There's a Baby in the House! My Natural Birth Story

There's a baby in the house!

What a transition. We were a threesome family for so long, that this little one has really added such a new dimension to our lives. I am in such a state of bliss, I can't even express! I knew adding another life to our family was what was meant for our lives, but I never could have imagined how complete it would make me, neh, us feel. For a while we were content having an only child. Now we find ourself spouting that old cliche, "I can't imagine life without her in it now."

She did not want to face the world, however. Her due date came and went and so did my ankles, my sleep, and my patience. I was very determined to have this baby naturally with zero interventions. However with my last sonogram, she was weighing in at 9 lbs already, so I knew if she didn't begin to make known her intentions to come into the world, I would have to make it known for her. I did not want to be induced. I read (too much knowledge is a bad thing sometimes) that statistically, women who are induced have a much higher chance of getting an epidural and even a c-section. Bummer! But, the day came that I knew if I wasn't induced, she probably wouldn't fit through the birth canal without the doctor getting A LOT of stitching practice afterwards. So I decided it was time to induce.

My husband and I took a yoga workshop and The Bradly Method to help with natural birthing. So we had, in our arsenal -along with massage gadgets, a fully loaded ipod with awesome music, and coconut water- some tricks and tips to get through a natural birth together. The first couple of hours were free-flowing. We were peaceful and giggly with friendly comings and goings of our AWESOME nurse dotted in between semi-intense contractions. Chris kept me comfortable with the warming up the rice sack, massages, making silly jokes, handing me the ipod, gum, water, small snacks, raspberry leaf tea, and little magical kisses for both me and the belly. I walked around the room and we rocked together like we were doing a birthing waltz.

Then transition!

WOWZA! Here we go!

I was told I was 6 centimeters when the transition contractions hit. The nurse turned up the pitocin and it began to rock my world. I was told that I would dialate quickly if I turned on my side, so I did. This was the most pain I'd ever experienced. Chris was there, holding my hand, coaching me on. I remember groaning. "I can't!" "It's too much! I just can't" I told myself over and over I wouldn't say 'can't'! Of course I could, women have been through this since the beginning of time - I CAN! But boy, it sure felt like I couldn't! My husband, bless him, was there. He kept reminding me that I'm doing what is best for me and the baby and that I COULD! He remembered everything we learned, while I couldn't remember so much as my name. I remember one particular thing he told me in the middle of all that pain. He said, "You're doing it! You're almost there! It'll be over soon. Not every woman can do this and you are doing it!" It makes me cry now just typing that. He was a rock. I was a mess. It was totally normal and natural. He kissed me when I needed him to kiss me and he did not faulter. We have been through hell and back together in our relationship through the years and this only sealed our bond tighter.

There was no going back now!

It was time to push. The nurse told me not to push because I was only 8 centimeters and if I pushed I would swell up my cervix and that would make it hard to dialate fully. I was sitting up now. I felt so much pressure, but I breathed, err, groaned through them. I tried not to yell because I was told it is counterproductive to yell. It basically tells your body you are in danger which is the last thing you want your body to think! I sat up straight and told the nurse I need to push. She called the doctor to come right over. I kind of just said to myself, "I don't care what y'all WANT me to do...I'm freakin' pushing!" It was an urge that is indescribable. I just yelled, "I am going to push, I need to push!" It was at that moment, I felt no more pain. The pain just kind of...disappeared. I felt excited, almost like I could run up Mount Everest in 10 minutes! I loved it. All I could think was, 'I am actually doing this!' I heard the nurse (did I mention she was amazing?), yelling out items on my birth plan. "Keep the overhead lights off", "She wants us to not cut the cord right away", "Don't count while she's pushing", "She requested that the baby be put on her chest right away". I was pushing and groaning and I could feel her head, YES! FEEL her head. It was the best feeling in the world. I pushed her out in 4 total pushes. I looked over at Chris and with tears in his eyes told me, "She looks just like Leahness!" Then....

the doctor came in. The nurse had delivered my baby. She. Was. Awesome. The sweetest nurse I could have asked for. They respected all my crazy birth plan requests and I was so happy. I held her on my chest. This raw, perfect, chubby little gooey ball of baby. I couldn't stop smiling and giggling. Chris kept telling me, "You did it honey! She's perfect! You did it! You were amazing!" The nurses kept congratulating me and telling me how good I did. I told them I'd bake them all a cake for having to listen to me birthing!

Lorelei had joined our ranks. She did and still does look remarkably like her big sister. Her big sister who had wished her into existance. Her big sister who loves her more than she imagined she would and who takes such good care of her and who is one of the best helpers in the world!

I recovered so quickly. I still can't believe how good I felt after such a short time. We were released from the hospital the next day. I was walking to pick up Leahness from school a week later and a week after that I was joking that I wanted to have another baby! JOKING -you read that part, right?


That's my birth story for baby #2. Quite different from my first birth that felt dramatic and out of control. I felt like a science experiment with wires and tubes coming from every crevice of my body. Chris wasn't scared this time and he knew I would try to give up again. He knew he had to be brave for me and keep my sights clear. With my first birth experience, the result was exceptional, but the experience to get Leahness here was very odd and quite unnatural. I swore I wouldn't let science do that to me and my child again. We, as women, are stronger than the medical profession gives us credit for, we just have to remember that...and have a good man to keep reminding you over and over again!

Baby Number 2 - "After 9 Years?"

