Off we go into the wild blue yonder. . .: October 2014

So, I love reading other peoples birth stories and I like to go back and remember my own so here it is. So as you know, last week my older two kids were sick, so even though I was over due I was hoping that Elijah would hang out a few more days before coming so that the kids could get better. On Thursday, Rachel threw up and had a fever. I had a doctor appointment that evening at about 5 o'clock. At my appointment, my doctor called and scheduled with the hospital a day to induce me (the next Tuesday when I would be 11 days overdue). He checked me (2-3 centimeters) and stripped my membranes again. I went home and helped put the kids to bed and about 7:30 pm I started having contractions. At about 8, I told Jacob and he finished packing my hospital bag and a bag to send with the kids. At about 8:30 I let my wonderful friend who was going to watch my kids know that I was having contractions and they weren't going away, and we made plans to bring the kids over a couple of hours later. Jacob fell asleep and I got up to do a little but of last minute straightening up downstairs. When I got up, my contractions stopped coming as regularly and became less painful. About 10:30 pm I called my friend again and told her that it must have been a false alarm and that I would let her know when it was happening for real, and then I went up to bed. I had some contractions while I slept, but nothing really big until about 3 am. I woke up at 3 from contractions and Jacob woke up as well. They were coming about 5 minutes apart and were definitely more painful than they had been the night before. Jacob got up and I just laid in bed for a while. I was feeling a little scared I guess because I remembered how much was going to hurt. After Rachel was born, I very much forgot how much labor hurt. Mostly all I remembered was that being stitched up afterwards was the worst part. When I was pregnant with Kent, I remember my attitude towards labor was "Bring it on!" I knew I could do it because I had already done it, and I totally didn't remember how much it hurt. Then when I went into labor with Kent, I remember being shocked my how much it hurt because I totally forgot! This time, I had two experiences to draw memories from, and I remembered that it hurt, a lot, and I wasn't sure I was ready to do it again. Well ready or not, it was time. I stayed in bed until about 4:15 and then got up and got ready to go. I had Jacob give me a blessing before we left and it was really sweet. It really addressed my fears and reminded me that fear doesn't come from Heavenly Father. Strength comes from Heavenly Father. He would help me through this. Before we went in to wake up the kids, they both woke up on their own (at 4:30 in the morning)!! They were soooo excited when we told them what was going on and I was sure they would never go back to sleep for my friend (and I was right, they didn't). We took them over and got them settled in on her couch and were on our way to the hospital. On our way there we missed the exit that would take us to the hospital and ended up making a couple of wrong turns (one of which was onto a bumpy back road which was super painful, just in case you were wondering) and got to the hospital around 5 (I think). They took me right back and checked me and I was dilated to a 5. The nurse said I was a stretchy 5 almost a 6.

Then they told us that my doctor had just left town. His daughter was having a baby in Southern California, and I guess she took priority, lol. So instead of my doctor, a Dr. Keith was going to deliver my baby. Jacob and I had to laugh about that because my brother in law is a doctor and his last name is Keith. His personality was about as different from the other Dr. Keith I know as was possible. He came in at around 7:30 and told me he had to be in the office at 8 and really tried to get me to let him break my water. With Both my other kids I let my water break naturally and that was what I wanted this time too. He tried telling me that as soon as he broke my water it would go a lot quicker and if I wanted my water broke then this was my only chance since he was going into the office and wouldn't come back just to break my water. He also checked me and said I was a tight 5 and probably wouldn't dilate til he broke my water and could possibly stay at a 5 for hours. He really wanted to me to just get it over with so he wouldn't have to leave his office later, but I was determined to have this baby as naturally as possible, so he ended up going into his office with out breaking my water. I was a little bugged that he was just trying to get me done. It was my birth after all, I should get to choose how I do it as long as everything is going well.

