Our Everyday Adventures: A birthday and a story

We welcomed sweet baby #4 on the night of the 26th. This is the first time that I delivered on my actual due date! So, this little one was right on time! HER stats are: 7lbs 13oz, 19.75" , and born at 7:48pm - oh, and practically perfect apgar scores too! Just under 6 hours of being AT the hospital and she made her debut.

I guess I will go ahead and dish her entire labor and delivery. This is mostly for my own benefit, however. So that I can remind myself of how I felt at the time (hopefully to discourage another delivery.... unless it is necessary of course). At almost 38 weeks, I had an OB appointment where I asked my midwife to check me. I was a good 3cm and 50% effaced. "Any day" were the words that were used. Of course, I walked out of the room being hopeful that indeed she was right.... ANY day. Completely going against what my brain was telling me, "um... Janice? you remember you can walk around at a 3 for weeks.... right???!" To which my conscious replied, "yeah... but maybe this time will be different." NOPE!!! So, the next week - I was scheduled for an appointment on Friday. This was the friday before my Grandmother's birthday. My grandmother is battling cancer right now and I thought it would be a wonderful gift for her to have a great-grandchild born on her birthday (in her honor mostly). Her birthday was Sunday, the 18th. I was hoping to get my membranes stripped at my Friday appointment so I could definitely have this baby by the 18th. Friday morning I get a call from the clinic saying they needed to reschedule my appointment. My midwife was sick and unable to be at work that day. So... I was scheduled with a different midwife for Monday. I made it through the weekend with contractions like crazy 3-5 minutes apart - but not hurting me at all. So, I went to bed each night and woke up the next morning - with nothing! Monday came and I went to my appointment, she checked me and said I was a 4cm and 50% effaced (to which I probably wouldn't efface more than that until I was in true labor - her words.... not mine). She stripped my membranes in hopes it would send me into labor later that day. Very late that night Jeremiah and I decided we should head into the hospital and see if we could have a baby. We went to the hospital, got checked after hearing a woman practically deliver a baby in the triage (I THINK they got her to a delivery room in time.... she was trying NOT to push as they wheeled her down the hall) area. I hadn't made much progress, I was a 4-5cm they said and 75% effaced. Not quite the criteria they were looking for and my contractions started going away. I told them I would be fine with going home and sleeping - and we'd be back if anything more developed. Once we got home, we decided it would be awesome if the baby could just wait until Jeremiah finished his schooling for work (which would conclude on Friday the 23rd) so.....I pretty much laid around tuesday and wednesday. I was honestly afraid of doing ANYTHING for fear it would send me into labor. I needed to hang in there until at least Friday - preferably the weekend to keep things easy for kids and school and Jeremiah. On my due date, I had another OB appointment - new midwife again - mine was at the hospital delivering babies all week long - and she was SO surprised to even see me there. She asked what I was doing there and when she checked me.... I was at a 5, she went ahead and swept me (stripped my membranes again) and told me if I even had 4 contractions in one hour to go to the hospital. Oh... and when she checked to see when the soonest was she could schedule me to be induced.... it was Oct 6th. I would need to come in for my 41 week appointment on the 3rd, have a stress test done on the baby, and then hang in there until the 6th. YEAH RIGHT! I was so over this pregnancy and so miserable too! Just waiting for pain - that was pretty much what I was doing. I would catch myself asking for the pain as I went throughout the day. "Bring on the pain" I would mutter under my breath. So, I basically wanted to cry because I felt that this baby didn't want to come out at all and I was going to have to be pregnant until October 6th before I could finally get a baby out of this deal.

Luckily for me (and by the mercy of our Heavenly Father) I started contracting 20 minutes after my appointment and they continued every 5 minutes apart until my mother-in-law was able to get over here and take over the "kid" shift. We called Linda, our wonderful doula - a member of the Norfolk 1st ward, and she met us at the house. We headed over to Portsmouth and had to park at the top level of the parking garage..... let's just say parking was definitely scarce! By the time we got to the Labor and Delivery triage area...it was about 2pm. I asked for Wendy (my midwife) - told her how my appointment went that morning - and she took us back to a room for evaluation. She checked me and evaluated me and baby before letting us know that they would go ahead and keep me. She was able to get us to a delivery room and start us on our way of answering the wonderful questions they have to get you all checked in before her shift was over. I was really looking forward to having a chance for Wendy to deliver one of my babies! By the time the questions were over, and Wendy was about to leave, she suggested that maybe we break my water and start some pitocin to help things along. When the time came for that (about 4pm) a new shift of doctors were there. A young doctor came in and suggested we break my water and said she would allow my body the chance to labor on it's own before we add the help of pitocin. After breaking my water about 4pm, my body took over and was finally giving contractions that were changing my cervix. I used a birthing ball, slow dancing, and at times the pressure of sitting in the bed to help things along - all the while I continued losing amniotic fluid (there wasn't a bulging of waters when they broke my water, so I lost it over time as I labored). The next time I was scheduled to be checked was 6 pm. Contractions were getting more intense, but I was still able to breathe through them and have my husband rub on my back and help me relax. My husband was fantastic through my labor and delivery! At 6pm, I think I was 7cm and 80% effaced. From there contractions became stronger and I was finding myself fatigued and drained. Basically, things felt like they were making things progress..... I was feeling a little bit of natural "loopiness" at this point. They were also having a difficult time keeping track of Lilia's heartbeat and wanted it to be monitored constantly. They ended up putting in an internal fetal monitor (attached to her scalp) to allow for me to continue moving around and to keep a better track of her condition. Linda and Jeremiah were at my side constantly at this point - Linda helping to massage my head to keep my expressions relaxed and Jeremiah at my lower back to give me some counter pressure for the slight back labor I was feeling. I believe it was after 7pm when there was a drop in Lilia's heart rate - extremely low and they all rushed into my room and rolled me on my left side as they lowered my bed for the baby to recover. They checked my cervix and I was completely effaced and 8 cm. After what seemed like a time frame of 10 minutes there was a second deceleration in Lilia's heartbeat. They again rushed in, rolled me on my side, and lowered the bed. This time they checked me and I was a 9. A matter of minutes again and there was the urge to push. I felt my body bearing down on Lilia's little body - ready to get this child into the world. I called for the nurse ("Hello? Hello!?) and they all rushed in again, some trying to prepare the room and bed for us. They checked me and said I was still a 9 but if I felt the urge to push again, to go ahead and try pushing. So, I waited for it, the time came, I pushed..... and screamed! My body had officially had enough. My husband and Linda (as well as probably 6 others) were trying to tell me to stop screaming and breathing - but to hold my breath and bear down to push. I couldn't. All I could do was push AND scream until her head and body had been delivered (less than 5 minutes). Then they handed her up to me and I held her on my chest while I finally felt relief and let everyone do their thing. I never really know much about what happens after all of that. Most of that is just a blur. I had a very small tear this time around and definitely asked for IV drugs when they were kneading my abdomen like a ball of dough trying to get the placenta loosened enough to deliver it. Hey, I just had a baby and I didn't really want to have to feel someone mashing down on my abdomen! After Lilia got here... we had some down time in the delivery room (not really sure why) and found out that some people from the first ward were in another delivery room just down the hall and hopefully having their baby sometime soon. Jeremiah went over to say hello and I found out that my screaming was quite the talk of the delivery floor. Yipes! Really hope I didn't add to anyone's distress and really am sorry for screaming, but.... like I told everyone in the room, I'm sorry.... I couldn't help it! I couldn't control it - it was pushing time and I had one goal - to.....get.....that.....baby.... OUT! Here she is: