The whole two weeks before her due date, I was so anxious and nervous I was going to go into labor in the middle of the night that I couldn't sleep good and I had to go to the bathroom ALL of the time. I said that kind of wrong. It wasn't that I cared really when I went into labor (though, I did prefer daytime over nighttime), I just was not wanting to go through labor! Ha ha. She came about a week early, I think. I am not one of those people that remember the time they were born and I do okay remembering their weight (because two of them weighed the exact same) and I have no idea how long any of them were (except for maybe a round about idea for my oldest). So, yeah, she came about a week early, I think.
I woke up about 1 in the morning to a contraction, and my first thought was, "O my goshhhhh, I so don't want to do this. That felt awful." I think every woman tries to remember how a contraction feels, just so you can prepare yourself for a next kid of you're going to have one. But, each time you go into labor, you quickly remember how much you actually didn't remember what it really felt like.
I'll say this upfront. My labor was like a few minutes shy of three hours. LUCKY ME. I know, I know. I am lucky. My last baby came out in just short of four hours. My first baby was about thirteen hours (thank you, epidural). I blogged about those two deliveries in the same entry (delivery with an epidural in the hospital v. without one with a midwife in a birthing center), and if you want to, you can read about them here. Back to the story, so yes, my deliveries are short. But, they are also intense. I open up pretty quickly.
We had set up for the girlies to go to my brother-in-laws house, and so we got the girls bags of things loaded up and got them out of bed and headed to my brother-in-laws. We were in the car about 15 minutes after my first contraction. We wanted to get to the birthing suite as fast as we could because my last labor had been so short AND I had delivered the baby posterior, which generally slows down the labor and delivery. So, my midwife had warned me that this one might go much faster. I did NOT want to deliver on the side of the road.... :D
After we dropped off the girls, it was about 2 in the morning. So we got to the birth suite at about 2 :15 or around there, because it is not far from my in-laws home. I was still doing pretty good and handling the softer contractions, but it wasn't long until they started becoming transition contractions. I decided to get in the tub (I had been laying on the bed), and that slowed and relaxed my contractions a lot, which once I realized I was finally getting a break, I wondered whether or not I should tell anyone, fearing that they might tell me to get out and do some squats or something to get things moving again, haha! But, by the time I had actually realized that my contractions had calmed, they already started coming back strong. My midwife helped me focus my mind on what I should be doing with my body during each contraction. Opening up and curving my body around my belly (which helps your pelvic bone be in the right position). The contractions were creating so much pressure that I thought I had to go....you know...number 2! So, I moved to the toilet, and nothing. The contractions were still extremely hard at this point. Oh and just FYI, this whole entire time I was whining to my midwife, "Tell me why I decided to do this again!? Why didn't I just go to the hospital? This is so not fun." etc etc. I'm not a quiet sufferer at all.
With each contraction I could feel myself opening up and the baby bearing down. We moved to the bedroom where I laid on my back (I deliver so fast while laying on my back!) and then the contraction were so hard I was having a hard time relaxing. Each time I would contract, I would try to think about opening up and relaxing my body, and for the most part I did, but my breathing was completely off and my arms started tingling and going numb and I started getting dizzy. I kept telling my midwife, "I think I'm about to pass out." She just kept telling me to calm my breathing and that it was fine if I passed out for a little---I wouldn't feel pain! Haha. I told her it wasn't worth the break if I was going to just wake back up to it. Luckily, I was able to get it enough under control that I didn't pass out. For the next part, I don't really know what happened. I don't know if I was seriously so tired and delirious and in the zone that my contractions just really calmed, but the next contraction came and it was like I was in another realm only just feeling a little bit of the contraction and totally not caring---I started falling asleep. My midwife asked me if I was just really relaxed or if my contractions were calming, and I told her I didn't know. Then BAM. Pushing. My whole body contracts when I am pushing that baby out, there is not even a CHANCE for a break. It's push push push, no rest between contractions. I had completely forgotten about my water, which had apparently never broken. So there my husband is getting ready to catch the baby, and him and my midwife are like "Hey! There is the head and the water!"
Pop. It burst and Dahlia's lovely little head popped out all at once, and in my husband's face :) the water missed him though ha ha. Within the next push her whole chubby little body was out :) She was 7lbs 9oz, our biggest baby yet! I couldn't believe that. My first two were so tiny, so I was pretty surprised I didn't tear. After that I got to feed and cuddle my baby the WHOLE time, and sleep with her. My midwife made us breakfast and we did a bit of paper work (filling stuff out for the state) just before heading home. And, I showered :)
I can honestly say that I strongly strongly dislike labor and delivery, but I sure do love the outcome. Our third little girl is an angel. My first two were so hard in such different ways, and the third has been so so easy and enjoyable. Now, I can understand when people have an easy baby and say they just want to enjoy them, or they fearlessly get pregnant so soon afterwards only to have a baby with such an opposite personality ;) Ha! I'm just glad my hardest was first and it has gotten easier from there.
