I'm putting my snuggly little baby down long enough to type up his birth story. I meant to get it up sooner, but we've been busy enjoying our Babymoon. =)
Here's the short version:
Jaxon was born at home in his room on March 10th at 10:01pm
He weighed 8 lbs and was 20.5 inches long with a head full of brown hair.
He has his days and nights mixed up, but is a very laid back baby and adored by his big sisters!
Now for the long winded version:
I was due on Saturday, the 7th. I fully expected to go before my due date, as I had never gone over before. Saturday came and went, and I was pretty discouraged. My poor husband was so loving and supportive during my teary times.
Monday morning, I woke up achy and crampy. Angie e-mailed me asking to pick the girls up for the afternoon. Jason and I were able to go to lunch, hang out at Borders and go for a walk. It was a really, really nice afternoon and a much needed break!
I stayed achy and crampy all day, so I was hoping it was the start of things. I didn't want to be too hopeful though... That night, I still wasn't feeling any better, and couldn't even eat supper. I wasn't contracting, but I knew something was different, so we decided to call my midwife to see what she thought. She told me I would probably be in labor within the next 24 hrs. Again, I didn't want to get my hopes up too much!
Sydney came in that night about 2 or 2:30am with leg cramps. I began contracting about then, or at least that's when I started to feel them. I finally got up and showered about 3:30, and they were staying consistently 8-9 minutes apart. Unfortunately, it was too late for Jason to call in to work--He goes in at 4:30am and works for a company based in KC. There isn't anyone else to do his route. He left, promising to go as fast as possible, and called Drew to come help him get it done faster. (Thanks, Drew!)
I straightened up the house and did some laundry, hoping and praying things wouldn't progress too fast before Jason was home. I was nervous to be alone, so I called my Dad, who came to sit with me. He timed my contractions and they became very erratic. I chalked it up to Jason not being home, and was pretty sure they'd pick up once he got home.
Valerie came by later that morning and Dad left with the girls. Jason was home shortly after 11, and I was ready to get things going...but I was nervous. Things had slowed down way too much for my liking. When walking around the house, cleaning the girls' room, laying down and trying to eat some lunch didn't get things going again, I got very, very discouraged. Jason helped me calm down and fall asleep.
Two hours or so later, I woke up--still no more contractions. I was so upset. I was convinced Jaxon was not coming. It had been about 15 hours from my first contractions and I couldn't get anything consistent. Valerie had called to check and see how things were going, and Jason told her how upset I was. She called our midwife (who she uses too) to let her know what was going on. Kathy, our midwife, called and wanted me to be checked so Valerie went ahead and came over. I was at a 5. I was completely taken back--I never made it past 4 without an epidural before and here I was, not even in pain. We found out that Jaxon was facing up, and that is why I hadn't been progressing consistently, and maybe even why I went past my due date. Valerie called Kathy, and before I knew it, she was on her way over with the other midwife, Brenda.
Kathy checked me when she got to our house, and I was at a 7-8. Brenda said they had prayed on the way over that Jaxon would turn, and sure enough, he had. There was just a little bit more that he needed to turn, and Kathy was able to do that through a couple of contractions. She then gave me a prostaglandin pill to get the contractions to pick up and become consistent. She said I could get into the pool once they were established consistently.
They got to be about 2 minutes apart, but I still wasn't hurting. It didn't hurt up front at all, just in my back. When Jason was applying counter pressure, it almost didn't hurt at all. I was talking through them and completely relaxed. It was so crazy...but at the same time I knew there were a lot of people praying!
I got into the pool, and
it.was.amazing.
The water cushioned the contractions and it was so wonderful to feel weightless.
I started to get really tired and wasn't getting any harder contractions, so we decided it would be best to break my water. I was nervous about this part, because I knew the contractions really would get tougher after that cushion was gone. I was at a 9 and still had quite a bit of a lip left, so Kathy pushed it up over his head while I was bearing down through 3 contractions. That was painful, but all I was concerned about was making it back to the pool to deliver! All of that got me almost complete, so back to the pool we went.
The rest of it is a blur. The contractions got pretty painful, and Kathy had me lay on my side vs leaning forward like I had been. That's how I ended up delivering him. When it came down to it, it only took about 2 minutes to deliver him...the most intense 2 minutes of my life. It wasn't what I imagined it to be. It was very painful, but so rewarding. I really can't describe it. My body took over and pushed. I was loud, vulnerable, and down to my basic instincts. It was amazing. Before I knew it, my precious son was laying on my chest.
I would add more, but it's after 11:30 and I'm getting sleepy. More pics to come soon. =)
