We found out we were pregnant with baby #4 on baby #3’s
first birthday! It was the easiest pregnancy to date (to which I credit
chiropractic, essential oils and magnesium lotion) and also the longest. In the
37th week I found out I was Group B Strep positive (GBS+) which
meant there was a chance baby could be exposed to the bacteria in the birth
canal and infected during delivery. It also meant either 4 full hours of
antibiotics during labor or a mandatory 48 hr observation period in the
hospital after. Both sounded like a prison sentence to me (dramatic I know!)
and I cried when the midwife told me. I knew 4 hrs of labor would be unlikely
for me and I was worried about who would watch the other 3 kids for 2 full days
if I went into labor before Jarid’s parents arrived from Texas. Week 37 was
pretty brutal given the GBS+ diagnosis, his parents not being in town, our back
up plan friends were on vacation and our chiro was out of town. Ha!
Week 38 Jarid’s parents arrived and we all anticipated I’d
go right into labor since I was much more mentally at ease. We were hoping for
a Nov 10th baby because of Saint Leo’s feast day. That day came and
went. Week 39 meant I was officially pregnant longer than any other time
before. Finally on Nov 20th I had what I hoped to be my last midwife
appt. We talked about it and I agreed to have her check me to see my progress.
I honestly hoped it meant she would agitate my cervix just enough to get things
going. Ha. The next day I woke up to some blood tinged mucus plug. And was way
too excited about it! I knew it meant he would be here in the next few days.
That morning (39wks, 4 days) we went to the chiropractor and
I asked Jarid to go ahead and pack our bag because things were just feeling
different. The chiro pressed on my pressure points a lot and they were
definitely more tender than the previous visits. We walked around Target after for a bit and
then came home and I took a nap. All day I was having regular Braxton Hicks but
nothing that felt like labor. We went to the mall that night with the kids to
get out and walk some more. I was hopeful it would be soon because I saw mucus
plug all day and definitely felt more pressure than before.
Saturday, November 22 I woke up at 1:15am to go to the
bathroom and after I got into bed Owen and Peyton both woke up. Jarid took
Peyton back to his room and we put Owen in bed with me. A few minutes later I
had what felt like a true contraction. They feel a lot more like “waves” to me
but I found myself focusing and breathing through them and trying to “pop the
balloon” which is how I like to labor. They were 10 mins apart, very manageable
and at the hour mark I said I’d get up and get a few things ready just in case.
So at 2:15 I got up and straightened my hair (priorities, I know), put the last
items in the bag for us and felt prepared. I was still having contractions but
wanted to rest until they were at least a bit closer than 10 mins (but didn’t
want to wait til 5 because I did NOT want the chaos that happened last
delivery!)
Around 3:15 I woke up Jarid and told him it was probably
time to get going. The contractions were still manageable but were bouncing
between 8-10 mins apart. He got ready, packed the car and we woke his parents
to let them know. The entire time that we were downstairs with his parents I
didn’t have any contractions. I was honestly worried they had died out but
still wanted to go in case they hadn’t. I said I’d call the midwife once I had
another. It took 20 mins. By this time we were half way to the hospital and I was
seriously thinking things had stopped. I called the answering service and they finally
answered once we were at the hospital – which I was totally fine with because I
was just steps away from getting inside if things started to go fast.
The midwife called me back around 3:45am and said she was
headed in and to go ahead and get triaged to ensure I was indeed in labor and
then I could go to the new natural birth center (that had just opened up!)
across the parking lot. I got into triage and they monitored me for a while and
took my blood pressures, ect. Of course, my blood pressure was high – which risks
you out for the natural birth center. They took some blood to make sure my
levels weren’t elevated (basically to rule out pre-eclampsia) and said once
they were back we’d go over to the center. This was around 4:30am. She also
talked to me about refusing the antibiotics for GBS+. She said that if I did
then the neonatologists at the hospital would “frown upon” it and would likely
be more invasive with the baby’s testing and possibly call for antibiotics even
if it showed he didn’t need it. I was frustrated because it was my plan to
refuse them and I’d done many things at home to hopefully clear the bacteria
but I didn’t want Weston to suffer because of it. I agreed to the abx and Jarid
was so sweet asking the nurse to wait until my contraction was over because he could tell another one was coming on.
