I feel good, Na na na na na na. Like I knew that I would now.

While I am still dealing with sleep issues, just like any mom of a new baby, I am so happy to report that I feel good. I haven't been blogging much because I have been both busy and occupied. And no, they aren't the same thing.

Feeling "good" may not sound like much to many of you, but it means so much to me. In fact it has a double meaning for me. First, I am NOT PREGNANT anymore. I knew I felt crummy there at the end of the pregnancy; but until she was a few weeks old and I started to feel really good, I didn't realize how bad I had felt. I tell you that there has been a huge difference - at least for me - in the pregnancies I had in my 20's and the two I have had in my 30's.

So with my new found energy and good feelings, I have been tackling many projects around the house that have been sadly neglected over the past year. Memorial Day Weekend we shaped up the front yard and porch. We still have a little bit to do - like getting some sod down in an area that used to be a rock bed - but it looks much better. Like people live here who care. I've also been painting. I have painted two bedrooms upstairs in the last week, with help from my oldest two girls. We have ordered bunk beds for our 7 and 5 year olds, and will be moving them into a different bedroom. I wanted the rooms painted before the beds arrived and the bedroom switch occurred.

Most importantly, however, I am feeling good post partum. As many of you who know me well are aware, I had some major problems after the births of my 5 and 3 year olds. I am extremely happy to report that with Ashlynn nearly 7 weeks old, I am showing NO SIGNS of similar problems this time. And I am thanking the Lord every day for it. He has sent many things and people my way that have made it possible this time, and it is such a blessing that I am not taking for granted. I am also past the early nursing stage when I have so many problems, so I am to the point I can really enjoy the baby.

Especially when she sleeps from 9:30 pm to 6 am like she did last night!!! First time!

So I have been busy around the house and with my family, and I have been occupied nursing, rocking and holding my baby. And since I have never gotten the hang of typing one handed, it has cut down on my blogging time. But since I am being able to really enjoy that baby time like I haven't been able to the last two times, I haven't minded too much.

But if she keeps sleeping like this, maybe I can get back to things I enjoy, like blogging. And running off baby weight. And weaning myself off Dr. Pepper. Oh wait, I think that falls into the necessary evil category...

Ashlynn's Birth (A.K.A. Will the midwife make it in time?)

Pretty much all day Friday I was having contractions, usually about 10 or so minutes apart. This wasn't really unusual (as I've said I've been having several contractions a day for a while) but they were a little more regular. They still didn't hurt and never got closer together. They would die away for a while and then return, so nothing to really let me know anything was imminent.

When I went to bed, they picked back up for a while, keeping me awake. They finally went away again, so I got to sleep about 1:00 or so. About 4:20 or so I woke up needing to go to the bathroom. I got back in bed and was just getting drowsy when I had a contraction that was stronger than the others. I glanced at the clock - 4:30. I didn't think too much of it and tried to go back to sleep. Then I had another one not too long later. I looked at the clock and it had only been 5 minutes since the last one. That's weird, I thought. I still tried to go back to sleep, until I had another one. It was about 4-5 minutes later. OK, I am not going to get back to sleep now until I know for sure if this is going to lead to anything. So I got up.

I went into the living room and just puttered around a little, but the contractions kept coming about 4-5 minutes apart and were getting stronger. I went to the bathroom again, and let's just say I had more evidence that this was it. So at 4:50 I called Janet, the midwife. All I said was "It's time for you come." She said she would head out right then. She knew better than to waste time asking questions. I then posted the blog entry, and then went to wake up Kelly.

Of course as soon as I said that I had just called Janet, he popped out of bed and got to moving quickly. Which was a good thing, as I was having to stop more and more frequently for the contractions. Kelly cleaned the bathroom, and changed the sheets on the bed. I helped when I could. He also got himself something to eat and brought me some toast and water as well. I tell you, my husband is the BEST labor partner EVER.

By this time I had changed into a gown and was sitting on my birthing ball. My water had broken at some point but I don't really know when. I guess it just started out as a leak that grew with successive contractions. About 5:30, Kelly begins to wonder where the midwife was, so he calls her cell phone. She was at a nearby intersection, so we figured she'd be here soon. Ten minutes later we still hadn't seen her. So he called her again. She had had to make a stop at CVS, but was now on her way. She asked Kelly how I was doing. Kelly said good, that they were getting closer together but still irregular.

By this he meant that my contractions weren't as long as either one of us remembered. They were intense, and by this point were 2-3 minutes apart, but they weren't the extremely long ones like you can sometimes have. The best thing was that I had not had a bit of back labor. I kept waiting for my back to start hurting like it had with Lauryn, but it never happened. Praise the Lord. The baby had been very active Friday night, so Kelly and I think the contractions on Friday helped her turn to the correct position.

Janet calls back just a couple of minutes later, saying she thinks she passed our house. So Kelly is directing her back to the right spot when I start feeling alot of pressure. Now I'm starting to wonder if the midwife will make it.

Finally just before 6, Janet's assistant midwife arrives, saying Janet is just around the corner and will be here in two minutes. And she was, right at 6 am. The first thing they do is to help me get up on the bed, as the ball is no longer comfortable. Besides I knew I was close and wanted in my bed for the delivery.

By now the contractions were 2 minutes apart or less, and had finally lengthened out to about a minute. I was starting to really have to concentrate and force myself to relax during them. And I had gotten the shakes, so we all knew it was a matter of minutes. Once I was up on the bed, the midwives had time to do one thing between each contraction. They checked the baby's heart rate, contraction, my blood pressure, contraction, etc. She did get one chance to check me, and said, "Oh yeah, we're having a baby in a couple of minutes - dilation 9, completely effaced, plus 2 station." Meanwhile, they are getting out all the equipment they'll need, and Kelly is holding my hands, encouraging me during each contraction. The midwife apprentice gets there around 6:15, about the time Kelly goes to wash his hands.

When he got back to the bed, I told him, "I've changed my mind." For some reason, they all thought that was funny. Two contractions later, I had to push. I tried to say "It's coming" but I think Kelly only heard "coming" thinking I meant the contraction. But I meant the baby. It was great, as it was one of those your body takes over things, and I had nothing to do with it. I heard Janet say "The head's out." So I geared up for the shoulders, thinking I'd have to push those out like I had Lauryn's. But the next thing I know, Kelly was laying our daughter on my stomach. She had come out in one push. Janet later said it was one of the smoothest deliveries she'd ever seen in over 20 years of midwifery.

They immediately start toweling her off and Janet asks Kelly what it is. To no one's surprise he looks and says "another daughter." We were both so excited that he FINALLY got to deliver a baby! We've been trying for him to deliver the last 4, but something has always come up.

