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Westin Craig made his grand debut April 6, 2009 @ 0947 weighing in at 10 lbs 4 oz and measuring 22.5 inches long. My water broke at 2 am. I had just gotten up to go to the bathroom 30 minutes before that. I heard a pop and then felt the gush. It continued to gush when I stood up. I walked to the bathroom and put on a large overnight pad and texted the doula from the toilet. She called while I was siting there and talked to me about when to head to the hospital. I soaked through about 6 overnight pads before giving up and just walking around with a towel between my legs. I used several towels and had none left so grabbed a beach towel and had hubby carry the rest to the washer where I proceeded to load every towel in the house in my state of panic. I had no contractions to speak of.
I called my parents so they could sit with the boys while we were gone. I bounced on my birth ball. My parents showed up around an hours later and left for the hospital about an hour after that. We got to the hospital at 416 am. An hour later, we were completely admitted. I was still 3cm, but 90% effaced. Contractions were still pretty easy at this point.
The doctor got there at 730 and checked me. I was 5 cm 90% effaced 0 station. We kept laboring away for another hour and a half....then things got a little hard. Contractions were hitting me fast and hard and I had no break. I was tired and didn't know what position I wanted to be in. I was standing, rocking, squatting, moaning, on all fours, leaning on the bed. Nothing seemed to help. I first asked for something to take the edge off at 907. Doula and hubby both looked at me like I was crazy for thinking it. They both reminded me of how far I had already come and why stop now? So I waited. The nurse checked me when I felt pressure and I was 9 cm. I honestly didn't think I was going to make it....but with my husband and my doula supporting me, I kept going. Pushing felt good at this point...so with the contractions I started pushing. I pushed myself to a 10 and the baby to a 1 + station at 934. Four minutes later, the doctor was in the room and I was pushing regardless of whether they were ready or not. That was at 938, Westin was born at 947.
That's Sondra, the doula.
I still can't believe that I pushed out a 10 lb baby with no medications to help ease the pain....but I do know that I would do it again in a heartbeat!
They are so proud of their brother. I have more pictures that I will post later.
His APGAR scores were 8 and 8. I had a superficial tear, no sutures required. I am healing quite nicely and am very glad to be home. That's all for now...going to soak in the tub!
More pics on my flickr
I knew that I wanted a natural drug free birth. We hired a doula many months ago to help me achieve my goal. I've been reading birth stories and midwife blogs and watching birth videos and reading books about natural birth since I found out I was pregnant. I knew that it would be hard....I knew that it would hurt....I knew that I would probably freak out....but I knew it was best for me and for my son.
I picked April 6 as the birth date months ago. It just jumped off the calendar at me.
Saturday, the 4th I was at the boys baseball tournament in Clifton when I started having contractions. They were about 7 minutes apart and kept coming pretty regular. They were strong enough to make me stop and just be still. My friend Christy drove the boys and I home just to be safe. I got home and kept timing the contractions and after 2.5 hours, I called the doula, Sondra, to let her know what was going on. She suggested I lie down and try to relax. After about 4 hours of contractions, I fell asleep. I guess they weren't that bad!
I woke up Sunday feeling pretty stupid. I called Sondra and apologized for the false alarm and she was awesome about it. David and I sort of got into an argument and so the boys and I spent the morning together alone. We went for breakfast. I had menudo. ;o) Then we went to WalMart and walked for a while. The boys helped me load groceries into the car and we headed home. I had been having contractions off and on all morning, but nothing consistent.
We got home and unloaded everything. I spent the day washing clothes and puttering around the house. David and I resolved our disagreement. The family took a long walk around the neighborhood. When we got home, David and I talked about not wanting to go to work on Monday. We decided to try and knock things loose and got right on that as soon as the boys were in bed asleep.
I woke up at 130 to go to the bathroom. I crawled back into bed and started to drift off to sleep when I heard a pop and felt a gush. (Thank goodness I bought that shower curtain liner and pinned it to the mattress under the sheet!) I jumped out of bed and called out to David. He was out of bed in a flash. He got me a towel and I waddled into the bathroom to the toilet. David brought me my cell phone and I sent Sondra a text letting her know that my water had just broken. It was 205 when I sent her that text. She called me immediately and asked me if I thought texting something like that was okay. LOL! She told me to take it easy, get something to eat, take a shower, and call her when my contractions started regularly. So I took a shower, ate some eggos, and just chilled out.
