Our Second Birth Story

Me at 39 weeks. Gabriel was born two days later!

Gabriel Finn’s due date was set at August 28, 2013. We were so excited for our August boy and couldn’t wait to meet him! When August actually rolled around I was starting to feel like I’d be pregnant forever! But then I remembered that Lillian had been born at 38 weeks and 3 days…so maybe I didn’t have as long as I thought I did to go! But then week 38 came – and passed – in my pregnancy with Gabriel. I was getting actually depressed and truly thinking that for some reason my body would never go into labor on its own.

I bought Evening Primrose Oil capsules and Red Raspberry Leaf capsules from Amazon and started taking them right away. They are supposed to thin the cervix and help contractions come along. Just a couple of nights later things started progressing…was it the pills? Was it just my body doing its thing? Or was it that the evening of August 22, when Josh and Lillian went out to swim in the pool, I went out to the garage and pulled out our old excercise ball and sat and bounced on it for about 10 minutes? Maybe a combination of all of those things!

 

While Lillian and Josh were in the pool, we saw lots of little bats flying overhead in the twilight sky! It’s so fun to see those little darting silhouettes on Summer evenings. I had a slight feeling…maybe this was a sign to cheer me up that something was going to happen! Later there was even MORE of a sign…there was a large and extended lightning storm in a huge cloud formation to the northeast. I filmed it for a few minutes and had a feeling of hope…I remember even texting my Mom and telling her maybe it was God giving me a sign that something was going to happen that night!

Sure enough, at around 1:45am I started noticing what felt like period cramps that were happening every 15 minutes! I thought to myself…well, even though it’s not a tightening of my stomach muscles, it is something that is happening on a regular schedule, so maybe these are contractions and I’m starting labor! An hour later they were happening every ten minutes! At this point I woke Josh and told him what was going on, because I was believing this was it finally! He told me about an app I could put on my phone to time the length and duration of each contraction. I did that, and shortly after the contractions lost their rhythm so it was kind of confusing. Occasionally there would be 20 minutes between contractions, and sometimes 5 or 7 minutes between! Each contraction was lasting maybe 25-30 seconds each.

I got up in the morning and had breakfast like usual, all the while having and timing contractions. Then I showered, and Josh shaved his face…just in case! Then we had lunch, and after I nursed a tired Lillian down for a nap. Boy the ‘contractions’ had really started to get painful! I couldn’t talk during them and they were lasting for about 45 seconds each time with about 5 or 6 minutes in between. Yeah, we should have been at the hospital at this point! Especially since I had tested positive for Group B Strep, and they wanted me to be on antibiotics for at least 4 hours before delivery to reduce the risk of Gabriel getting an infection. But for some reason I wasn’t convinced and Josh wasn’t convinced that this was really actual LABOR! I guess I was confused because they were just centered very low internally, just like really really bad period cramps. Josh was confused because the times were sort of erratic and I was still able to walk around and eat and talk, etc.

Boy they started really picking up though and happening about 3 or 4 minutes apart and lasting 45-50 seconds each. I started sweating with each contraction and moaning in pain. I texted Josh (we were being quiet because I was laying with a napping Lillian) and told him this was it and we needed to go, and that I was getting scared. He wasn’t fully convinced yet, and besides, we both wanted to be there when Lillian awoke from her nap. She was already going to be so traumatized (she is extremely attached to both of us) when we had to leave for the hospital and we didn’t want to just not be there when she woke.

I did text Laura and Mom and told them to head on over here; I wanted them right here in case we needed to dash out the door. Since Lillian was still sleeping and we didn’t want to disturb her, we had them wait outside (I feel so rude now! But at the time I was just in business-mode!) until she woke up. Thank goodness she woke soon after and I let them in the front door, groaning and clutching my huge belly! They were alarmed and said oh this is it! Josh and I gathered some last minute things while Laura was timing my contractions and told me they were about a minute apart (!!!)  and we tried to say good-bye to Lillian (who screamed and begged us to stay, poor little sweet dear) and then Josh, Mom, and I got in the car. I was very determined to have Mom with us this time while I gave birth! Mom sat in the back seat next to the two car seats and Josh drove us.