Kelly had woken Kora up at about 5:30 to tell her that I was having the baby, so she and Aubrey had been upstairs awake waiting for the news. So as soon as I was cleaned up and presentable, he went to get them. So they were in with us when she was weighed and measured, etc.

I can't express how thankful I am that she turned and I didn't have to face the back labor I had so dreaded. I know that that, and the mercifully short and smooth labor and delivery were gifts from God, just like Ashlynn is. She is also a very good baby so far. A great nurser, and very content. I've only heard her cry twice so far - right after birth, and during her first bath. I am also so thankful for my husband, who is such a rock during labor - and I mean that in the best possible way. He is so calm and supportive, caring and strong. And taken, so the rest of you just have to put up with second best. :-)

Blogger is not letting me post pictures, so I'll have to come back later with more pics. Thanks so much to everyone who prayed for us!

Thanks, everyone.

Thanks for all the comments and emails! I have been reading them, but other than that, haven't been on the computer much. I've been resting and nursing instead. Yeah, I thought you'd forgive me for that.

I will try to get a birth story up in the next few days. My mom is here for a couple of weeks and Kelly is taking at least a couple of days off, so we will be just enjoying this time at home for now. I am doing very well, and so is Ashlynn. More pics soon, I hope.

Oh, but I have to tell a funny. This morning, I put Ashlynn in the porta-crib/bassinet in my room so I could go to the restroom. Lauryn had followed me in there and stayed with the baby. When I came out, Lauryn very seriously told me, "I was watching Ashlynn to make sure she didn't climb out of her crib." After I got done laughing, I told her that Ashlynn couldn't climb out of her crib yet, but thank you for watching her. That little girl can't wait until Ashlynn gets big enough to play with!

FINALLY!

Just called Janet, the midwife to come. Labor started at 4:30 am. Pray for us!

Hangin' in There

Yep, still here, waddling along. Five days late at this point. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little discouraged and frustrated at this point. While I know in my head that God has complete control of the timing and outcome, my flesh is just tired. Tired of being a biology experiment, of lying on my left side all the time (trying to get the baby to turn the right way), of swelling feet, ankles and hands, of persistent back pain, constant contractions that don't seem to be doing anything.

But then I remind myself that it is easy to be at peace and trust when things are going just the way you want them to. It's times of frustration that test us and grow us. Since patience is such a hard lesson to learn, at least for me, it seems like I must go through times like this in order to get refresher courses. :-)

So for those of you who have checked on me, I'm really doing fine. And for those of you who haven't wanted to bother or bug me, I am definitely having symptoms of imminent labor - but I have had them for about a week now, so imminent is a relative term for an over-due mama. And to all of you who are praying for me and the baby, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I have really felt the Lord's grace upholding me in incredible ways in the last couple of weeks.

On a funny note, perspective is an interesting thing. Needless to say this has been a loooong week for me. Then this morning Kora remarks, "Wow, it's Thursday already!"

Wonderful Little Book

During the last few weeks, I have been preparing in many ways for the upcoming birth. Not only have I washed and folded baby clothes, bought diapers, and gathered birth supplies, but I have also been preparing mentally for the labor and delivery as well. I've been reviewing my books on labor, breathing and relaxation techniques. But there is also a spiritual aspect of the preparation as well.

Often when we go through hard times in life, as Christians we turn to Scripture and prayer to help us through. And while birth is a joyous time, it is a physically demanding and painful time. Fortunately, it's one of the few "hard times" that we know about ahead of time, even if we don't know the exact date. When I'm in labor, I have learned how to focus and breathe and relax my way through each contraction. But while I'm breathing, I am usually silently reciting Scriptures, or images from Scripture. Images like the Lord being my refuge, fortress, leaning on the everlasting arms are very comforting.

And of course, one of the most loved passages for times like this is Psalm 23. A few years ago, my friend and mentor Cathi recommended a little book to me called A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller. The author raised sheep as a young man and later went on to become a lay pastor. This little book looks at each verse of the Psalm from the perspective of a shepherd. His insights into this Psalm make it come alive and provide a depth that I had never before appreciated.

As a city girl from Texas, where the only cattle we are familiar with are longhorns, the images from the Psalm meant little to me before I read this book for the first time a few years ago. Why would a sheep talk about being anointed with oil? Why would you prepare a table for a sheep? As Keller describes the intricacies of caring for sheep, it brings home to me the love and care that the Lord shows to me and to all His people. This is why I love reading this book as I prepare myself for labor and delivery, because I have been reminded every day in these last few weeks about His provision and care for me.

While my reformed friends, like me, will probably wish he had phrased a few sentences differently, this is a wonderful little book for any time and anybody, not just over-due moms-to-be.

My Guess

Now that my due date has come and gone, I decided to put my guess as far as the baby goes:

Birth date: April 20
weight: 10 lbs.
length: 21.5 in
hair: brown
labor length: 4 hr

and of course,
gender: just look at the top of the page and I think you can figure out what I think I'm having. ;-)


PS. Why the 20th? It's a full moon. I know that sounds silly, but I have had two babies on a full moon, and every midwife and L&D department I have spoken to says they are always busier during a full moon cycle. Not sure if it is the increased gravity or what. Also when I do go overdue, I tend to go about a week (or more) over, no 1 or 2 days for me. So next Sunday would be 8 days late.

Guess we'll know soon!

Confession Time

How many of you are checking my blog each morning to see if there's a birth announcement on it? :-)

I just wondered, 'cause I do the same thing when ladies I know are due.

And just to answer the question I am getting from everyone the last couple of days:

Yes, I am having contractions - lots of them. Last evening they were about 15 minutes apart, but irregular. So every night Kelly thinks this is it, that I'll wake him up in labor. But this is my normal pattern at the end. You know, I just do it to keep everyone guessing. Yeah, right.

Weird Week

This is a little bit of a weird week around here.

First off, we are nearly done with school. For the year. That's right. We finished up science a couple of weeks ago, history last week. The girls have mostly finished up things like grammar and spelling workbooks. Kora and Aubrey have both finished the Latin books. This is just a "tie up loose ends" week. I had planned ever since I found out I was pregnant to end school this week, so we have structured the school year accordingly. It helps that we started in July. We also haven't taken a spring break. That starts next week I guess.

And of course everything is ready for the birth - except the baby. So we are all in a waiting game. I am finding myself with time on my hands - a very weird feeling for a busy mom of many kids. There's not alot physically I can do as my back and hip pain, not to mention ankle swelling, prevents me from doing much around the house. I have been preparing simple meals, and getting the girls to pitch in even more than they usually do.

Adding to the unusualness around here, Kora sprained her ankle a week and a half ago and still can't put weight on it. So not only am I about half out of commission, my oldest child and most capable helper is limited as to what she can do as well. So this has required a major shift in who does what around here. Never a dull moment, right?

