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I know a lot of you know what has been going on. My mom has been on the phone and on facebook getting the news out.
Now it is my turn.
This is the whole story, from what I remember anyway.
Warning:
Guys might not want to read it, I give details and you might get grossed out. Well maybe no one will want to read it and feel free to skip it and just look at the photo's. I just like to hear birth stories, so I share.
As you might have guessed, if you didn’t know .... we had our baby!
A boy!
A big boy.
10 lbs 13 oz.
Named Roanin and born on August 18th at 5:27 am.
Here is his story so far.
The last few weeks for me were kind of rough. I felt a lot of pressure in my pelvic region, an occasional jab of pain in my lower abdomen and lower back pain too. I spent nights listening to acupuncture music to release the pains. You might think this is hoaky but let me explain. The music is mellow, kinda spa-ish music with little random ‘ping’ noises. These noises seem to come from different directions and with different levels of intensity. If you sit or lay with your eyes closed and focus the ‘pings’ on the pain spots they release. This is good for all sorts of pain. After a little while you don’t have to focus them any more and just relax. The music seems to almost move all over your body to any problem spots, it is really neat. Sounds weird, I know, but it worked for me.
Anyway, I spent a lot of nights listening and focusing and drifting away the pains.
Then last Friday I started to have pink show. Just a little but I knew this meant that things should start happening eventually.
Saturday was more of the same, a lot more. I was surprised at how much ‘show’ was showing without anything else happening. I had a few contractions but they were minor and not anywhere close to each other.
Sunday. More of the same again. I was uncomfortable sitting and found my hips to be so loose that it took me a while to get standing upright. I hobbled and wobbled a bit and had more show. I started to wonder how I could have so much show and no water. Apparently the cervix can regrow the mucus over and over....that is what I have read anyway. Maybe that is what was happening, I don’t know.
Monday, I felt a little crummy, some cramps but again it was more of the same randomness and mild.
I went out to a book party in the evening, and did some girl visiting. Held a newborn and hoped it might spark something.
Tuesday. Still pregnant! Something was different though. My mucus was no longer pinkish but clear with little blood streaks. This lasted all day but I felt ok and since Dave had the day off we did some running around, shopping and work around the house. We stayed up late and finally I headed to bed. Dave joked that I had better get a little sleep and not wake him until 2am. As long as he got his 20 mins he was good.
At 3:30 am (now technically Wednesday of course) I woke up having the urge to go to the washroom. I did and felt better. I wondered if it might mean something but then I wondered that about 100 times over the last month so I went back to bed.
At 4 am I woke up again with cramps and had to go to the washroom again. Then I had a contraction. Hmmm, maybe this is the start of something now. I decided to sit up in the rocker and see if there were more. 10 minutes passed and there was another. Super intense. Another one came 5 minutes later. I called my mom and told her that I thought it must be time and to come on over. A longer stretch again but they came strong when they did. At 4:30 am I woke Dave up and we got ready to go. I had a few more contractions but they seemed to be more of a steady hip and lower back cramp than anything. Still, this has to be it, even if it isn’t something I can really time.
We walked up to the desk and the lady directed us to sit and sign in. Dave got out the paperwork we had brought. I told him to put away the birth plan. Forget it, I wanted out!
I didn’t want to sit or talk, I had lost track of where I was with my calm and peaceful thoughts. The nurse then told us to go into a delivery room and she would check me before she got the epidural that I said I wanted so I could have my nap already. I was trying to be nice and patient but man everyone was acting as if they had all the time in the world, didn’t they know I was kinda tired and really crampy.
She got her gloves on and I climbed on the bed on all fours. She told me to lay down so she could check me. I felt an urge to push, there was so much pressure. My water broke. I got out of my clothes fast and grabbed a gown from another nurse and got one arm through as she checked me...the head was presenting and baby was on it’s way out. It was 5:22 am. She called for the Dr. The head came. I went down on my side and she coached me through was she was doing with the shoulders. I grabbed Dave’s neck hard and baby was born. It was 5:27.
No tearing or ripping. Nothing.
I was kind of in shock. I was just going to get checked. The nurse (who happened to be the head nurse and a certified midwife) delivered the baby. No gowns, no drugs or prep.
Then I started to bleed. A lot. I had heard the nurse say that there was a lot of blood for a delivery and it was still coming.
They were suctioning mucus out of him. At least 3 or 4 times they did this. They said it was because ha came so fast. He didn't sound too bad but there was a little gurgle.
More nurses were there now too and one of them came to deliver the placenta. She gave it a small tug to see if it would come, I got mad at her and told her not to tug it. She waited a bit but she said she really was worried about the blood loss. The placenta then came and clots. I was hemorrhaging. My Dr arrived in her PJ’s and with wild hair.
I got an IV and drugs. It didn’t help, next I got pills, that didn’t help either, I was getting weak and seeing double. I started to shake and was very cold.
I couldn’t hold the baby and he was cold too. Dave took off his shirt and held him close but he still didn't warm. It might have helped if Dave was warm but he was already freezing too. That delivery room was chilly! Roanin then had to go to NICU because his heart rate was now up.