The midwife checked my cervix and said I was at 7cm. I’m
guessing this was between 4:45-5am. I could tell immediately after the check
that things were moving faster. I was still hooked up to the monitor and was
getting really tired of lying on my back through contractions. I wanted Jarid
to hold my hand through them and I needed to close my eyes. They finally got
the lab work back showing I wasn’t developing pre-e again and they unhooked me
from the monitors. They got me onto the wheelchair to take me over to the
center. We were excited because we were
all set to be the first birth at the center for my midwife group (and second
birth ever since they just opened!) On the way over they all (the nurse,
midwife and Jarid) joked about how we were in the “bowels of the hospital”
since we had to go through the laundry area but I didn’t see a thing since I
was having close contractions and kept my eyes closed most of the time. My
midwife asked as we were entering if we used essential oils. I told her we did
and she said she brought her diffuser! So she hooked it up when we got in and
had Serenity blowing in the air.
Jarid ran to get our things and move the car over because
everyone agreed it was the best time to do this. The nurse asked what I wanted
to do and I said I wanted to go to the restroom. They didn’t have an IV hook up
so she just hooked mine to the towel rack on the door. Ha. Once I got up I had
a contraction and walked through it and caught my reflection in the mirror. I
was completely pale and finally “figured it out” that I was in transition.
Jarid came back and stood and walked by me while they had me sign admission
paperwork. They basically had time to explain one to me, have me sign it before
I’d have another contraction (looking at my signature later was hilarious.) I
held onto Jarid and just swayed through them and they just left us alone to
labor together (which is how we wanted it.) I’d say they were shorter than a
minute contractions but probably only 45 seconds apart. I made some small
humming noises through these. At one point I said “why do I always do this??”
and what I was wanting to say was “why do I do this the “hard” way??”
My water broke while I was standing…all over the brand new
birth center floor. Ha. Everyone started yelling for the midwife. She came in
and said “ok, where do you want to go? The bed? Stay standing?” at the mention
of the bed I started that way. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do but
was positive I couldn’t do it alone. Jarid pretty much just lifted me onto the
bed. I pushed once and the head was delivered (mostly from the pressure of
laying down I think.) He also had a hand by his face. Then she told me to stop
to avoid tearing – key words here - I needed to hear WHY I should stop in order
to actually stop. She said when I was ready to go ahead and push. I knew I
needed to lift up my body (I was almost flat backed just from the way I got
onto the bed) but couldn’t vocalize that or do it myself. She had already said
it was time to push a few times but I just couldn’t “get behind it” enough. Jarid
– the best labor coach ever – picked my back up and I pushed and delivered the baby’s
body. She asked if I wanted to reach down and grab him but I said I wanted
Jarid to do it. He lifted him up and placed him onto my chest. Cue happy faces
and all smiles while we welcomed our sweet boy into the world!
The nurse called out it was 5:13am. Baby Weston Leo was just
gorgeous and had a full head of hair! We cuddled for a while and waited for the
cord to stop pulsing. Jarid cut it and I handed baby to him to hold while I delivered
the placenta and she checked me. I had a teeny tiny tear that didn’t need
stitches – first time for me! They cleaned up the bed around me while I did
skin to skin with baby and let him nurse – for a long, long time. His measurements
were 7lbs, 15oz and 21 in long. His hair is definitely strawberry blonde and
goes into a natural little Mohawk. He makes a little noise that sounds
identical to a pig squeal and makes that sweet sleeping baby noises that we
just can’t get enough of.
Each labor and delivery Jarid always says “I didn’t do
anything! You did all that!” but I could not have done this without him. He
always knows what I need without me saying it and that is huge for me because
talking while laboring doesn’t work for me. Holding his hand and onto him
during contractions are of upmost importance too. Seriously, he’s a great labor
coach and the best daddy.
After, we rested at the birth center (a full size bed with a
down comforter! Ahhhh!) for awhile and they brought breakfast before we
transferred over to the hospital. Being GBS+ and only getting one dose of the
abx still meant I would have to stay for the 48 hr observation period. On the
wheelchair ride over to the hospital side I saw what they all meant by the “bowels
of the hospital” but I was pretty distracted by the adorable newborn in my
arms.
No comments:
Post a Comment