Welcome Gwen!!

Well, she's finally here!

Gwen Annette

Born 3/22

8:17 am

9 lbs 7 oz

21 1/4 inches

She has quiet the birth story! Wanna hear it???? ;)

So, on Friday, the 15th, I thought I was in labor. I had contractions all day long. So, we called my mother-in-law down, sent the kids to a friends house, called the midwife and went into the hospital. We were there for a long time. I can't remember how long. We came home around 10. My friend kept the kids at her house so we could all get a good nights sleep. In hopes I would be back to the hospital in the next few days to have a baby.

My due date came and went.

Me at 40 weeks and a day

On Tuesday, my due date, I again, thought I was in labor. This time, we left all the grandma's at home and went to the hospital to be sure I was actually in labor. We spent about 7 hours there trying to get things going. Nothing was working. I was sent home having a few contractions, but nothing regular.

Going past my due date was hard for me. I have never thought I would be one of those ladies. I guess I had it coming to me because of my five early births.

I tried really hard to be of good cheer, but I'm pretty sure no one was liking to be around me. lol!

My dad showed up Tuesday, unexpectedly. It was nice to have Boppie around for a bit.

Wednesday and Thursday were normal days. Kids went to school, I did stuff around the house. Ran some errands. My mother-in-law can't be down here, without some VooDoo donuts, so we made a trip down to Portland and bought a TON of donuts. Dropped off Steve's donuts at his office, and came home and pigged out on donuts.

Thursday night I was starting to have a few stronger contractions as we went to bed, but nothing to get excited about. I was sure they would go away as soon as I went to sleep.

Steve and I talked about how we were feeling and doing that night. We both were done and just wanted to move forward, but it wasn't our choice to make. We just had to leave it up to Gwen and the Lord. I went to bed, but couldn't get to sleep.

After finally getting to sleep, I woke up to go potty around 1 and then had a really painful contraction. Steve was already up with a sick Teage downstairs (he was having a hard to breathing laying down, so sitting up on the couch with a little tv on helped relax him and got him to sleep without the congestion bothering him) and I didn't want to bother him, so I just tried to go back to sleep.

Didn't happen. Half an hour later I was downstairs begging Steve to come up with me to help me with the contractions. I was scared that this was going to be a long night with nothing to show for it. So we just went one contraction at a time. They were hard and really spaced apart. Between 2-4 am, they were about 8-10 minutes apart. :(  I was able to get some rest, but it wasn't very good. At 5, they started to get much closer and I felt the panic of needing to go to the hospital. So I got in the shower and prayed that this was it. Steve showered and we said some prayers, got a blessing and then called the midwife. 

At that point, they were about 3-4 minutes apart. I was told to come on in. We left everyone behind again, just to be sure I was in labor before we brought everyone with us. And by everyone, I mean my mom and mother-in-law. My dad saw a few of my contractions as we were leaving. He was up with Teage for us. Dad didn't like seeing me in so much pain. So he offered to stay home with the kids and get Jake and Zoe off to school when it was time.

We got to the hospital. The walk was awful. I was just thankful that the main doors were open and we didn't have to wait for someone to let us in, or go around to the ER.

We got to Family Birth, checked in, and were escorted to a triage room. Seriously, I was like, I know this is my third time coming in, but I'm 99% sure this is happening. Ok whatever.

We got there and I saw it was set up for a birth. I heard a lady in the room across the way in labor as well. WHAT THE HELL WAS GOING ON???

So, Thursday afternoon, there was a huge storm roll by. There was a tornado just a few miles down the road from where we live. This storm must have set every pregnant woman into labor because they were FULL! Every room had a laboring woman in it. I was one of three, maybe four ladies, that would deliver in a tiny triage room.

This room, I kid you not, was the just a little bit bigger then a doctor office's room. There was a tiny bed, two chairs, and some motoring stuff, and not much room for anything else.

The whole way to the hospital I was praying that I was at least a 6 and was able to get into a tub and relax. Then to be able to have a waterbirth. When they told me that this was Bethlehem and there was no room, I didn't get it. What are you talking about? No room?

The midwife wanted to check me, but the other woman across the way was getting close to pushing and the other midwife that was actually on call was on her way. After Donna showed up, it was only a few minutes, I was checked.  She was so quite and talked so fast, I wasn't sure I heard her right.

I asked, "Did you just say 8-9???"

"Yes"

"What the hell?"

I was just asked by the nurses what my plans for pain were. I had just got my head around of the loss of a waterbirth, and I really didn't want to have another natural birth, so I was gearing up for an epidural. But when Donna said 8-9, that went out the window. I started to cry.

I was crying because I was so close to being done. I feared I would last forever at this station. And I had to endure that pain once again. I hadn't plan for this. I wasn't ready mentally for it. And now I had to make that switch and in only an hour be pushing out a huge baby. That was at 7:15 am.

