These Are The Days: 2011

Our little baby boy (surprise!), Jacob Bruce, arrived on November 23,2011. Twelve days past his "due date" much to his mother's horror. No, really, it was ok that he took his time and all but we were coming up to the 42 weeks of gestation mark where we'd have to start getting involved with an obstetrician and that was not what we wanted.

I had been having bouts of stronger contractions since around 40 weeks and while they weren't uncomfortable enough or close enough to make me want to time them, they were annoying enough to wake me out of a deep sleep at their peak. I constantly felt on the verge of labor. Which is sort of hard to deal with after awhile because I wanted to make sure I was rested and in good condition to endure labor and that meant staying home and taking it easy as well as trying to maintain the house and care for the girls. Sort of a hard balance to keep up for almost two weeks. I wasn't the only one on edge either--our midwife went to bed every night expecting to be woken up by our phone call. And Jason left work each day prepared to be gone for a week or more, never sure whether he'd be at the next meeting he was supposed to lead. Our world was waiting on Baby Garrett...

On Wednesday, November 23rd our midwife, Patty, called and we decided to have her strip my membranes. We had been hesitant to do this before this point because of my positive beta strep status. I had been taking a labor tonic for a few days and spending some time with the breast pump and labor was just not kicking in. So with two days remaining until the 42 week mark, we decided to up the efforts.

Patty got here around 1:00 p.m. and checked me--2 cm dilated, 85% effaced, Baby at 0 station (I could have told anyone that--Baby felt like he/she was going to fall out!). She stripped my membranes and within ten minutes I was having much stronger contractions that immediately became 5 minutes apart. Patty put me on the breast pump for 15 minutes and boy that kept the contractions coming! About 60-90 seconds long and 5 minutes apart. She listened to Baby with her doppler and everything sounded well. This had to be the day! It was around 2 p.m. and Patty headed home to give us some privacy and to rest up for what could possibly be a long night. She advised that I eat something light and hit that breast pump at least once more to maintain a good pattern of contractions. She said, "I'm thinking I'll be back around 7." I was not convinced, I think I had almost given up hope of ever getting this child out.

By 5:00 things were definitely progressing. I had abandoned watching any t.v. (I don't even remember the episode of that crazy show "Sister Wives" that we thought would be entertaining!) and the classical piano music I had chosen was just getting on my nerves. I was in the rocking chair and that seemed to help. Standing was miserable. Sitting on the toilet was horrid. A hot rice sock on my back helped. Patty called to check on me. I asked if I could get in the labor pool or the shower and as soon as she answered me "Well, the shower for sure..." I practically hung up on her and made a beeline for the shower.

I stayed in the shower for about an hour while Jason began filling the labor pool. The contractions were much stronger and were about 2-3 minutes apart and I could tell they were really working. The water made everything so much better though and I was concentrating and swaying in the shower and sometimes vocalizing (that means mooing like a cow) but handling things pretty well. I started to think that maybe Jason should call Patty but I was really working with my labor and it was hard to muster up the voice to talk. I heard Jason on the phone with a friend of mine--he was bustling around in the bathroom--and he told her that he thought we wouldn't be having a baby till late tonight or tomorrow morning. In my head I thought, "Bull! This is not going to be going on that long buddy!" and I wanted to give him a good hard pinch just for saying so.

Finally he paused in his frantic preparations and asked how I was doing. "Call Patty." I croaked. He was like, "Are you sure?" And then he picked up my cel phone and saw that she had texted him saying "I'm on my way." She knew! She said later that she knew when she talked to me at 5:00 that I was making good progress. She was also right about being back here around 7:00 which I would never have guessed hours earlier.

After Jason told me Patty was on her way I ventured out of the shower because I had been in there for an hour or more and was hot and thought about all the hot water I was using that should be going to the labor pool. I laid on the bed and had a contraction that can only be described as agonizing. I should have known better than to try that because I've never been able to take laboring while lying down. The pool had about 8 inches of water in it and I literally pitched myself over the side of the pool and flopped very ungracefully in the water. Ahhh! The water was heaven. It truly made all the difference between barely bearable contractions and unbearable ones.

I had exhausted the hot water supply with my epic shower so Jason began heating large pots of water on the stove and continued to fill up the pool pot by pot. I didn't say so, but I was really grateful.

I stayed in the pool and found the only position that was tolerable was sitting on my bottom with back against the pool wall and my legs straight out. Things were really getting intense and I was having to give every contraction my maximum attention. I was doing well with relaxing though it was tough. My mind was battling doubt and fear though. I told myself, "Lord, please help me. Remember, you've done this before. You can do it, you are doing it. The pain is intense but it's not hurting you. The contractions will not get worse, just closer. My body is doing exactly what God designed it to do. I'll be holding my baby soon. In a few hours this will be over. Thousands of women around the world are doing this very same work right now--billions have done it in the past. Lord please, help me." That was where my mind went during each and every contraction during the last 2 hours of labor. And ridiculously enough, during the breaks sometimes in my head I'd hear the "Yo Gabba Gabba" song that goes "Ouch, it hurts. It really, really hurts."

