Right Wing Mom

It was a little weird to have slept till almost 8am. We let the kids stay up later than usual the previous night and they and Marc will all still fast asleep. I woke with a sensation that I had to go to the bathroom pretty bad and it kind of hurt.

I got up and did a quick potty visit then grabbed the laptop and headed back to bed to lay down for a little bit more. I was slightly reclined on my back with the laptop on my belly when I got another deep pain low in my abdomen. The pain made me sit up and change positions. A sudden realization hit me…. WAS THAT A CONTRACTION? Hmmm? Maybe not. So, I lay back down again and waited to see what happened. A few minutes later it happened again! I grabbed my phone and brought up my contraction timer app (They have an App for that!) and started timing. I had two more contractions, about 6 minutes apart and about 45 seconds to 1 minute long, and got excited!

I got out of bed and walked around for a few minutes to see what would happen and much to my delight - I had another contraction! Woo-Hoo! This is it!

I walked over to Marc’s side of the bed and gently nudged him awake. “Honey, I think I’m in labor” “Really?” he replied with a drowsy smile? Then I realized I was leaking a little blood onto our new carpet (Oh No!) “Umm, yeah and I just bled on the floor. You’re going to have to clean that up, I’m going to the bathroom” (Sorry for being bossy Baby!)

I got out of the bathroom and made sure Marc was awake and aware of what was going on, it sometimes takes him a few minutes to wake up, but he was wide awake this time! We talked for a few and I told him what had been going on. I then called Cathy, our midwife. It was so great to be able to tell her “This is it!” I told her what was going on and she said she would gather her things and be right over. I then called my sister-in-law, Haley. Haley lives about 1 1/2 hrs away and really wanted to be here for the birth. She missed Emma’s by a few minutes and didn’t want the same thing to happen this time. Sadly… she didn’t answer the phone! OH NO! I then called my good friend, Romanda. Marc and I had invited her and her 3 daughters to be with us for the birth. She was super excited and promised to be right over.

Marc started filling up the birth pool while I was working on getting the bed prepped. Once the pool was filling, Marc came out to help with the bed. About this time Emma woke up. I went in to get her and took a minute to snuggle with her as my baby one last time. Marc gave Haley another call, thankfully she answered! He told her what was going on and to come on down! I then yelled up to Kaitie and Mandy to wake up and come down stairs.

All of this happened in just a few minutes… and then there was a lull. OK, Now what? I guess it was time to get to work having a baby.

Mandy walked in a few minutes later all sleepy eyed and said “Good Morning. Did you need me?” I simply pointed to my belly. Her eyes got super wide and she said “Really” “Yep!” She then asked what she could do to help and I just asked her and Kaitie to take care of Emma and make sure she had some juice and breakfast.

I then sat down in my glider and grabbed the laptop. I jumped on Facebook to let all my buddies who were anxiously waiting for some labor news know that I was “finally” in labor. While on the computer I had a good contraction that surprised me a bit. When I was in labor with Emma, I found solace in that glider. It was very soothing and helped me relax. Not so much this time. The contraction I had made me NOT want to be sitting there. I wanted to get up, but it was to painful to move just then. I worked though the contraction and realized I was progressing quite quickly and was probably a little further along than I originally thought.

Just then I realized Amanda, the apprentice midwife had arrived. She asked how I was and watched as I had another contraction. I went in to brush my teeth and Romanda and Cathy showed up right around the same time.

Its about this time that the order of things gets a little fuzzy for me. I remember Cathy checking me to make sure I was far enough along to get in the pool, as it can actually slow labor down if you aren’t dilated enough and we didn’t want that! I REALLY did not want to lay down to be checked. I just knew how bad it would hurt laying on my back having a contraction! Why is that the standard in hospitals? Get up women! Labor is so much more manageable when you aren’t in a prone position! (ok, off the soapbox now - sorry) As Cathy finished checking me, I was 5-6cm, I started having a big contraction. Thankfully Marc pulled me up and helped me get through it.

