Wow! What a day!! We welcomed our sweet little boy this morning at 8:27!! He was 9 lbs 1 oz and 20" long. It was a dream delivery!! I was 41 weeks and 1 day pregnant. I wanted to write my labor and delivery story down now before I start forgetting the details.
So I woke up a few times last night from some light contractions but nothing that would keep me up. I easily could fall back asleep and sleep through quiet a few more contractions. Around 4:30 I woke up from an intense contraction. It was soo super painful and I tried to jump right out of bed because it hurt so bad to lay in bed through it. I labored at home with Mike in the tub and on the birth ball for the next hour or so. We were not timing them because Mike was helping me out and didnt have time to time them, but he knew that they were about 3 min apart and he could tell that I needed my doula. So he called my doula who was asking questions on if we were sure she should come. Mike asked her to come and then helped me labor a bit more. After a few more contractions he called her back and told her to meet us at the birth center instead. I am so glad that I have a husband who looks out for me and can read me well enough to know when to make these kinds of calls!!
So around 6 we called a friend to come and get maeli and we got our stuff in the car. We were out of there around 6:15 and Mike drove way too fast the whole way there (like 90 in all speed zones). Im sure glad that there were no cops around cuz he would have gotten in big trouble!! On the way I started wanting to push. Mike was totally freaked out and drove even faster to get us to the birth center quickly. The car ride was SOOO hard because having intense contractions and not being able to move sucks!
When we got to the birth center they checked me and I was dilated to 9.5 cm. I was fully dilated except for a little lip of cervix on one side. I labored for a bit on the birth stool and then some on the toilet too. While on the toilet, they got me pillows to go behind my head and stools to rest my feet on. I feel asleep between a few contractions. It was a nice little rest before gearing up for another contraction. It took everything that I had to stay under controll and make it through my contractions! (Mike wanted me to add that I had enough energy to mention that I should try to sleep on the toilet more often because it was so easy to fall asleep and it was a nice break from the birthing stool) I was begging for the birth pool to be filled up but the plummer that was working at the birth center turned the water heater way down so they had to turn it back up and I had to wait for it to heat enough water to labor in it. FINALLY the birth pool had about 8 inches in it and i climbed right in. It helped SOOO much. I could not have made it through the whole labor without it. It made the contractions so much more manageable! I got in about 7:30 ish and labored till 7:50 when my body was telling me to push. At that time Mike got in with me and helped support me by sitting behind me and holding me up. He was such a HUGE help during the whole process!! He was such an awesome birth partner! Pushing was intense but it hurt less than the contractions so I was greatful for a change. I pushed for 37 minutes before he was born at 8:27. It was the most amazing experience to reach down and feel my babies head crowning! It gave me just the motivation that I needed to get him out. He was such a sweet baby when he came out! He didnt even cry at first. He just looked up and Mike and I with his big beautiful eyes. We waited till the cord stopped pulsing and then Mike cut the cord. It was sooo thick! Then i delivered the placenta which is my favorite part of it all! I love the feeling of being totally empty after 10 months of a growing child inside of you. AMAZING!
We got to spend a few hours with him before they even took him away to measure or weigh him. It was so nice to get to have skin to skin bonding time with him for so long. All the midwifes and nurses left the room and let us spend time as a family getting acquainted. After about 2 hours we had them come in and check him out and I got all stitched up and repaired. It was so nice not feeling rushed and feeling like I was in control of all the decisions that were being made.
My mom brought Maeli over after a bit and and it was so special watching her eyes glow as she held and admired her little brother for the first time. She is such a cute older sister! The first thing she said to me was "Mom! You got the baby out of your tummy??" It was so cute! She kept saying how cute he was and she held him like a champ! It was awesome to have our little family all together. My mom picked us up some breakfast and we talked and ate and played.
We headed home about 2:00. It was so nice to be able to leave when we were ready! We werent required to stay for days and we could have stayed longer if we felt like we needed to. I just LOVE the birth center that we delivered at. It was a perfect experience.
I just cant stop thinking about how proud i am of myself! i totally did it! i labored like a champ and i delivered a huge baby with absolutely no pain meds!! i feel like wonderwoman! i feel so empowered! and i feel so much better than i did after maelis birth! i feel awesome!! I am so proud of my body and that I trusted it to do what it was made to do.
Mike was amazing too! He did a perfect job of helping me without overwhelming me. I could feel his love for the through the whole process. He was wonderful!! And I was so glad to have an awesome birth doula to help me with comfort measures and helping Mike to comfort me as well. The whole experience was just amazing! It was better than I could have ever dreamed of.
So from the time that I really noticed contractions to the time that he was born, I was in labor a total of 4 hours! That sure beats the 36 hours that I was in labor with Maeli for. I pretty much slept through all of the prelabor stuff and went right into transition. Thank goodness too! It made for a quick but intense labor.
Jaxton is an awesome baby! He has been a good nurser today with a great latch and he has been sleeping tons (which im sure will change). We are just so in love with him and are so greatful for a healthy little boy! He is the perfect addition to our family! We love him!!
And on a side note... my mom informed me that I hold the record in my family for the smallest baby (Maeli at 5 lbs 5 oz) and the biggest baby (Jax at 9 lbs 1 oz). Just something i thought was funny :)