I wasn't having regular contractions, so I wasn't concerned about rushing to the hospital. I called dad and told him it was time. They got up and headed our way to sit with the boys. In the meantime, I decided to wash towels since I had used the last of them to catch all the fluid. BTW, amniotic fluid smells like bleach, it really does. In my state of mind, I loaded every single towel we own into the washer. (It doesn't work very well when you do that!)
Mom and Dad got to the house around 3 and I was sitting on the birthing ball bouncing away in the living room. David had loaded everything into the car and sat down to time contractions with me. They weren't hard or painful...but they were coming every 4 to 5 minutes and after an hour of that, we thought it would be best to head to the hospital.
I called Sondra to let her know that we were going to go ahead and start that way. She agreed that it was time and told me she would meet us there. We drove in and I had 3 or 4 contactions in the car. It was those contractions that let me know I did NOT like sitting down during them!
We got the hospital and I walked in with a towel between my legs. There was another couple who arrived just minutes before us and that poor father was running around like a chicken with its' head cut off! I was so glad that David was so calm. It really helped to keep me calm. Apparently, there were several women who had come into the hospital around the same time...so we just kind of hung out at the counter for a little bit. The nurse took us to our room and an hour later, I was admitted. The nurse checked me and I was 3 cm, 90% effeaced. That was at 511.
I agreed to having a hep-lock started just in case, but I did NOT want to be hooked up to anything. I walked around the room and started getting some pretty intense contractions. Dr. Rister came in at 728 and checked me....I was 5 cm. So things were moving along. I stayed close to the bed and would lean on it when a contraction hit. I knew things were getting intense when I yanked my glasses off so I could bury my face in the mattress and moan.
At 815, I felt a pressure. The nurse came in to check me and I was at a 6. I kept walking and moaning and leaning on the bed. David and Sondra were taking turns applying counter pressure to my back and Sondra started pressing my hips when they started hurting. I tried getting into the bed on all fours, but it didn't work for me. Standing up and leaning on the bed was my best friend during a contraction. The doctor wanted a 20 minute strip of the baby's heart. The nurse told me that I would have to get into bed and be still to get the strip. I couldn't do it. It hurt too much. This is where having a doula was priceless. She got on her hand and knees in front of me and held the monitor in place while I rocked and swayed through contractions.
David was amazing through my contractions. Talking me through them and holding me just right. He really showed me a side of him that I had never seen before.
A little after 9, I broke down. I was in the bed on my back and I think that's where my problem started. I wanted something to just take the edge off. The contractions really hurt now. Sondra told me that I was in transition and would be done in 30 minutes. "Do you really want to be pushing drunk?" I didn't care at that point. David was telling me how great I had been and was almost done.
Thankfully, we had an awesome labor friendly nurse who knew that I really wanted a drug free birth. She offered to check me and at 907 I was 8 cm and 100%. I didn't care though....I was pleading for help. The nurse said that she would go call the doctor. She took her time getting those orders and I think it was on purpose, God bless her! When she got back, @ 924 she offered to check again as I was pushing through contractions. I was 9. She told me that I was almost there and thought that one big push would bring me to complete.
I was still asking for the drugs. The nurse got me ready to push and I found out afterwards, that there was just a lip of my cervix over the baby's head. When I gave that big push, she pushed the lip back and that got me to 10. The baby dropped into position and the room erupted. This was 934. The nurse was telling me not to push, to wait for the doctor, but it hurt not to push. So I pushed anyway. Not hard pushes, but enough so the contractions didn't hurt so bad.
The doctor got there at 938 and I started pushing for real. He didn't even have time to take the tags off his gown. He had to turn the baby a little and I could feel him pulling on him. David was watching and kept telling me how much of the head was out. I pushed and pushed and pushed. Finally, David told me the head was out. The doctor had a look on his face...I can't quite describe it. A little shock, a little surprise.....I gave one big last push and my baby was born. It was 947.
They held up my baby and I couldn't believe it! There was a huge baby in the doctor's hands! I cried and kept saying "I did it! I can't believe I did it!" over and over again. David cut the cord and Sondra got pictures of it. At this point, she got out her camera and captured so many images that I missed with the boys. I am so grateful to her for that. David walked with the baby to the warmer where they weighed and measured him. 10 lbs 4 oz 22.5 inches long Apgar scores of 8 and 8 (he was a little blue). I had the birth of my dreams...and would do it all over again in a heart beat!