Tub Time!

Getting into the pool was great! The water felt perfect and it was nice and deep. I was able to relax a little and was joking around with Romanda, Cathy and Amanda. Marc was in and out of the bathroom, getting the kids situated in the living room. I heard Jake was awake and all the kids, mine and Romanda’s were playing.

Very soon though, labor got harder and I found it more more difficult to joke and relax in between contractions. Marc was supporting me by holding me up a little and rubbing my neck. He was gently whispering to me, cheering me on and giving me words of encouragement.

Amanda had gotten a large pitcher and was pouring water onto my lower back during contractions. It felt so good!

Around (I’m guessing) 10-10:15 I started getting the urge to push. Surprisingly it wasn’t as strong an urge as it had been with Kaitie and Mandy or Emma’s birth. Here is also where I ran into a little problem. Not really a big issue by any means, but it made my pushing stage a lot longer than it needed to be. What was the problem? I had to go to the bathroom. Yep… I needed to have a bowel movement.

I was telling myself that this was normal. A lot of woman have bowel movements during labor… Let it go Alicia, let it go. But I was having a hard time with that.

After a short bit, I wasn’t making much progress with the pushing, so Cathy urged me to move to the bed. I think I was kind of relieved for the change. I didn’t realize it till after I moved, but I think the water was starting to bug me a bit.

At first, I was on the bed on all fours leaning over onto some pillows.

This just lasted a few minutes as Cathy gave me the birthing ball to lean on… Oh, I loved that so much better!

Sadly, I didn’t improve on the pushing front. I was still having the same problem as before.

After a few minutes, Marc mentioned to Cathy that I had problems pushing with Kaitie and Mandy because I had a full bladder and needed a catheter to empty. Cathy agreed and told me that she wanted me to move towards the toilet.

Once I was there, I don’t know if it was the position or the subconscious knowledge that I was where I needed to be… but I started having a very productive contraction and started pushing very seriously!

Then the realization hit! I could feel him crowning and I said “Oh, No! Not on the toilet!” But then another contraction hit and Cathy instructed me to stand up. I told her I couldn’t. She assured me, kind of firmly, that indeed I could. I stood up, braced myself and pushed that baby right out! Not on the toilet. (Praise God for that!)

I sat down and Cathy handed him to me. It was awesome! He cried, but just a little bit. I immediately noticed he had a little birthmark on his head, right on his soft spot. I also immediately noticed that he looked just like the rest of my children… in other words, just like Marc. I was not surprised.

I apologized to Marc for not being able to catch the baby. He chuckled a bit and said that it was OK.

It was about this time that Haley showed up. She missed the birth by about 3 minutes. Sorry again Haley!

Kaitie, Mandy, Jake and Emma came in to see our new baby. It was so great to see their reactions as they saw Luke for the very first time.

Amanda gave me a shot of pitocin to help lesson my bleeding (us redheads tend to dislike clotting for some reason) and I moved to my bed.

All the kids shuffled in and gathered around the bed to look at us and start doting on Luke. It was so great to have all those girls in the same room. Little Emma at 2 years old seeing her first newborn baby to Cathy who has seen well over 500! Fantastic!

After a few minutes, when the umbilical cord had stopped pulsating Cathy clamped the cord and Marc cut it. Then I delivered the placenta. Cathy and Amanda gave a little class to the kids, describing the placentas parts and what it does. Then all the kids, except for Emma, put on gloves and poked and prodded away at the placenta. It was quiet funny to see how into they were - those freaky little homeschooled kids.

Luke latched on right away. It actually surprised me a bit! He had such a powerful latch! Of course, he hasn’t come up for breath yet - or at least it seems that way!

