Short and sweet version: The newest addition to our family arrived on May 15, 2009 at 1:55 AM. Caleb William weighed in at 8 pounds, 13 ounces and was 21.5 inches long. We are so excited to finally have our little guy in our arms...he's such a joy! His birth was announced on the Charleston Birth Place website - click on "virtual nursery." www.charlestonbirthplace.comDetailed version: My labor started between 6:30 and 7 AM on the 14th with contractions coming about 6 minutes apart and lasting 45 seconds. We called the midwives around 9 AM and they advised us to wait until contractions were 3-5 minutes apart and lasting a full minute, but I could get checked around 1 PM if I wanted. Well, Paul and I took a short walk rocked on the front porch, talked, ate, tried to nap, but 1 PM came and I had not progressed much, so we decided to hang out some more. I really liked laboring at home and found a pilates ball very relaxing during contractions. Paul was so helpful...rubbing my back, holding my hand, reminding me to relax my shoulders, etc. Finally, around 5 PM my contractions started lasting longer and were coming more frequently. We didn't end up leaving for the birth center until 7 PM. On our drive there Paul asked me how far along I thought I was. I said "I hope I'm at least 5 cm." The contractions let up a little and for a moment I thought Paul was going to turn around. After laboring at home for 12 hours, I was anxious to get to the birth center! Luckily when we got there Lesley, the midwife, checked me and I was in fact 5 cm dilated and 100% effaced. I asked her what that meant and she said "It means you're having a baby!" Yea! We didn't get sent home.
So we settled in and picked one of the 2 rooms they have there. I was the only one in labor that night, so we had the place to ourselves. Lesley hooked me up to some fetal monitors for 30 minutes, which I hated! I don't know how ladies stay confined to beds, hooked up to all kinds of equipment - it was miserable! I liked moving and walking around. Laying down at that point only made things more painful.
After eating a popsicle, my water finally broke around 10 PM (then I puked 3 times...yuk!) and I got in the birthing tub shortly after. The water felt so good, and the jets on my back really eased the back pains I was having. I was about 9 cm at that point and stayed there for the next few hours. Midnight came around and Paul announced it was the 15th, which was significant because my father passed away on May 14th 2 years ago. I really didn't want to associate my father's death with my son's birth. This way, he had his own day. Lesley had me get out of the tub around 12:30 AM and checked me on the bed since I had stayed at 9 cm so long. There was a bit of cervix still in the way of his head, so she manually pulled it back during a contraction. Then it was time to push! I could have gotten back in the birthing tub, but I was so hot and tired I didn't want to move again. Lesley said she could better help me in this position too, so I stayed there. I pushed for a good hour with Paul behind me and Caleb finally made his debut at 1:55 AM! What joy it was to finally hold him!
After he was cleaned off a little and Paul cut the cord, we did some skin to skin contact with Caleb laying on my chest with lots of blankets over him. Soon after, we all took a little nap. Woke up around 7:30, I fed him, and Lesley gave him his first bath. We left the birth center at 10 AM. Lesley had scheduled Caleb's first visit with the pediatrician at 10 AM, and it was right around the corner from the birth center. There he got checked out by the doctor. It was funny when they asked me how old he was and I said "Eight hours...he was born this morning!" Everything went fine at the doctor's office, so we got a bite to eat and headed home. My mom was there waiting for us. She watched the dogs while we were gone. Everything went so well and I'm glad I decided to give birth naturally. It was painful and so exhausting, don't get me wrong, but I really feel like it was the best thing for me and Caleb. Just don't ask me yet whether or not I'd do it again!
So here are some pictures of the whole thing:
.JPG)
.JPG)