Life has been absolute bliss since then. We are home and doing wonderfully. David has amazed me over and over again. I worried that he would be different to the boys once his son was born. He has been too. For the better. He's been a better father to the boys now that his son is here. He's been a better husband to me now that his son is here. And he absolutely adores Westin.
My family is complete. My heart is whole. I'm in love with the world.
I called my parents so they could sit with the boys while we were gone. I bounced on my birth ball. My parents showed up around an hours later and left for the hospital about an hour after that. We got to the hospital at 416 am. An hour later, we were completely admitted. I was still 3cm, but 90% effaced. Contractions were still pretty easy at this point.
The doctor got there at 730 and checked me. I was 5 cm 90% effaced 0 station. We kept laboring away for another hour and a half....then things got a little hard. Contractions were hitting me fast and hard and I had no break. I was tired and didn't know what position I wanted to be in. I was standing, rocking, squatting, moaning, on all fours, leaning on the bed. Nothing seemed to help. I first asked for something to take the edge off at 907. Doula and hubby both looked at me like I was crazy for thinking it. They both reminded me of how far I had already come and why stop now? So I waited. The nurse checked me when I felt pressure and I was 9 cm. I honestly didn't think I was going to make it....but with my husband and my doula supporting me, I kept going. Pushing felt good at this point...so with the contractions I started pushing. I pushed myself to a 10 and the baby to a 1 + station at 934. Four minutes later, the doctor was in the room and I was pushing regardless of whether they were ready or not. That was at 938, Westin was born at 947.
That's Sondra, the doula.
I still can't believe that I pushed out a 10 lb baby with no medications to help ease the pain....but I do know that I would do it again in a heartbeat!
They are so proud of their brother. I have more pictures that I will post later.
His APGAR scores were 8 and 8. I had a superficial tear, no sutures required. I am healing quite nicely and am very glad to be home. That's all for now...going to soak in the tub!
More pics on my flickr
I knew that I wanted a natural drug free birth. We hired a doula many months ago to help me achieve my goal. I've been reading birth stories and midwife blogs and watching birth videos and reading books about natural birth since I found out I was pregnant. I knew that it would be hard....I knew that it would hurt....I knew that I would probably freak out....but I knew it was best for me and for my son.
I picked April 6 as the birth date months ago. It just jumped off the calendar at me.
Saturday, the 4th I was at the boys baseball tournament in Clifton when I started having contractions. They were about 7 minutes apart and kept coming pretty regular. They were strong enough to make me stop and just be still. My friend Christy drove the boys and I home just to be safe. I got home and kept timing the contractions and after 2.5 hours, I called the doula, Sondra, to let her know what was going on. She suggested I lie down and try to relax. After about 4 hours of contractions, I fell asleep. I guess they weren't that bad!
I woke up Sunday feeling pretty stupid. I called Sondra and apologized for the false alarm and she was awesome about it. David and I sort of got into an argument and so the boys and I spent the morning together alone. We went for breakfast. I had menudo. ;o) Then we went to WalMart and walked for a while. The boys helped me load groceries into the car and we headed home. I had been having contractions off and on all morning, but nothing consistent.
We got home and unloaded everything. I spent the day washing clothes and puttering around the house. David and I resolved our disagreement. The family took a long walk around the neighborhood. When we got home, David and I talked about not wanting to go to work on Monday. We decided to try and knock things loose and got right on that as soon as the boys were in bed asleep.
I woke up at 130 to go to the bathroom. I crawled back into bed and started to drift off to sleep when I heard a pop and felt a gush. (Thank goodness I bought that shower curtain liner and pinned it to the mattress under the sheet!) I jumped out of bed and called out to David. He was out of bed in a flash. He got me a towel and I waddled into the bathroom to the toilet. David brought me my cell phone and I sent Sondra a text letting her know that my water had just broken. It was 205 when I sent her that text. She called me immediately and asked me if I thought texting something like that was okay. LOL! She told me to take it easy, get something to eat, take a shower, and call her when my contractions started regularly. So I took a shower, ate some eggos, and just chilled out.
I wasn't having regular contractions, so I wasn't concerned about rushing to the hospital. I called dad and told him it was time. They got up and headed our way to sit with the boys. In the meantime, I decided to wash towels since I had used the last of them to catch all the fluid. BTW, amniotic fluid smells like bleach, it really does. In my state of mind, I loaded every single towel we own into the washer. (It doesn't work very well when you do that!)