Mainly we are just kinda hunkered down, just waiting. I don't expect to have the baby until sometime next week (I'm actually praying it doesn't stretch into the next week like Lauryn's pregnancy did!). In the meantime, I'm reading and watching alot of movies and HGTV. And dreaming of tiny babies.

Homebirth

I have had several questions about home births. Mostly these are not from my friends here in San Antonio, because enough of us have done it that most everyone knows someone who has had a home birth. And I'm sure each midwife does things a little differently, so I can only give you an idea of how my midwife does it.

For the prenatal visits, things are actually very similar to seeing a doctor. There is blood work done early in the pregnancy. You see the midwife every 4 weeks until you are 28 weeks along, then you move to every two weeks. Then at 36 or 37 weeks you start seeing her every week. At each visit you are weighed (my least favorite part), blood pressure taken, they ask many questions about your health. They also listen to the baby's heartbeat and measure your tummy(to make sure the baby is growing properly). They also go over any supplements you need to be taking and answer any and all questions you might have.

The main difference at this point is that the midwives that I know are much less pushy about alot of the tests you are offered. For instance if you decide not to get the triple marker test (which tests the mother's blood for certain problems with the baby like Downs syndrome), the midwife does not pressure you like I have had doctors do. Also if certain conditions were to surface during the pregnancy (like twins are diagnosed) the midwife by law is required to hand the mother off to an OB for the remainder of her care.

When you reach the 38-39 week point, one prenatal visit is scheduled to be at the home where the birth will take place.

At this point the mother prepares the home for the birth. At the home visit, my midwife brings the "birth kit" and leaves it at the house. This has supplies in it like the bulb syringe, sterilized clamps and scissors to cut the cord, exam gloves, etc. There is also a list of things I have had to gather and have accessible in the room. We have alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, a digital thermometer, as well as a good supply of clean sheets, towels, baby clothes, diapers, and the like. We also have things for the labor, like heating pads, a birthing ball, etc. She also asks for two containers of some type - one for trash, and one for laundry - to be set up in the room.

The thing that surprised me the most at my first homebirth was that you do actually boil water! It's true! When you first go into labor, you are supposed to boil it for 30 minutes, and then just let it cool on the stove. It is used to clean the baby off after the birth. Also they ask you to have someone clean the bathroom, making sure to clear off the counter. Not the time you want hairbrushes and toothbrushes out. You also put a plastic sheet and a set of clean sheets on the bed.

Of course you have to call the midwife as soon as you know you are in labor, and she determines when she comes out. She doesn't wait to show up just to catch like most OB's do, but if you are in for a several hour labor, she will wait a while, keeping in touch by phone, to see how things go. But she has been at homes for over 24 hours before during protracted labors. In my case, I am strictly instructed to call the second I THINK I'm in labor, and they will rush right over.

After the birth, she stays at least two hours, and often longer, to monitor that all important recovery time. At that point you are left with a chart - she asks the mom or dad to take the baby's vitals (and the mom's) so many times in the next 24 hours. I love this because I can do it when the baby is already awake and nursing instead of having nurses wake us up during their rounds.

The midwife then returns after 24 hours for the first check up. This is nice because she comes to your house, no need to get out anywhere. Then you go into the office with the baby for a two week check up.

Of course, each labor and delivery is different and unique, so how she handles each of those is different. But midwives as a whole are much more into listening to the mom and her body, helping her get into comfortable positions - or at least positions that will help move things along rather than insisting you stay in bed - and making the birth as natural and stress free experience as is possible. She also does as much or as little intervention as you want. It is also so comforting to be in your own home, your own bed or bathroom versus a strange hospital.

I know it's not a situation for every mom-to-be, but it is one that I really like. I can't imagine doing it any other way now that I have had one.

Gimme your best guess

OK, time for a blog pool! In a shameless effort to increase comments on my blog, I'm asking you to leave a comment with the following information:

Your guesses about the baby:

1. Gender (I'm throwing this one in just for you few funny people who still think there is a chance that a Y chromosome might be involved here.)
2. Date of birth (remember my track record - 2 on time, 3 late)
3. Size of baby (my other five ranged from 8 lbs 10 oz to 10 lbs 10 oz, from 19.5 in to 23 in)
4. Hair color (At birth we've had a blonde, two brunettes, and two redheads)
5. Length of labor

The person who gets the closest wins the first opportunity to change a dirty diaper. Or bring me a Dr. Pepper. Or smelling salts if it is, indeed, a boy.

Official Notice to My Unborn Child

Your presence is hereby requested at your earliest possible convenience - emphasis on earliest. The schedule has been cleared for your arrival, and all preparations have been made.

All projects have been completed. Your grandmother is on standby to drive down. You sisters are all anxious to meet you. Your father has his overnight sleep study out of the way.

The room has been prepared for the birth. The supplies have been gathered. Your bed has been set up. Your clothes are hanging on your closet or are folded in the dresser. Diapers have been bought. Even the afghan has been completed.

The midwives have been here for the home visit, so they can now find the house.

Your mother's hips, ligaments, and back wish to offer a special request that you vacate the premises as soon as possible. They love you as much as the rest of your mother does, but they are ready to share some of the burden with the arms, shoulders, and especially with other people.

Birth Story Number five - Lauryn

Birth story - Lauryn

We knew from the moment we found out I was pregnant again that we wanted to have this one at home. I had a friend who used a local midwife, so we interviewed her and warmed to her immediately. She is a wonderful Christian woman who is such a comfort to have around, and knows her stuff, too.

My entire pregnancy was very different with this one. I have never been so sick in my life. So many things were different that I really thought this one was a boy. Physically it was a hard pregnancy. I had alot of sciatic nerve pain that hindered my mobility, and I gained alot of weight.

As my due date (Nov 13, my dad's birthday) approached, the pregnancy insomnia hit with a vengeance. By the 13th, I had been running on about 3 hours of sleep a night for a few nights already, so my mom came down early. With all the other babies, she came when we called announcing the birth, but she knew I needed help even earlier this time. So for the next week, I still couldn't get to sleep before 3-4 am, but she took care of the kids in the mornings so I could sleep in a little. We would also get out and go walking at the mall or Super Target, to get some exercise and keep me distracted. As that week went by, I thought I was going crazy. I knew this baby was big, and I was beginning to worry that she would NEVER COME OUT.

Kelly had already taken the week of Thanksgiving off, so on Monday (Nov 22) he went with me to my midwife appointment. I was 9 days late at this point. I hadn't had her do an internal exam up till now, but that day I asked her to strip my membranes and see if there was some reason she could discern as to why the baby was still in utero . When she checked me, she scared me a little because she put her head down on the back of her other hand. "I think if you just coughed, Tami, you'd push this baby right out." What did she mean by that? "You're already dilated to a 7!" There were no membranes to strip, I was so far dilated. I was completely effaced, and the baby was right there. Really low.

