The beautiful, fast and furious birth of Charlotte Elizabeth.

What a beautiful end to a rough road! When we found out I was pregnant again, I was so happy! I never once thought my pregnancy could be harder than it was with Benjamin, though. And it was. I had morning sickness the whole time and the things that helped a lot with it the first time, didn't help as much. I had a racing heart beat the whole time as well, which was scary. Luckily, my blood pressure was great. And then came the gestational diabetes. Unfortunately, I was unable to control it with diet alone, which posed a problem for having her at the birth center like we did with Ben. Luckily, all I needed was a pill before bed and not insulin, so my wonderful midwives reconsidered and we all agreed that since I was so far along (37 weeks at that point), that as long as I had her by 40 weeks and 3 days, that we could still have our birth center birth. I was so relieved!!!

I had been having contractions for a few weeks already, so I thought for sure she would be earlier than that. After 39 weeks, we decided that I should try using the labor stimulation kit that they offer, which includes castor oil and a bunch of herbal tinctures. It really got labor started for a good while, and then everything died off. Twice. The day we were anticipating was coming, and I was getting increasingly worried that we were going to have to go to the hospital. We decided to give it one last shot on Sunday, the day before we'd have to be transferred. Kelly and Mayanne, our two midwives, decided if the baby was low enough, they would break my water. That, of course, would put me on a time schedule and she would need to be born by the next morning, or to the hospital we would go. Rich and I decided it was worth the chance, since it might get us the birth we wanted.

When we got there, it turned out that she wasn't low enough. I was so disappointed. It really felt like there were so many obstacles in our way. Fern, our doula, and my mom had come with us in case things got going quickly. Well, it didn't look like that was going to happen. So we decided we would stay and give the stimulation kit one last chance along with chiropractic adjustment throughout the night. My mom went out and rented a funny movie for us to watch while we waited and we ordered some dinner. Luckily, I had a chance to eat a decent meal and get a good nights sleep before we started this process, unlike last time. It was a beautiful night out, so we took a brisk walk around the block and did lunges through contractions to try and encourage her to move down. When we got back in, I sat on the ball and rocked while we watched our movie. I was having pretty consistent contractions at this point, but none that were hard to get through. Around 9:30 or so, we decided that it would be a good idea to try and rest. Fern decided to go home for a little while so she could nurse her baby and would come back when we needed her or in the morning.

Needless to say, the best way to get things going is to have people leave and decide it's time to rest. Not long after Fern left, my contractions picked up very quickly. They went from completely bearable to really having to work to breathe through them almost instantly. Lauren, the student midwife, checked me again and I was a complete 4 cm. I was 2, stretchy to a 4 when we got there at around 5pm. I really thought we were going to be there a long time. I know second babies come faster, but I was 4 cm when I got to the birth center with Benjamin, and it was still another 10 hours after that before he came.

As I was standing up leaning on the bed breathing through contractions, I saw everyone starting to get all the supplies set up around the room for the baby to come. I was thinking it probably was a little early for that, but that's ok. Rich decided it was time to call Fern back and the photographer. It was a good thing we did. Kelly asked me if I wanted to get into the tub, which sounded great, but I was worried it would slow things down like I think it did with Benjamin. She told me she didn't think it would, so in I went. It felt great! It didn't take away a lot of the pain, but it really helped me to relax more. At this point, everyone was sitting around the tub with gloves on. Again, I thought it was a little early for that, but no harm done. Rich was holding my hand and Fern was sitting next to him with encouraging words. She kept telling me to relax into the contraction and let my body open up. It really helped hearing that every time. I was trying so hard this time to just let my body do what it needed to do. It was getting very hard, though, to relax through them. I started feeling like I wasn't going to be able to get through many more of them, and if we were going to be here for hours more, I just didn't know if I could do it.

After a little while in the tub, I felt the urge to push. I pushed once, and then on the second push I could feel her head coming out!!! I couldn't believe it!!!! Already! I was so happy that it wasn't taking long and was so determined to push her out! It only took about 5 minutes of pushing before my sweet baby girl was in my arms. I felt such a relief and remember looking down in the water to see her and pulling her up to my chest. Thank God!

I can't believe how fast she came into this world. From the time I started getting significant contractions to the time she was born was about 4 hours!! What a difference from the 17 I was in labor with Benjamin!! It was the perfect birth! I barely had any bleeding and I didn't tear at all, even with as quickly as she came out. After delivering the placenta, I moved over to the bed so I could nurse her. She had a little bit of fluid in her lungs, but it cleared out pretty quickly and she started nursing. Since it was so early in the morning, we decided to get some sleep and go home in the morning. I think we only slept for 2 hours. I was so awake and in awe of our little girl, it was hard to
sleep.