I closed my eyes, I was so tired, I asked Dave to pray, I prayed too. I got another med in the IV, the bleeding finally slowed. I had lost at least a liter of blood. I was so tired, so cold and so weak. A liter doesn't seem like much but it really affected me. The nurse brought warm blankets and a hot water bottle to warm me up while Dave rubbed my back. The afterbirth contractions were intense and I plugged back into the acupuncture music and rested.
After a few hours I was feeling better and was able to get up to have a bath and take a wheel chair to recovery. I wanted to see my baby, it was all I could think about! He was in NICU, was he ok?
We got to my room, left the bags there and Dave wheeled me to the NICU. We scrubbed and scrubbed so we could go in. It exhausted me. We went in and were met by a nurse.
“Are you --Mr and Mrs so and so--”
“yes”
“Oh, I am just bringing you your baby, it turns out he was just cold. We kept him warm for you.”
We went back and they brought the baby. He was so bruised, still is for that matter and that is why we had to stay an extra day.
I am recovering well. The Dr says I will be weak for about a month as my blood grows back or whatever it does. I will take Iron drops and take it easy. I get tired quick so I don’t have a choice.
And now that we are home I am so happy. The kids love having a new baby, well I think they do. Hudson isn’t so sure and is learning what it means to be gentle. He is getting it although I am sure he would rather play rough.
Roanin is content and quiet and a hearty nurser. I can’t stop looking at him and marveling at the miracle of this new life.
As you might have guessed, if you didn’t know .... we had our baby!
A boy!
A big boy.
10 lbs 13 oz.
Named Roanin and born on August 18th at 5:27 am.
Here is his story so far.
The last few weeks for me were kind of rough. I felt a lot of pressure in my pelvic region, an occasional jab of pain in my lower abdomen and lower back pain too. I spent nights listening to acupuncture music to release the pains. You might think this is hoaky but let me explain. The music is mellow, kinda spa-ish music with little random ‘ping’ noises. These noises seem to come from different directions and with different levels of intensity. If you sit or lay with your eyes closed and focus the ‘pings’ on the pain spots they release. This is good for all sorts of pain. After a little while you don’t have to focus them any more and just relax. The music seems to almost move all over your body to any problem spots, it is really neat. Sounds weird, I know, but it worked for me.
Anyway, I spent a lot of nights listening and focusing and drifting away the pains.
Then last Friday I started to have pink show. Just a little but I knew this meant that things should start happening eventually.
Saturday was more of the same, a lot more. I was surprised at how much ‘show’ was showing without anything else happening. I had a few contractions but they were minor and not anywhere close to each other.
Sunday. More of the same again. I was uncomfortable sitting and found my hips to be so loose that it took me a while to get standing upright. I hobbled and wobbled a bit and had more show. I started to wonder how I could have so much show and no water. Apparently the cervix can regrow the mucus over and over....that is what I have read anyway. Maybe that is what was happening, I don’t know.
Monday, I felt a little crummy, some cramps but again it was more of the same randomness and mild.
I went out to a book party in the evening, and did some girl visiting. Held a newborn and hoped it might spark something.
Tuesday. Still pregnant! Something was different though. My mucus was no longer pinkish but clear with little blood streaks. This lasted all day but I felt ok and since Dave had the day off we did some running around, shopping and work around the house. We stayed up late and finally I headed to bed. Dave joked that I had better get a little sleep and not wake him until 2am. As long as he got his 20 mins he was good.
At 3:30 am (now technically Wednesday of course) I woke up having the urge to go to the washroom. I did and felt better. I wondered if it might mean something but then I wondered that about 100 times over the last month so I went back to bed.
At 4 am I woke up again with cramps and had to go to the washroom again. Then I had a contraction. Hmmm, maybe this is the start of something now. I decided to sit up in the rocker and see if there were more. 10 minutes passed and there was another. Super intense. Another one came 5 minutes later. I called my mom and told her that I thought it must be time and to come on over. A longer stretch again but they came strong when they did. At 4:30 am I woke Dave up and we got ready to go. I had a few more contractions but they seemed to be more of a steady hip and lower back cramp than anything. Still, this has to be it, even if it isn’t something I can really time.
I grabbed a scarf, put it behind my back, around my hips and gripped it hard in each hand then pulled hard. This was something I learned from a doula friend. Though the method she taught me involved head pads and two people I figured I could use a similar way to ease my surges too.
I pulled hard on the scarf and it pulled together the top part of my hips and put pressure on my back, ahhh, it felt good!
Dave and I headed out to the truck and started for the hospital. We found a spot in the emergency lot and walked in. At 5:11 am we were checked in through emergency and headed down hallway after hallway, up an elevator and down more hallways to labour and delivery.
I was pulling hard on the scarf and listening to hypnobirthing affirmations on my ipod. These affirmations are just cues telling me to remember to breath dow peace and calm and to release the tensions. Really common sense stuff if you think about it. I breathed down and out the surges but this walking hall ways was killing me!