Cathy ran a wonderful herbal bath for Luke and I while Amanda cleaned up and started the laundry and Marc made me something to eat. The bath was marvelous! Chamomile and lavender and lots of other fragrant and healing herbs. It was a little weird having Luke in the bath with me so soon. I’m sure you have all heard the advice to not get the umbilical wet, but this herbal bath actually helps dry out the cord. I loved being in the bath with Luke and watching him, mostly submerged, just floating peacefully. Every time he moved I could imagine him back in the womb kicking and poking me. It was beautiful.

Marc brought me one of his famous omelets and an English muffin with blackberry jelly.

After the bath, Luke and I settled into bed. Romanda and her kids had left, and mine were playing nicely in the living room. Things were quieting down. Cathy and Amanda finished up with us, checking vitals and making sure we were doing great. They passed on some instructions, packed up and were on there way. Marc climbed into bed with us and we enjoyed a very peaceful, relaxing moment. Reflecting in the events of the past few hours we marveled on how fast and perfect it went and that we had our new son with us. We also couldn’t get over how relaxed we felt. The whole homebirth experience was so perfect and relaxing. There were no nurses and other hospital staff coming and going, no bright lights, no limitations or restrictions. I was in MY bed, with MY baby and MY husband. MY kids could come and go as they please. I could eat or drink what I wanted when I wanted. Seriously… It was as close to perfect as I could imagine.

I love a good birth story, don’t you? I love to tell mine and I love to hear other peoples! For some reason I just don’t know how to start this one, so bear with me, ok?

I had been having some really good Braxton Hicks contractions since the day after Christmas. I actually called my midwife on Dec 26. I think I knew that is wasn’t the “real” thing, but they were just consistently coming. After a nice warm bath and a glass of wine, I went to bed and away the contractions went.

On Dec 30th I had, what I had hoped would be my last midwife appointment. I was, at that time 39 weeks and 3 days. Cathy offered to check me, and although I was a little worried about being let down if nothing was going on, I decided to go for it. I was happy to hear that I was 2-2.5 cm dilated and that Luke was real low, about at a +1 station. Woo-Hoo! This made me a real happy camper and I just KNEW that he would be coming any day!

The next day, New Years Eve, I was very crampy. Marc, myself and my SIL Haley, who had driven down the night before, were convinced that we were going to have a New Years Eve baby. Haley and I took a trip to Archivers to spend our Christmas gift cards and to keep myself preoccupied. I was spotting a lot and having some good “practice” contractions and honestly, couldn’t believe that I went to bed that night and woke up the next morning still pregnant and feeling totally fine.

So, New Years came and went and I was feeling fine. Totally normal.

Then came Sunday, Jan. 3rd, my due date… still feeling fine and normal. This was kind of a neat day for me though.

Throughout my previous pregnancies including this one, I always wanted a belly shot. You know those super cute semi-nude “Look at my big beautiful belly!” type pictures. Problem was… I never had the guts to take one. I have always struggled with body issues (like who hasn’t!) but the main source of irritation has always been my belly. After hitting puberty, I developed a pooch and even after bootcamp, when I was in the best shape of my life, I still had the pooch. Now imagine that pooch after having twins! YIKES! Plus, I never seemed to carry my babies in that cute little basketball shape that looks so adorable in the pregnancy pictures, mine is more like the “I swallowed a watermelon sideways” look, which doesn’t necessarily translate into a cute photo!

Needless to say, skipping the belly shot was even easier with Jake’s pregnancy and Emma’s. But on Jan 3rd, Luke’s due date I decided to bite the bullet and document my big beautiful belly! Here it is courtesy of my wonderful hubby! It may not be the best, but it is of me and my baby and I am SO HAPPY I did it. (Of course posting it on the web is a new level of crazy I can’t believe I just broached!)

Back to the birth story…

Wednesday I had another midwife appointment. It was semi-comical when I walked in and Cathy said “I can’t believe you are here!” Oh, me neither girlfriend! Me neither! I REALLY did not think I would be making that appointment, but there I was - 3 days past my due date. I should mention here that on this day I really started telling myself - “Well self (yeah, I so don’t say that, but it sounded funny) its not called an “ESTIMATED” due date for nothing.” Of course, this is also about this time that I started really questioning my body’s ability to go into labor on its own. Was I broken? Was I capable? Would it happen?

