Eventually I decided to stand up to get more comfortable.  At about 9:15 ish the nurse wanted me to get back in bed and lay on the left side because the baby's heart rate was falling too low.  I climbed into bed and  on the next contraction told the nurse I thought I needed to push.  She mentioned something about noticing my level of discomfort increasing and thought I was probably getting close.  She checked me and I was dilated to a 7.  So, I progressed from a 4 to a 7 in about an hour.  She called in the hospital nurse midwife and several other nurses.  The midwife checked me when she got in, maybe 4 minutes after the nurse had checked me and I was at a 9 and a half and definitely feeling the urge to push.  The midwife asked the nurse how long before the doctor arrived and they were asking me to breath through the contractions and not push.  I think I said "please don't make me wait."  The midwife looked very sympathetic and told me I could do what my body told me to do.  So on the next contraction I began pushing.  The midwife did mention that I still had a little "lip" that needed to dilate and to push slowly or something so I didn't tear my cervix.  Thank goodness that didn't happen.  That sounds terrible.  The doctor arrived as I was pushing and asked the nurse if he had time to go change into his scrubs.  They told him he best not do that.  I pushed through 4 or 5 more contractions and little Ben was here.  Just as with Isaac I had opted not to have the epidural.  That whole procedure scares me.  But I felt the pain of childbirth much more acutely with this little guy.  I'm pretty sure the words "I can't do this.  I want to die."  Were uttered.  At least that's what Jacob says.  But then once the head was through I was pretty good to go.  There was an audible sigh of relief or maybe more cheers when the placenta detached on it's own.  No complications like I had with Isaac.  And what a difference it has made in recovery!  I feel great and mostly full of energy.

And now less of the physical details and more of the emotions.  After so much pain, when I finally saw Ben's head and got to help rub him off while he was placed on my chest, I cried many tears of relief and was really overcome with love for my boy who was finally here.  I don't remember feeling an instant connection with Isaac...it took a little time.  But this little boy has found a place in my heart from the start.  I know that's sappy, but it's also true.  I also was so pleased to see he had the "Carter" dimples on his shoulders.  And then I looked at Jacob and said something like "He's here.  Look at him.  He's perfect."  So happy.  So glad to be done with labor.  So in love with my boys, all 3 of them!