The "problem" was that the baby was turned a little funny. She was head down, but her shoulders were at a weird angle. She said that might be why she was so late, but there was no way to know for sure. She showed me some exercises to do to encourage the baby to turn face down, but felt like I would go into labor soon.

I went home and did the exercises. When I went to bed I prayed to go into labor soon. I woke up the next morning at 7:45, and immediately felt disappointed. All the other non-induced labors had begun at 1 or 2 am, so if I slept all night I just assumed that I would not be having a baby that day. But just a second or two later I had a doozy of a contraction. After it passed I got up and put my contacts in, and went out into the kitchen. My mom just about had breakfast ready, and I was hungry. I wasn't sure if if that contraction had meant anything (after all I had been having alot of contractions for a month now - that's how I was so far dilated). About 8, I had another one, but I still wasn't sure. So I kept eating my eggs and muffins. Then I had one at 8:10, and 8:15. That last one was serious. That's when I got up from the table and told Kelly to call Janet, the midwife.

I went back into our room to start getting it ready while Kelly called Janet and someone from church to let them know I was finally in labor. About 10-15 minutes later the midwife's assistant arrives. In the meantime Kelly and I are changing the bed linen, clearing off bathroom counters, and getting a couple of last minute things ready (in between contractions). It was so much less hurried than trying to get the kids somewhere and then going to the hospital.

Becky, the assistant, hadn't been there long when I had a contraction that felt very different. And then my water broke. (Thank goodness we weren't in our car driving to the hospital!) At this point I'm thinking Janet isn't going to make it in time. However, she arrived a little bit later, and I was still pregnant. She examined me and I was complete, so anytime I felt like pushing I could go ahead.

The problem was that because of the baby's awkward shoulder position, I was having my first real taste of back labor. And I was having a more difficult time coping with it that I usually have in labor. I was trying my usual positions, and they weren't helping. I hadn't really prepared for a back labor, and it kinda took me by surprise. Finally, I did something I never thought I would do - asked them to fill up the bath tub.

I had never wanted a water birth, even though many women do. But at this point the labor was so intense and the back pain was like nothing I, a mother of almost 5, had ever experienced. But it took forever to get the tub full enough. Or so it seemed at the time. As soon as they said it was good to go, I walked over between contractions and sank into our garden tub. It did almost instantly take away the back pain. That's the bad thing about back labor - the pain doesn't really subside between contractions, so you don't get the break like you normally would between them. However about two contractions after I got in I finally felt pushy.

What I didn't realize when I asked to get into the tub was that, because of the way our bathroom is set up, there is no way for the midwife and Kelly to both be in position so to speak to deliver. So our plans for Kelly to deliver the baby again were spoiled. But by that point I didn't care. The baby finally did move into the right position, but only as she was being born, and that was also not an experience I'd care to repeat. And I thought I would never get the shoulders out. And I was a little freaked out about the baby being in the water and me not able to get the shoulders to be born. That's the only time I ever remember screaming during labor. Janet got in my face and told me to put the effort I was using to scream into getting the shoulders out. Finally, the baby was born.

When Janet brought her up and laid her in my arms, we could tell immediately that this one big baby! We could also see that the baby was not the boy I had thought, but was another girl. I remember Kelly went out our bedroom door to call up to my mom - who had been keeping the girls busy upstairs - "It's a girl, and she's BIG!" I was exhausted. This was the first delivery I didn't get that rush of adrenaline and ecstasy after the baby was born. I was too drained. The labor was very short, but it was also the most intense and painful thing I had ever been through. I was also relieved that it was over.

I was soon back in the bed, and the baby was being checked over. When they weighed her, she was 10 lbs 10 oz! and 23 inches long. That's over 2 inches longer than any of the others. She really looked like a one month old baby. After weighing her, Kelly tried to put a newborn sized diaper on her, but it wouldn't even close around her. We all laughed at the ridiculous sight of this little bitty diaper on this huge baby. Fortunately I had already bought some size 1 diapers, or we would have been in a bad spot!

Soon I was nursing her and my mom and other daughters were coming into see the new baby. I rested in my own bed or in the recliner all day, and had good food to eat. It was the most restful birth day I have ever had. That night I took the baby's vitals when she woke up to eat - on her schedule not on the hospital schedule. One of my favorite things about the homebirth was not getting woken up every 2-3 hours by the nurses. Oh, and not sleeping on a plastic mattress. And the homemade food. And the... well, you get the picture.

Box Score Stats:
Lauryn Skylar was 10 lbs., 10 oz., and 23 in. long with blond hair and blue eyes.
Born November 23, 2004 at 10:03 am.
Labor total: 2 hours 18 minutes

Now, if you have been keeping track, I have been in labor a total of 19 hours and 9 minutes with all five babies. So all you women out there who have 12-24 hour labors each time, hats off to you because I do not know how you do it. Now, the trade off is that I am in latent labor the entire last month, so am varying shades of miserable during that time, but the truly painful part is very short. But it makes for a very long final month, especially if I go late. That also makes the active labor quite intense, as I go from nothing to full throttle transition in about 4 contractions. It also makes for jumpy midwives and a jumpy husband. When I call my husband now I have to preface the call with "Hi, I'm not in labor, I just need ..."

I'm anxious to get the next birth story posted. So is the rest of the family. Lauryn glared at me yesterday and told me (almost accusingly), "The new baby is ready to COME OUT!" Like I was purposely keeping it inside me! If she only knew...

Still Pregnant

No, this blog lapse does not mean I had the baby and forgot to tell anybody. I just had a busy weekend. Kelly did too, as he had some make up work to do since he had missed a couple of days of work last week due to a cold. Fortunately he was able to bring it home and do it.

I saw the midwife on Saturday morning and everything still looks pretty good. She's still a little concerned about the baby's position. Baby is head down so that's fine, but she's got her shoulders turned just like Lauryn did which caused a painful back labor. We are praying she turns to a better position before labor begins. Next Saturday the midwives come to my house for my appointment - for a home birth, that means you are getting really close!

Saturday night we were getting ready for Easter. That afternoon I cleaned and polished the white dress shoes. As usual, we prepared Sunday breakfast right after supper. The girls and I pulled out all the dresses and the girls had an early shower. While pulling out dresses, etc., I discovered that nearly all the girls needed new tights, so I had to make another quick dash to Walmart while Kelly bathed the younger girls. I also set out hair bows so I wouldn't be scrambling in the morning.

After showers, Kelly cleaned and trimmed fingernails and toenails, and I painted all the girls' nails - a Smith family Easter tradition. What else do you do with a house full of girls? We also changed earrings to match, and tried as best we could to gather everything we would need.
Here's our beautiful gaggle of girls right before we left for church.