When I'm in labor I don't like a lot of distractions, especially since I don't use any pain medication. I like to have soft music playing, the lights dimmed and I like to sit up on the bed in what they call the "throne position" with my feet down. I don't like to be checked very often because then I have to lay down and it throws off my groove of just being able to concentrate through the pain. Poor Jacob feels bad he knows I'm in pain and he wants to help, but really I just need to know he's there and that I have his attention. Mostly he just touched my foot and that is all the contact I can really handle. He also would get me some lavender essential oil out every so often because I liked to smell it. :) He didn't feel like he did much but I feel like I couldn't have done it with out him! Anyway, my contractions were coming fast and lasting about 2 minutes each. Jacob kept asking me if I wanted to have the nurse check me and I kept saying no. Partly I was afraid I would still only be dilated to a 5 and I wasn't sure I could handle only being at a 5 after all that work. I let the nurse check me at about 9:00 am and I was dilated to a 7. Woohoo! I was so glad to not be a 5 anymore, and I knew that I didn't have far to go before this baby would come out. She checked me again at about 9:30 and I was a stretchy 7. A little while later I was feeling a little pushy and had her check me again (probably around 10:20, not sure). I was dilated to a stretchy 9. She called Dr. Keith and he said he would be there in 7 minutes. At that point, I wasn't sure if I could wait a whole 7 minutes to push that baby out. I did wait, but only barely. The doctor walked into my room, I had a big contraction that I only barely managed to not push through, my water broke (finally) and I said I wasn't waiting anymore. I pushed through one contraction. That's all it took to get him out. Halfway through pushing him out, the doctor told me to stop pushing. Elijah had the cord around his neck and if I kept pushing it would have caused problems for him. Also if I had kept pushing I would have torn really bad. I was able to stop for a minute (which is like trying to stop a waterfall!!!) and then finish pushing him out and Elijah was fine, and I didn't tear a bit. He was born at 10:36 am. I am so grateful to have not torn! I tore pretty bad with Rachel and it was awful. I tore a little with Kent and only needed one stitch, but I can't even tell you how much better I felt not having to deal with an extra sore in an already extra sore area!! They put Elijah straight into my chest and we did some skin to skin time (and he immediately piddled on me). He didn't cry immediately. In fact he didn't cry until they put him on my chest and even then, he didn't cry for very long. They told me as they handed him to me, "He is so big!" But they gave him to me and they were wrong. He was so little. 8 pounds 15.6 ounces and 21 1/4 inches long. So little and so perfect. My sweet little Elijah baby.

And he is so worth it. He is worth the extra week of being pregnant and worth the pain and worth the worry. He is completely worth it and completely perfect.

Pretty soon after he came out, Jacob went to get the kids. He knows how much I hate leaving them with other people and that I would be more happy if they were with us, so even though he barely even got to hold our little guy, he went to get our other two munchkins and to eat lunch. (As I was typing this up, I was realizing that I'm not sure if Jacob even got to hold Elijah before he went to get the kids. I asked him and he said he wasn't sure either. Wow I feel selfish!! Poor Jacob! He's such a good sport!) While he was gone I got up and showered off and stuff and I couldn't believe how good I felt. I felt way better than immediately following either of the other kids births and that has been the trend this whole time. I have healed so much quicker this time. My bleeding has been significantly less than I remember from either time before and I was able to sit on harder surfaces much quicker this time. Physically (besides being more tired than normal) I feel awesome, and it hadn't even been a whole week! I think it has been a tender mercy from Heavenly Father. Usually Jacob gets to take paternity leave for 10 days when our babies are born but this time he didn't get that because he is in class. Also, my mom usually goes out to help when one of us has a baby, and since she came out a week early, she didn't get to be here to help out this time. I think Heavenly Father knew I wouldn't have the extra help and so he helped me heal faster so that I could handle things on my own when I had to. Jacob was able to take a couple of extra days off this week because his class was taking tests Monday Tuesday and Wednesday, and tests are pretty easy to reschedule, so they let him take all three days off. I am so grateful for his help. He has been a huge help with our kids and with keeping our house from falling apart. I'm pretty dang lucky to have him for a husband.