Seth’s “Birth”-Day January 28, 2008

With our second child, Ryan and I still wanted to take the childbirth classes again, even though it hadn’t been that long since the first time.  I love that my husband is so involved and takes his role of coaching very seriously. We can both always use more information to be healthier and gain more knowledge and even have helpful reminders of things we may have already known……but, ok, honestly, mostly I love going to class once a week to get a nice relaxing massage. I’ll admit, that was my motivation when I didn’t really feel like getting my huge pregnant body out the door.  But, no, really, it is all very important, we are very grateful for all the preparation and advice we got out of it.

So, my second birth experience had a few things in common with my first.  They were both 4-5 days overdue. They were both fairly large (8lb4oz & 9lb11oz). And they were both uncomplicated, unmedicated, wonderfully natural labors. Oh yes, they were both a lotta hard work too!

Well, I had been having a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions this 2nd time around, but other than that, I had no real warning signs working up to my labor. One autumn Sunday afternoon, we were just spending the day at home, and Ryan was outside raking leaves. Lexi had been playing outside with him, and as she was coming inside, I bent down to help her take off her dirty shoes at the front door. Suddenly, I felt a water balloon burst in my pants. No kidding, that’s what it feels like. Only it’s a big water balloon, and it’s coming from inside you. I was still standing at the door, so I yelled to Ryan, who was still outside, “Ryan! MY WATER JUST BROKE!”

And, I will never forget his answer, as he froze, rake in hand, standing next to the wheelbarrow.  “Are you sure?” 

Needless to say, yeah, I was pretty sure. So, we threw several large bath towels on this gigantic puddle and mopped it up a little, got ready to go, grabbed the hospital bag, called my aunt to come get Lexi.  It took us almost half an hour to get out the door, and the contractions which had started when my water broke, were starting to get a little harder. I was still not even in full blown concentration to deal with them, but I could feel them. But I knew that we still needed to get to the hospital because of losing my bag of water.

Well, we still had to go through triage, and they said, yes indeed my water had broke. (Duh). So by the time we got checked into the room, and people were starting to arrive (we had made calls while we were driving in), my labor was progressing pretty rapidly. It got really intense really quickly. I was having a little trouble keeping my breathing controlled, I think because it just came on so hard so fast, and I didn’t get a chance to really work up to it. I was struggling with some mild hyperventilation, and getting frustrated by that.  At one point, I wanted to change positions a little so that Ryan could get at my low back to do some counterpressure, so I got on my knees on the bed and turned around to lean over the head of the bed.  Well, for some reason, that was easier to breathe! And, it really helped to have Ryan massaging my back. (His arms were pretty tired by the end. Good thing it was a pretty quick labor!) Well, after a little while, which of course felt like a long while, they said I was fully dilated They had called the doctor to get down there, now, so I turned back over to get into an easier position for pushing. It all happened pretty quick then, the doctor came in, I started pushing, I remember the crowning hurt really bad (they don’t call it the “ring of fire” for nothing), even though I didn’t tear or need an episiotomy or anything. And within a couple of pushes, there was my baby boy!

He was so chubby, and perfect, and had dark fuzzy hair (which incidentally all fell out later).  Yes, I did say 9 pounds 11 ounces earlier! But, as my bigger baby, he was actually much easier to get out. And, as with Lexi, he had those same huge bright eyes. He was so alert, and looking around. He had no problems latching on to start nursing. 

Altogether, the total time of my being in labor was about 3 hours or so, I think. It was surreal, how fast it went. My water broke sometime around 4pm, and Seth was born a little after 7pm. It was so funny a little later after he was born, and our families were like, “Uh, ok, I guess we’ll just go on home now…..” Because usually a labor that starts in the late afternoon is going to go on all night, we were all not quite sure what to do with ourselves.

Well, I really missed my Lexi, and so we decided to let her just go on to bed where she was that night, and just get home as soon as possible in the morning. So, we had a good, quiet night, then jumped throught all the hoops and got checked out first thing the next morning (a little earlier than is usually allowed). We laughed when we got home and saw Ryan’s rake still leaning in the yard where he dropped it, and said we should take a picture of it, and call it “are you sure?”