Easter service at church was wonderful, as always. We had a light bite to eat right after church and then went to a friends' house for a big meal later in the afternoon. The kids hunted Easter eggs and had a great time.

I love the traditional Easter greeting:

He is risen!

He is risen, indeed!

You know you are in the last month of pregnancy if...

you need a seeing eye guide dog to see what is underneath your belly.

you have to bribe other people to tie your shoes for you. Or cut your toenails.

Tums becomes the dessert to every meal.

a nap at 8:30 am no longer seems like a strange idea.

a nap at 4:30 pm no longer seems like a strange idea.

you can see an outline of a little foot when the baby kicks.

you've completely forgotten what it feels like to wear tailored clothing.

you have problems reaching the kitchen sink. Or stove. Or anything on the floor. In fact you avoid bending over at all costs.

you feel like first trimester nausea is trying to make a comeback.

you start dreaming of the day you can lie on your stomach.

you show up to church and someone asks, "Oh, are you still here?"

you are staring into space and you husband immediately knows you are thinking of baby names.

there are more baby clothes hanging in the closet and folded in the dresser than you own.

you husband has to bend at a 60 degree angle from the waist just to lean over to give you a goodbye kiss.

the maternity clothes that looked like regulation size army tents 4-5 months ago no longer cover your belly.

the cashier at HEB no longer asks you if you want help out, she just tells you that someone will be helping you out with your purchases.

the world starts revolving around THE event - I'll do that after the baby comes. Or I need to get that done before the baby comes. And you are surprised when other people's plans don't revolve around it, too.

Birth Story Number four - Hailey

Birth Story - Hailey

I found out I was expecting Hailey when Brynna was just 9 months old. But in those few moths, Kelly had separated from the Air Force and was working for a civilian company. So I started looking for a CNM (certified nurse midwife) like had delivered Aubrey. To my surprise, in this big city, there was only one practice that had any. These three CNM's worked under a doctor's supervision, and rotated responsibilities.

So I began seeing them. I rotated who I saw, but I had one, Lois, who was my favorite. Because they traded off who was on call at the hospital and who saw patients in the offices, I wasn't sure who I'd get until I went into labor. The hospital had LDR (labor/delivery/recovery) rooms, but then after a few hours' recovery they moved you upstairs to small private rooms for the duration of your stay. I felt I could live with that - only one move, and a private room. Not too bad.

This was the only pregnancy when I really cared what the gender of the baby was. I wanted this one to be a girl, because she'd be so close in age to Brynna.

This time, I refused to be checked for how far dilated I was in the last weeks leading up to my due date, and the midwives were fine with that. Since I wasn't going to be induced, what difference did it make? I was also fully prepared to go late again.

So when I woke up a little after 2 am on my due date I figured I was just needing to go to the rest room. But just a second or two later I felt a funny "pop" in my belly and then a funny trickle. I jumped up - quite a feat for a fully term pregnant woman - and went into the bathroom. I had never had my water break like this so I wasn't sure if it really had. It did slow down once I got up - the baby was so low that the head acted like a cork when I stood up - but I was definitely leaking amniotic fluid. I woke Kelly up and went to call the midwife. I was thrilled to find out Lois was on call that day!

My contractions hadn't started yet, I was just feeling a little crampy, but with my history of short labors, she told me to go on into the hospital. She told me she'd been there earlier in the evening and they were almost full when she left. So Kelly and I loaded up the other three girls and headed to his brother's apartment. We dropped off the girls with their aunt and uncle and by then I was having real contractions.

When we got to the hospital, we went to the L&D wing, and were shown to the triage area. I explained that my water had broken nearly an hour ago. The nurse gave me gown and told me to go into the bathroom and change. She asked my husband to wait out in the waiting area. We understood it was just while I changed and got settled in the bed. But then two nurses strapped me up and proceeded with a bunch of history and physical questions. Plus one of these nurses was a floater from another floor, so the L&D nurse was showing her how to do everything. I had pre-registered so I was surprised by the amount of questions.

Plus I was having serious contractions by this point, and my labor partner was sitting out in the waiting area. I thought the questions would end soon, and when I asked when he could come in they answered like it would be just another question or two. But of course, when I was contracting I couldn't answer any questions. Kelly can tell the instant I start contracting and is very good about either answering the question for me or telling them "she's in the middle of a contraction, she can't answer right now." I was really wanting him to be there.

Also, the nurses didn't believe I was really in labor. I think this is because I wasn't gushing amniotic fluid. I figure I was either just leaking and hadn't had a full rupture, or the the head was soooo low it was just too good of a cork. Or both. Also the way the stupid contraction monitor was calibrated, the peaks of my contractions weren't all that tall, so they didn't look too bad on paper. But let me tell you they were real! Also I was very calm and relaxed during them - on purpose. After the baby was born the nurses commented on this, like they weren't used to anyone actually using breathing and relaxing techniques to deal with labor pain.

Regardless of the reason, I was getting upset at their questions and attitude. They were nearly yelling at me when I was in a contraction when I didn't answer them. They also asked questions like "So when did you think your water broke?" Finally, after a gazillion questions (Kelly says he was waiting out there for over 30 minutes and was about to break the door down), they do an internal check. The nurse had the funniest look on her face. "She's dilated to a 6-7, and completely effaced. The baby's at about +1 station." They pulled out a little test strip like we used in chemistry class and sure enough, there was amniotic fluid present. She was shocked! I have never wanted to yell, "See, I told you so!" so much in my life.

At this point, they let my husband in, who was about as irritated as I was at them. They also called the midwife, who hadn't rushed up when I called her because my contractions hadn't started at that point. And the nurses didn't think I was in labor, so they didn't call her either until then. Lois was there just a little bit later.

Oh, and did I mention that all the big, beautiful LDR rooms were full? The triage area I was in was about the size of one of those rooms, but it was curtained off into four areas. So in my cubicle, there was room for the bed, the monitors, and about 4 people to stand around the bed, which is what I had.

Not long after Lois got there I felt pushy. She checked me, and I was completely dilated and effaced, so she told me to go ahead with the urge. This was by far my easiest delivery. The head came out soon. Usually at this point they tell you to stop pushing while they clean out the baby's nose and mouth, and then they instruct you to push the shoulders out. Well, she told me to stop, but my uterus didn't listen to her. It kept pushing. All I could do was tell Lois that I couldn't stop it, it wasn't me doing the pushing. She just laughed a little, and out came my smallest baby girl (yes, smallest at 8 lbs., 10 oz.).

The nurses eyes were still about the size of hubcaps. Not only had I not yelled or anything during the whole labor, the midwife had let me take off the fetal heart rate monitors and contraction monitors. She just held the heart rate monitor up to my belly during the contraction so I didn't have the straps on. And plus here was this woman who they didn't believe was really in labor giving birth less than two hours after walking into their hospital.