We got to labour and deliver and I was thinking it would have been easier to stay home already and have done the home birth but was starting to really dream of an epidural (which I really didn't want but once I was that close to drugs boy they were tempting!) and a nap!
I pulled hard on the scarf and it pulled together the top part of my hips and put pressure on my back, ahhh, it felt good!
Dave and I headed out to the truck and started for the hospital. We found a spot in the emergency lot and walked in. At 5:11 am we were checked in through emergency and headed down hallway after hallway, up an elevator and down more hallways to labour and delivery.
I was pulling hard on the scarf and listening to hypnobirthing affirmations on my ipod. These affirmations are just cues telling me to remember to breath dow peace and calm and to release the tensions. Really common sense stuff if you think about it. I breathed down and out the surges but this walking hall ways was killing me!
We got to labour and deliver and I was thinking it would have been easier to stay home already and have done the home birth but was starting to really dream of an epidural (which I really didn't want but once I was that close to drugs boy they were tempting!) and a nap!
We walked up to the desk and the lady directed us to sit and sign in. Dave got out the paperwork we had brought. I told him to put away the birth plan. Forget it, I wanted out!
I didn’t want to sit or talk, I had lost track of where I was with my calm and peaceful thoughts. The nurse then told us to go into a delivery room and she would check me before she got the epidural that I said I wanted so I could have my nap already. I was trying to be nice and patient but man everyone was acting as if they had all the time in the world, didn’t they know I was kinda tired and really crampy.
She got her gloves on and I climbed on the bed on all fours. She told me to lay down so she could check me. I felt an urge to push, there was so much pressure. My water broke. I got out of my clothes fast and grabbed a gown from another nurse and got one arm through as she checked me...the head was presenting and baby was on it’s way out. It was 5:22 am. She called for the Dr. The head came. I went down on my side and she coached me through was she was doing with the shoulders. I grabbed Dave’s neck hard and baby was born. It was 5:27.
No tearing or ripping. Nothing.
Praise the Lord!
I was kind of in shock. I was just going to get checked. The nurse (who happened to be the head nurse and a certified midwife) delivered the baby. No gowns, no drugs or prep.
Then I started to bleed. A lot. I had heard the nurse say that there was a lot of blood for a delivery and it was still coming.
They were suctioning mucus out of him. At least 3 or 4 times they did this. They said it was because ha came so fast. He didn't sound too bad but there was a little gurgle.
More nurses were there now too and one of them came to deliver the placenta. She gave it a small tug to see if it would come, I got mad at her and told her not to tug it. She waited a bit but she said she really was worried about the blood loss. The placenta then came and clots. I was hemorrhaging. My Dr arrived in her PJ’s and with wild hair.
I got an IV and drugs. It didn’t help, next I got pills, that didn’t help either, I was getting weak and seeing double. I started to shake and was very cold.
I couldn’t hold the baby and he was cold too. Dave took off his shirt and held him close but he still didn't warm. It might have helped if Dave was warm but he was already freezing too. That delivery room was chilly! Roanin then had to go to NICU because his heart rate was now up.
I closed my eyes, I was so tired, I asked Dave to pray, I prayed too. I got another med in the IV, the bleeding finally slowed. I had lost at least a liter of blood. I was so tired, so cold and so weak. A liter doesn't seem like much but it really affected me. The nurse brought warm blankets and a hot water bottle to warm me up while Dave rubbed my back. The afterbirth contractions were intense and I plugged back into the acupuncture music and rested.
After a few hours I was feeling better and was able to get up to have a bath and take a wheel chair to recovery. I wanted to see my baby, it was all I could think about! He was in NICU, was he ok?
We got to my room, left the bags there and Dave wheeled me to the NICU. We scrubbed and scrubbed so we could go in. It exhausted me. We went in and were met by a nurse.
“Are you --Mr and Mrs so and so--”
“yes”
“Oh, I am just bringing you your baby, it turns out he was just cold. We kept him warm for you.”
We went back and they brought the baby. He was so bruised, still is for that matter and that is why we had to stay an extra day.
I am recovering well. The Dr says I will be weak for about a month as my blood grows back or whatever it does. I will take Iron drops and take it easy. I get tired quick so I don’t have a choice.
Roanin's face swelling has gone down now too, every day he looks better. But having it work out of his system has caused some jaundice so we are watching him.
My milk came in strong on the second day though and he is chugging away and showing signs of improvement in leaps and bounds.
However I am not in love with that hospital. I am glad it is there don't get me wrong. As much as I considered a home birth I am glad that Dave was so adamant that we were going to have a hospital birth. It didn't take much to convince me and I think it saved my life.
And now that we are home I am so happy. The kids love having a new baby, well I think they do. Hudson isn’t so sure and is learning what it means to be gentle. He is getting it although I am sure he would rather play rough.
Roanin is content and quiet and a hearty nurser. I can’t stop looking at him and marveling at the miracle of this new life.
We are happy.
I thank you all for your prayers and well wishes on this journey. The Lord has been so good to us!
I thank you all for your prayers and well wishes on this journey. The Lord has been so good to us!
