Havilah Grace (easiest birth ever)

October 3rd at 7:08PM 7lb 7oz. 18 inches

I began having Braxton Hicks in late August/ early September.  We all thought perhaps little girl would come to meet us earlier than the predicted October 7th due date. (After all we were also 1st given a September 22nd due date, and then an October 4th due date) As September 22nd came and went, I went was measured at 2cm dilated and 50% effaced but nothing much more.  I began to resolve to have my “October baby” as September drew to a close. Thursday October 2nd, I went in for a doctor appointment and was not able to see my regular doctor. Instead, we were to see a female doctor. I was excited for a change in routine and was hoping for a change in dilation as well. She gave me 3cm dilation and said, “You won’t be having this baby this weekend”.  I left the doctor’s office believing her and feeling a little deflated, as I had been having continuous Braxton Hicks EVERYDAY at this point. Some would be about 10 minutes apart, but then they would get further apart, and my hopes would die with the contractions. That particular night we were asked (on our day off) to watch Pete and Angie’s kids at their house while they went to a speech in Montgomery given by Dr. Ben Carson. Contractions came and went all night long, a few feeling rather strong and even once I had to bend over while quizzing one child on her spelling words muttering “UGH! Braxton hicks!!!!! Go away!”  Little did I know… that was the real thing. I had a fitful sleep that night (hadn’t been sleeping too well the past couple weeks) and woke up at 6ish that Friday morning with contractions which I promptly ignored. They dissipated as I expected they would. At 8a.m.  Jeshua and I woke together and after a morning cuddle J …. Jeshua took a shower; contractions came back in earnest (every 10 minutes) and I wanted Jeshua to stay home… but then they slowly went to 15… to 20 …. 30 minutes… and Jeshua left for work. Sick of these false contractions, (and slightly hopeful) I dressed Hadassah in a flowery dress with white leggings and took to the great outdoors (after texting my mother and sister). We walked in a little circle…. Walked some more went to the pool gate, I took a picture.  

 

Then …. I felt more contractions… and walking was over. I got back inside and fed us peanut butter and jelly and laid Hadassah for her nap. Jen then came over around 1:30 and we had hot chocolate and sat on the couch. I was prepared for the entire day to pass by uneventfully at this point. I was in labor and in denial.  Jen spent the time asking me to tell her each time I had a contraction and just relaxing with me. She left to do twirling at the AHCA gym a little after 2pm. I then proceeded to get Hadassah up. Right after Hadassah got up, I had a few HARD contractions that were 15 min apart. I texted my mom to pray for my contractions to either quit or progress because I was getting really tired of the irksome pains. At that point all of a sudden, my contractions went from 15 minutes to ten minutes to 5 minutes to TWO MINUTES APART! Each contraction got a little stronger than the last. And right in the middle of a contraction my sweet little Hadassah comes over with a long tube of bubbles and starts hitting me on my back while I rocked hunched over beside our couch.  I texted Amy Bluiett and asked her if she could take my little angel, I was still in denial at this point thinking “there’s still a chance they’ll go back to 10 then 15 then 30 mins apart…. My mother texted me and said “It’s time! Call Jeshua” … I was still a little unbelieving but did as she said. Jeshua said he was on his way and then I called Jen. She put me on hold while she talked to a kid at the school and as she did, I launched into another heavy contraction. She came back on while I was still rocking through the pain and once she realized what was happening she said she was coming… even though I told her that Jeshua was already on his way. I told her I was fine, to which she replied “You’re not fine! YOU ARE HAVING A BABY!”  after that I called Amy and asked her to come get Hadassah (and burst into tears in the middle of my call…. Not one of my finer moments) amazingly, Hadassah left with her quite willingly, as I paced around the house and outside. I had packed our car the night before with all the hospital bags (something in me must have known). Jen showed up and was so shocked that I was standing on my front porch. I think she expected to find me in a fetal position on my living room floor. At each contraction at this point, I paused and leaned on something and breathed through it. I was feeling really proud of myself for how good I was doing.  Amy left with Hadassah and Jen stayed with me. The contractions were still about two minutes apart and at this point…. I knew it was showtime. Jeshua drove up and ran inside to grab a few things and Jen left and promised to meet us at the hospital later. Jeshua came out and I had purposed in my head to walk to where the road was paved so I wouldn’t have an uncomfortable jolt as Jeshua drove from the dirt onto the road, but as I began walking another contraction hit and I had this vision of my baby coming out as I was halfway to the road, so I just got in the car. Jeshua offered to turn the emergency lights on and I brushed him off saying I was fine. As we approached the first light another contraction hit and I said in a pained voice, “you can turn them on now…”   Jeshua smiled and did so, although most people took no notice of the flashing lights, and somehow, we hit a good deal of red lights on the way there. However, one older couple peered over at me at one red light and rolled down their window asking, “Are you in labor?”  I smiled as best as I could and said “yes”. They almost seemed like they wanted to follow us on to the hospital it made both Jeshua and I laugh. Once we got to the hospital, I realized the contractions had eased up to every 3 minutes. Jeshua dropped me at the front desk and I walked in to the front desk at 5 and the lady at the front looked up at me, frowned and said “I’m so sorry we JUST shut down our computers! You’ll have to go around to the emergency room” I told her it was ok and turned around and walked outside. Jeshua was coming up to the door with all our bags and I told him while walking what had happened. He, getting frustrated, said “I have my gun… I can’t go in through the emergency room!”  Jeshua left to go put his gun up in the car and I proceeded to walk around the corner of the building and into the emergency doors with my wallet in hand. I walked up to the metal detector as another contraction hit full force. I braced myself against the metal detector trying to breathe through the contraction. An officer came up behind me and gently touched my arm. My mind immediately jumped to the conclusion that he had to be asking me to remove my hand because it was against the law to touch a metal detector… because of course that is just the most obvious reason a security officer would touch you while in labor. I lifted my hand off the side and apologized to which he said, “no it’s ok. I was just trying to support you.”  Another officer came up behind me with a wheelchair and I gratefully sat down. He wheeled me to the front desk, and I gave my ID. A nurse came and I told them my husband was close behind me, so they told me he would finish checking me in as I made my way upstairs. As I wheeled through a set of doors, I saw Jeshua coming in through the front doors. 