After recovering an hour or two, I was wheeled upstairs to my private room. Things went ok that day. We were interrupted alot. I was told before hand that they did everything to the baby in the rooms, but it was a LIE! They came and took the baby so many times, I lost count. Kelly and I were so exhausted we just let them. They also came in and griped at me for things like having the room too cold. The baby was wrapped up and next to me so she was fine - I was having hot flashes. But they were convinced it was bad for the baby. Because of all the interruptions, I never got to nap that day.

I finally got Hailey to sleep that night and was able to go to sleep myself sometime after 10 pm. Then at 10:30, a nurse came in and woke me up to check my Foley catheter. I didn't even have a Foley catheter. The nurse said, "Oh, that must be your neighbor who had a c-section. Sorry." She left and I drifted off again, until about 11 pm when another nurse came in to do vitals for the baby. I nearly screamed in frustration.

Remember I didn't utter hardly a sound during labor, but this was too much. I sat up a little and told this nurse, "Look, I have been awake since 2:00 this morning, I had a baby, and I have not slept since. All day, the nurses have been coming and doing stuff to us and I have not been able to get any sleep. Another nurse just came it to check my Foley catheter, when I don't even have one. How many more times is this going happen?!?" I felt a little sorry for her as it took her a little by surprise. She told me she would check mine and the baby's vitals right now, and then leave instructions not to disturb us again until shift change at 7 am. I told her that I would appreciate that.

Sure enough, I wasn't disturbed. At 7 am an older nurse came in with a student nurse. At this point I had Hailey asleep beside me in the bed, so I was just waiting for her to gripe at me for sleeping with the baby beside me (I have had nurses do that before). But she walked in and said, "Now this is what we like to see." She thought I was just the most wonderful mother, doing everything right. Well, she was the one bright light in that hospital. When the midwife came around to check on me that morning I begged to be discharged. She agreed, so I went home later that day. I was still exhausted. All that hooey about "resting while you can in the hospital" was written by men, I think.

It was this experience that led Kelly and I to decide that if we had any more children, we would have them at home. These were the only CNMs in the city, and this was the only hospital they deliver at. And while we liked the midwives, we would not be going back to that hospital.

Box score stats:
Hailey Christine was 8 lbs. 10 oz, and was 20.75 inches long with brown hair and blue eyes.
She was born on Sept. 19, 2002 at 5:07 am.
Labor total: 3 hours

Birth Story Number three - Brynna

Birth Story - Brynna

About a year after we moved to San Antonio, we found out that baby number three was on the way. I kinda thought this would be the boy - we had two girls, now we could have a couple of boys, right?

Kelly was still in the Air Force, and in San Antonio that meant delivering at Wilford Hall Medical Center, a huge complex that serves as both doctors offices, ER, labs, clinics, and hospital for literally thousands of military personnel, their dependents, and thousands of retirees and their families. The OB clinic is set up so that you never know who you will be seeing. The OB rotate from office duty to hospital duty so much, that it is literally an alphabet soup of medical professionals who handle your care. I was disappointed to learn that they had no CNMs (certified nurse midwives) that delivered there, though some AF bases do. But I was assured that I could fill out a birth plan and it would be followed. Yeah, right. No one even looked at it. Ever.

I was happy to learn that they were remodeling the L&D ward of the hospital and that they were converting to the LDRP rooms (labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum) like I had been in with my second daughter. That at least was a great improvement over my first military birth! Oh, and yes, I had to go through orientation AGAIN, just like with my first two.

The appointment just a couple of days after my due date - yes I was going late AGAIN - the doctor checked me and I was only dilated to a 2-3, although I was nearly completely effaced. I was crushed. I was used to being far more dilated than this. At this rate, I thought I might be pregnant for weeks. The doctor did mention inducing, but I told him I wanted to wait it out. I was not ready to even talk about it yet.

The next Sunday was Easter. My husband was in the choir at church, and the choir was putting on a huge musical that Easter morning. So all weekend I blamed the choir for my going late - many of the members told me they were praying I would wait until after the musical to have the baby because Kelly had a big solo in it. I know they meant it as a joke, but just ask someone who is nearly 10 months pregnant if she thinks that is funny!

After church on Sunday, we went over to a friend's house for a meal and family fun. When we got home I was exhausted. I went to bed before 8:30 that night wondering when this would end.

I woke up at 1 am with the first contraction. Again, I got up and walked around the house a bit until I was sure that this was the real thing. It didn't take long to realize this was indeed the real thing. So I woke up Kelly and we got the other two girls up and in the van. We had to drive about 5 minutes to a friend's house to drop the girls off, and then another 20-30 to the hospital. I remember looking at the speedometer because I noticed we didn't seem to be going terribly fast. Sure enough, we were going the speed limit. I teased Kelly about not being in such a hurry this time. And he said, "Well, I'm not worried about making it this time."

When we got to the hospital, we had to go up to a triage area where a doctor - as I expected - that I had never even seen before came in to check me to see if I was just wasting staff time, er, I mean really in labor. I was at a 5-6, so definite progress had been made since Friday. The doctor really was pretty good. We liked him. I couldn't talk him out of an iv, but he did let me have a heplock so at least I didn't have the tubes and attachments. He also introduced me to an intern who was going to be assisting him at my delivery, though I didn't think much of it at the time, except that here was yet someone else who was getting a free show at the birth. Really, it irritates me how modesty is just assumed to be of no value or even existence at a birth by the medical people, especially when male doctors and nurses are present. But I digress.

I was shown up to a room. I have to say that the two nurses I had at WFMC were the best two labor nurses I have had in my 4 hospital births! I have not had much luck with L&D nurses, but these two were good. I was allowed to walk around as much as I wanted, to go to the bathroom. I couldn't take off the contraction and fetal heartbeat monitors, but I could disconnect them to move around some. I wasn't there too long before I didn't want to walk around much. I was getting into transition and just wanted to sit and relax.

The next time they checked me I was at and 8-9. Good, I thought, won't be long now. Well, an hour later, they check me again, and I am STILL an 8-9. No progress. WHAT??? This is not how I do labor! I should have had this baby already! Then the doctor told me that between the baby's head and the cervix was a huge bulge of the amniotic sac. It was keeping the baby from getting good head pressure on my cervix to finish the job. He offered to break my water, saying that would speed things up. But I remembered how much the contractions intensified after my water broke with Aubrey, and I wanted to hold off on that as long as possible. So I labored on.