(Guess that's an improvement from the song I heard in my brain during Paige's labor--which was a song from an Adam Sandler movie)

People started to show up. Our friend who was caring for the girls, Patty and her assistant, and another midwife Mary. Everyone was really happy and excited. I was not happy. Or excited. I was resentful of their cheerfulness. Darn them. Do they not know how much I am suffering? I'd half listen to their conversations, always with my eyes closed, savoring each break from the tidal wave of pain and rising to my maximum level of endurance to meet the next wave. Patty asked me how I was at one point and I said "Very unhappy." and she said her in usual sweet way "Oh, you're in transition." and I sort of wanted to growl back at her. At some point I heard her say, "Lets get the baby clothes out and warmed." and I thought "She's just saying that to make me think this is really going to happen. This is never going to end!" And Jason, poor Jason. I didn't say anything to him (I think...) but I thought in my head "That jerk. How could he let me do this again? What is wrong with that man?!"

So yeah, Patty got it right when she proclaimed me to be in "transition." Haha :)

Periodically, I would check to see if the baby's head was nearing the exit. I could feel something a few inches in but couldn't tell if it was baby head or cervix but whatever it was, it was causing a whole lot of pressure. I mentioned it to Patty, she checked me and calmly told me I was 9 cm dilated. I asked her over and over again "Really? Really?" I mean, I probably asked her about 12 times. Patient as ever, she assured me she wasn't lying and that it was almost time to push my baby out. Sometime around there I felt a "poof" and that's when I'm pretty sure my water broke. That was something I had prayed fervently for--that my water would not break until very late in labor. Praise the Lord!

I have no idea how long it was after that but Patty asked me if I was ready to push. I went into the crazy "Really? Really?" deal again and I'm glad no one smacked me even though I probably could have used it. I was fearful about getting out of the my sanctuary, the pool, but I knew that I'd have a better chance of not tearing if I got out. Still, just before I made my final ascent out of the warm water I knelt and gave a push to see if maybe the baby would just float out and I'd be done. No such luck of course so I hauled out like a walrus and got nailed by a contraction on the way to the bed. I dropped to my knees and gave another desperate push but again, no luck. Somehow they got me up on the bed and into a pushing position.

Patty checked me and said "You've got a tiny lip of cervix left." I said "Push that damn thing out of the way and let's do this." My courage and determination were at an all time high and I knew it was now or never to get this kid out. I did not want to take one more contraction than I had to.

Jason held my left leg, Mary held my right leg, and Patty held back that cervical lip during the next contraction while I struggled through it. The lip melted away and I got the go ahead to push. Which I did with more gutso than anything I've ever done in my entire life. It hurt so bad, I knew it would from experience, and I knew that there was no getting around this pain. You must push through it and only then will it be over. I honestly felt like I was going to split into two or possibly blow my rectum and intestines out all over the place. But I clung to that burst of courage and pushed with everything I had.

I moved my biggest baby down pretty quickly and I could feel the head moving through. The pressure was absolutely indescribable. After each push I asked for a progress report. After a few contractions everyone got excited because they could see the head appear and then slide back. I kept on it though, pushing to the point where I was pretty sure I was going to rupture some blood vessels in my face or explode my eyeballs. Then Jason said he could see the head and it was staying and I knew I was so close. But still I asked "Really? Really?" over and over again and Patty had me touch my baby's head. Cool but let's get back to work! I had him to a full crown soon after that....then I had to wait for what seemed like five minutes of "the ring of fire" as I slowly stretched. Sure did hear Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" too. As soon as I got the go ahead though I pushed with everything I had in me--I actually screamed--and then...

Out popped a head quickly followed by the rest of the body and I suddenly had a wet, hot, screaming baby on my belly!

I looked at Jason's face and his eyes were so big. He said "Wow. It's a...well, do you want to see?" and of course I knew it was a boy at that instant but I picked up our son and saw the evidence for myself. The only thing I could do was to laugh and say "Oh wow!"

He looked great and was hollering his little head off. The girls, who had been listening in the other room, quickly poured in to greet their brother. They were so excited and I'm so glad I had the wherewithal to take in their happy little faces as they crowded around us. It was such an awesome moment.

After things calmed down a bit and I nursed Jacob (who has been a pro nurser from the start), showered, and the kids got to put on some gloves and play with the placenta, Patty did the newborn checkup on Jacob. He weighed in at 8.8 lbs, 20.5 inches long, with a 14.5 inch head. Big boy. And I had only a little tear that did not require a repair.

So, that's Jacob Bruce's birth story. I haven't gotten my copy of the labor record from Patty yet but he was born at 9:03 p.m. and that would put my labor around 7 hours with about 4 of it being hard, active labor. Comparatively, it was similar to the length of Penny's labor but definitely my most intense labor. But the Lord answered our prayers: we prayed for my water not to break until very late in labor, a steady labor with no lulls, a day-time labor, a gentle labor (while it was very intense I still consider it gentle because I never found it to be truly miserable), a homebirth, and last but of course not least a healthy baby and momma. Praise be to The Lord!