Once in the birth room I was asked to change clothes and urinate in a little jar, which I did, pausing through several contractions as I did so.  When I came out, Jeshua was in the room. I sat on the bed and the nurse checked me and said I was a good 6cm dilated. I was ECSTATIC to say the least. I knew it wouldn’t be too much longer.  The doctor came in and asked if I would like my water broken to try and urge labor speed up…. I was a little nervous thinking perhaps it would be painful, but I agreed.  The breaking of the water took very little time, but it didn’t come out all at once, it came in little gushes every few minutes. They put me on an IV (which was PAINFUL to say the least, they couldn’t find a good vein, which is very weird because my veins are CRAZY big on my hands) …. Jeshua asked if I would like music and I said a quick and sharp “NO.” … he turned to the two nurses in the room and said “I’m going to turn on some music…. She’ll like it.”  And I did. I am thankful for a husband who knows what I want and need and doesn’t pay attention to me when I’m crazed and in pain. Sometime right after that, Jen texted saying she was the only one out there and wanted to come see me. I let out a big ‘N to the O’ for several reasons. I didn’t want her seeing me in that much pain because I didn’t know what I would say if she began asking questions and I didn’t want to freak her out either. I told Jeshua he wasn’t allowed to tell me when a contraction was coming or going so that I’d feel more in control and that helped SO MUCH.  I straddled the bed with one leg bent behind me and tried to concentrate on praying and hearing God. Sometime right after 6 I felt despair thinking I would have to be in labor until 2 a.m. and I couldn’t do it. I told Jeshua I didn’t think I could do it. I thought he would immediately try to encourage me not to get an epidural but instead he slowly started saying “well I thought you wanted to go all natural and… “I interrupted him with a “Ohhhhh be quiet!” I tried to concentrate on praying and scripture that I had memorized, and it really did help. At about 6:40 my contractions just wouldn’t come down, one lead right to the next and I asked Jeshua to rub my back lightly to help me.  I remembered the nurse telling me to push the call button when I felt like pushing and I began to feel the urge. Oddly, I experienced the same feeling of, I’m in so much pain I can’t talk…. So, without telling Jeshua I reached down and pressed the red button. The nurse cane in and figured out what was happening, and they brought a midwife in. (turned out the doctor had to go do a c-section, so she took his place). She asked me if I wanted to turn over on all fours and I said “NO!” …. She told me to turn over and face Jeshua. I tried to protest again, but she insisted, and I briefly had a sane moment and realized… “hey… I can’t poop this baby out while I’m sitting on the bed”. So, I turned over.  They announced I was a nine and it was almost time, but not to push…. well…. one contraction later and I said breathlessly… “sorry…. I pushed.” A couple contractions later and she said I could do little pushes…. Then big pushes and “OOOOOOOUCH!”  I yelled that right as she crowned and threw a dirty look at the midwife (Sorry….. I have NO IDEA why … but it made me feel better) she seemed unmoved and just said, “you’re doing great one more” so I pushed… and pushed again…. And then…. She was out. 7lb 7ounces…. Crying and crying… and I began to sob and say, “MY BABY MY BABY!!!!”  over and over and over. They laid her on my chest before they cut her umbilical cord, and I loved her squishy sweet face SO MUCH. …. I felt SO BLESSED to have my second little girl in our lives.