The difficulties of labor do quickly fade from memory, as the reward that is now in my arms takes all my attention, and steals my heart. I am so thankful for these precious blessings entrusted to my care.

Lexi’s “Birth”-Day January 22, 2008

Who doesn’t like to talk about themselves, really?  So, just in case anyone really wants to know what my own experiences of giving birth were like, read on. And even if you don’t, I’m gonna tell you anyway. We moms go through a lot of hard work to bring a child into the world, the least we get is a few bragging rights. ..And a little awe wouldn’t hurt.

So, when Lexi was born, we’d been married for about a year and a half. She was due on Dec. 30th, and I was so worried that she was going to show up on Christmas Day. I refused to make any firm plans with either of our families, because we might have to celebrate in the hospital. But she didn’t come. And then, I had a couple of friends moving away right at the end of the year who wanted to meet her, but she didn’t come. And, my little brother was going back to college after vacation, and he told her to hurry up so he could be an uncle, but she didn’t come.  About now, we were starting to get the feeling this was going to be a stubborn child. (That’s an understatement.)

She finally did come, in her own sweet time, after an appointment one afternoon when the doctor scraped my membranes a little bit to get things moving (yes, I know, that sounds a little gross, get over it). After my appointment, I went home and soon started having contractions. So we started timing them, but like most first time parents, we had already spent several nights amusing ourselves by timing contractions, obsessing over whether they were getting closer, or how do we know it’s real, and all of that. But, armed with our childbirth class instructions (thank you, Sharon) to go in when they were 3-5 minutes apart, increasing in intensity, and been that way for an hour, we decided it was time to go in.

When we got to the birthing center, at which point I was very uncomfortable, we had to go to triage. Since I was only dilated to about 4cm, they were about to send me home, but then my water broke. I still remember the nurse seeing my water break and saying “Well, she’s a keeper!” and they got me into a room.  But since I had lost my water, the contractions began to get more and more intense. I tried to go in the bathtub, but that’s about the time I got sick and had to throw up….so I got back out of the tub.  Here’s where it starts to get a little foggy. (There’s a form of amnesia that kicks in down the road, that helps you to forget a little bit). I remember just having my eyes closed and breathing through one contraction at a time. I won’t kid you, it is difficult. But in the grand scheme of life it is for such a short time period, and it’s worth what comes next. When it was time to push, (an unmistakable “urge”, similar to the gag reflex-when something wants to come out, just get outta the way!), I do remember that. The doctor came in, I’m not really sure at what point she got there, I just opened my eyes and there she was. There were actually quite a few people that I had invited to be a part of the experience, but I was not really even aware of who all was there. I was too focused and concentrating on my work. But anyways, I think the pushing lasted for about half an hour, and then my baby’s heart rate started to drop a little more than was acceptable, and the doctor said she needed to do an episiotomy to get her out pretty quickly. I actually didn’t even feel it, and then there was my baby! I was a little in shock, I think. I was thinking, this baby is for me?, and I mean I knew she was mine, but now what to I do? So, I held her, skin to skin on my chest, and everyone got a look at her, and I said what I think everyone says when they do something really great: “Look, Mom!”, and my mom was there, holding my hand through the whole thing, along with my wonderful husband.

Alexis Ann was born! It was about 3am, and I remember she came out with these big, bright eyes, looking around and so alert. She was a good nurser, right from the start, and later that day, Daddy gave her her first bath. He was a little nervous, but he did just fine.  

Altogether, the intensity of labor can be a little scary, and it’s something that is definitely outside of your control, but I was so thankful that I was prepared for it. I truly believe that knowledge takes away so much of the fear, when it’s not such an unknown. I knew to some degree what to expect, and had practiced a lot of tools to deal with it, and done many exercises to train my body to have the best possible experience.

And so, that was how I proudly joined the ranks we call motherhood, and now share a common bond of experience with millions of women before me who have had a natural, healthy labor.