Funny enough, there isn't a whole lot of story. One week ago today, the day after my 30th birthday, I woke up at 4:30am, feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom and like something was hurting. It was mainly my back. I quickly realized the pain was coming and going. About every 6 minutes. It was back labor, at first, so that's why it took me a bit to realize I was having contractions. At 5:15, I decided "this is the real deal", so I got up to get in the shower. I mean, it's important to be clean before pushing out a baby, right? I even shaved my bikini line. Seriously? It seems funny now, but that was important to me at the time. After my shower, I needed to pack my bag. Thank goodness I'd written a list, because my contractions were coming pretty quickly, and some were intense. I even skipped blow drying my hair. =)
Derrick and I got in the car to head to the hospital about 6:30am. I was dreading it, because the contractions were more painful in a sitting position. The first couple in the car were tough, but I got a handle on it pretty quickly and was able to slow, deep breathe until we got to the hospital. Oh, I still remember seeing the hospital on the horizon and thinking, "Praise the Lord! I don't think I can do this any longer!"
We arrived at the hospital around 7:05am. I walked in, carrying my pillow and a bottle of water, stopping to take contractions on the way. We had called ahead of time, so they knew we were coming. They put me right in a room, checked me, and low and behold, I was 10 cm! I couldn't believe it! My water was still in tact, praise the Lord, but not for long. I don't even think I had pillows on the bed until I asked for them when it was time to start pushing. They definitely didn't have time to get a monitor on me, put an IV in my arm, or ask any insurance questions. It was time to push!
The midwives (Brandy, my fav, and Karen - love those ladies!) were in the room quickly, and with the next contraction, I started pushing. I was so ready to meet my Josiah. Oh, and they let me push on my side, which was awesome. I just could not turn over. It was a little hard to bear down on my side, but we made it work. Within two or three contractions, a total of about 5 minutes, Josiah was born! His official time of birth, May 20, 2011, 7:37am.
Oh, the emotions! Is there anything better in the whole world than holding a newborn baby for the very first time? I don't so. The adrenaline. The love. The excitement. The relief. It's overwhelming to even think about it. He was peeing all over me, but do you think I cared?
Derrick cut the cord.
And then, the real fun began. Delivering the placenta. Stitching me up. Poor little Josiah getting poked and prodded and weighed and measured and pricked and gooped in the eyes. What is that goop anyway?
God bless him. He's a trooper. An angel. Perfect in every way. 7 pounds, 10 ounces, and 21 inches. He settled down quickly and was ready to nurse as soon as they laid him back on my chest. I'll spare you those photos, but I'll treasure them forever. He nursed for 30 minutes! I knew then that he would be a good eater, and I was right! Thank you, Jesus.
Then it was time for us to get clean! God bless those nurses who clean up after a woman gives birth. It felt so great to be clean. Josiah also seemed to feel good after his first bath. So fresh and so clean.
I think we were in our postpartum room by 9am. I never thought I'd be blessed with a quick labor and delivery. I was wrong. I thank the Lord for it, too, because I kind of doubted myself throughout my pregnancy. I just wasn't sure if I could make it through another natural delivery. I wanted to, and I'm sure I would've tried my hardest, but I was lacking the confidence that I had going in to my other two deliveries. Honestly, I've always kind of resented other women who had quick deliveries, thinking "if only I could be that lucky". I guess I learned my lesson, huh? No more head shaking at quick deliveries. I am in the club. And may I say - it was fantastic. Yes, it hurt. It hurt a lot at times. But in comparison to my other two - it was a dream.
We spent the rest of the day visiting with friends and showing off Josiah. The nurses said we'd broken the record for visitors. I don't know if that's true, but we definitely were loved and supported. My mom brought the girls to visit. I was surprised. They were timid at first, but each one took a turn holding him.
Daddy held him too! He must have been taking a break from phone calls. I swear he talked to every person on the face of the earth that day. He was so excited that he just had to spread the news!
It was a whirlwind day and one that I will always remember. Derrick has always wondered why babies aren't born in the morning as often as they are at night. Well, he got his morning baby! It was so neat to be up before everyone, on the way to the hospital, and holding my baby boy before Elizabeth even made it to school. I wish every woman could experience labor and delivery the way I did this time. After they experience a hard one or two, of course. Gotta pay your dues! Child birth is meant to be painful, after all. If you don't believe that, read the Bible. Oh, I digress. Back to our topic at hand - we are incredibly blessed. Now we just have to figure out how to do life as a family of 5 (or 6, if you count our polar bear, Charlie). I trust we will get the hang of it soon.
All photos in this post are courtesy of my amazing friend, Hannah Chandler. I had asked her to be in the delivery room to serve as labor support as well as photographer. She walked into the room just as I was about to push, so the nurses were all over the labor support. Hannah picked up her camera and captured the precious moments of the day. Thank you, Hannah.
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