Even though she waited until the very last moment, I'm so thankful that things worked out the way we had planned. And I finally got the water birth that I wanted! Charlotte Elizabeth was born at 1:09am on May 19th, 2014. She weighed 8lbs 4oz and was 21 inches long. Even with everything that we had to go through in the months leading up to her birth, it was all worth it to finally be holding her in my arms!!

Time sure has flown by!

It's been quite a while since I've written on here! Time has just flown on by! Benjamin is already 10 months old and on the way to his 1st birthday! I can't even begin to describe the joy that he has brought to our lives. He's the most loving, happy, cuddly baby I've ever met! Everyone that meets him, can't get enough. He makes friends wherever we go! It's amazing to me how much character he already has at not even a year old. He's our best little friend, and I can't imagine life without him.

He's definitely our son! He loves good food! We've been making a lot of freezer crockpot meals, and he enjoys them with us now. Chicken and pork are his favorite, but he loves every vegetable he's tried, except green beans. Even kale! His newest favorite is green peppers. We've been sitting down at the table together and having a family dinner every night. It's definitely something that I want to keep doing as he gets older so we can all spend time together.

Benjamin just has his first Thanksgiving, and Christmas is almost here! Thanksgiving went well, but he's a little shy, and I think being around a lot of people he didn't know, overstimulated him a little. He loved seeing Gloria and Miguel again! Gloria sure hasn't lost her touch! She got him to sleep when he was upset and overtired! It was really great seeing them! We went over Aunt Pam's house on Friday for a second Thanksgiving dinner, which went much better. He had his nap beforehand, and was much happier! He's finally starting to enjoy being around other babies. Madison was so funny trying to talk to him. Benjamin thought it was hilarious and was laughing at her! Today was Madison's 1st birthday party, and he loved playing with all of the other babies that were there! It was like being in a toy store with all of the new toys he hasn't ever played with!

Christmas is coming! I can't wait to start our family traditions for the holidays. We already decorated a few days ago, and Benjamin's elf is sitting in his shelves in his room watching over him! It's going to be so much fun when he's older and can understand more. I have so many great ideas for his mischievous elf =) I also want to start a tradition with his presents. I got the idea from some other moms, and I really like it. He gets a present for each of these: a want, a need, a wear, and a read. That way, we can keep it simple and budget friendly, and he'll get a nice variety =)

He already loves to read! I think he's going to be so smart when he gets older. Every night before bed, I read him a couple of books. He fusses and fusses while he's getting ready for bed when he's really tired, but as soon as I sit him on my lap and take out a book, he instantly stops and gets a smile on his face! His favorite is definitely Goodnight Moon! He actually laughs when I read that book to him =) He melts my heart and I just love him so much!! <3

Smiley Baby!!

Boy, time has been flying! I know I keep saying that, but it's amazing to me how fast it is going. We had our 6 week check up on Tuesday and everything went great. Both healthy, and I'm cleared for exercising! Yay! Benjamin weighs a whopping 12lbs 10oz, which is the same as his cousin Madison, who is 8 weeks older than him!! He's a little chunky monkey!! We definitely know he's getting enough to eat ;)

 

He's been getting so much more responsive and interactive. It's so neat to watch him learn and grow. And he's been a complete angel for Rich while I'm at work. He has a great system down. He plays with him on his playmat and if he starts getting fussy, he changes him, feeds him, burps him, and if none of that works, it's nap time! I've been reading The Happiest Baby on the Block, so Rich has been following all of the advice in there to calm babies and he is a master! He can get Benjamin to sleep in a few minutes. He seems more fussy about it when I'm here. I think he knows the "goods" are close haha

 He's so good when I'm getting ready for work as well!!! It's amazing how a few weeks makes such a difference. We used to barely be able to put him down without him crying or being asleep. Now, I put him on his boppy on the bed and he sits there looking around and cooing while I get dressed and brush my teeth. Then, I move him into the living room and put him in his swing while I make breakfast, eat, and get everything ready for Rich. He loves looking at himself in the mirror on the swing. Today, he actually fell asleep in the swing without any help!! =)

He smiles so much now. He can definitely distinguish faces and smiles back at us when we go up to him and smile. He's grabbing a lot more as well. Every time I burp him and take him off my shoulder he's hanging on to the burp cloth or my hair ;) And he bats at and grabs the toys a lot more on the playmat too. He really is a great baby. He only gets fussy sometimes, and it's usually at night, but really not for long. An hour MAYBE. And it's definitely not every day. Yesterday he slept almost right up until we went to bed and then I fed him and he went right back to sleep for 4 hours! I love him so much =)

Happy 1 month birthday, Benjamin!!

