Birth Story

MaryJane Vernessa was born on Friday, March 13th at 11:55pm. She weighed 7lbs 15ozs and was 20 and a half inchs long. I was 41 weeks pregnant. That morning we went to the hospital to have some tests done to make sure she wasn't under any stress and measure the fluid levels. After everything checked out OK we headed for home convinced I really was going to be pregnant forever. We thought I was in labor the night before. I was up till 4am with contractions 10 minutes apart getting more intense as time passed. Then they just decided to stop. I was having contractions here and there in the morning but nothing that made me think I was going into labor. Dave and I decided to go for a walk around 2pm while the kids were at my parent's house and we also stopped by our house to spend some time together to see if we could get things moving along. :0) We headed back for my parent's house around 4pm, after hanging out there for a while we decided to go for another walk because I was having a few contractions here and there. We got back just when it was starting to get dark. We started counting contractions at 8:30. They were around 7 minutes apart lasting 1.5 minutes for about an hour. Then they went to being around 4 minutes apart some lasting longer then 2 minutes. I was laboring sitting in a recliner most of the time. It was the easiest way for me to relax and work through the contractions. The general rule I was trying to follow is the 411, Contractions 4 minutes apart lasting at least 1 minute for 1 hour. So we called Becky, our midwife, just before 11pm. We headed down to the birthing center, pulled up at 11:15pm. Becky met us at the door. At this point I was having one contraction on top of the other. We got into the room and Becky checked my cervix. I was an 8 almost a 9 and feeling the urge to push. The best position to get through the contractions at this point was to lean over the counter or the bed and Becky would squeeze my hips together, and boy did that make it feel better! At this point Dave called our family and friends to head down ASAP. I climbed into the tub while it was still filling up and I am so glad I did. The water felt so nice! 20 minutes till midnight Dave tried to make a bet with me if she was going to be born on Friday the 13th or not. I said there is no way I am going to have her in 20 minutes. :0) I still had a tiny bit of cervix left but the urge to push was too intense I couldn't stop it. Becky told me to trust my body so I pushed passed the rest of my cervix. MaryJane's heart rate was going so low it was almost none existent during contractions that we had to get her out as soon as possible. The bag of water still had not broken and it was bulging out which was painful because the pressure of the babies head was not low enough to give me that natural epi, so Becky broke the bag. I was not able to let my perineum stretch slowly to avoid tearing. I pushed her out in 2 contractions. The cord was wrapped around her neck. But she did wonderful! Her color was great. It wasn't till now that the others arrived, no more then 1 minute after she was born. (darn it!) I was able to sit with her in the tub for about 15 minutes before delivering the placenta. Everything happened so fast. I guess my body kind of did me a favor and prepped my body early by having all those false alarms. It was very intense! The whole experience was amazing! :0) We went home that same night at 3:30am. Everyone is doing great! Best experience I've ever had!!!

Still Waiting...

Dave took the day off. We really thought we were going to have a baby last night. I was contracting every 10 min and they were hard and painful. I was up till almost 4am before I was finally able to get some rest and then they just stopped. I was a bit sick to my stomach because we just ate a ton of tacos for dinner at like midnight so I thought I was probably going to throw up, luckily I didn't. All day yesterday I was feeling like MaryJane was trying to dig her way out. I called Becky around 10pm because Dave and I were starting to get a little worried about how much it was hurting. Becky thinks she was laying on a nerve so every time she moved it sent a shooting pain through my stomach/cervix. The same thing is kinda starting to happen again but not nearly as bad as it was yesterday. I am having contractions again. they are 10-15 min apart it seems but they are lasting over a minute and a half. It's so frustrating because ever time I get contractions going they always seem to stop so hopefully they will keep up I think everyone is ready for her to be here including MJ. I went to the IMC hospital this morning to have a stress test done. They checked the fluid levels, normal is between 10 and 25. I am at about 13.5 I believe is what she said. The baby's heart rate was great. They wanted to see a few peeks in a 20 min time period and she did wonderful. Her base line heart rate was about 135. I didn't have any contractions during the 20 min I was monitored but as soon as I got up I had one, the last one I had before that was when we were walking in so about 30-45 min prior. So if we look at the day as a whole my contractions have gotten closer. I just hope as soon as I go to bed they don't stop. I don't want to stay up all night to try to keep them going because I really need sleep if I AM in labor. I have had so much of this now I wonder how far dilated I am. When I finally do go into real labor I bet it's going to fly by because most of the work has gradually already been done. I just hope I don't have her in the car or something. I lost my plug yesterday morning and Some this morning. Becky said you have to be dilating to loose it so I am pretty positive I am over a 3 now. I have never been past a 4 without an epidural.

