Daniel's Brith Story

As soon as I confirmed pregnancy, I was so thrilled to call my MW!   However, I am so embarrassed to say that when US told us the baby was a boy, I was less than thrilled. 

I had BH contractions from about 34 weeks so at my 36 week home visit, I had my MW check me.  I was already 3cm with baby at 0.  I thought for sure I would have Daniel on 9/1.  My due date was 9/23.  My MW had a trainee at that time whom I just adored too named Selina and she was sure I would go anytime.  But on 9/1 I got the flu and was puking my guts out and miserable for three days.  I was hoping to NOT go into labor like that since I knew I could not do it.  And with only Kaysha's birth as a referrence, I KNEW I did not want to have that again  while sick.  But my MW assured me that my body knew it was sick and would not do anything.  At my 37 week check, I was at a 4 but by then I figured that Daniel was not too anxious to show up.  They asked me if I wanted to do castor oil and I said NO.  I wanted him to come when he wanted, I did not want to pick the day.  So home I go.   But at the end of the pregnancy, you want to be done, and then again, the wonderment of it all made me want to wait on Daniel.  Plus I didn't know what I would do with a boy anyway so he could just bake.  I went for my 38 week check on 9/9.  Dh and I had had some fun in bed that morning too!!  I arrived grouchy like you are at the end.  Toni, my MW took one look at me and asked if I was in labor.  NO, I say madly.  Selina checks me and tells Toni I am at a 3.  WHAT?   Toni checks and says "Oh my Lord,"  I ask what the problem is.  She tells me I am at a 6 and the bag is buldging.   Then she feels my uterus only to tell me I am contracting.  Then she tells me I will probably have Daniel in a ditch on the way home if my water should break.  I tell her it hasn't broke yet, it probably won't.  She hooks me up to the monitor and I am contracting every five minutes.  She tells me to drop Kaysha off at the IL's, call dh home from work and call my mom, we are having the baby today.  I am happy and a bit overwhelmed and thinking that this one will just fall out now.  We made arrangements to meet at the house at 1pm and it was like 10am then.  I dropped Kaysha off to a bewildered FIL and went home, called dh and my mom.  Apparently FIL was worried since he sent SIL, who I wasn't too impressed with at that time, over to check on me.  I was busily cleaning the tub when she let herself in.  I sent her right back home.   I called my mom who promptly left work.  Dh arrived an hour or so later and told me he had to stop at MacDonalds on the way home to have diahrea,  hahahahahaha, I laughed SO hard and will never forget it.  My mom arrived and I reminded her we had two bathrooms this time around since last birth dh walked in on her a few times while she was trying to go.  Then she had to get off so I could go.  She was impressed.   We cleaned up and finally the MW's arrived.  To my suprise and joy, the MW, Mif who delivered Kaysha also came so I had three MW's.  They checked me again and I was at a 7, but they wanted me to be contracting steadily before they broke my water.  Dh and I walked all over the neighborhood.  At 2pm, they broke the bag.  To my complete dismay, my dear MIL shows up at 3pm.   My labor completely stopped.  The MW's laughed and said how funny our bodies are that we can do that.  She only came to get clothes for Kaysha.  At 4pm we were walking, talking, laughing and I was contracting but it was a big party.  They were all looking at Home Interior catalogs and dh was surfing the net.  I was thinking that I was making money since they were doing all their Xmas shopping early.  At 5pm, I was starting to feel the contractions and Toni led me to the toilet for my "toilet hugging session" as dh likes to refer to it.  He laughed SO hard that I kicked him out.  I could hear him and my mom visiting and laughing and I told them to shut up or go outside.  Then Mif came in and asked Toni if she could take over.  She did.  All of a sudden it was just she and I and it was lovely.  Every contraction required my full attention by then.  I was contracting every two minutes but they only lasted like 45 seconds.  She would time them and as I did the breathing she would tell me when they would peak and when they would be done and it helped SO much.  In between contractions I remember feeling normal.  If they stopped altogether it would not have suprised me.  I kept thinking they would get worse like with Kaysha but they never did...At some point I told her either I needed to poop or push and she checked me.  I was complete except for a cervical lip.  Dh came in about that time and I told him I was ready to get in the tub.  He filled it up and I got in but with the next contraction completely lost all bearings.  On the toilet, I had a pillow in the tank and held on for dear life during a contraction.  In the tub, I had a pillow for my back but I asked Mif to help me to cope.  She helped me find the handle of the tub and dh held my hand.   She checked me again and still found the lip.  By then everyone was in my little bathroom watching.  She asked me to push a little at the end of each contraction and I remember the tremendous relief of just letting go but not actually doing any work.  A few of those passed and still a lip.  She told me that she could hold it up and I could push.  That sounded great to me so she held it.  When the next contraction hit, I yelled for her to STOP holding it because the pain was more than I could bear.  This was the only loud thing I said throughout the whole labor.  At the same time I pushed and out came Daniel.  Selina almost missed it.  I heard someone tell me to stop but that wasn't about to happen.  My mom told me she was praying out loud for him to come out.  He did at 6:08  They put him on my breast and he was crying the most pittiful cry I had ever heard.  I was crying too and tried to console him.  I was consumed with an emotion I did not get with Kaysha.  All I knew is that I did not want him to cry.  At that moment, it no longer mattered that he was a boy and I stupidly did not want one.  I held him for what seemed like ten minutes and it probably was.  He was the sweetest little man and I didn't want to let go of him   Dh cut the cord and took him wrapped in warm towels, again with his shirt off and got in our bed.  I pushed out the placenta and I remember thinking that I could not believe it was over that fast.  I got out immediately after and I remember feeling great.  I was not cold or shaky like with Kaysha.  I had no excess blood loss or problems with uterus clamping like last time.  Toni and Selina showed me the placenta and pointed out a white cross that was on it.  They said they don't see it too often but it is a sign of a very healthy pregnancy.  I wish someone would have taken a picture of it.    I got dressed and sat on the bed as they looked at Daniel.  They could not believe how big he was.  His hands were huge.  We took guesses at his weight.  He was 8'9" and 21 inches.  I was pretty amazed too since I had no tearing and he came out in one push.  They finally got him checked out and my mom dressed him and then he nursed for the first time.  I felt all the guilt melt away at that moment.  I was not successful in nursing Kaysha and always felt guilty about it.  I was completely healed.  Everyone left at 7:30 except Mif who had to leave right after he came out to go to the hospital to work her other job.  I made some dinner and called some friends.  I felt absolutely great.  I decided to get back in the tub at 8pm since I really wasn't clean..........Mif came back at about 9pm and stayed for awhile.  She was so suprised I did not tear at all.  She held Daniel and I told her how happy I was she had came again.  She ended up leaving at around 10pm and dh, and Daniel and I went to bed together.  It was like heaven