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Sunday, June 29, 2008

We did it!

Ezekiel is here!  Here's a summary of his birth story.  :)

Tuesday night I woke up several times with back pain and then had it pretty constantly through Wednesday.  I had a prenatal massage Wednesday afternoon and after that I was able to distinguish a pattern with the back pain and realized that they were contractions.  I started timing them around 3:30 and found that they were pretty consistently 4 minutes apart lasting about a minute long!  I called our midwife and she asked me to call if they get closer or stronger.  Nate got home from work at 5:15 and by then they were getting to about 3 minutes apart.  Nate called our Doula to see if she could come to help him know what to do and then he called our Midwife who said that she was going to an appointment, but would call back around 6:30 to see how things were progressing.   At 6:30 they had slowed down to 5 minutes apart and were consistently lasting 1+ minutes long.  The midwife said to call back if it picks up again.  So at about 8 it was suddenly pretty intense.  I was having contractions 2 minutes apart lasting 1 or more minutes long.  Nate called our Midwife and Doula back and they both were there by 9pm.  It just progressed from there getting more and more intense.  I labored on the bed, in the bathroom, in the birth tub and on a birthing stool.   Once I hit "transition" everyone told me it would be soon (it wasn't) and the midwife called her assistant to come and help her.   Unfortunately, the assistant got here and then it took forever for me to progress.  I think I was in transition for at least a couple of hours.   I remember thinking that I now understand why people opt for an epidural and thanking God that I decided to give birth at home because I was so free to labor and deliver anywhere that felt best.   At the end, I was on the birth stool pushing, which took forever! She kept using the doppler to check Zeke's heart rate which was awesome because he was so strong all the way through it. I kept thinking that if he could do it, then I could do it too! The head came out, but no one told me!  I asked the midwife what she was doing and she said "nothing, you are!  Push the shoulders out!"  So I did and it hurt a lot.  This kid has broad shoulders!   Out he came at 4:21 am and they pushed him into my arms.  It was so amazing to see this beautiful new baby who has been inside me for so long.  Then he was finally in my arms.  They moved us to the bed so they could stitch me up while he nursed.   Everyone was gone by 6:45 after cleaning things up a bit.  Then we called immediate family and took a nap. 
 
What an amazing morning!

5 comments:

corinn said...

You handled it just like I knew you would. You kept that positive attitude and all went well. It is an amazing experience, one that you and Nate will never forget.
You are awesome!! I can't wait to see baby Zeke (hope that is ok to call him that). I will give you, Nate and little baby Zeke time to get settled.
Welcome to the wonderful world of parenting! :)

Anonymous said...

Corinn is right, you did great. What about Nate...how did Daddy do through the whole adventure? No passing out or anything? HA! I'm anxious to visit to, but again like Corinn, I want to give you some family time, and promise to call first and make sure you are ready for company...
Judi

Unknown said...

I'm so glad you shared your experiences! When I do have kids, I plan on going the at-home route and it's great to hear such a positive experience. I have a friend who just had a baby and went the 'medical' route and it was all so clinical. I have another friend who had all 3 of their kids at home and I really think that it fits my style and, I guess you'd say beliefs, so much more closely. I'm so excited for you guys! Congratulations and thanks for sharing!
Mandy:)

Anonymous said...

Hey Guys, hi is awesome and so healthy looking. He was so pink and beautiful so close to after he was born. You guys did good, he is an amazing addition to the Allen family. Enjoy being a Mom and Dad. We will stop by after you all have some time to settle and get used to the routine. Just know we are praying for you guys. Lots of love Schad and Lisa

KAMILLE said...

i have to say that I agree with you about having the baby w/o an epidural. we were goimg to have Cadence at home but my water broke and labor never progressed. i'll have to tell you about it.