You see, I was induced at 39 weeks with pitocin with Kaitie and Mandy. I was induced with pitocin at 37 weeks with Jake, after my water broke and labor didn’t start. I drank castor oil at 40 weeks 4 days with Emma, because I had the same worries then… was my body capable of doing it on its own? I chickened out, I guess.

On Wednesday morning Marc and I had a talk regarding what I was willing or not willing to do to “bring on” labor. As my appointment started I still wasn’t sure, but I had been praying for some guidance. Cathy offered to check me again and made sure that I felt no pressure to do it. After a moment, I accepted. I realized at that time that any checks and things of that nature, were, well, kind of normal to me and that I could accept that as not intervening and be happy about my decision.

Luke was at a +1 station, I was now 3-4cm and about 70% effaced. She stripped my membranes a bit too and told me to go home and get some “Hubby Hormones” to perhaps, help things along.

Well, that evening, after just a small bout of mild cramping that afternoon, I was back to feeling completely normal and started worrying again. This time however the worrying went a little deeper. I was again, back to my early pregnancy anxiety. Mainly - “How am I going to be able to do this!?!” Mothering 5 kids? What in the world!?! Homeschooling, laundry, cooking, chores, Marc, me. HOW WAS I GOING TO DO IT!?!

Marc suggested prayer. Yeah, I knew I needed to pray. I needed to turn those burdens right over to God. Why is it in those times, it seems hardest to pray? Maybe its just me and my darn pigheaded stubbornness, but it is so hard for me sometimes to turn to God when I need help.

Thursday morning I woke up a little early. Everyone was still asleep and the house was so peaceful and quiet. Alright God - its you and me! I prayed. I prayed for peace and acceptance. But most of all I thanked God for all the blessings he has given me. My wonderful, hardworking husband who lay beside me. Kaitie and Mandy, my precious firstborn children who help me so much everyday. Jacob, who has taught me more than anyone and Emma, my sweet baby girl.

That day I felt a peace sweep over me and an understanding that just kind of put things into the right perspective for me.

I was able to have a relaxing day and I was able to go to sleep with a much lighter load on my back.

I got a full night of peaceful deep sleep that night, waking only at 8am with what I soon realized was a REAL contraction.

To be continued…

I’m not quiet sure the title is appropriate as we haven’t experienced it yet - But I have gotten a few questions from friends and family that I thought I would address while waiting for Luke to make his grand appearance!

First off is a question that, although I have not gotten a lot, I know its on many peoples mind:

“Why a Home Birth?”

Hmmm, I usually stumble through some answers about it being safe, and having quick labor and deliveries, cheaper than a hospital etc… But I really found it hard to put into words the EXACT reason why I wanted a home birth.

A few weeks ago I was talking to a dear friend of mine, Romanda. She is a wonderful friend who shares a lot of the same beliefs and principals as my]e. She is also a SAHM, homeschooler and just so happens to be a Pediatrician too (Yeah, she pretty much rocks!) Anyway, we were talking about the subject of “Why home birth” and her reason was right on the money… “WHY NOT?”

“WHY NOT?” Yep - that was the answer I was looking for that I just couldn’t seem to put into words. Here I was trying to explain to people why we were choosing a home birth in terms that I thought were kind of PC. You know? But there it was all along, “Why Not?’

Why not home birth? Ok, it may not be for everyone. But I think it is such a great option for SO MANY woman and their families! You have so much more control over your birth!

You get to chose: To eat or drink during labor, Who witnesses the birth (party anyone?) Want to rock out on some loud music? In the dark? All the lights on? In the tub? On the bed? Standing up? Squatting? Naked? By candlelight?

No IV’s, Not strapped to the bed, constantly monitored, being given an internal every 5 minutes, having to wear a lovely hospital gown.

