On May 4, my water broke while getting ready for a doctor's appointment. We had hoped to labor at home for awhile, but because I needed antibiotics, we finished packing our things and off we went! At the time, we weren't positive that my water had broken... I was worried that we would be sent home, but if this was "it" I wanted something to mark this moment, the last time Adam and I left our apartment as a twosome. I had no idea what that should be though! Adam teased me by grabbing my hand and singing, "Moment!" Not quite what I had in mind, but a memory I'll treasure none the less :) Once we arrived, I was hooked up to two monitors - one for baby's heart rate and a second to measure any contractions. I had been having mild, irregular contractions for almost two weeks and they were the same this morning. They sent us to walk around the hospital and try to get things moving along. We prayed that my body would progress without the need for intervention. Around lunch time, I had soup and crackers. I was becoming more uncomfortable and I knew that the contractions were more intense than they had been that morning. I was hesitant to admit that I was hurting because I felt like we were very early in the process and I knew to expect the pain would get much worse. That was really scary to me. We took another walk; this time I had to stop often along the way to rest.
When we returned to the labor and delivery room, I was hooked up to the monitors again. This was very uncomfortable because I had to lean back for the monitor to pick up Joseph's heartbeat and most of my pain was in my lower back and hips. I don't remember what the status of my contractions was for that monitoring session but when they took me off this time, I went to the restroom and had three contractions seemingly right in a row. When I came out, I asked Adam to call in Enza, our doula. To our surprise and relief, she was already on her way! Things were definitely moving. To be honest, I have large gaps in my memories from this point forward. But I do remember a couple of snap-shots.
-- For the next two to three hours, Adam and Enza helped me through each contraction. Apparently some of my contractions lasted 2-3 min long and came with little break in between. I spent some time on an exercise ball, some standing with Adam's support, etc. I remember asking for heat on my hips at one point. Enza got this ready only for me to complain about 30 seconds later that it made me too hot.
-- Although I don't remember at all, I'm told our midwife eventually came in and checked me - 9.5 cm! This was the first time I had been checked, so I'm curious what I had been at the beginning of the day. Adam said the midwife suggested that I move into the position I wanted to push in. I said "ok," but didn't move for several minutes. When I finally did, I couldn't find a good position. I remember saying, "There's just not a comfortable way to do this, is there??" Everyone laughed.
-- I think I began to push around 6 pm. I looked at the clock and mentioned that my little stinker would choose Star Wars day to be born.. *sigh* (I later found out that May 4 is also Joseph's great grandma's birthday, so she is very excited to have a birthday buddy!)
-- At one point, they told me that they could see Joseph's head, and that he had hair. I was excited about this, and said so several times during the next few minutes. During my pregnancy, I had prayed that Joseph would have hair. (Really only because I always think baby hair is so sweet and cute.) It wasn't an intense prayer or even one that I considered important, but I asked nonetheless and God answered! He cares about even the smallest details!! I also reached down and touched his head. That was a pretty bizarre feeling!
-- I had chosen a couple of phrases from Psalm 30 to be my labor "mantra." "O God, be my helper and joy will come in the morning." Adam later said he heard me say the first part more than the second.
-- One of the nurses asked if we were having a boy or girl. I told her that we were having a boy, that I prayed for a son and God gave me a son. I also repeated this multiple times.
-- I remember feeling so tired. I pushed 2-3 times per contraction. Every time I managed to push a third time, it was so much weaker than the first two. The nurses and midwife kept asking for "just a little bit more." I remember telling myself that any push could be the last! I'm not sure how long I thought that, but it did help motivate me. Some of us found it annoying. :) Apparently Joseph was crowning for almost an hour. Adam said this frightened him because he wasn't sure what would happen if the baby was really stuck. Thankfully, Joseph was not actually stuck but he did come out "like a brick" (Adam's phrase). His shoulders came together instead of one at a time! Despite baby crowning for so long and the way his shoulders came, I had no tears and they did not perform an episiotomy. I'm particularly thankful for this! There was a huge sense of relief when Joseph was finally born. It's true when people say that the pain completely stops at that moment! They put Joseph on my chest and I was finally holding my son. I honestly don't remember all that I was feeling in that moment; it was so surreal. Even now, I remember it like a dream... A sweet, precious dream that I wish I could capture forever.
Joseph has big, beautiful eyes and wonderfully squishy cheeks! He looked very much like a Gosnell baby, particularly in the pictures from his first 24 hours. He also has some characteristics from my side and in one particular picture he looks very much like my Dad! When they weighed him, the nurse took a guess from everyone in the room. Adam, Enza, and I all guessed between 7 and 8 pounds. To our surprise, he was 8 lb. and 14 oz.! He measured 21 inches long. We are so thankful for a strong, healthy baby as well as a relatively simple labor and delivery! To God be the glory!
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