The minute we left our driveway even, I was thinking, Oh this is not good. Not good at all. I was deathly afraid. I was in tremendous pain with each (fast recurring) contraction.And I knew that he was on his way out! Boy was I scared. I remember reaching back and clutching Mom’s hand with each contraction and yelling out “Please God, help me! Help me God!!” And just bellowing in a voice that didn’t seem mine. “Nooo!” I told Josh to please drive as fast as he safely could! I know Josh was terrified too. Thankfully he got us there in good time…the drive didn’t seem to last too long. Mom and Josh were both very comforting and encouraging. However, my behavior during this labor was a FAR cry from my labor with Lillian. With Lillian, I was already in the hospital, not having to drive or have doubt or fear. It was dim and calm in the room, I was keeping my eyes closed and riding the wave of each contraction virtually silently. It just WAS. It just happened and then she was born! With Gabriel’s labor…I was very much in fear so I was tense and in a lot of pain…so I was not too quiet, lol! I was not secure feeling. I was afraid he would be born in the car! But thank God we finally arrived and Josh pulled up to the front doors and we all jumped out.

Mom and Josh each held one of my arms and helped me walk in. At the check in counter they took one look at us and passed us through towards the elevators. I fell to my knees with a contraction right there in the lobby on the tiled floor. It’s all kind of a blur after this. But I do remember, just as in the car ride, fighting mightily against my body’s urge to push. I was put in a wheelchair and we went up in the elevator. I had my eyes closed from this point on so most of my memory is auditory-based.

“Don’t push! Don’t push! Don’t push!” I heard voices, including Josh’s yelling to me. I couldn’t help it. “I’m pushing!” I cried. No, they said, don’t! It turns out Mom was made to wait at first, but she heard Josh and my voices in the elevator and she insisted to the person there that she needed to join us, that her daughter was giving birth right now! They didn’t believe her but someone came and confirmed it and rushed Mom up to join us, thank God! As soon as I was put in triage, they pulled off my pants and laid me on a gurney. My water broke just then! I asked if there was meconium in the water, and they said there was. I was concerned but not too worried since Lillian had this too but all was fine. They did a very quick exam confirming that I was at 10cm!

Josh says that they weren’t moving fast enough for his liking in getting me into a birthing room with a doctor. He kept asking where the doctor was and they said he was in the lounge and would be in shortly. Josh started pushing my bed himself, yelling that they better get the doctor here right away! He pushed me into a birthing rom while the nurses tried to assure him that they’re trained for this and could help me deliver if need be. Josh insisted he wanted the doctor. It’s a good thing, too…

They helped me pull off my shirt and threw a gown on me. Mom and Josh were right there with me, and that was so comforting. I sat  up on the bed and pulled my legs to my chest because the doctor was there and they said I could push! Finally! I became calm and quiet at this point. I was where I needed to be and I could have relief and be allowed to push finally! When a contraction started I would quickly say “Tell me when, Josh!” and he knew what I meant…he had told me to take two deep breaths at the beginning and then on the third to start pushing. So he would say “Deep breath, deep breath, now push!” Then I would still feel the need to push during that contraction and could even get a push out on the fourth breath! I wasn’t pushing long and he was crowning! As Gabriel’s head came out (I was told this later) I was told to stop pushing so the doctor could cut the cord…apparently it was wrapped so tight around his neck they had to do this for his and my safety. Yikes! Lillian’s cord was wrapped more than 2 times, but must not have been as tight! So they did that and then I was able to push his body out!

