My due date was 8/25/08, but I knew I wasn't going to last till then. Thursday I actually thought I was going into labor…it turned out I was wrong…Or was I? Thursday I was having tons of contractions. When nothing happened I just assumed they were Braxton hicks and didn't think about it. Friday morning I woke up and it was a very quite day, no contractions. I wasn't feeling too good, uncomfortable because the baby was big but other then that…nothing that would lead me to think I was in labor.
We went and picked up a mattress for her crib and got her crib together..not that she's going to sleep in there for a while anyway. I just wanted to have it all set up. While we were in Babies R' Us, I got a Braxton hicks contraction…at least I thought it was. It was a strong one, but I just thought it was normal. Usually at the end of the day I would start to get more contractions. I just figured it was my body's was of telling me to rest.
That evening my son, Bobby had his friend Nick sleeping over and my daughters friends Sarah and Jessica slept over. I was tired and when I went to bed I remember telling the Lord, "If I go into labor tonight that would be funny with all this company sleeping over."…well, the Lord has a sense of humor. I woke up at 3:35am because I thought my water had broke…but nothing. I went to the bathroom and I was having a contraction…a Braxton hicks …so I thought. So I went back to bed and laid there…then I got another one…this time I opened my eyes and thought, "Am I in labor?". I got up and went to the bathroom..this time I got a tiny bit of blood, which meant that my cervix was opening up….yipee!! I woke up Rob and told him I think I'm in labor…He got up to fill up the birthing pool and when I went to call the midwife my water broke!! Yeah!! I was definitely in Labor!!! I wasn't in any pain…the contractions were very mild at this point.
I called my midwife and then my sister. I woke up my daughter , Stephanie. We were all laughing because we had a full house. My son and his friend were sleeping in our tv room. We woke them up to tell them to go sleep in the basement. My daughters friends stayed up in her room.
At this point I wasn't in much pain and I was just walking around doing some last minute stuff. The pool was filling up and I was excited. As I was walking around the contractions started to become a little stronger…still nothing to mention. We were laughing. Later on around 5:12am They were strong enough that I got into the birthing tub…still we were joking and laughing.
By 6am I was fully dilated and was starting to push you out…this is where the fun starts. For some reason she didn't want to come down. We weren't sure, so I got out of the birthing pool to see if some gravity would help…it did, but not quickly enough in my opinion. It took almost 2 hours to push her out. It turns out her hand was up over her head so I had to push out her head and her arm…sheesh!! I started pushing at 6am and she was born at 7:47am!
So, all in all I was in labor 4 hours…that's not too bad. The labor wasn't that bad…the pushing excruciating…getting to hold my new daughter for the first time. PRICELESS!!
It was wonderful to hold her...what was even better, was that no one took her from me...having a home birth meant that she could stay with me. And stay with me she did. I just sat there holding her. What a blessing and a miracle. I held her until the placenta was ready. I then took a shower and relaxed and rested the rest of that glorious day with my daughter in my arms!!
Sarah was born on 8/16/08, weighing 9lbs 11oz and was 21" long.
What a merciful and gracious Lord we serve!!
We went and picked up a mattress for her crib and got her crib together..not that she's going to sleep in there for a while anyway. I just wanted to have it all set up. While we were in Babies R' Us, I got a Braxton hicks contraction…at least I thought it was. It was a strong one, but I just thought it was normal. Usually at the end of the day I would start to get more contractions. I just figured it was my body's was of telling me to rest.
That evening my son, Bobby had his friend Nick sleeping over and my daughters friends Sarah and Jessica slept over. I was tired and when I went to bed I remember telling the Lord, "If I go into labor tonight that would be funny with all this company sleeping over."…well, the Lord has a sense of humor. I woke up at 3:35am because I thought my water had broke…but nothing. I went to the bathroom and I was having a contraction…a Braxton hicks …so I thought. So I went back to bed and laid there…then I got another one…this time I opened my eyes and thought, "Am I in labor?". I got up and went to the bathroom..this time I got a tiny bit of blood, which meant that my cervix was opening up….yipee!! I woke up Rob and told him I think I'm in labor…He got up to fill up the birthing pool and when I went to call the midwife my water broke!! Yeah!! I was definitely in Labor!!! I wasn't in any pain…the contractions were very mild at this point.
I called my midwife and then my sister. I woke up my daughter , Stephanie. We were all laughing because we had a full house. My son and his friend were sleeping in our tv room. We woke them up to tell them to go sleep in the basement. My daughters friends stayed up in her room.
At this point I wasn't in much pain and I was just walking around doing some last minute stuff. The pool was filling up and I was excited. As I was walking around the contractions started to become a little stronger…still nothing to mention. We were laughing. Later on around 5:12am They were strong enough that I got into the birthing tub…still we were joking and laughing.
By 6am I was fully dilated and was starting to push you out…this is where the fun starts. For some reason she didn't want to come down. We weren't sure, so I got out of the birthing pool to see if some gravity would help…it did, but not quickly enough in my opinion. It took almost 2 hours to push her out. It turns out her hand was up over her head so I had to push out her head and her arm…sheesh!! I started pushing at 6am and she was born at 7:47am!
So, all in all I was in labor 4 hours…that's not too bad. The labor wasn't that bad…the pushing excruciating…getting to hold my new daughter for the first time. PRICELESS!!
It was wonderful to hold her...what was even better, was that no one took her from me...having a home birth meant that she could stay with me. And stay with me she did. I just sat there holding her. What a blessing and a miracle. I held her until the placenta was ready. I then took a shower and relaxed and rested the rest of that glorious day with my daughter in my arms!!
Sarah was born on 8/16/08, weighing 9lbs 11oz and was 21" long.
What a merciful and gracious Lord we serve!!
In Christ,
Laura