To be stuck in transition for that long is really a form of torture. Yes, I know other women have been there longer, but it is very hard to be so close to the end, and be making no progress in the most intense painful part of the labor. About 30 minutes later, after a particularly hard contraction, I told the nurse to get the doctor to break my water. So doc and the intern come back in and the doctor decides to let the intern (did I mention that this was a brand new intern who was attending his first birth?) break my water. The only problem is that the intern couldn't figure out how to get the crochet hook (that's what they look like!) to break the membrane. Ideally they break your water between contractions, 'cause you are flat on your back when they do it. Well, the intern took so long that another contraction came on. I tell you, that was the closest I have ever come to "losing it" during labor. Laying flat on your back has to be the hardest way to go through a transition contraction with NO pain medication there is. Once the contraction passed, the intern finally broke my water. This was at 5:30 am.

Things did move faster at that point. The doctor was going to let Kelly "catch" the baby, and then they were going to lay the baby on my stomach. As delivery was imminent, they turned on special lights in the room. These LDRP rooms had special (I call them) spotlights which lit up the area the doctors needed to see like a stage. Some pediatric people came in with the warming isolette ready for the baby. There seemed like way too many people in there (me, Kelly, two L&D nurses, the doctor, the intern, and 3-4 pediatric people).

Just as the baby was crowning, the heartbeat monitor started making funny noises. Her heart rate had dropped to about 72 beats a minute (fetal heart rates are normally 120-160 bpm). I heard the nurse say "she's decelling." (Decelerating) Kelly missed that, but I heard it. The doctor looked at me and said, "You've got to get this baby out NOW." So I pushed harder than I had ever pushed before.

I remember thinking, "Just get the head out and it will all be over." That's what had happened with Aubrey. So I pushed and there was a head! But the relief didn't come. There was still alot of pain, and fear because I knew there was an issue with the heart rate. Why hadn't she been born yet? Of course, I still had to get her shoulders out, but because of the way Aubrey had been born with one arm up by her head, she hadn't stopped at the shoulders. So here I was, giving birth to my third child (remember with my first one I was numbed up and blinded by a screen so I didn't know anything) and surprised by shoulders!

Well, I did manage to get her shoulders out, and that's when our third daughter entered the world, just after 6 am. The umbilical cord had been draped across one shoulder, so that had caused the compression as she was crowning that dropped her heart rate. Fortunately it wasn't wrapped around her or we might have had bigger problems. Because of the heart rate issue, they rushed her over to the isolette before I got to hold her. And Kelly didn't get to deliver her because of the same issue. But at the moment we were just worried that she was ok.

We were told a couple of minutes later that she was fine from the heart rate problem. She was pink and crying and showed no signs of oxygen deprivation. However, as they proceeded to check her over, we heard that there was a problem. Suddenly a flood of people enter my room. By this time, I had delivered the placenta and was being stitched up. I had a very minor tear just skin deep on my old episiotomy scar that the intern was sloooooooooowly stitch up. I timed him and it took him over 10 minutes and he still wasn't done - with a less than inch long tear!

So here I am, on the bed with those blindingly bright spotlight highlighting the end of my bed where this incompetent intern (I'm sorry, he's probably a fine doctor, it was just a bad time to have him learning on ME) was making a gazillion stitches on what they told me was a very small tear - and I had no pain meds! And about 20-30 extra people - no exaggeration - had swarmed into the room to look at Brynna. Kelly had been across the room at the isolette, but he didn't really understand what the problem was either. No one had taken the time to tell us much yet as they were still evaluating her. Well, after 10 minutes of stitching, I had had ENOUGH! I glared at the doctor and demanded, "How much longer is this going to take?" Now I am a very quiet laborer, I don't curse my husband's ancestry or anything like that, so when this came out of my mouth the doctor knew I could take no more.

He told the intern that he would finish up, and he did - in less than a minute. I was finally able to cover up. About that time, the pediatrician finally came over to fully explain to us what the issue was with Brynna. But I will make that a separate blog entry as this is already too long - nearly as long as the labor itself!

Box score stats:
Brynna Nicole born April 16 at 6:06 am.
She was 9 lbs. 6 oz., and was 20.5 inches long with red hair and blue eyes.
Labor total 5 hours, 6 minutes.

The countdown to D-Day begins

The end is in sight. I scheduled my last two week visit with my midwife for the day before Easter. After that it will be every week until I deliver. In fact, the last weekend in March is the prenatal visit she does at my home. This is to make sure all the birth attendants know how to get to my house, that she can see the set up and know what kind of environment she'll be working in when the call comes. And yes, she does this even on repeat clients.

In spite of all my contractions, etc., the midwife does not believe I'll deliver significantly early. That doesn't mean I'll make it to my due date, as I am definitely making progress. But she thinks I will still be pregnant the first of April. My grandmother's birthday is the 5th of April, so I think that would be a nice day to have a baby. :-) Oh, and the midwife is rather funny, she is quite astounded at how low the baby is. Yes I know she said that last time, but if anything the baby is even a little lower now. She was showing her apprentice: "See, at 35 weeks we are usually hearing the heartbeat up here (points to an area closer to my belly button) but I'm getting hers here (points to the area just above my hipbone)."

The down side to the visit was that this baby is in the same position as Lauryn was in until just as she was being born. The baby's shoulders are running from my backbone to my front. And my placenta is on my left side, causing the baby to be more comfortable in that position. She gave me some exercises to do to hopefully keep the baby from shifting to a posterior position - also known as sunny-side-up. Those deliveries HURT! We do not want that. So I have to spend alot of time on my left side for the next month.

I have a list of things I want to accomplish before the baby comes, but fortunately most of them can be done sitting down. Very nice. These include getting some school planning done (mainly ordering decisions), other household things (like printing up a new chore chart for the kids while my mom is here), some online shopping, and some stuff for church. The last week of March, our homeschool group is offering the Iowa Basic Skills standardized test, and I'll be proctoring (fortunately this is a sit down job as well). So I hope I have enough to do stay busy enough to keep from dwelling on the delivery and everything else. I also still haven't finished this baby's afghan, so I need to get hopping on that one!

Hope everyone has a blessed week!

Birth Story Number two -Aubrey

Birth Story - Aubrey

When Kelly and I found out we were expecting our second child when Kora was about 14 months old, we were very happy to learn that the Air Force base we lived on had closed the maternity ward of the hospital and the OB clinic. We were "forced" to go off base for our care, but we would only have to pay what we would have paid for the on base care, since this was our only choice. Talk about the best of both worlds!

By this time, I had had time to mull over our first birth. I really wanted to not be induced this time around. I felt like I had opened myself up for some of the things that happened by allowing the induction. I had been told that artificially induced contractions were much harder to go through without drugs than the natural contractions. And I wanted to avoid the epidural if at all possible. I hated the tied to the bed feeling. I wanted to move and walk if I wanted to. I wanted the baby laid on my stomach after birth instead of being rushed off to the nursery.