Sweet sweet relief! What joy! I felt so elated and ecstatic as soon as I pushed Gabriel out! He’s here! I did it! I remember shouting out in glee “I did it!!” I was just so happy that all of my family was here on Earth now and we were complete! I couldn’t wait to see him! I had a brief glimpse as they pulled him up, but they had to quickly suction him because of the meconium. It was very very quick though and before I knew it he was placed on my chest! What bliss! He nursed right away and I marveled at his perfection! He blessed me with a pee and a poop right on my chest! I loved it! Then Josh held him and he peed on Josh too! 🙂

Mom and Josh were praising me and sharing my joy! What a happy time that was! It started getting strange though when I was having intense cramping pain. I mean it was almost unbearable!! It turns out that I was having some blood clots forming in my uterus and it was making blood build up in me. I kept bleeding a lot and it was scaring me. They had to stick IVs in me and give me Pitocin (what a joke…being given drugs AFTER a successful ALL NATURAL birth. Gag.) to help my uterus contract and try to close off the bleeding. They gave me a couple of shots of something in my thigh to stop the bleeding too. Man all of this was painful. I was writhing and screaming…as I DIDN’T do during my birth. Oh well. They did what they had to do I guess. I am still sporting scars from the awful allergies the tape from the IV lines did to my hands and arms, by the way. And it still itches and burns. Again, oh well. I have a perfect healthy beautiful son here at home with me and Josh and Lillian and that’s all that matters.

The doctor ended up having to come back in and doing a horribly painful pressing/pushing/squeezing of my belly that literally felt like he was killing me. Aaargh. Man I bellowed during that! Then the nurses repeated that procedure (though in lesser intensity) throughout my hospital stay. Oh I forgot to mention that birthing the placenta felt so good to! I was so empty and blissful feeling after that! And I did end up tearing a bit and had to have some stitches, but this was a walk in the park compared to the stitching I needed with Lillian’s birth – and I never had too much trouble or pain or fear with it this time, thank God! 🙂

The rest of the family came into the delivery room to meet Gabriel and congratulate us! I was so happy to see everyone! (Besides still being in an inordinate amount of pain from the contracting I was being forced to do because of the bleeding.) It was pure joy to get to see Lillian again too! She laid next to me and Gabriel on the bed and both of my children nursed. Lillian reached out and held Gabriel’s tiny hand! I just loved it!

I should mention that the room had no calendar, so we couldn’t take a picture of the date 🙁 Also their wall clock was hours off…and they had no baby bed/scale thing in the room and had to wait a long time to get one…so it was a good long while till we found out that Gabriel Finn was 7 pounds 6 ounces and 21 inches long. He was born at 3:51pm on Friday August 23, 2013. Perfect!

They moved us to a different room and I didn’t end up getting to leave that room until Sunday afternoon. 🙁 Because of the positive Group B strep I had and the fact that I didn’t receive any antibiotics during labor (absolutely no time for that!) they required us to keep Gabriel at the hospital for 48 hours. We were NOT happy to hear that…especially when they informed us that only one adult could stay the night in the room with me and Gabriel and NO children. Not even our dear Lillian even though we begged for an exception. She does NOT do well at all to be separated from us, or even one of us. So she had a horrible time, and Josh had to leave and stay two nights at home with Lillian apart from Gabriel and I. Laura stayed the nights with me and Mom and sometimes Dad stayed the days with me and Josh and Lillian were able to come in the days too. So I wasn’t alone…but man that was hard. Our poor sweet girl. She doesn’t sleep without me…so it would be like 3 or 4 in the morning when she’d be so exhausted that laying with Josh would allow her to sleep. Besides all that, when Sunday came we were so grateful and happy to go home!

Our full family of four drove home from the hospital on Sunday afternoon and our two sweet beautiful children fell asleep in their car seats. Lillian had placed some of her care bear stuffed animals in Gabriel’s seat with him…she’s been so sweet and loving and generous with him right from the start! Mom followed us home in her car, and Dad picked up Subway sandwiches (yay I can have lunch meat again!!) and met us at our house and we ate and rejoiced our blessings! I was still having intense pain from contractions at this point, especially centered in my lower left back…but the overwhelming feeling was of happiness that my family is complete. Thank you God! 🙂