I’ll have to get some informational links together about the safety of home births. Its eye opening to say the least!

Ok - Next question… “Who will be at our birth?”

Right now we are planning on, (aside from the obvious - Me, Marc and the midwife!) The midwife’s assistant, Kaitie and Mandy, Romanda and her 3 daughters (who may or may not want to watch) and my sister in law Haley who will documenting the labor and birth for us with photos, video and “tweeting” the birth on Twitter. (Cool huh?)

“Where will be having the birth?”

We have gotten a birth tub from Cathy, our midwife. I’m not quiet sure if I want to actually deliver in the tub, but laboring in it sure sounds nice I am planning on just rolling with the punches as far as the labor and delivery goes. I’ve tried to visualize what I want and expect, but seriously… I’m just not sure what to expect! I know I am in competent hands with Cathy and that puts me at ease

Thats really all I can think of at the moment. Do you have any questions? I would love to answer them! Just let me know! Also, do you want to see the tub and birth kit? I’d be more than happy to post some pics!

(look at me! 2 posts in 2 days! WOO-HOO!)

I feel like I should start out apologizing once again for neglecting my blog… but seriously? That’s getting old. Truth is, I’ve been busy and the computer I usually blog on is upstairs and well…. I try not to go up those stairs very often right now, being as big as a house and all.

So - I’ve decided to do something novel… update my blog from the laptop. Genius, I know! (not sure why I didn’t do this earlier!)

Now that that is all over - back to the title of my post… WAITING.

Today is my due date. Luke’s due date. Luke is still residing in my belly. Am I ok with that? I am.

Yeah, I wish I could be holding the little bugger and on my way to getting back to “normal” but, I discovered a feeling yesterday morning while brushing my teeth. Selfishness.

You see, as much as I want to be holding and snuggling and nursing Luke and as much as I know there a ton of people who wish to be doing the same (well, minus the nursing!) at this moment in time… for just a few more precious moments… I get him ALL to myself. I don’t have to share. Everything he does, everything he is, its all mine.

Going into this pregnancy I knew that it would probably be my last and I swore I would try and enjoy every moment, every single moment. I think I have pretty much succeeded in that. And although with every passing day and night I am getting a little more uncomfortable, I am still enjoying it. Every roll, every kick, every hiccup.

One more thing - a realization.

Marc will (hopefully) be catching the baby. This is something he has wanted to do since we first found out we were pregnant with Katie and Mandy. Of course, having had all our previous children in the hospital, he was always told no. We didnt even think to ask about him catching Luke, but when our midwife Cathy came to our house a few weeks ago for our home visit, she asked him if he wanted to catch the baby. The look on my wonderful husbands face was priceless! His eyes just lit up! I am so excited for him and for Luke. The first touch our new son will experience will be be from the loving hands of his Father. How cool is that?

Wow - did I fall off the blogging bandwagon or what?

I am blaming it all on Facebook! Seriously, It’s just so easy to jump on and write out a quick note, that I have become lazy.

But, as much as I love facebook, I miss blogging. Blogging had been a nice way to get my thoughts down and ramble a bit… and as we all know, I can ramble!

So, what has been going on?

A part of me wants to say not much… but saying I have been taking it easy and relaxing is so far from my reality! I guess it would be more appropriate to say a whole bunch of everything.

As I had mentioned in my last post, gymnastics meet season started. Kaitie and Mandy have been doing wonderful and making Marc and I so proud! They have improved so much over last year and have placed high at every meet so far this year! I am still truly amazed at the awesome things they can do. Last month we had 3 meet weekends in a row - which took its toll. Most of the meets so far we havent been getting home till 11pm, way too late for this Momma! But, as quickly as it started, it is going to be winding down soon. We have districts next weekend and then (hopefully) South State and States will follow!

Homeschooling has been going well too. Although I have hit the October slump. We were running hard for about 6 weeks and then anemia induced fatigue hit me hard! Although the anemia is now in check, its been difficult to get back in into our routine. We’ve been doing what needs to be done, but it feels more like the minimum - you know? We are missing out on some of the fun stuff.

