Dane's Debut

Wednesday July 15, 2015, my due date with Dane. My sciatic nerve was pinched, my legs were covered in varicose veins, my mouth often tasted of metal (dysgeusia, a weird pregnancy thing I don't remember having with the others), and you can see what 9 months had done to my figure. I was ready to have that baby!

The night before I felt irregular contractions which stopped about midnight, so I went to bed and got a full night's sleep. In the morning, seeing as all was calm, Landon and I went to playgroup at Jill Stewart's pool. (I asked Landon to come with me in case pains hit while I was driving.) Not long after our arrival, the contractions started coming regularly. Since the kids were happy and I was enjoying the company of the other moms at the pool, I put my hypnobirthing training into action and just relaxed. But perhaps I relaxed too long. By the time we left, the contractions were 3 minutes apart. Still, I wanted to feed the kids before I dropped them off at my friend Brittany's house, so we went home and the kids ate. I was ravenous and scarfed something down too. (Labor makes me hungry, and ice chips just don't cut it!) Poor Landon was about to eat when I informed him that, after checking my cervix, he'd have to go hungry. I was at 5 cm and the contractions were getting closer.

After dropping off the kids, we got stuck in traffic on the way to the hospital. Landon was sweating bullets when I lost my hypnobirthing calm and began quietly whimpering as my body tried to eject all of my internal organs. When I arrived to check in, I saw a long line. I looked around in panic as another pain hit. Fortunately, a passing hospital worker grabbed a wheelchair and took me to L&D. By this time I was being twisted and pulled inside, like a piece of saltwater taffy. My water broke right after I was given a gown and a bed. The nurses wanted to fill out forms and consent papers, but I was more interested in an epidural. When I was informed that I would need an I.V. inserted and 1000 cc of fluid pumped into my veins before they would call the anesthesiologist, I realized this would be a natural birth.

I lost all of my calm at this point, and let everyone know exactly what I was feeling inside whenever the contractions hit. Landon made it up to the room from the parking lot and didn't even sit down before I had a mammoth contraction and involuntarily started pushing. Since she'd checked my cervix upon arrival (15 minutes earlier) and I was at 6 cm then, my nurse and I were surprised to find the baby crowning at this point. After the head popped out it was instant relief, and my uterus was calm. I decided to take a rest until the next contraction. The nurses tried to reason with me and get me to push, but I was stubborn and tired. Landon said he was getting worried about Dane with his little head cut off from his body for so long. But the next contraction inevitably came and popped the rest of him out into the nurse's arms. And he was perfect. Apgar scores of 9 and 9. The doctor came in some minutes later and earned some of his fee by delivering the placenta. Overall, not a bad delivery -- no drugs, no tearing, no being strapped to a hospital bed for hours, and a sweet baby at the end of it all.



Tired and happy with baby Dane.



The proud papa.



Dane



Dane at 2 days old.



The siblings meet their new brother and ask, "Mom, can we have another one?"



Dane, 2 days old.



Home from the hospital! I have lots of volunteers to help me care for the new baby.



Joss spends a lot of time holding, burping, and changing Dane. I'll miss her when school starts!



Cutie Pie.