So I guess I should start at the very beginning.
(A very good place to start... did you sing that in your head?)
11.20.13
4am.
I woke up to contractions! All along you wonder "Is that a contraction? Is this what it feels like?" And they are right when they say you will KNOW when it's the real thing. I had a contraction every ten minutes for three hours and I was ecstatic. As uncomfortable as they were, I was giddy as I felt each one coming on and it took all of my will power not to wake Mckay and say "Does November 20th sound like a good day to become a Daddy?!".
8am.
To my dismay, they had slowed and then stopped by the time Mckay woke up. I spent all day pretty sad that it wasn't going to be baby's birthday. I rested and relaxed most of the day because I figured/hoped I was getting close to the real thing.
6pm.
Contractions start again as Mckay gets home from work.
Immediately I tell Mckay that we need to go to the mall to walk because this time they are NOT slowing down and stopping. So off we go! We walked the mall for about an hour and Mckay timed each surge (I did hypnobirthing and I'm supposed to call them surges, but the RN in me keeps slipping and using the "C" word), they were all about 7 minutes apart but none were too bad. Some would make me pause and squeeze a dirty hand rail but most of them I just walked through.
9pm.
Stopped at Whole Foods for snacks and drinks for labor because by this point I was convinced it was time! {In my food bag: coconut water which I normally think is pretty gross but I couldn't get enough of it during labor, yogurt, apples, granola bars, almonds & chia drinks).
11:30pm
Contractions are getting more intense. They are all 5-6 minutes apart and require me to move & be vocal through each one. I paced the floor for hours to help relieve some of the pressure because laying down was complete torture. At some point I called the midwife and she told me that until they are 3 minutes apart for about 3 hours I probably won't be ready as I'm a first time Mom. I wasn't overjoyed about that.
11.21.13
12:30am
Contractions are consistently 1-3 minutes apart and lasting 1-2 minutes. They are strong and intense and unpleasant!
1:30am
I have a particularly strong contraction while standing in our closet and think to myself "I am such an idiot! Why am I doing this?! I could be laying in a hospital bed not feeling anything... Next baby I am getting an epidural." Immediately after that cascade of negative thought, I knew I was probably nearing transition and that we needed to go regardless of any advice. I told Mckay to get the food packed up and get me to the birth center.
2:00am-birth.
We arrive at the birth center. It's normally about a 50 minute drive and Mckay did it in about 35 minutes (hallelujah!). The drive was BY FAR the worst part of labor. Stuck in the backseat of a car unable to move was utter misery. I was pretty much screaming through each contraction because that was the only way to release that tension and energy. And after every one I'd say to Mckay "I'm sorry honey! I'm being so loud! I'm sorry I yelled!"
My favorite midwife was on call and she helped me out of the car and into the birth center. She checked me and I was a 7! I cried tears of joy because that meant I was there to stay and we were having our baby!
Tub filled for water birth.
I get into the warm water and it feels amazing. I continue to labor through contractions that I really have no words to describe. They were so intense and I felt them through every cell of my body. At some point my water broke (which I didn't like) and within 30 minutes of being in the water I was at 10cm.
Pushing.
Not very effective for me in the tub. My midwife asked me if I was open to an alternative and I told her I didn't care what I did or where I was, I just wanted the baby out. So it was out of the tub and onto the birthing stool where I gave two big pushes and was able to reach down and feel his soft, warm head. The midwife said, "You were just the first person to touch your baby skin to skin!" And this surreal, tender excitement filled my heart up to the brim.
Change of plans.
I transfered to the bed because he was coming too fast on the birthing stool and that can cause a first time Mommy some damage. I got up, walked over to the bed and laid on my side (people cringe when I say I transferred to the bed while he was crowning but it wasn't a big deal at all). My contractions had slowed to about 5 minutes at this point so between each contraction/pushing sequence I was literally chatting and laughing with everyone, it was great and probably one of my favorite things about this experience, in a funny way, I was actually enjoying it! After thirty minutes of pushing on the bed, a drop in his heart rate, the midwife, nurse and Mckay encouraging me to "give it all you have!" and "get him out!" little Deacon was born at 5:05am. (He broke my tailbone on his way out but I forgave him.)
Birth.
He was warm and wet and his Daddy grabbed him and laid him on my chest. He just wailed and I looked down at him and just remember thinking what a precious, perfect mouth he had! After a few minutes he settled down and just nuzzled on my chest and we held each other. And like that, all the (here comes a naughty hypnobirthing word) *pain* was gone and he was in my arms and Mckay was at my side and this momentous, heavenly, sacred feeling was there and we all just soaked it up for a few minutes. It was surreal and wonderful and I can't even do the moment justice so I'll leave it at that.
5-6am.
We delayed cutting the cord until it stopped pulsing, when they asked Mckay if he wanted to cut it, he declined. Maybe it was anticlimactic after all that had just happened...
Mom & baby get cleaned up.
Dad puts our tiny son in a diaper and hat.
He gets his footprints taken, weight, height, vitamin K, Apgar scores etc. (7 lbs. 8.5 oz.//20.5 inches long//35cm head circumference).
Daddy holds baby for the first time.
6am-1:30pm.
The midwife left, the nurse came in periodically to check temps & BPs and the three of us all got into the cozy, soft Queen-sized bed and just snuggled each other. We called family, took pictures, and just looked at every inch of our new baby. Eventually we decided on a name (Deacon Mckay Dunn) and announced that to our families and friends.
Mckay ran out for a few minutes and brought back a hot lunch that we ate in bed. Eventually I got up and showered and then we decided we were ready to be home so we gathered our things and dressed our sweet baby and we were on our way. Less than 9 hours after birth we were home and in our own bed spending our first day as a family of 3 in the quiet privacy of our own space. It truly was an amazing, life-altering experience. I was so grateful for the midwife I had, she was just a perfect fit for me, and for Mckay's love and support during the labor and birth.
And at 3 weeks:
Deacon is such a great baby. He's so calm & so sweet. He cries when he's hungry or wet and we don't get too much fussing from him. He is such a great sleeper at night (he wakes up, cries, eats and goes back to sleep) and is getting to the point where he's a little more alert during the day. We love him so much and comment constantly on how wonderful, handsome, precious, sweet, perfect, darling (so on and so forth) he is. We are lucky to have him in our home and thank God daily for sending us such a special little boy.
