I haven't written about the birth yet because I've fallen deeply in love with my new little man and haven't taken the time. However, I figure I better write a few things here so that I don't forget them and for those of you that like that sort of thing can enjoy hearing it (and so Carrie Lee won't fuss at me anymore!). As most of my closest friends and family know, I was once again confined to the bed the last few weeks because of my rising blood pressure. Ugh. I have rested and read and listened to talk radio enough this last month to last me for quite some time (ok, maybe not enough rest....). Regardless, staying horizontal 75%+ of the day helped maintain my BP--didn't go down, of course, but didn't rise. That is, until the Tuesday before little man was born. I started feeling like I should check the BP more often, and sure enough, it was staying above the range that it wasn't supposed to stay at. So, Wednesday, I decided to take it before I was even out of bed. I rolled over, slipped on the cuff, and it was somethng like 146/102.
So, I called the midwife. I was 37 weeks on Monday the 7th, so we knew that it was relatively safe to induce my labor if my BP did what it did. And she came, assessed everything, and agreed that we needed to proceed with induction. We talked about the dangers of the baby being born too early (if the dates were wrong) and what measures would be taken if that were the case. But, we decided that the dangers of the high BP to both myself and the baby necessitated the induction. So, around 11:30AM she began that process.
At about 11:32AM (I don't know exactly what time he called, but it felt like just seconds after Debi started everything), my husband called and the first words out of his mouth were, "First of all, everyone is OK." !!!!!! Yes, my husband was calling to tell me that he had been a passenger in a car accident! (everyone involved was ok). He was fairly bruised up. In fact, terribly bruised up. I depend on my husband a lot during labor......I was selfishly nervous! My mom was already here, having come so he could return to work until the baby was born, so she went and retrieved him after he went to the hospital to make sure nothing was broken (nothing was).....
So, around 2:00, he's home and I'm realizing that after the delivery it's a toss-up as to which one of us will be more sore. :) Poor guy, I think he won. I labored and rested along during the day. The contraction weren't strong, but I guess that's to be expected since we were starting labor instead of it starting on it's own. I ate dinner at 4:00; my Mom took my kids to swimming lessons around 5:30. A huge storm came and they were home by 6:30. Debi wanted to break my water around 7:00. I hate that part. I knew it would come because I was being induced, I knew it, but that doesn't make consenting to it any easier!
I took the time to read Psalm 23. I was allowing myself to fear the unknown: if real labor would come too quickly, too slowly, or, most of all, if the baby would come out too young and not breathing. It sounds dramatic, but I needed to hear God say those words of peace and provision. She broke my water around 7:30. In all this, my husband again provided a huge amount of strength despite his pain. Anytime I asked him how he was, he begged me not to consider it, that he was ok.
A lot of people ask me, since I birth at home, if I have my babies in the water. Until this birth, my answer has been no. However, this time I was happy to try it since I had to either labor in bed on my side or in the water due to my BP. Last birth, I was confined to bed and I was happy to have an option this time around. I happily got in the tub approx. 8:45. The water is great for releaving the intensity of contractions. However, I was quickly into the pushing stage of my labor and didn't like the feeling of being all alone. Chris would have joined me had I asked, but I was too close to delivery and I didn't want to get him in and that be all wrong too. The verdict's still out for me about water birth, but right now my opinion is that it isn't for me.
Anyway, after about 4 good pushing contractions, I had my little man. God provided immediate relief for my fears about his breathing by allowing him to be my first baby to be born screaming! There was never any doubt that his lungs were moving air. I can't describe here how grateful I am to have had immediate confirmation the health of my child.
My Mom got to come in fairly shortly afte he was born to meet her newest grandchild. We laughed about the irony: we had not even TOLD her when we had our first child at home (she had previously told us how scary that would be for them and when we decided to home-birth we just quietly declined to let them in on it); but, here she was AT the birth of our fifth child. My, how times have changed!
Little man weighed in at 7'8". He's just a little bigger than my first child was but smaller than the rest. He was 19.25 long. During the newborn exam, my dear husband was typing away on his cell phone. I was really curious who he could be telling about the baby that wanted THAT MUCH information. After the midwife left, I found out what he doing: he was asking someone to bring him a boatload of ice...he WAS worse off. By 12:30 that night, I was tucked into bed with my new baby boy, and my husband was icing his injuries. He loves me so much and didn't hesitate once to help me while I was in labor despite his pain.
