You’re one today my sweet baby boy! In honor of you being a whole year earth-side, I thought I’d finally take the time to sit down and write about your birth story. All of you kids have been due on the 10th of whatever month, so I knew that your due date was my birthday – June 10th, even though my “due date” really wasn’t until the 22nd. But, my birthday came and went and you seemed happy to just hang out for a little bit longer.
On the 18th, we decided to go up to Poppy and Marmie’s house because they’d turned the water off on our street and we didn’t know how long it would be off. Plus, I was already super hot and didn’t want to think about no toilets and cooking without water all day. I felt a little strange but I just thought I was testy because of the water. I’d been getting flushed for no reason but my blood pressure was fine at every appointment and I was used to it at this point. We were able to swim in the cool pool – which felt amazing and spend time together without cooking (because we had leftovers from camp). We were getting in the car to go home and I told your dad it might be a long night – he was planning for us to work on house projects the whole next day and I wanted to get out of them – but he didn’t seem to take me seriously.
I went to bed around 10pm and woke up at midnight. After laying back down, I told your dad (who had just turned off the TV) that I thought I had just felt a contraction. I don’t think he believed me, he told me to try to get some sleep. I laid in bed remembering all of the positive affirmations I’d been using and how all of my books I’d read said to lay as still as possible and act like you are asleep for as long as possible while in labor, so that’s what I tried to do. Sleep didn’t come to me though, I was calm and still as I worked on breathing well but after I’d already had four contractions in a short amount of time, I woke your dad back up and told him I thought we should reach out to my mom.
Thankfully she was still awake and around 1am we asked her to go one and make the 30 minute drive, because I didn’t know how quickly things would progress. The pressure and contraction waves were steadily increasing but as long as I was laying on my side, doing my breathing, and listening to my affirmations, it was fine. Every time I had to get up, I found the pain was much worse. My water still hadn’t broken, or at least I wasn’t aware if it had.
My mom arrived and it was so nice to have her with me – I’ve never been able to experience that before. I knew instantly that I wanted her to go with us to deliver, but because we hadn’t prepared for that, there was no way she could. By 3am, my doctor had been contacted and we were told to come in. Since it was after hours and a Saturday, we would have to go through the emergency entrance at the hospital. The pain was so unbearable when sitting or standing at this point, so once a contraction passed, I got up and ran down the stairs and out the front door to where I thought the car was – it had been there last night. Your dad had moved it in the garage trying to be nice and help me but didn’t tell me.
He’d already put in Owen’s seat in the back but I asked him to move it because I needed to lay in the back seat to help with the pain. I’d never laid in the car on the way to deliver before – with Nora and Haddon, we lived over 45 minutes away from our birthing center. As usual, the car ride was the worst, but this time we only had a brief 10 minute drive down the road and laying helped for sure. I had four contractions in the car which wasn’t fun at all.
Once we arrived, the walk to the entrance was horrible and the lady at the desk acted like the sloths at the DMV in the cartoon Zootopia. She said they couldn’t find my information, making the process take even longer. As I was writhing in pain, trying to lay in the empty waiting room chairs, she finally found me in the system with my social security number. They brought me a wheelchair which was so painful and the walk seemed unending to the birthing wing.
I hobbled to the bed and laid down trying to find some relief. I immediately asked them to fill the birthing tub because I wanted to get in it. The nurse kindly told me she’d have to check me first and make sure it would have time to fill. She wanted to hook me up to an IV and I refused. She said it was the hospital’s policy and I told her I’d already discussed it with Dr. Brabson and didn’t want one unless it was medically necessary. No one said anything about us not wearing masks or needing a COVID test which was nice that I didn’t have to have those conversations on top of being in labor. When I was checked, by our sweet nurse Eva, I was already 7cm and said that the tub wouldn’t have time to fill. They told me I could get in the shower with a birthing ball but I wasn’t sure I could sit or stand I was in so much pain.
