12:34 a.m.
7 pounds, 1 ounce
18 3/4 inches long
...and perfect.
Here is her birth story: before I forget it. (Disclaimer: I've been thinking about what to write for the last 2 weeks, and how to accurately describe the way I feel about everything. I am also leaving things out, I am sure, so bear with me)
Thursday, March 10: I go in to see Julie, my midwife, for my 39 week check up. I felt like things were progressing even more this week, though I had been dilated to a 4 for over a week, and was ready to go into labor at a moments notice. Julie said I was dilated to a 5, and that she didn't think I would last the weekend. I told her I think I wanted her to break my water. Having June on Friday would have been most convenient for Nate with work, and would also allow us to have the most time together before soccer season started.
Julie agreed to break my water, and I finally felt good about being "induced." It was my goal with this pregnancy to do everything "naturally," as in no induction, no pain medication, no unnecessary medical procedures, etc. I felt guilty at first about even THINKING about having her break my water, because I truly did want to go into labor on my own, and I knew it would allow for the easiest possible labor. But Julie reassured me she knew I was ready, and that it would likely be a speedy process. I realized then, if Julie thought it was ok, so did I!
I left the office, with Nate, and he decided not to go back to work. No matter what, we would have the baby the next morning, but had to wait to see when we could be scheduled at the hospital. When Julie called during lunch, she informed me that the hospital was booked for Friday morning, and I couldn't get on the schedule until Saturday. Boo. I was sad and stressed out...my biggest concern being that I would go into labor at 3 am and need to rush to get someone to be with Lyla and Grey. I just didn't want to risk the craziness, so I asked Julie what she was doing that night. She said she had her daughter's bridal shower to attend, but agreed to induce me after 8pm that night.
So we went home after lunch, put the kids down for a nap...Nate took a nap and I showered/speed cleaned the house (because clearly there would be no sleeping for me). We went out for a salad and some pizza, then dropped the kids off at their grandparents and we were off.
8pm: Arrived at the hospital, and got all ready to go. No IV for me...just a block in case I needed any fluid or medication. They monitored the baby for awhile while we waited for Julie to arrive.
9:30 pm: Julie arrives and breaks my water about 9:40...and I am still dilated to a 5. Then I waited for contractions...
10:45-11pm: Started having contractions that would cause me to lean over the bed, and that seemed to be the ONLY way I could stay comfortable. I noticed that my pain was especially intense in my back, but nothing I couldn't handle.
11pm-ish: Julie gets me to lay in bed since I need to be monitored for 15 minutes at a time, then I can be off the monitors for an hour. I lay on my side, though I am not comfortable at all anymore, but she rubs my side and helped me to keep my body completely relaxed while my uterus does all the work.
--I didn't think I would respond to all the affirmations or feel comfortable enough to let someone help me relax, but Julie was amazing at this point and really helped me stay calm and focused. Poor Nate, I asked him to just be quiet.
Midnight: I looked at the clock and realized June wouldn't be born on March 10th, and remember noting that I almost fell asleep because I was able to stay so relaxed in between contractions. I remember last looking at the clock at 12:10 or so, and that's when it all changed.
All of a sudden, I had the most intense contraction that literally caused me to LEAP out of bed and go into the bathroom. I remember one of the nurses telling me to go to the bathroom whenever I felt the need because it would relieve pressure and help the baby move down. When I had this contraction, it wouldn't let up, I tried sitting and going to the bathroom, but the contraction immediately started up again. I called for Nate, and demanded to see Julie. The pain was so intense that I knew I couldn't do much more. In fact, I was ready for an epidural if I wasn't progressed past a 7. Yeah, it was that bad.
Julie came in, and I told her everything had changed, and I was ready to be done. She started a bath, but I kept telling her I just felt too much pressure, especially in my back, which was where all the pain seemed to be located. She helped me to the bed and said she wanted to check my progress, and when she did, she told me I was done, that it was time to push.
