Elijah James' Birth Story *Warning...Possibly too much* :)

People keep telling me I need to write it down, so that's what I am doing. In public, web viewable format.

I woke up at 4am on Saturday, August 24th having what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions every 3 minutes. I downloaded an app on my iPhone to time them. For some reason I didn't feel like waking Matt up, so I went downstairs for a little bit because I thought walking would help them go away. It didn't. They were not very painful. I could talk and walk through them, and the pain was mostly in my belly. Around 6am, I managed to go back to sleep for another hour or so. When I woke up again, I was still having them. Throughout the day, I kept telling Matt that I thought they were Braxton Hicks. They were not getting closer together or more intense...until around 4pm. The pain started getting a little worse, but I kept waiting for the ones they describe- pain that wraps around from your back. We were supposed to go to dinner with friends, so we got ready, took a couple pictures of my bare belly just in case (I hadn't taken any yet) and went to dinner. It was definitely interesting...the contractions were getting worse, still 3 minutes apart, but I was having a hard time focusing on anything BUT the contraction. I had a serious craving for gelato so we grabbed some after dinner, and then headed home. Around 10pm the pain was getting some worse, so I decided to go ahead and call L&D. They told us to come in and get checked out, just in case. Matt loaded up the car, but we really thought we were going to be sent home. When we got there, I was the only patient they had in the clinic. I was only 2.5 cm dilated (a whole .5cm than I was Friday morning when I went for my 39 weeks check up). They would have sent us home, but my blood pressure was in the 140s/90s so they didn't feel comfortable with that. So we settled in for a couple hours. They put a wireless monitor on me so I could walk around. Matt stayed in the room on the worlds WORST couch to get a little sleep, and I walked the halls and talked with the nurses. I was still having steady contractions that were slightly intensifying in pain. Elijah's heart rate stayed very constant and throughout the whole process he was perfect. By the time morning came, they checked me again and I was at a...3. So in 24 hours I had only increased by 1 cm. My blood pressure was still high, and they found trace protein in my urine, so at that point they were concerned about pre-eclampsia or gestational hypertension- neither of which are a good thing. And the only cure for both of them is to deliver the baby. After talking with the doctor, we decided it would be best to stay. That's when we realized the next time we went home would be with a baby!

Around 10am on Sunday, August 25 they checked me again and I was STILL at a 3. Dr Leach, who was the OB on call, came in and we decided on a plan. If by noon I had still not showed any progress, they would start me on pitocin. Matt and I were really trying to have a natrural birth so that was not at all what we wanted. But I also didn't want to be in labor for days so we agreed. Noon came, and I was still at a 3, and my blood pressure was still high so at 1:30 they started me on pitocin. Only on a level 2. But that's when the contractions took a turn to PAINFUL. For some reason, sitting or laying was the worst possible and most painful position to be in so I stood, or bounced on the yoga ball, or walked, or leaned on Matt. At this point I had been in labor for almost 36 hours so I was exhausted...or so I thought. True exhaustion came later. Around 4pm they checked me, and I was 4cm. I had only gained 1 cm. By 6pm, I was at a 6. My contractions started building on each other. So I would have one, and then it would just roll right into another one. Matt said at one point I was contracting for 10 minutes straight. Pretty much after this point it is all a blur- I think God does that intentionally or we would never have more than one child! Around 7, I was at 7cm, my water still hadn't broken, and I was so tired I could barely stand. Matt was so amazing. He did everything he could to get me to relax and rest. He would press on my back when I needed it, heat up the heat pack, rub my feet, hold my hand, brush my hair, pray over us. I started sitting as soon as a contraction would end so he could rub my feet, and I would fall asleep for about 30 seconds, but I felt like I had been sleeping for 20 minutes I was so tired. I asked the dr to break my water because at that point I kept saying "I need this to be over. NOW." After he broke my water, the contractions got even worse. They were so painful, at points I just cried, and Matt had to hold me up. At one point I told him to reach inside me and pull it out...he declined :)

When I got to 9cm, I started feeling the urge to push, but only during contractions. The nurse (Jean) told me that I would start to feel it without contractions, and that I would not be able to do anything about it. Even though, I wasn't at a 10, I asked if I could push anyways. She said no. When I started REALLY feeling the pushing urge, it was serious go time. This is the point that Matt says my animal instincts kicked in, and he didn't even recognize me (thanks honey). Everyone left the room, and I HAD to push, so I did. And completely freaked Matt out. He thought that I was going to deliver that baby with just him. He 'suggested' that I wait for the staff to come back in the room, and I very politely told him that wasn't happening. They put the bar on the bed, and I was able to push in a squatting position. I did that once with the nurse. Then she went and got the doctor. I pushed for one contraction with him, then he was able to 'numb' the area. After that I pushed for one more contraction and he ever so easily (ha!) came out. Possibly with a lot of screaming involved. They put him immediately on my stomach and that was that. We had a baby! I kept saying he was so pretty and so tiny. Then I kept apologizing to Matt for calling his son pretty. We were able to keep him skin to skin for nearly an hour while they cleaned us both up. Eventually they took him to be weighed and measured- 7.8 lbs, 19.5" long! He was so beautiful and so perfect and I couldn't believe that he was finally here in our arms.

He was born at 10:40pm, after almost 43 hours of contractions 3 minutes apart or less. With no drugs. I feel like I can pretty much do anything after that! Matt and I were both exhausted, so he took my phone away from me (I was emailing everyone) and told me to go to sleep. But most of the night I laid there just staring at this perfect and amazing gift we had been given. When morning came, we were able to skype with our family, and it was so strange to introduce our son! So unreal, thinking he's ours. Forever. It wasn't easy, but I am so very thankful Matt and I chose to have him the way we did. The whole experience brought the two of us closer than I could have ever imagined, and we are so thankful to be a family of 3!

Pushing out a baby!

Matt's first time holding our little guy! 

Hey Dada!