Isaiah Tumau Allen

Isaiah Tumau Allen

June 30, 2010

3:37 am

8lbs 2oz

20 1/4 inches long

15 inch head!!!

Isaiah's birth story:

At around 4pm on the 29th I had my first painful contraction just after loading Ezekiel into the car to get some groceries for dinner and some last minute supplies for after the baby was born. The pain wasn't too bad so I continued to the store. Once there, I was trying to find some Witch Hazel and then got frustrated because the contractions were getting more painful and were pretty close together. I called Nate and told him I needed some witch hazel and asked him to pick it up on his way home from work because I was beside myself and needed to go home. He agreed, but by the time I paid for my groceries and was loaded in the car, I was in tears. So, I called Nate back and told him to forget the witch hazel and that I was coming to pick him up at the office.

We got home and called G&G Allen to have them head to Bellingham to be with Zeke. I didn't want Zeke to be sad or worried about me as I anticipated the contractions would become more painful. Thankfully Abby was able to come over early to take Zeke to her house where he would be spending the night. We were really glad to have Zeke taken care of. We were then able to take the time to finalize some cleaning, cooked a yummy dinner, and set up a peaceful environment. Through this time I continued to labor. To try and add some helpful distraction we listened to a comedy CD, which was hilarious, but laughter isn't easy during a contraction. Around this time we started to time contractions so we'd have info to give my Midwife. They were consistently between 3-5 minutes apart lasting from 45 seconds to a minute each. Finally when I was becoming more vocal through them, we decided to call my Midwife. When I talked to her she said that she thought it was probably false labor because they started out so close together and weren't consistent enough. I was frustrated because but carried on. then at about 9pm we called her again to give an update and she said she would meet us at the birthing center at 10:50. We got there and my contractions completely stopped. I was 1 centimeter dilated and my cervix was still long and hard. I was so disappointed and frustrated. So many hours of painful contractions that did absolutely nothing.

We went home and I took some Tylenol PM and cried through every contraction (they started up again) because they were painful and unhelpful and I was feeling like they were pointless. Nate and I talked for a while, he encouraged me a lot and then prayed for me out loud for quite a while. I fell asleep at about 12:30 am. At 2:04 am I woke up with a contraction that I had to moan through. Nate woke up startled by my sounds asked if I was OK and then we both went back to sleep. I had 4 in a row where I was able to fall asleep in between them. then at 2:36 I couldn't lay down through them anymore. I got up on the bed on my hands and knees and asked Nate to push on my hips. It was intense!!! I was still frustrated, thinking that it was all for nothing, but I was in control of my emotions the whole time and very coherent through all the contractions and between them. After having a couple contractions on the bed, I decided to stand up and walk around just to see if they would stop if I positioned myself differently. They didn't stop. As soon as I walked into the hall from my bedroom, I felt pressure and needed to use the bathroom immediately. I went through a few contractions on the toilet and then asked Nate to call the midwife. We both felt strange calling her since she had sent us home just a few hours before because of false labor and no progression. Finally I convinced Nate that he should call because this was different and she was welcome to tell us that we are still in false labor if she wants, but I needed her to know what I was going through. I stood up and had a few contractions while holding onto the sink while Nate was on the phone with the midwife. I heard her ask if I was feeling the urge to push. I answered that yes, I did feel a slight urge, but nothing really bad at all. She told Nate that she needed some time, but could probably meet us at the birthing center in an hour... This was about 3 am. I moved to the living room, folded a yoga mat in half and knelt on it with my elbows on the couch so I could rest easier between the contractions. By this time, the contractions were extremely powerful and I didn't want Nate touching me anymore. He tried rubbing my back during a contraction (he's so sweet), but I told him he can't touch gentle, he has to press hard if he's going to touch at all. At 3:15 my water broke.... That was the point when I was convinced it wasn't false anymore... This baby was coming. Nathan called the midwife back to let her know that my water broke and she not to try to meet her at the birthing center, but that she was coming to our house and she was calling a midwife that lived closer to see if she could get here a little sooner. I continued laboring. In between contractions Nathan and I were really at peace. We were overwhelmed with love for each other, kissing and hugging and snuggling together. Suddenly felt this crazy urge to push. I wasn't sure if I should go ahead and do it or wait... Nate and I were the only ones at the house at the time. Our midwife called us back to see how things were going (while she was driving) and that's when I told Nate I had the urge. My body was pushing on it's own so I couldn't really stop what was happening. Nate suddenly told the midwife that he could see the head and then he told me to go ahead and push him out. Our midwife was on speaker phone during the pushing. I think I pushed once through a contraction and out he came. Nate choked back tears and said Shaloma here is your son as he passed him between my legs to my arms. I turned around and sat on the floor holding him close to my chest. He was so perfect, but he didn't cry, he was gurgling every once in a while... the midwife told us to rub his back so we did at his color was getting better and better. About 5 minutes later Ann came in (she was my midwife for Zeke's birth). It was amazing seeing her. She was like an angel walking in. She got us a blanket for Isaiah and then our doula walked in and then about 5 minutes later, right after the after birth showed up my midwife Winni came in. She took over and helped me start to breast feed. Then everyone helped me up and we went to the bed where my midwife sutured me up (I had a slight tear with probably 10 stitches or something. no where near as bad as last time). I fed Isaiah for about an hour before she wanted to do her mobility testing, weight and measurements. Even though this was an unplanned unassisted birth, it was the absolutely best possible birthing scenario for Nathan and I. We were so at peace, so full of love. We knew that God was with us from the start and now we have an absolutely perfect little family. I'm so thankful for all 3 of my guys.

Isaiah means: God is salvation in Hebrew

Tumau means: To stand up or to stand firm in Samoan