The walk to the shower was miserable but somehow trying to sit on the ball was worse. I instantly was standing again in a full-blown contraction leaning against the wall of the shower. The hot water was nice but I couldn’t take the standing and couldn’t even try to sit. So after a few contractions, I went back to the bed. I was very cold at this point which made me violently shivering while contracting. I was checked again and already at 8cm. I kept talking to you, telling you that I was ready to meet you and you should keep coming.
Eva offered for Dr. Brabson to come and break my water and I hesitated. Your father gently reminded me of Haddon’s delivery (where I waited 4 hours before I agreed and then he came in 20 minutes) and how I said I wouldn’t wait next time. This time it wasn’t painful to have my water broken like it had been with Haddon. I instantly started throwing up (which wasn’t unexpected since I was sick with Nora and Haddon as soon as my water broke). The pain was somehow so much worse now but in two crazy pushes, you were born.
You were placed on my chest and we noticed you looked very purple. We waited for the cord to stop pulsing and when it did, they asked your dad if he wanted to cut it. I was shocked when he said yes – he didn’t cut either of your siblings’ cords.
They cleaned us up a little bit while waiting for the placenta to come. Of course it didn’t want to release – I wonder if it just didn’t want to come as soon as they wanted it to. The clinician from Children’s Hospital took you over to the warmer to examine you – this was something we definitely didn’t want to happen any time soon but being in the hospital and not the birthing center, we really didn’t have a choice. She said that you weren’t getting enough oxygen and they were concerned. They believed you had swallowed some meconium because the amniotic fluid was tinged.
While they were working with you, I was still getting the lovely massage to try to coax the placenta out. When it did come it seemed massive. They said my bleeding wasn’t stopping like it should and even though I asked for them to wait longer to see if I would stop bleeding naturally I guess that wasn’t gonna work with their schedule, so they went ahead and gave me medication to stop the hemorrhaging. I was shaking pretty violently, which I did with Haddon too and it more irritating than anything. I received stitches for another tear – but this time it was only a second degree as opposed to the third degrees with your siblings. This time though, I felt the stitches more because I didn’t even get to hold you while they were doing it.
Eventually, you were brought back to me and you instantly started nursing like a champ. But they were very concerned about your oxygen levels – you seemed fine to me and your color was much better than it had been when you were born. The clinician was still very concerned about your oxygen levels so she stayed with us in our room from over 2 hours which was very nice because the alternative would have been for her to take you to the nursery to observe you. She said that you were very overdue, she thought you looked a week and a half late – which means I was SPOT on with your due date of June 10th.
You were born on June 19, 2021 at 4:15am, you weighed 7lbs 15oz (you’re the biggest baby I’ve had) and were 20 inches tall. You were born at Tennova Hospital in their “birthing center.” We thought you looked perfect! You came fast and furious, from the first contraction until you were born was right around 4 hours which is crazy fast! You have big blue eyes and reddish hair (what little you had). Your fingers were so long and your feet were like little boats. We were so excited and couldn’t wait to take you home to meet everyone else.
When we were finally given some time to ourselves with you, we were able to annoint your little head with frankincense and myrrh and pray over you. It was a really special moment for the three of us. We also put lavender and geranium on my stomach to help with cramping (which seems to get worse with each kid) and myrrh to your umbilical cord stump. Your skin was so soft and smooth. It had little to no vernix on it – probably from where you were so overdue.
We weren’t allowed but one visitor because of the COVID policies, so Marmie came to see you when your daddy went out to get some non-hospital food for us. The beds in the hospital were absolutely awful and a stark contract to the lovely Austin birthing center bed we had experienced with your siblings.
We had to stay two days because of hospital policies which meant we were released on Father’s Day around 9am. We brought you home to meet Haddon and Nora and they absolutely loved you. Piper was even super curious to see what this new addition was.
A year later and you are our wild child! Anything and everything goes in your mouth. You are so loud and try to keep up with the big kids constantly! You have so many teeth – 6 that we can see. You are also on the verge of walking. You are so sweet and love to cuddle. Your eyes are turning green (or they appear to be) and your hair is still red (which I LOVE). You are so laid back and have the sweetest disposition. Everyone who meets you loves you and you are the perfect addition to our family. I can’t imagine life without you little man. Happy 1st Birthday! I love you!
Grace & Valor 