Whew, if you made it through that whole past, you will now be rewarded with sleeping baby pics :D my favoooriiteeee!!!
I woke up about 1 in the morning to a contraction, and my first thought was, "O my goshhhhh, I so don't want to do this. That felt awful." I think every woman tries to remember how a contraction feels, just so you can prepare yourself for a next kid of you're going to have one. But, each time you go into labor, you quickly remember how much you actually didn't remember what it really felt like.
I'll say this upfront. My labor was like a few minutes shy of three hours. LUCKY ME. I know, I know. I am lucky. My last baby came out in just short of four hours. My first baby was about thirteen hours (thank you, epidural). I blogged about those two deliveries in the same entry (delivery with an epidural in the hospital v. without one with a midwife in a birthing center), and if you want to, you can read about them here. Back to the story, so yes, my deliveries are short. But, they are also intense. I open up pretty quickly.
We had set up for the girlies to go to my brother-in-laws house, and so we got the girls bags of things loaded up and got them out of bed and headed to my brother-in-laws. We were in the car about 15 minutes after my first contraction. We wanted to get to the birthing suite as fast as we could because my last labor had been so short AND I had delivered the baby posterior, which generally slows down the labor and delivery. So, my midwife had warned me that this one might go much faster. I did NOT want to deliver on the side of the road.... :D
After we dropped off the girls, it was about 2 in the morning. So we got to the birth suite at about 2 :15 or around there, because it is not far from my in-laws home. I was still doing pretty good and handling the softer contractions, but it wasn't long until they started becoming transition contractions. I decided to get in the tub (I had been laying on the bed), and that slowed and relaxed my contractions a lot, which once I realized I was finally getting a break, I wondered whether or not I should tell anyone, fearing that they might tell me to get out and do some squats or something to get things moving again, haha! But, by the time I had actually realized that my contractions had calmed, they already started coming back strong. My midwife helped me focus my mind on what I should be doing with my body during each contraction. Opening up and curving my body around my belly (which helps your pelvic bone be in the right position). The contractions were creating so much pressure that I thought I had to go....you know...number 2! So, I moved to the toilet, and nothing. The contractions were still extremely hard at this point. Oh and just FYI, this whole entire time I was whining to my midwife, "Tell me why I decided to do this again!? Why didn't I just go to the hospital? This is so not fun." etc etc. I'm not a quiet sufferer at all.
With each contraction I could feel myself opening up and the baby bearing down. We moved to the bedroom where I laid on my back (I deliver so fast while laying on my back!) and then the contraction were so hard I was having a hard time relaxing. Each time I would contract, I would try to think about opening up and relaxing my body, and for the most part I did, but my breathing was completely off and my arms started tingling and going numb and I started getting dizzy. I kept telling my midwife, "I think I'm about to pass out." She just kept telling me to calm my breathing and that it was fine if I passed out for a little---I wouldn't feel pain! Haha. I told her it wasn't worth the break if I was going to just wake back up to it. Luckily, I was able to get it enough under control that I didn't pass out. For the next part, I don't really know what happened. I don't know if I was seriously so tired and delirious and in the zone that my contractions just really calmed, but the next contraction came and it was like I was in another realm only just feeling a little bit of the contraction and totally not caring---I started falling asleep. My midwife asked me if I was just really relaxed or if my contractions were calming, and I told her I didn't know. Then BAM. Pushing. My whole body contracts when I am pushing that baby out, there is not even a CHANCE for a break. It's push push push, no rest between contractions. I had completely forgotten about my water, which had apparently never broken. So there my husband is getting ready to catch the baby, and him and my midwife are like "Hey! There is the head and the water!"
Pop. It burst and Dahlia's lovely little head popped out all at once, and in my husband's face :) the water missed him though ha ha. Within the next push her whole chubby little body was out :) She was 7lbs 9oz, our biggest baby yet! I couldn't believe that. My first two were so tiny, so I was pretty surprised I didn't tear. After that I got to feed and cuddle my baby the WHOLE time, and sleep with her. My midwife made us breakfast and we did a bit of paper work (filling stuff out for the state) just before heading home. And, I showered :)
I can honestly say that I strongly strongly dislike labor and delivery, but I sure do love the outcome. Our third little girl is an angel. My first two were so hard in such different ways, and the third has been so so easy and enjoyable. Now, I can understand when people have an easy baby and say they just want to enjoy them, or they fearlessly get pregnant so soon afterwards only to have a baby with such an opposite personality ;) Ha! I'm just glad my hardest was first and it has gotten easier from there.
Whew, if you made it through that whole past, you will now be rewarded with sleeping baby pics :D my favoooriiteeee!!!
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| well....except for this one. Right after the delivery. |
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| One day, she wore a headband. |
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| She opened up those beauties every once in a while! |
