Birth Story & Pics :)

Here's my birth story:

So last night my friends gave me some of Dave's Insanity Sauce, which is the hottest hot sauce ever! I think it was that, among other things ;) that brought on my labor at 5:30am. I awoke to some contractions that were 5 minutes apart and painful, which is similar to what happened last Friday while I was getting ready for my appointment. I got my ipod out and listened to my relaxation scripts and timed the contractions, which were 5 minutes apart for an hour. At 6:30am I figured I better take a shower if I wanted one and Rob woke up to find out what was going on. I told him to get ready because I thought this was it. I also told him that he didn't have time for a shower. :) We went into the garage, I opened the car door to get in and our dog, Bailey, jumped right into the front seat to go with us! She would never normally that, so it was really funny to see her reaction to what was going on. We got on the road and arrived at the hospital at about 7:30am. They put me in a triage room to monitor me and my water broke at 7:50am. I was 4cm dilated and 80% effaced at this point. They sent me to a labor room and got me all set up. My mom and doula were there at this point and I was just sipping water and breathing through contractions, which were about 3-4 minutes apart. They got really intense really fast and by 10am or so I thought I might die. Really. I was so not strong, it was sad. I begged for the epidural...many times! My doula was SO amazing and kept redirecting me but by 10:30am we decided I would get checked again to give me some encouragement on how far along I was. I was only 5 1/2 cm...not exactly what I was looking for. That convinced me that I couldn't go on for another minute and demanded some drugs. They called in the anesthesiologists to come give me a consult. Then they had me go empty my bladder to help ease the contractions a little. As soon as I sat down, I felt like I needed to push but I was literally just checked and was only 5 1/2 cm. So I sat on the toilet for about an hour and breathed my baby down. The anesthesiologist gave me a consult in between killer contractions while I sat on the toilet and said that was a first for them, since I refused to get up. They were super busy so wouldn't be able to come back for about an hour or so, so my doula and I both knew I wouldn't be getting any drugs. I knew that the baby was coming down, which seemed impossible since I was not dilated enough; but I reached in and felt his head only an inch away from crowning. I never shared this with the nurse because my doula said the nurse would never let me stay on the toilet to push. A little after 11am, my nurse finally said I needed to come back to bed because she was having a hard time keeping his heart rate on the monitor, so I stood up and everyone saw that he was now crowning. They immediately called my OB to come ASAP so that he wouldn't miss the birth (he would've been upset). I labored on my knees while holding on with my arms to the top of the inclined bed. My OB got there quickly, and I pushed for about 20 more minutes in that position. He was born at 11:52am and was 8 lbs, 13 oz, and 20.5 inches long. I ended up with a 2nd degree tear, which is probably because he came so darn fast. I'm happy to say that I delivered with no drugs, which was my goal, but if my labor had been an hour longer than it was, that wouldn't have happened! The important thing is that he is here and he's healthy...and he's ours! :)

I'm also happy to say that he shares a birthday with his oldest sister, Makenna, who was stillborn 2 years ago today. I think it is very sweet that they were born on the same day. It is so surreal to stare at him and know that he just came out of my body and that he is finally here. It has been such a long journey and I am happy that I was able to share the stories of my children with so many people. The encouragement and prayers from everyone that has followed our story has been amazing and I am thankful for all of you. It is also amazing to watch Rob with our son...he is truly a natural and it is adorable. We feel SO blessed!

Here are some pics to enjoy. :)

Benjamin Samuel


After delivery

Rob & Ben


New Grandma, Ben & Me