Oh it feels so good to be actually posting again! Yes, our little one finally arrived! Piper Soleil was born on December 15th at 6:24 a.m. and she has been receiving kisses and love ever since. We adore her so much! Having a newborn again has been everything I imagined, challenging and wonderful at the same time and worth every minute. London has been amazing as we've adjusted to being a family of four, and I love seeing her sweet interactions with Piper each day. She really is a great help and is excited to be sharing her room (we just moved baby from our room to London's. More pics on that coming soon!) Here are a few photos for you to oogle over, followed by my dramatic birth story! :)
I awoke at 3:30 a.m. on December 15th to subtle contractions. Not painful, just uncomfortable enough to keep me awake and wondering if this was "it." I debated whether I should wake up Scott, since I had been having contractions on and off for several weeks, and decided I could probably hold off until 6 a.m. Wrong! By 4:30, I was jostling him awake as the contractions grew stronger and started coming closer together. We timed them for a little while, then I went downstairs to wake up my mom. Thank goodness she had arrived from Utah the day before! I really wanted her to be there for the birth and since she had limited time to stay before heading back, I hoped that the birth would come soon after she got into town so that I could have as much help as possible during those first few difficult days with a newborn.
During my conversation with my mom, labor kicked up another notch and I was having serious back pain. I decided to call my midwife and see when I could come in to the birth center, about 20-25 minutes away. She didn't sound too convinced that I was very far along in labor, but agreed to meet me there in an hour. I then called a friend to come stay with London until she woke up and then take her back to their house. As soon as she pulled up, we left and speeded along the empty freeway to the birth center. I wasn't timing contractions anymore - I was just trying to get through them. We had done some sessions with a hypnotherapist in the weeks prior and I listened to the recordings she had given us to help me relax and deal with the pain. My midwife and her assistant pulled up to the birth center just as we did and, with Scott's help, I began making my way to the door, pausing at points as contractions hit and holding onto hubby for dear life.
From that point on, things are kind of a blur. My midwife asked me to lay down on the bed so she could check my cervix, which I did, but laying down was so painful. She suggested I try going to the bathroom before I got in the tub, so I did....and never came out! The contractions were full force now and I was shaking all over and sweating like a crazy person. Scott stood in front of me and tried his best to help. I couldn't talk, I couldn't move. I was dying to get in the tub, but I felt completely paralyzed. I just stood there, over the toilet as my body started gearing up to push. "The baby's coming!" I remember gasping, and the midwives rushed in and started getting ready. Suddenly the head was partially out. "One more push and her head will be completely out," someone said. In my mind, I couldn't believe it. This was almost over?? Hallelujah! I pushed again and her head emerged, one more push and her shoulders were out and then the rest of her body, resulting in the greatest relief I have ever experienced in my life!
I was elated. The pain was gone and here was my baby, my precious baby that I had waited so long to meet. It was love at first sight. I was amazed at how great I felt, and walked across the room to the bed to lay down. She laid on my chest, this tiny miracle, and I just smiled and stared. I couldn't stop saying "I love you."
The whole labor had lasted three and a half hours. I had anticipated a quick birth, but this was much faster than I had imagined. As a result, I tore pretty badly and had some major stitches after. The fact that she was 9 lbs 6 oz probably didn't help either! It was 45 minutes of pure torture, arguably worse than labor. Still, I was so amazed at how fantastic I felt considering I just had a baby and that I was actually able to walk around. I took a shower and we rested for a while before getting ready to go home, only four hours after her birth. The midwives had told me this was likely beforehand, as the baby would probably go into a deep sleep around that time and it would be a good time to go home and sleep ourselves. Piper did just that, so off we went, in shock that the entire ordeal was over.
Congrats again, Ashley! She is absolutely lovely, and fits right into your family. Reading your birth story, though, took me back to my last two deliveries -- enough to remind me what I likely have again to look forward to when Boy #4 decides it's time. Ack! At least it's all over quick, right? ;)
Posted by: Lindsay | Friday, January 03, 2014 at 08:16 AM