Appointment 40 w 4 d

The end is near. I am 2-3 cm dilated and about 60% effaced "very soft". Baby's head is low but still able to move. I am thinkin my anatomy is just a bit different then most... My uterus tips back a bit, Becky says I have a post tearier cervix. I wonder if I just have a bigger pelvis and that is why the baby doesn't seem to be wedged in. I dunno maybe I am just made for this kind of stuff? :0) I do push my babies out pretty fast... I gained 3 lbs in 1 week. oops. I think part of that is because my appointment was later in the day then normal this time and I ate a huge lunch before I went in. So that puts my ending weight at 229 lbs. Hopefully it's the end! I do have a bit of a yeast infection right now. Talk about bad timing. Becky is hoping we have a few more days till she's born so we can take care of it first. If she is born while I still have the infection it can get in her mouth and intestines and in result give it back to me while nursing. And it will make my skin more vulnerable to tearing during delivery. SO I took a pill today that should get rid of it in 3-5 days and I have to soak in salt water every night and use yogurt and make sure I am taking my acidophilus twice a day. I am thinkin part of why I got it is because I am also taking keflex to prevent UTI/Kidney infections. So the antibiotic is killing not only bad bacteria but good too. So I think I will stop taking that for the next few days. I just hope I don't end up with a UTI. I have only ever had to deal with yeast infections when pregnant so I know they are common in pregnancy as is. SO anyways sorry I hope that wasn't too much info. I am measuring at 40 weeks and baby's heart sounds good. I have to go in to the hospital on Friday if I haven't had her by then to get an ultrasound to make sure the fluid is not decreasing and the placenta is still good. They are also going to do a stress test by hooking me up to the monitors for a bit. Then if I still have not had her by Monday and everything is good Becky plans to do what she calls an eviction. The plan is... eat a good breakfast, have sex and go in at 9am so she can strip my membranes. Then I take 1 dropper full of blue and black cohosh every half hour and walk. Then go back in at 10am to have her strip my membranes again and continue taking a dropper full of the cohosh every half hour, which makes 4 doses, and walk more and maybe some nipple stimulation. Then I will go back in at 11am and she will strip my membranes a 3rd time if I haven't already gone into active labor. This works almost 100% of the time. The side effects of the cohosh are thought to be an increased risk of jaundice in the baby so I can not take more then 4 doses. I did buy some castor oil the other day I was going to try it this last weekend but after reading on it I decided to ask Becky about it first. I am glad I did! She said to use it as a last resort only. She told me a couple horror stories from woman that have taken it and I really don't want to deal with the side effects and end up being more uncomfortable then I am already going to be in labor. So I may try it if I get to be 42 weeks but not till then. I am having a contraction right now, I have been having a ton of braxton hicks so hopefully I will continue to progress and I can see my baby girl in the next few days. :0) We are SO excited! I think Dave is going to have a nervous brake down if she doesn't come soon. He is more impatient then I am.

Belly Pics at 40 weeks 1 day

Appointment 39 weeks 4 days

Becky checked my cervix today. I am 1 cm dilated and 25% effaced. She also checked to see if the baby was engaged, aka dropped, but she hasn't she is still floating around in there which would explain why she was able to turn last weekend. I thought I was carrying a bit lower but I guess not. My ribs have been aching so badly. Becky recommended I sit on an exercise ball as much as I can to open up my hips and get her to go down as well as lots of walking and sex. She thinks it will be another week though. I gained 2 lbs in the past 2 weeks, yay. I am measuring at 39 weeks. I have another appointment in a week. Group appointments are done. So next time I see everyone they will have babies. Crazy to think MaryJane is going to be here so soon! :0) My nerve in my arm issues I was having a bit ago have gotten better. My hands still fall asleep but they don't ache like they did, so I am relieved. I am SO glad she is head down again. Maybe that is why labor stopped on Saturday because she was laying sideways. Becky said the head pushing on your cervix is what makes you dilate. I have been having a ton of contractions and it seems every time I get in the truck they get more intense and are usually about 10 min apart but then they stop as soon as we get home. Not much left to do but wait... Everything is ready!

False Labor

So yesterday evening I was in false labor. The contractions started around 4 pm they didn't seem to be very consistent but were getting more intense. Dave, the kids and I were on our way to his sister's wedding reception about 45 min away from home, I don't know if it was the bouncing from the truck or what but they started getting consistent about every 15 min or so. When we got there we were so busy I didn't really time them but they were still coming. They were starting to take my breath away. We were there till about 8:30. On our way home I was able to time them again and they were every 5 min, still feeling the same. We brought all my bags and the car seat with us just in case we had to rush to the center. I was getting a little stressed out because I think she is laying sideways or at least on an angle. I have a big lump pokin me in my side just under my rips. I am not sure if it is her bum or head but I also feel a lot of kicks in my cervix so I was just praying she would turn in time for me to deliver her properly. I'm glad it's not a leap year! Or I would have really been freakin lol. When we got home I picked up the house a bit and got the kids in bed. Jack ate WAY too many M&Ms at the party so I think he was sick to his stomach. He threw up so I had to clean that up. I was beat so I decided to lay down even though I really wanted to go for a walk to get labor moving. I was hoping to have her that night because it was my grandpa's birthday. Well it was getting late so I decided to go to bed. I have been up for a few hours now and have felt a couple small contractions but nothing different then what I have already been feeling for the past week or so. So no baby :( We were getting really excited and I think I got my mom all freaked out when I called her at the party to give her a heads up. I am going to go for a walk a little later today after Jack wakes up from his nap and hopefully that will start it up again or at least help her move into the correct position. I went for a long walk and went grocery shopping Thursday and it was Friday after McDonalds that she turned. What is it with fast food that's makin my baby turn? My FIL told me he thinks I look pretty big, I sure hope she's not a huge baby, or at least if she is I hope my body can handle it without tearing! I am tired of waiting. Dave and I were tempted to get some Castor oil and try that Friday but we didn't because it gives you the craps and if it didn't work I didn't want to go to the party like that. yuk! Plus I don't feel comfortable trying something like that till I am at least to my due date. 5 more days!

The Room

The baby's room is officially finished today. yay! Although we still need a couple of things such as a hamper and diaper pail everything is put together and waiting for her to come. I am so excited to see her! The car seat is washed, the video camera is charged, we are ready to go. I plan on packing a bag tomorrow. My hands are SO swollen! My feet are not too bad but my hands just ache all the time now. I can't sleep! I hope she comes soon!