I haven't blogged for almost a year. We decided to have another baby and while all that sank in, I didn't have the energy to keep this blog going. I am now 9 months pregnant and am due any minute. It was a roller coaster straight from the beginning. I had a miscarriage of a blighted ovum. That would be that I was indeed pregnant right off the bat, first home run on opening day (baseball pun must mean I'm seriously going to go into labor any minute, I hate sports!); but there was no baby made. For whatever reason, I had all the workings of a proper pregnancy, but a baby was not formed. Although there was no true baby to mourn, it was such an emotional drag through the mud. I had to deal with all the pregnancy hormones and even thought for the first couple months after I miscarried that I had a form of postpartum depression...which I'm sure was just my wacky hormones figuring themselves out. We started trying again about 3 months later and hit the nail on the head again (now I'm doing carpentry metaphors, watch out my water might break any minute!). It wasn't exactly smooth sailing with this pregnancy either. For the first 3 months it was, until I started to bleed pretty excessively. It was hard to see because I was past those 'critical first 3 months' and thought I was in the clear. I don't think I'll ever forget that day. It was after Chris's soccer game and we were going to check out a Halloween store. I had this horrific urge to use the restroom and went across the street to the gas station because the paranoid Halloween store didn't let people use their restrooms - WHATEVER! I got to the bathroom and ***brief interruption of this blogging post for a short disclaimer about grossness***

If you get queasy by the talk of, mention of, description of blood or the workings of the female body, please stop reading now and return later when I am on a less graphic and more frilly subject such as when my new baby is finally here and you can goo-goo and gaa-gaa over her utter cuteness. Now back to the regular blog post...if you dare!

I had huge globs of blood come out. I'm talking half dollar sized amounts of clots and bright red menstrual type blood coming out. All I thought to myself was, "oh no". Very calmly and quietly just uttered, "oh no". I felt like crawling into the corner of that nasty gas station bathroom and crying, but instead, I put on that iron mommy face, walked back to the Halloween store and discreetly let my husband know, "I'm bleeding a lot". To not upset my daughter, we walked around to finish looking while I am sure I was as pale as the mummy costume and customers probably thought I was modeling the 'How to do vampire white makeup that looks real' look for Halloween. My husband, ever confident and ever positive (when I am not that is) kept telling me everything would be fine and it would be OK and there was nothing to worry about. I remember being really mad at him for this. I kept whispering to him, "You didn't see what I just saw!" I wanted him to pick me up, rush me home and cry with me! But he didn't he was calm and reassuring that we'll get it checked out, but he was sure it was nothing. YOU. DIDN'T. SEE. WHAT. I. JUST. SAW!

Instead of torturing ourselves over going to the ER and waiting 12 hours, I decided to get into the doctor the very next morning since it was going to be Monday and he opens at 7am. He rushed me into have a sonogram. I was quiet. He was quiet. The nurse was quiet. He had the monitor faced away from me. It felt like 2 hrs before he said or made any kind of face. When he finally made a face, he smiled. The nurse smiled. He turned to me, turned the monitor to me and I saw her squirming around like nothing was wrong...not a care in the world! I cried like a little baby. He told me afterwards that I more than likely have a blood clot or 2 and they are common and not to worry about it. What do you know, my husband was right. The next 2 weeks, I bled a lot more and on one particular day I passed more very large clots. After that the bleeding tapered off and I did not bleed anymore. I was on pelvic rest, which is the point at which my husband did start 'freaking out' like I wanted him to!

It feels like so long ago that this all happened. It almost feels like it wasn't this pregnancy. I had prepared myself for the worst from the very beginning. It was hard for me to relax and enjoy this pregnancy for the longest time. But I have. This is 99% certainly my last pregnancy. I leave the 1% up the fate/chance/whatever possibilities. I'm now 34 and it has been way harder 9 years later. But she is due any minute and I can - not - wait! :)

Time for Tea Mum!

We had an amazing Mother's Day this year. I figured lately that life is entirely too short to put off using all my delicate tea party things. I wanted to give my mom something special to help her remember her own mother. This amazing woman passed away 10 years ago, but still burns on our hearts like it was yesterday. I put her picture up on one of the gazebo shelves and set an extra tea cup out for her. We tried to not be sad, but rather feel her presence as we drank or lovely English tea and ate our overly English fare. We found ways to laugh because that was something she did so often. We remembered her warmness and really felt her there with us.

I woke up that morning to the revelation of having the party outdoors under our gazebo. The wisteria have done a wonderful job of climbing all over it and it is quickly becoming my favorite area of our garden. I did notice it was quite overcast that morning, but threw caution to the wind and started setting up outside. I didn't even stop to think, "what if it rains??", because I knew if I did, I would worry the fun out of the entire day! The weather was typical English countryside weather and I couldn't have called up and asked God himself for a better setting. We really felt English and we didn't shed one tear...A LARGE feat for the 2 of us, I can assure you.

Leahness was dressed in a lovely pansy'd out dress my mom bought for her a while back before she could fit into it. She has been obsessed with Alice in Wonderland, having seen it twice in the theater! She was thrilled to be having a real life tea party. She was on her best behavior as if we were in a fancy restaurant and she was being watched for her poise, manners and etiquette. I was quite proud of her actually, even though it was just the three of us; three generations of girly-girls who adore anything English and let's just say it, anything fattening.

We had clotted cream, PG tips with sugar cubes and cream, white chocolate scones with lemon curd, cucumber sammies and salmon dill sammies on WHITE bread (**gasp**). I threw in some fruit for some added nutritional value we may have missed with the aforementioned items. YUM!

I was very happy to have the opportunity to spend the day with my "MUM" :). I know a lot of people can't be with their mom's on Mother's Day, due to death, distance or whatever else. I am thankful for my Mom. Father's Day is quickly approaching and it is hard for me every year since my father passed away. I wasn't able to spend enough Father's Day's with him because God needed him more than I did. So I have decided to kind of "out-do" myself for my mom on Mother's Day from now on. I don't know how many we have left because no one knows, so I'm gonna make them count from here on out!