Birth Story

At 38 weeks I stopped running.  At 39 weeks I stopped walking my 3 mile loop.  At 39 weeks plus 2 days I went into labor.  All of my labors before this one has lasted for days.  And by days I mean DAYS of intense labor where contractions were every 3 mins lasting a min.  Well, at least my first one.  I labored for 56 hours with my oldest.  When all was said and done I had been awake for 74 hours when they placed her in my arms.  My son was a bit shorter.  His labor was 14 hours and pretty intense the whole time.  However, he was born in a water birth and it was amazing.  Even pushing his gigantic off the charts chunky head out was easier in the water. 

 This time around, I knew my labor would probably be long, I was prepared for it.  My only complaint was that the hospital had taken the water birth option out.  I was devastated because I knew the difference and how much more I liked laboring naturally in the water versus out of it.  When I started having some contractions on the 25^th of June, I took note but thought nothing of it.  Then around 2pm I decided to time them.  They were sticking around.  By 3pm I tried calling my husband.  Thanks to a huge power outage he was on base with no way for me to get a hold of him.  I put the tv on for the kids and just hung out.  When he finally got into his car to head home he called me from his cell, I told him I thought I was in labor…. When he got home we packed up the older two and sent them to Nana’s house.  But guess what? Oh all contractions stopped by 7:30pm.  Fizzled out to nothing.  I wasn’t in labor.  D went to get the kids and I went to bed, exhausted and defeated.

 However, in the middle of a HUGE thunderstorm around 1:30am I was awoken with a very intense contraction, I thought nothing of it and went back to sleep.  I kept semi waking up with them until about 4 am when I knew it was time to keep track of them.  I got in the tub, I contracted.  I walked, I contracted, I laid down I contracted.  Yet they were so sporadic that I couldn’t get a pattern on them and they were ranging from every 2 minutes to every 14 mins.  At 7am I called the midwife.  I explained that while they were not consistent the intensity level was increasing and they were now almost 2 mins long.  She told me to come in, third baby plus being group B positive they wanted to check me.  I have been down this road before, and have gotten to the hospital only to be sent home.  I told my husband if we drive there I am staying I will NOT make the trip twice this time around.  We again shipped the older kids to Nana’s and arrived at the hospital at 8am.  Well, by now when I was standing the contractions were every 2 mins. apart.  I am pretty sure I freaked the receptionist who was registering me out.  I was brought in and checked 3 cm.  They were NOT sending me home but would start antibiotics. Now the contractions eased up again.  Coming every 15 mins and there was talk that if no progress was made I may be sent home.  I was checked at 11am, still 3cm.  I got up I got in the shower, contractions picked back up.  At 12:30 pm I talked with my midwife, she decided since she was the one to check me the first time she should check me again because not all people check the same.  She checked me.  I was a 3 maybe a 4, there was some progress minimal but some.  They gave me my second round of antibiotics I was STAYING!!!!!!

 Here is where it all gets interesting.  I knew at 12:30 this labor was looking more and more like my first one.  Very slow progression, so I was in it for the long haul.  I climbed in the bed and tried to close my eyes between contractions.  Well, at 2:30ish I turned over and got on my hands and knees.  My husband asked what I was doing.  I had no clue, it just felt more comfortable.  I had no control over it I really didn’t.  At 3:05 my water broke.  D very calmly went and got the nurse.  I immediately told her, I was going to push.  She sort of freaked and found the midwife who happened to be standing in the hall outside my door.  The midwife put on her gloves to check me but instead caught a baby.  A beautiful 6 pound 11 oz baby girl who was born in just one push.  I had thought I still had hours and hours ahead of me but apparently she wanted out sooner than her siblings.  I was in active labor for just about 2 hours and that includes the 5 minutes of pushing.

We are now home, a family of 5 and things are just so perfectly complete! Lucille Anne is a champion nurser and sleeper.  She is sleeping from 9pm to 3:30ish eating then sleeping again until 7.  My older two are just so so so smitten it fills my heart with love every time I watch them all together.  Did running through my whole pregnancy help with the labor?  I am not sure but I know that this was my shortest easiest labor of them all and also the pregnancy I ran the most and longest through.  I can say that I am pretty sure that running gets the credit for me already just about back down to pre-pregnancy weight.  I have 9 pounds left to lose, but because of nursing I will probably hang on to them for a bit until I know what her feeding schedule is like and how much milk I need to make.  I have to start over on my abs, but coming from a girl who never had nice flat abs in her life I am up for the challenge of making them as flat as I can after three kids J.  I am taking a few more weeks off but hope to be pounding the pavement again on July 18^th, I am excited to see what my base is and how far I can go.  Training for my first Ragnar starts as soon as I get the all clear from the doc and as of right now I have my first 5k on the 26^th! What a perfect little summer this is shaping up to be!!!! Baby snuggles, new running goals and pure contentment!