Wow, a month old already! I just can't believe it. That means I only have 2 more weeks left at home!! I'm so glad we worked it out so Rich is going to be home with him while I'm at work. I can't imagine having to drop him off with someone I don't know all day. Things really worked out just perfect! Someone was definitely looking out for us =)

Benjamin realized this morning that he can actually smile and how much Mommy loves it. We were laying in bed chatting and I started giving him eskimo kisses and he just smiled SO big every time!!! It's neat that he's starting to get more interactive! Before we know it, he'll be walking and talking to us!!

3 weeks old already!!

I can't believe it! Benjamin was 3 weeks old yesterday!! The time is going so fast!! I only have 3 more weeks left to stay home, and I feel like they're going to fly by. He's been such a good little baby. He only really cries if he's hungry, and I can usually catch that before he starts bawling. Every once in a while he gets a little fussy, but it doesn't usually last too long. I think he's been going through a growth spurt the past couple days because he's been nursing like crazy, wasn't sleeping as much through the night, and has been a little fussy. But luckily, I think we're done. He slept a TON last night and barely woke up to nurse. I just kind of rolled over to feed him and we both fell back asleep quickly.

We got a toy for him for free from our PNC points called My Pal Scout. It is SO cute!!!! It's a stuffed green dog named Scout that you can push his paws and he interacts with you. The best part is you can hook him up to the computer and download your baby's name!! So now when you hug him he says, "I love you, Benjamin!" It's SOOOO cute, I can't stand it! He's got 3 different buttons on 3 of his paws. One is for interactive songs, like paddy cake. One is for learning, like numbers and colors, and one is for lullabies to help him sleep. I can customize it online and pick from a list of songs for each mode. They even have Christmas songs that we can put on during the holiday!! It's neat =) Boy, they've come a long way with toys.

He was so cute yesterday. We were laying in bed, when Rich came home from work. Benjamin popped his head up from my chest and looked towards the noise. I said to Rich, "Someone is waiting for you to come say hi!" So Rich said from the other room, "Hi Buddy!" and Benjamin got the BIGGEST wide mouthed smile ever on his face!!! It totally melted my heart!!! I think that was probably his first real smile!! =) He was smiling at me a lot today when I was talking to him earlier. It's so cute, I can't stand it =)

We went to the pediatrician for the first time yesterday and everything looks great. He's 10lbs 6oz now and 22 inches long!! She said he's in the 75% for weight and 75-90% for height! So perfect! I'm so happy that he's so healthy! We couldn't have asked for a happier, healthier baby! =)

Benjamin Joseph's Birth Story

Over the past few months, there was a lot of activity as far as my pregnancy went. I was having Braxton Hicks contractions almost non stop since about 35 weeks, which was too early for labor. We needed to make it to at least 38 weeks before we could have him at the birth center. Peggy and Kim, our midwives, had a few suggestions on how to slow down the contractions so I didn't end up in preterm labor, which really helped. We weren't sure if I was going to make it to 40 weeks, but as time went on, it was obvious he was going to be over due! Once I hit 40 weeks, I was trying everything to help him come! Evening primrose oil, birth prep herbs, clove tea, pregnancy tea, walking, bouncing on my ball, eating pineapple! Even eating pineapple, drinking tea, and bouncing on my ball all at once! But he still wanted to cook a little longer, which if that's what he needed, was ok. It was just really tiring being 40 weeks pregnant!

Around 10:00pm on Jan 16th, I woke up thinking maybe my water had broken. It was just a little bit, so I wasn't really sure, and decided to go back to bed and just see. An hour later, I woke up again, realizing that it was, for sure, my water. I woke Rich up to tell him so he could call out of work, and then called Peggy and Fern, our doula, to let them know what was going on. Peggy suggested that I try to go back to sleep and get some rest, since I had only slept an hour and I was going to need my energy. I honestly tried, but around 12:00 or so, I realized there was no way I was going to sleep. I woke Rich up again, and decided we needed to get all the last minute things together to take to the birth center. The contractions I was having were already really painful, and about 3 minutes apart and a minute long. At 1:00, I decided it was definitely time to call Peggy back and we decided to head to be at the birth center at 2:00am. I called Fern and she was going to meet us there.

During my pregnancy, we took a Bradley education class to help us with natural childbirth. It was to help Rich as a coach, and to teach a lot of relaxation techniques. Also, we learned about the process of labor. One of the things they teach you is that once you start feeling like you can't do it anymore, it usually means you're in transition phase, which is right before you need to start pushing. Well. I honestly felt like that the whole time. Rich was actually worried we weren't going to make it to the birth center in time by how the contractions were going before we even left. Boy, were we wrong!! Fern told us afterwards, that she's noticed some women who have harder labors, show signs of transition a lot earlier than when it's actually happening.