Sure enough, the next contraction came and I started pushing, and the pain was even more intense in my back. Then I heard Julie ask me if any of my other kids were posterior (face up), because June was. Uh oh...and to top it off, June couldn't be turned, and she was already coming with the next contractions. At the time I didn't fully comprehend what posterior meant, and I am glad I didn't. I guess there was a reason for my intense back labor, and why laying on my back or side was the WORST position for me at that point. I remember Julie asking me to hold on to my legs, and I replied "NO!" That left Nate and the nurse to hold on for dear life. For the record, the nurse said she had never had to work so hard to hold on to someone's leg. Sorry about that.
At this point, I felt like I was having an out of body experience. I was vocalizing with the contractions, though it felt semi good to push. Finally, I pushed her little head out, and her body came out with the same contraction. SUCH RELIEF. I literally felt like I had just been transported back into my body, and every pain I just had was gone! Completely gone. I opened my eyes, and felt like I had returned which a huge burst of energy. Truly amazing.
During transition and pushing I don't remember a whole lot besides pulling on my own hair and holding on to the bed when I was trying to get through a contraction. It was only after labor that I felt a little self conscious. I asked Nate if I yelled too loud, or if I was out of control, because even though I worked very hard to remain in control, I couldn't help but think I really WAS out of it. He reassured me that I did great, and even said he was amazed that I did it, which truly meant the world to me. He said it over and over, and that surprised me. Nate being proud of me was the icing on the cake.
Julie put June right up on my stomach, and she looked right at me. I remember thinking she was so alert, and her eyes were wide open. She was pretty peaceful after the initial crying, and Nate cut the cord. Julie was also sure to massage the cord for a couple minutes after birth, making sure that June got the last of the cord blood before we cut it. I remember knowing right away she was smaller than my other 2, and it totally shocked me. I held her a bit longer, and then one of the nurses asked if I wanted her to have her assessment and weight done...it was nice they didn't just whisk her away! I said ok, and I remember Nate asking, "Is it ok if I go with her?" I thought it was sweet he wanted to stay by me but also go with June and make sure she was alright.
After Julie fixed me all up and June got all cleaned up, I got out of bed and WALKED to the wheelchair, where I went and saw June get her first bath. I felt so great right after she was born, high off the rush of doing it naturally. I was so very proud of myself. And only a 3 hour labor?!? I was so excited about it all.
Nate and I didn't sleep a lot that night...maybe a couple of hours. I must admit that it was difficult to sleep right after the birth, because I was experiencing such a rush of energy and really felt quite good. Even 3 weeks later, I still feel like I am on that high. I have a good amount of energy and I just feel so ecstatic about the entire experience. I still think to myself everyday, "wow, I can't believe I really set my mind to that and DID IT!" All the pep talks I gave myself in the shower and the books I read seemed to do just what I needed...and that was to mentally prepare myself for what was to come. I never even considered what a posterior baby would mean for my labor, and I am glad I didn't! It would have freaked me right out. I am also glad that June was on the smaller side for my kids, because if she was over 8 pounds like we predicted, my labor would have been unbearable and may have ended in a c-section. Yikes. I am just still so amazed by the whole experience. I loved that it felt non medical. I had the lights dimmed, it was quiet, no poking and prodding, minimal monitoring and my midwife was there for everything and just put me completely at ease. AMAZING, truly. Words cannot describe, which is probably why this post took me so long to write, and I have edited it twice!
In a way, I am also sad its over. I absolutely adored my midwife, and I bonded with her through my labor experience. I never thought I could let my guard down enough to let someone help me through such pain, but she made it so easy. I will miss her for sure! Everything has felt easy. June is so sweet, incredibly alert, and just a good baby. Lyla and Grey have done wonderfully having her around, though the transition from 2-3 kids has definitely been more busy, but I can post more about that later. We are just thrilled to have her here. She's just perfect, and truly completes our family.
Enjoy the pictures, and I will post more about family life, June's first weeks, and more pictures of the kids!