The pregnancy is going well too! Not sure if I shared, but we are having another boy Jake is one happy big brother! We are still thinking about names, although at this point we have settled on Luke Daniel. Nothing carved in stone, but everyone seems to like it.

The other big news is that we have decided to forgo a hospital birth this time in favor of homebirth. We have hooked up with a wonderful midwife, Cathy, who I am really loving and she is keeping me accountable with my diet and supplements, something I usually weasel my way around. Not this time

I hope to get some pictures up and some more details about our goings on Just hang in there - I have not abandoned my blog!

I promise!

It was a crazy week last week.

We started back with school (more on that later)

We got our roof replaced - finally (more on that later)

We got are getting the downstairs repainted (more on that later)

And most importantly…we went in for our first ultrasound.

I was a little sad going to the midwife because with all the contractors in the house, Marc wasn’t able to go and that made me a little sad. However, being the awesome Daddy/Husband that he is, he decided to keep Jake and Emma home with him, which made things a whole lot easier for Kaitie, Mandy and I.

I was especially thankful that Jake was staying home, just in case we found out that this new little one was a girl. You see, I’,m not sure if you remember, but their was quite the emotional breakdown when we found out Emma was an Emma. Yep, the little guy had his heart set on having a little brother and was really disappointed.

Thankfully, he has gotten over that little heartbreak and has settled in his role as a big brother to a girl quite nicely, most of the time.

Anyway, back to the ultrasound…

We got called in a little early and planned on calling home and having Daddy and Jake on speakerphone. Wouldn’t you know it - no reception! The girls decided to record it on their cameras and we were told, of course, that recording the ultrasound was against hospital regulations. Darn it!

The ultrasound got underway and it was fantastic. And I must say, I am getting rather good at reading those things! I could easily identify the femur, the bladder, stomach and kidneys and the “parts” Hmm, maybe I see a second career in the future… or not.

The baby looked great and was a very active little booger! I was so excited to see the beautiful spine and be able to count all the toes and fingers (well, on the hand and foot he let us see!)

This ultrasound was a little weird for me as it was the first time seeing this baby. I first saw the girls at 12 weeks (and a whole bunch more after that!) With Jake and Emma’s pregnancy we did the first visit scan to check for twins again. This time, we skipped it. I knew it wasn’t twins.

The time came to take a little peak between the legs and it was then that I really wished Marc and Jake had come. I knew right away it was a boy! No hiding that thing

After the scan, I managed to get a little signal and called Marc. I told him that everything looked great and the baby was doing fantastic! I then told him that we were going to have another son and I could hear him beaming. He put Jake on speaker and we “broke the news” to Jake that he was going to have to share his room. He knew right away what we meant and started whopping and hollering. I don’t think that poor boy could handle any more estrogen in this house. Of course, I’m not sure I can handle any more testosterone!

There is one small problem though. Jake is adamant that the new baby will be in his room from day one. I’ve tried to correct him and well, he ain’t buying it!

That hard headed boy of mine is in for one rude awaking! LITERALLY!

Just a quick “hi!” today. I don’t want to fall out of the blogging mood again so soon

Very tired. I can’t decide if its the whole first trimester thing or if I am just tired… really tired

The only thing I have been doing the last two days is cooking and baking. I have made a ton of blueberry pancakes! 5 weeks worth - 2 “pancakes days” a week = about 120 pancakes. I’ve also done some ground beef with onions and seasoning for spaghetti - 8 bags 1 1/2lbs each = 12 lbs ground beef.

Yep - very tired.

Until next time…

My birthday is tomorrow. 36. Yikes! Today I am closer to 30. Tomorrow, I will be closer to 40. That is a tad scary. I didn’t realize I had gotten older. Weird how that happens.