A friend of mine was using a nurse practitioner midwife in town, so I got her name and set up an appointment. Her name was Anne, and when I talked to her about what I wanted, she seemed a perfect fit. She worked under an OB so there was immediate doctor backup if needed. And she delivered at Presbyterian Hospital there in Oklahoma City, which had LDRP rooms - Labor/Delivery/Recovery/Postpartum rooms. In other words, you stayed in the same room the entire process, and they had all the equipment in the room for the baby, so the baby didn't go to the nursery after birth. There was even a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom.

Anne was great. I really enjoyed how she treated me and the pregnancy. When I got to 37 weeks, she checked me and was astonished to find that I was already 4 cm dilated and 80-90% effaced. So she did not think I'd make it to my due date. Well, of course another week went by and no baby. So at 38 weeks, I was a 5 and 100% effaced. Surely I couldn't go much longer!

At my 39 week appointment, she checked me again and I was a 6, and the baby was low, low. Don't remember the station, but basically the baby was right there. Anne was a little speechless. This was a Tuesday, and my due date was on Friday. We talked about the fact that when I went into labor it would probably not last long. She offered to let me come into the hospital and break my water. She assured me that as far dilated as I was, with my water broken I could walk the halls for a bit and get labor started with little difficulty, and little chance for the need of pitocin. I was a little scared about having the baby on the side of the road, so I agreed. But the earliest she could schedule me to come in was Friday morning. She told me if I went into labor before then, to get my rear end up to the hospital AS SOON as I realized I was really in labor. Do not wait for 5 minute apart contractions, or any of that nonsense.

I went home, and talked to Kelly. He was nervous about having to deliver the baby on the side of the road as well, but I realized I really wanted to wait it out, to go into labor on my own. He agreed, so I called Anne back and canceled the appointment for Friday. She was so nice about it, and told us she'd see us soon.

Wednesday morning I felt pretty good. I had a lot of energy that day. I went to my aerobics class (I had kept up with my step aerobics the entire pregnancy), and went grocery shopping. I even did some house cleaning that afternoon during Kora's nap time. We went to church that night, and all the women could not believe I was walking around, dilated to a 6! I was told more than once "I was screaming for an epidural by the time I was a 4!"

That night I went to bed, fully prepared to wait it out through the whole next week if needed- I did not want to be induced. But I woke up the next morning with a really hard contraction. I looked at the clock. It was right at 2 am. I got up and walked around the house a bit. Nothing happened for 20 minutes. Then I had another really hard one. Then 10 minutes later I had one. I still didn't wake Kelly up, because I still wasn't sure this was the real thing. But 5 minutes later I had an even harder contraction, and I immediately woke Kelly up. We called Anne to tell her we were on the way.

We had to get Kora up and drop her off at a friend's house, and by the time we left her house, I could barely stand through the contractions. As we got onto the freeway, they were a little less than 3 minutes apart. Need I say that Kelly was a wee bit nervous? I looked over at the speedometer at one point and he was going 90 mph! No exaggeration. Of course it was 3 am and no one else was out, but still! I tried to assure him we were going to make it just fine, but he told me, "I don't care, I want to get there!"

As we made our way from the parking garage, across the walkway to the hospital, I remember thinking how ironic it all was. I had wanted the freedom to be able to get up and walk, but my contractions were so hard that I couldn't walk through them. It made our progress getting to my room slow, because we had to stop to let me breathe through the contractions every time.

We beat Anne to the hospital, so were already getting hooked up by the nurse when she got there. She checked me and I was a 9, baby at a very low station. She unhooked me enough so I could move around and experiment with how I could best relax through the contraction. When it came time to push, she let me move around until I found the position that worked best for me. Throughout the whole labor, I realized that these contractions were very different from the induced ones, so I was thankful even through the pain that I had not been induced.

When the baby was being born, she had one arm up by the side of her head, so one hand was born at the same time as her head. This meant that she didn't stop at the shoulders. Once the head was out, she was all out. Anne laid the baby on my stomach. The first thing I noticed was the RED HAIR. "It's got red hair!" I said rather stupidly. "She sure does." Anne replied. "Is it a girl?" I then had to ask. Anne grabbed each ankle in a hand and pulled them apart like wishbones. "Yep!" And so I was introduced to my daughter Aubrey. She was born at 4:59 am, just under 3 hours after my first contraction, and a little over an hour and a half after arriving at the hospital. Too quick to use the jacuzzi. But I did have to tease Kelly - see there was no need for such a rush, right?

So even if I had kept the Friday appointment, I would have had her before then. Plus, she was born on my due date - my mom's due date for me was November 19 (I wasn't born for nearly two more weeks though). And she is still to date the only baby I have had before my due date. It was by far the best hospital stay we have had. We didn't have to shuttle rooms. They only came and got the baby once to take her to the nursery, and we knew about it ahead of time. The staff was only minimally intrusive. And the whole thing, from prenatal visits to hospital stay cost us $40.

I was also surprised at how much easier I bounced back after this birth than the first one. The epidural had had some not pleasant side effects that I didn't have this time. I also didn't have an episiotomy I was recovering from, so that helped tremendously. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the after pains. I didn't realize how much worse the after birth contractions were after the second or subsequent baby. In fact I didn't remember even having after pains with Kora, but I sure had them this time! I was saving my 800 mg Advil for when I nursed, when the pains would be the worst, not for any birth pain.

Box score stats:
Aubrey Blair was 8 lbs. 15 oz., 19.5 in long, with red hair and blue eyes
Born November 19, 1998 at 4:59 am.
Labor total: 2 hours, 59 minutes

A Matter of Perspective

Yesterday morning, after weeks of asking when my tummy was going to get big, my daughter Aubrey told me, "Your tummy is big."

Later that morning we went to a friend's house (this friend runs a produce co-op and I was going to pick up my basket full of produce). She and another co-op participant couldn't believe how small I was to only have 6 weeks left.

When Kelly got home last night, I laughingly told him about the two different comments. He looked at me and said, "You are starting to stick out there."

Then last night, I was at a friend's house for a girls' movie night. I told a couple of the ladies there about the different comments, and they concluded that my tummy was more on the big side rather than the small side.

This morning the checker at Wal-mart asked when I was due (after asking if it was my first baby - that one always gets a laugh out of me). When she found out how soon I was due, she commented, "Wow, you sure don't get very big, do you?"

Conclusion:
The people who know me best and see me all the time think that my stomach area is big.

People who are strangers or only see me occasionally think I am not showing very much for how far along I am.

Not sure what all this means. Maybe the people who know me best just know what I looked like before I got pregnant (back when I could do 300-400 crunches a day) and everyone else is comparing me to other pregnant women they see/know.

All I know is that there will be NO belly pictures on this blog. I have friends who are that brave, but I am not one of them. You'll just have to wait for baby pictures!