The Birth of a Brother Part 2

Part 1 is here

I was terrified of riding in the car for the 20ish minutes to the birthing center while having the contractions and was thankful when I only had 2 during the drive. We managed to arrive about 15 minutes before the midwife and I was having a really hard time because I couldn't do the positions that helped while waiting for her. Once she arrived we were able to go straight in and after using the bathroom I laid down on the bed.

Once we got my antibiotics administered we settle into a bit of a rhythm. After an hour or so (around 10:30pm) Alli checked me and said that I was at a a 7 or 8! Right about this time I got a little bit of a break, I am not sure what the difference was but my mood lightened and I went back to talking and laughing between contractions. I also got into the tub shortly after being checked.

Just moments after birth!

While in the tub I felt what seemed like a kick in the pelvis (but he was head down) and I am pretty sure that that was my water breaking the rest of the way. Looking back, I think that that was what kicked my labor into high gear. I got out of the tub pretty quickly because of discomfort and back onto the bed. Contractions began to get close enough that I couldn't change positions without having one in the middle of moving!

After a little while I began to feel like I was going to throw up during the contractions and got shaky, I finally felt like I was in transition! I also began to feel like I couldn't do it, I couldn't make it. The contractions were so painful and intense. Carolynn stayed with me the whole time and kept encouraging me and reminding me that I could and that I was doing really well. She helped me to keep breathing and to use deep sounds to get through the contractions.

Those cord cutting scissors barely did the job, he had to hack at it!

Finally I felt a pushy contraction! When it happened during a second contraction Alli decided to check me again. I was fully dilated! She encouraged me to follow my body. During the next contraction I began to push for real and it felt like total chaos to me. I didn't feel like I had any control or input on how I reacted to the contraction. I was scared of the pain and of tearing again (I got a 2^nd degree tear with Matthew) and I think that played a role in my feeling out of control. In that first pushing contraction I felt his head moving down the birth canal and as the contraction eased Alli told me that he would be born on the next one! I couldn't believe he had crowned already!

The break between contractions was weird for me, I didn't realize that I would get a break. It is kind of like when you are in a really hard winter and you forget that spring comes!

As the next contraction began Alli told me to push gently then pant so that he wouldn't come too fast. I tried but apparently ended up hyperventilating instead of panting! I felt like everyone was yelling at me and that I wasn't pushing hard but they didn't think so! Shortly into the contraction his head was born and even though I tried to stop pushing, his body followed right after. The sudden stop in pain is so amazing right at birth! He was born at 12:40 am on August 15, 2016.

So happy!

Right away Alli told me that he was there and to look (I seem to just relax and forget that the baby was just born) and there he was! He was gray and mostly still and I was confused for a moment before realizing that he was moving and trying to breath. He was put into my arms and Alli began vigorously rubbing his back with a towel and I remember thinking “why is she rubbing him like that? I don't mind the mess” before realizing that he hadn't cried yet! I began rubbing him too and he gave a good cry which made all of the rest of us cry! It felt so good to hear him crying! We began looking him over and bonding with him. His hair appeared dark at first but as it dried we realized that he was blond. I also shortly realized that there was meconium all over my hand and his back! He had pooped into my hand in those first few moments and I didn't realize it! We cleaned that up quickly and eventually we tried having him nurse. He latched on just fine (though a little shallow) but it hurt really bad.

First look at mommy

Once we had had time to bond Alli took him so that she could weigh him and do his newborn exam. He weighed in at 7 pounds 3 ounces and he was 21 inches long. He didn't appreciate his newborn exam and began to poop and poop and poop! Once she pronounced him a healthy newborn she helped Jon put a diaper on him then Jon brought him to me to put clothes on. It turned out that Jon guessed the closest birth time, weight, hair color and eye color (blue)!

Once he was clothed, swaddled and settled again we began to slowly prepare to go home. People began to pack things up and clean things up. Jon and I had put together little gifts for each of the people who came to the birth and we gave those out then.

We headed home about 3 hours after he was born and settled in to sleep.

A few days later (once we got to see him awake for more than a few seconds) we named him Asa Robert Langford.

(I can't help but keep adding more photos)

Got to love the hair :)