Tuesday I got an early birthday present… 2 Blue Lines. 2 Blue Lines on a stick that will change our family dynamics.

Yep. I’m knocked up.

This was a bit of a surprise - but a welcome, joyous one! To be honest, I am still a little freaked and way too many thoughts are running through my head! Hello! I am going to be a Mother of 5!

I am sure I will be babbling on and on for the next 8 months. Hope you guys can hang with me

Don’t laugh, but the first thing I am doing is cooking and baking. I have to have a packed freezer! When that “can’t scrape me off the couch” period happens.. I need to be prepared this time!

Wow! I cant believe Its been almost a week already. My how time flies! Emma is doing great. She eats like a champ and as long as she is being held (preferrably by Mommy or Grandma) she sleeps great too! But… dont you dare put her in her bed… oh no! That just wont do for our princess

So… the birthstory, its a funny one!

Alright, I drank my “labor milkshake” around 8:30 Sunday morning. According to Karen, things were supposed to “start happening” within 2-3 hours. But, I was waiting and nothing was happening. I started to get a sense of dread that maybe my fears were right. That my body just couldnt go into labor on its own. I was thinking that aside from some Braxton-Hicks, I had never had a contraction that wasnt from Pitocin.

Well, around 1:30-2:00 or so, I was thinking that I was having some contractions, but, as weird as it sounds, I just wasnt sure. So I went about my day. I cleaned up a bit, hung out with the kids, played some Yahoo games (man, I love Yahoo games), took a shower,did my hair and make-up (can you tell I was bored) and generally just waited for something to happen.

About 3:30 I got really hungry and I wanted some pasta. I was really going to go to the store by myself, but… thought that may not be the greatest idea. So, my wonderful hubby ran to the store to get me some cheese tortilinni. I cooked it up as soon as he got home and settled in my room with the girls to watch Elf (what a great movie!) Jake at this time was taking some freaky long nap, like 4 hours or something.

About 4 or so I started to realize I WAS having contractions and they were possibly coming at semi-regular intervals. Yippee! I started writing them down at after about 30 minutes saw that they were 7 minutes apart or so. I should note here that I wasnt sure when to leave for the hospital and I hadnt talked to Karen but once that day. She called me to see if I drank the shake and to see how I was doing. I think she may have been a little annoyed that I wasnt keeping her up to date, but thankfully she is a friend! LOL!!

These contractions were really mild to me. I was having to close my eyes and breath through them, but to me they just werent that big of a deal. Ok, so Karen calls and asks me whats going on. I explain to her that I am having contractions and they are about 7 minutes apart. but they are very mild. She asks me what my pain tollerance is like. I tell her, “I dont know, fairly high I guess” this is after I have to put the phone down a few times for contractions. So, She tells me in a very serious tone “I think its time to go to the hospital” Hmmm, really? are you sure? I so did not want to go to the hospital only to be told that I was only like 3cm and to go back home. Or having to walk for hours on end and put up with being poked and prodded. But, like a good little girl I listened to my Doula.

I walked upstairs to informed Marc that we need to start heading out to the hospital. I think he was a little shocked. I’m not sure if he knew I was contracting regularly at this point. LOL! I guess I wasnt keeping anyone informed. But, I have to tell you, I have never seen that man get off the computer that fast. LOL!!! You could tell by the look on his face that he was instantly excited! He asked if he had time to shower, but it was ok if we didnt. I was like “Sure, no problem. We have plenty of time”

Marc took his shower. I packed my bag (becuase why would I do that ahead of time?!). I called a friend to watch Jake, of course she wasnt home, but her wonderful husband said to go ahead and drop him off. The girls and I packed his bag and I made a few phone calls, including the midwife. I told her my contractions were every 7 minutes or so, but truthfully, I had no clue, it had been a while since I had been keeping track of them, but they were getting more frequent and a bit stronger.