Steve texted his mom to get here ASAP. Shortly after that, I was up trying to deal with the labor. I had a share the bathroom with another couple and waiting to go pee was painful. lol! I got a birthing ball, which took up the rest of the room to move in. It helped a bit. I tried standing, but didn't feel good. The pain was all in my back. So I got on the tiny bed on my hands and knees, Steve got up behind me and would apply pressure to my back when the contractions came. I was like that for about 15 minutes I think. 

Then I needed to stand. I stood and felt like pushing. That's when all the fun stuff happened. I pushed for a bit, but then felt like getting on the bed again. I was in mid push when the Grandmas showed up. lol

I tried pushing on my back for a bit. In one push, my water finally broke. It's never broken on it's own before. And this one was memorable  I hit the wall! That's right people, in mid push, I head the psst, my midwife jumped to the side and I heard a splat. Then the whole room erupted in laughter as they realized my water just almost got Donna in the face and it had hit the wall. I would have laughed too, but I was still in mid push-contraction and the nurses holding my legs open were jiggling my legs and it hurt. I told them to stop laughing. 

I got to more pushing, but it just didn't feel like I was getting anything done. I guess I was, but I was in so much pain. I had hit the wall and was off in my head thinking I can't do this. Get the forceps, get her out of me. That's when the midwife got to talking to me and pulled me out of my head. She asked me what I wanted to do. She wanted me on my hands and knees again, but I didn't like that idea. Before I could make up my mind, someone said to get me on my left side. So I was rolled onto my side. Somewhere during this time, an oxygen mask was put on me. On my side, I felt like I wasn't doing anything. They asked me again what I wanted, and before I could say that I needed to stand, all I said was I need to move, they rolled me onto my right side. Searing pain shot up my whole right side. I screamed. I almost threw up. The midwife said sometimes the best position is the one that hurts the most. I had enough of this crap, so I started to stand and said I want to stand.

So, I stood up. I couldn't breathe. They fixed my mask. And as soon as the next contraction came, I pushed. I groaned and pushed. I felt the baby's head come down and almost out. I remember needing to spread my legs more and squat lower. Steve was amazing and held me up the whole time. After wards, I could feel him shaking. He was my hero right then and there.

And that's how Gwen was born. With Steve holding me up, I'm standing and bearing down, my midwife sitting on the floor. My mother-in-law said that Gwen's head came out soooo slowly. I remember her saying that Gwen's head is out, her eyes, oh my gosh her cheeks, her chin. To me, it felt like forever to get her body out. Once I got the head out, I remember thinking almost done. But her shoulders took forever to get out. I don't think it was until she was almost all the way that she finally slipped out.

That was an hour and 2 minutes after I was checked. I NEVER have births like this. It was all hard to wrap my head around. And it still is.

I remember looking down and back to see her there. I remember saying, "I did it" over and over again.

I remember a nurse saying, "Donna the baby needs to cry." And then Donna saying, "Gwen, cry" and Gwen started crying.

They took her out to the warming bed. There was no room in the room for that, and I got in bed. I demanded my baby. What was taking so long. My mother-in-law came in with the baby and I got to hold her.

At that point, we knew she was 9 lbs 7 oz. I was stunned. I didn't feel like I looked like I had that big of a baby inside of me. No wonder I had such a hard time getting her out.

Donna was a mess. She was covered in blood from head to toe. There was blood everywhere! I sure know how to make a mess of things. The nurses kept giggling about the water break. The mess. They kept saying how awesome I was and that I was the perfect patient. I'm glad they thought so!

We stayed in that tiny room for about an hour. I was having too much bleeding going on. My uterus wasn't clamping down like it should. So I had to get things put in places they shouldn't be. I got a shot of pitocin in the leg. And then I had to have an IV of pit soon after wards. I started to slow down, but that wasn't until they got super scared there for a bit. Finally, after I had stabilized  I was kicked out. There was another lady on the way, and the third triage room was already full. The lady across the way had her baby moments before Gwen was born. We were both patients of the midwives. So, the midwife from on call the night before, stayed to deliver her, and I got Donna.

I was moved to a labor and delivery room for a few hours. While there, I went potty and saw the cause of my bleeding. I hadn't done a good enough job getting all the membranes out, and there in the potty was the rest of them. After that, my bleeding was under control and all was well.

My mother-in-law was kind of enough to go back to our house and send my dad over. My parents left today, so we wanted to let them have lots of time with baby girl.

I was in labor and delivery for a few hours, and then moved to the best room in recovery, well, according to my nurse. I stayed there for the rest of the time.

This birth was just crazy. And funny. I don't know how many times the nurses had to leave the room to go get something they needed. I had two nurses, a midwife, Steve, me, my mother and mother-in-law in this tiny little room. But I'm glad everything worked out. And now I have this beautiful little girl and one crazy story to tell!

Daddy and Gwen cuddling

Mommy and Gwen waiting to go to a stupid postpartum class. I hate that they made me go. But she sure is cute!

Gwen, ready to go home!