Mom and Dad got to the house around 3 and I was sitting on the birthing ball bouncing away in the living room. David had loaded everything into the car and sat down to time contractions with me. They weren't hard or painful...but they were coming every 4 to 5 minutes and after an hour of that, we thought it would be best to head to the hospital.
I called Sondra to let her know that we were going to go ahead and start that way. She agreed that it was time and told me she would meet us there. We drove in and I had 3 or 4 contactions in the car. It was those contractions that let me know I did NOT like sitting down during them!
We got the hospital and I walked in with a towel between my legs. There was another couple who arrived just minutes before us and that poor father was running around like a chicken with its' head cut off! I was so glad that David was so calm. It really helped to keep me calm. Apparently, there were several women who had come into the hospital around the same time...so we just kind of hung out at the counter for a little bit. The nurse took us to our room and an hour later, I was admitted. The nurse checked me and I was 3 cm, 90% effeaced. That was at 511.
I agreed to having a hep-lock started just in case, but I did NOT want to be hooked up to anything. I walked around the room and started getting some pretty intense contractions. Dr. Rister came in at 728 and checked me....I was 5 cm. So things were moving along. I stayed close to the bed and would lean on it when a contraction hit. I knew things were getting intense when I yanked my glasses off so I could bury my face in the mattress and moan.
At 815, I felt a pressure. The nurse came in to check me and I was at a 6. I kept walking and moaning and leaning on the bed. David and Sondra were taking turns applying counter pressure to my back and Sondra started pressing my hips when they started hurting. I tried getting into the bed on all fours, but it didn't work for me. Standing up and leaning on the bed was my best friend during a contraction. The doctor wanted a 20 minute strip of the baby's heart. The nurse told me that I would have to get into bed and be still to get the strip. I couldn't do it. It hurt too much. This is where having a doula was priceless. She got on her hand and knees in front of me and held the monitor in place while I rocked and swayed through contractions.
David was amazing through my contractions. Talking me through them and holding me just right. He really showed me a side of him that I had never seen before.
A little after 9, I broke down. I was in the bed on my back and I think that's where my problem started. I wanted something to just take the edge off. The contractions really hurt now. Sondra told me that I was in transition and would be done in 30 minutes. "Do you really want to be pushing drunk?" I didn't care at that point. David was telling me how great I had been and was almost done.
Thankfully, we had an awesome labor friendly nurse who knew that I really wanted a drug free birth. She offered to check me and at 907 I was 8 cm and 100%. I didn't care though....I was pleading for help. The nurse said that she would go call the doctor. She took her time getting those orders and I think it was on purpose, God bless her! When she got back, @ 924 she offered to check again as I was pushing through contractions. I was 9. She told me that I was almost there and thought that one big push would bring me to complete.
I was still asking for the drugs. The nurse got me ready to push and I found out afterwards, that there was just a lip of my cervix over the baby's head. When I gave that big push, she pushed the lip back and that got me to 10. The baby dropped into position and the room erupted. This was 934. The nurse was telling me not to push, to wait for the doctor, but it hurt not to push. So I pushed anyway. Not hard pushes, but enough so the contractions didn't hurt so bad.
The doctor got there at 938 and I started pushing for real. He didn't even have time to take the tags off his gown. He had to turn the baby a little and I could feel him pulling on him. David was watching and kept telling me how much of the head was out. I pushed and pushed and pushed. Finally, David told me the head was out. The doctor had a look on his face...I can't quite describe it. A little shock, a little surprise.....I gave one big last push and my baby was born. It was 947.
They held up my baby and I couldn't believe it! There was a huge baby in the doctor's hands! I cried and kept saying "I did it! I can't believe I did it!" over and over again. David cut the cord and Sondra got pictures of it. At this point, she got out her camera and captured so many images that I missed with the boys. I am so grateful to her for that. David walked with the baby to the warmer where they weighed and measured him. 10 lbs 4 oz 22.5 inches long Apgar scores of 8 and 8 (he was a little blue). I had the birth of my dreams...and would do it all over again in a heart beat!
Life has been absolute bliss since then. We are home and doing wonderfully. David has amazed me over and over again. I worried that he would be different to the boys once his son was born. He has been too. For the better. He's been a better father to the boys now that his son is here. He's been a better husband to me now that his son is here. And he absolutely adores Westin.
My family is complete. My heart is whole. I'm in love with the world.