When we got to the birth center, they were setting up our beautiful room for us. I got checked and was 4cm dilated at that point. I really thought it was going to be more based on how I was feeling. Fern came soon after we arrived, followed by my mom and my sister. I decided to try laboring in the tub for a while, since it seemed to be the best way to help calm my nerves and contractions. It did help for a while, but it seemed to make them hurt a lot more in my back. After what I think was a few hours in the tub, we decided it was better to get out and walk around a little to help speed things up. I really didn't want to move. The contractions were so strong, I was afraid of having one in the middle of moving.

Everything after that is a bit of a blur. We tried a few different positions for laboring. First, lying on my side on the bed with pillows in between my legs, which seemed to make them hurt a lot more, so I got back up and tried sitting on the toilet. That was a little better with Rich rubbing my lower back with every contraction. I did get back in the tub at one point for a little while, but not for long. Everyone was encouraging me to drink as much water as I could, and even some apple cider, which was as far from what I felt like doing as anything. I knew I needed to, though. Unfortunately, when we got there, I had thrown up the toast I ate before we left. Then, I threw up the apple cider, and later on, threw up the honey they had given me. The efforts to give me more energy, unfortunately, weren't working very well since I couldn't keep anything down.

After a while, I really needed to lay down and possibly try and rest in between contractions. I had been nodding off in the tub, which wasn't very comfortable. Laying down still hurt, but at that point, it didn't hurt any more than any other position and I was able to doze off in between, if even for a minute. A little while later, I started getting an overwhelming urge to start pushing at the end of each contraction, which I couldn't control. Peggy checked me again and I was almost 10 cm, but with a lip of cervix still on one side and in the back. Fern suggested I lay on my right side and contract that way for a few contractions to try and get the lip to push back. It was so hard contracting and trying to push because it was very painful. It was a little better after a few contractions, but then it was time to try on my hands and knees to try and get rid of the other lip. Moving into each position was so difficult. I didn't think I could do it. Each time, I had to wait for the contraction to finish and then move quickly so I didn't have one in between.

After a few contractions in that position, it was definitely time to give it my all and start really pushing. They had me put on my hands and knees with one leg up on the bed. At this point, it was still painful, but it felt better. It wasn't my whole body anymore, and I knew our baby was almost here. I think I pushed for probably about 20 minutes total before he was born. It was a little hard to get his head out, but after that, he came out pretty quick. He didn't cry right away and was pretty blue, so I got really worried. Luckily, we were with midwives who trust birth and they handled it amazing. He had a heartbeat and was still breathing through the umbilical cord. Once they put him on my chest, he started pinking up and bawling his eyes out!! It was so amazing to see him for the first time!! I still can't believe that we made him and he was actually the one that was inside of me, kicking me for all those months.

 

We tried breastfeeding pretty quickly, but couldn't get him to latch. He had a lot of mucus in his mouth, so Peggy suggested suctioning out his mouth and throat. I thought he was going to be uncomfortable with it being done, but he instantly stopped crying and we had a better time getting him latched! The mucus must have really been bothering him. They did the newborn exam and everything looked great. He weighed 8lbs 12 oz, was 20.5 inches long, and born at 2:44pm. That was almost 17 hours of laboring! I really can't believe it was that long. By the end, I felt like I was in another world. I could barely open my eyes to even look at anyone. I am so proud of myself that I was able to stick with what I really wanted, even through the hardest experience I have ever had to go through, to give my baby the healthiest birthday he could have. I was so lucky to have so many people there to help me through. Rich was amazing. He never left my side, no matter how tired or hungry he was. I thought I was going to break his hand at the end, and he never even said anything!! My mom and my sister stuck through it as well, and I know they felt helpless not really being able to do anything, but it helped so much seeing them there and knowing they were there for me. Hiring Fern to be our doula was one of the best decisions we made! Even with everything we learned in our class, it was so helpful to have someone who really knows what they're doing to help out. It was also nice to have her there to give Rich a break when he needed it. Peggy, and her two student midwives, Katy and Joanne, were amazing. They had to check me so many times throughout the birth, and always waited till I was ready, and were always very accommodating.

Overall, it was an amazing experience. It was a lot harder and longer than I ever could have imagined, and I'm not sure there was anything I could have done to prepare better for it. But it was the best experience of my life and I wouldn't change a thing. I can't imagine having done it any other way, and we will definitely be doing it the same way next time! Now, we have our beautiful baby boy at home and life couldn't be better! =)