Karen called again and was a bit frustrated that we hadnt left the house. So we hurried up and got our act together and took off. As were were leaving Marc told me to let him know when I was contracting so he could time them. He was a little freaked when we realized they were about 2-3 minutes apart. I told him no big deal as they still werent very strong. Not sure if he believed me.

We got Jake dropped off, rather quickly I might add and we were (finally) on our way to the hospital. You know, the hospital that is about 45 minutes away… lol!

Marc was speeding, of course and I was contracting and trying to direct him, as he had only been down there once and didnt remember how to get there. Karen was calling to check our progress and where we were and truthfully, I dont remember a word she said I do know she wanted Marc to drop me off at the front door of the hospital, but neither one of us knew where that was and I know she was trying to give us directions, but the contractions were coming so fast now (1-2 min apart) I couldnt remember what she was saying.

We parked in the parking garage and Karen met us there with a wheelchair, thank goodness! We made our way up to L&D stopping often for my contractions. Haley and Dave were on their way and Marc was talking with them on the phone as they were signing in with security.Karen said it would probably be another couple of hours.

Ok, so we get into our room at 6:59. I go potty and change into my lovely hospital gown. I get back out and am told I need to lay on my side, they are going to hook up the monitors and check the baby for about 20 minutes. Oh how funny that sounds now! So she hooks me up and I remember feeling so bad, like my skin was crawling. I so did not want to be laying there, it was driving me nuts! I had my first really good contraction and I remember thinking to myself that I wasnt sure I could deal with that kind of pain for a few more hours. The nurse then checked me and said I was 7cm. I then promptly told her I had to pee. Karen tried to encouage me to just go in the bed, but I was adament that I needed to get up and go back to the bathroom. I remember the nurse asking if I needed to push or pee. Pee. Definately ( I thought). So back into the bathroom we went. I sat down and nothing happened. As I was telling Karen that I “really thought I had to pee” I stood up and had a doozy of a contractions. She grabbed the birthing ball and tried to encourage me to sit and all I did yell “I HAVE TO PUSH” We ran, well… speed waddled, back to the bed. I collapsed on it and had another contraction and well, did what I was supposed to do. I started pushing. The nurse wsa telling me not to push (ummm…ok) and she was yelling “Get a resident in here!!!” Because of course, my midwife was not there yet… oops.

One strong push and I could feel the bag of waters start to come out and the splash and pop… was that just her head? Yep. Just then the resident and 4 more nurses came running in. I heard Karen telling Marc the head was out and then she told me one more push. Thankfully a nurse and the resident were there to catch her and lay her on the bed. I was propped up on my arms and remeber looking down and telling Marc, “yep… she looks just like rest of the kids” LOL! and then I told the girls “look!” They were amazed.

My 3 little girls

The doctor went to work on stopping the bleeding (us redheads have a tendency not to clot really well) and stictching me up a bit. I guess a baby coming out that fast is not that great on “that” area. The nurses went to work on getting my vital signs and all that stuff they are supposed to do before the baby comes, including me signing something called a “consent to deliver”

My midwife came about 10 minutes after she was born and was kind of laughing and felt bad that she missed it. She went on to tell me she wasnt sure what was going on when I called her. My contractions and breathing were saying one thing, but I was telling her another. I assured her it wasnt that big of a deal.

My midwife Titi

Karen, Marc and I then starting laughing about the fact that if we just took another 5 minutes or so to get down there, that baby may have been born in the parking garage or in the hallway. Crazy! Poor Dave and Haley missed it and I felt so bad. I know she really wanted to be there.

Uncle Dave being…well…Uncle Dave

So, thats it in a little more than a nutshell. The almost didnt make it birthstory of Baby Emma Kathleen.

Well, the contractions are coming. About 7 min apart right now. I did have some”adverse reactions” to the shake that I hope are well gone before the pushing starts if you know what I mean.

Jake is being dropped off at at my good friends house. The girls will be in the delivery room with us.

I’ll have Marc post later and I’m sure he will have someaweome pics to share.

I am so excited!!! We are finally going to get to meet our new princess!