All the kids have been loving on their baby brother. T likes that he's big enogh to hold him unassisted. R wants to lay beside him and rub his head...constantly. S pretends her baby is the same as mine and copies everything I'm doing. B just cries when she can't "hold my baby!"
My BP is still high, but that is conststent with what happened last time. However we're all dong ok now and I appreciate all the well-wishes and continuing prayers from friends and family.
So, I called the midwife. I was 37 weeks on Monday the 7th, so we knew that it was relatively safe to induce my labor if my BP did what it did. And she came, assessed everything, and agreed that we needed to proceed with induction. We talked about the dangers of the baby being born too early (if the dates were wrong) and what measures would be taken if that were the case. But, we decided that the dangers of the high BP to both myself and the baby necessitated the induction. So, around 11:30AM she began that process.
At about 11:32AM (I don't know exactly what time he called, but it felt like just seconds after Debi started everything), my husband called and the first words out of his mouth were, "First of all, everyone is OK." !!!!!! Yes, my husband was calling to tell me that he had been a passenger in a car accident! (everyone involved was ok). He was fairly bruised up. In fact, terribly bruised up. I depend on my husband a lot during labor......I was selfishly nervous! My mom was already here, having come so he could return to work until the baby was born, so she went and retrieved him after he went to the hospital to make sure nothing was broken (nothing was).....
So, around 2:00, he's home and I'm realizing that after the delivery it's a toss-up as to which one of us will be more sore. :) Poor guy, I think he won. I labored and rested along during the day. The contraction weren't strong, but I guess that's to be expected since we were starting labor instead of it starting on it's own. I ate dinner at 4:00; my Mom took my kids to swimming lessons around 5:30. A huge storm came and they were home by 6:30. Debi wanted to break my water around 7:00. I hate that part. I knew it would come because I was being induced, I knew it, but that doesn't make consenting to it any easier!
I took the time to read Psalm 23. I was allowing myself to fear the unknown: if real labor would come too quickly, too slowly, or, most of all, if the baby would come out too young and not breathing. It sounds dramatic, but I needed to hear God say those words of peace and provision. She broke my water around 7:30. In all this, my husband again provided a huge amount of strength despite his pain. Anytime I asked him how he was, he begged me not to consider it, that he was ok.
A lot of people ask me, since I birth at home, if I have my babies in the water. Until this birth, my answer has been no. However, this time I was happy to try it since I had to either labor in bed on my side or in the water due to my BP. Last birth, I was confined to bed and I was happy to have an option this time around. I happily got in the tub approx. 8:45. The water is great for releaving the intensity of contractions. However, I was quickly into the pushing stage of my labor and didn't like the feeling of being all alone. Chris would have joined me had I asked, but I was too close to delivery and I didn't want to get him in and that be all wrong too. The verdict's still out for me about water birth, but right now my opinion is that it isn't for me.
Anyway, after about 4 good pushing contractions, I had my little man. God provided immediate relief for my fears about his breathing by allowing him to be my first baby to be born screaming! There was never any doubt that his lungs were moving air. I can't describe here how grateful I am to have had immediate confirmation the health of my child.
My Mom got to come in fairly shortly afte he was born to meet her newest grandchild. We laughed about the irony: we had not even TOLD her when we had our first child at home (she had previously told us how scary that would be for them and when we decided to home-birth we just quietly declined to let them in on it); but, here she was AT the birth of our fifth child. My, how times have changed!
Little man weighed in at 7'8". He's just a little bigger than my first child was but smaller than the rest. He was 19.25 long. During the newborn exam, my dear husband was typing away on his cell phone. I was really curious who he could be telling about the baby that wanted THAT MUCH information. After the midwife left, I found out what he doing: he was asking someone to bring him a boatload of ice...he WAS worse off. By 12:30 that night, I was tucked into bed with my new baby boy, and my husband was icing his injuries. He loves me so much and didn't hesitate once to help me while I was in labor despite his pain.
All the kids have been loving on their baby brother. T likes that he's big enogh to hold him unassisted. R wants to lay beside him and rub his head...constantly. S pretends her baby is the same as mine and copies everything I'm doing. B just cries when she can't "hold my baby!"
My BP is still high, but that is conststent with what happened last time. However we're all dong ok now and I appreciate all the well-wishes and continuing prayers from friends and family.
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