We have felt so much joy and love having Nathan with us. He is truly a perfect and beautiful baby. He looks just like his daddy and has the darkest long hair. His delivery was fast. I have never felt more pain in my life. I have never been more vulnerable or scared in my life. It was the toughest thing I have ever been through yet brought me more joy and love than I thought was ever possible. I don’t know if it was because I delivered Nathan naturally or that Everett's delivery just wasn’t a very positive experience due to where we delivered him but something so spiritual happened to my body after Nathan was born. The pain and love I felt is impossible to describe. It really is incredible and such a miracle. I never understood when people said giving birth was something beautiful until Nathan was born. His birth story to me is beautiful and very special to me. It truly was one of the most sacred and spiritual moments I will ever experience. As I sit here thinking about what to write I am rocking my precious baby in my arms and nursing him at 2:30 in the morning and in complete awe at how perfect he is in every way. I feel as if he has always been with us. I didn't realize or think that our family was ever incomplete but now that Nathan is here I've never felt more complete. It feels like he's always been with us.
Nathan’s birth story starts on Saturday March 24th. I was 38 weeks pregnant. I took Everett to the kids fair at the convention center. It sounded like a lot of fun and what 38 week pregnant women wouldn't want to chase her 2 year old all over the place, while being surrounded by 500 other kids and parents. It really wasn't so bad and I was up for anything that might encourage labor to get started. We got to the fair at 10:00 am right when it started. There was so much for Everett to see and play with. We ended up staying for two hours! It was a lot of fun and actually a perfect little date for Everett and I. I honestly can’t remember what we did the rest of the day. I know I pulled out some pork chops from the freezer to have for Sunday dinner the next day. I had found someone to teach my primary class a week earlier because I didn't think I would be going to church the next day. It also just happened to be Stephen’s last day off work before my mom would be here the next Thursday. He was going to take Everett to church while I got some much needed rest. We had all missed church the week earlier and Everett kept asking when we could go back.
Sunday morning March 25th, around 1:00 am I started timing my contractions in bed. They had been going on for about an hour but by 1:00 were no longer comfortable enough to try and sleep through. They were about ten minutes apart on the dot. I stayed in bed until about 2:30 then decided to take a shower. My thought process at this time was remembering back to how awful I thought I looked when I delivered Everett. This time if this was really labor I wanted to be nice and clean with shaved legs and washed hair. Of course like last time with Everett, I didn’t actually believe I was in labor, if anything just another false labor like I’d had two weeks earlier. So I washed my hair and shaved my legs. Then instead of getting back in bed I decided to go watch some tv so that I wouldn’t keep Stephen up. That was around 3:15. From about 3:30 - 4:50 my contractions were every four minutes with the occasional ten minute one. So I called and left a message for the doctor.
Dr. Ryan who had been on call when I had my false labor two weeks earlier was on call again this time. When he called me back my contractions had gone back to every ten to twelve minutes. They were painful but not anything I couldn’t talk through. He said I could come in if I wanted. Well that wasn’t helpful. I didn’t want to be sent back home again. Plus finding someone to come over in the middle of the night for Everett isn’t the easiest. I had people I could call but I didn’t want to bother them. I decided I would hang out at home at least until Everett was awake and see how I was feeling then. My contractions continued being so random. 6 minutes apart, then 7, then 8, 3, then 9, then 6, and so on. It was around 6:30 am that the discomfort suddenly became really painful. Like on all fours on the ground painful. But still close to ten minutes apart. I went in to Stephen at this point and said they were getting really painful. I had a contraction at 6:26, 6:35, and 6:48, then I stopped writing them down. I was in too much pain. Stephen called the doctor back at 7:06 and said we were heading to the hospital because they were suddenly coming consistently a couple minutes apart and I was dying on the floor trying not to scream during them. And in between them I was in the bathroom thinking I needed to go to the bathroom. Which thinking back now was probably the baby trying to come out. We called someone to be here when Everett woke up. But it was someone he'd never even met so we called someone else to come as we were leaving. They had babysat Everett a few times and actually ended up taking him to church with them. He had the best day playing at their house.
This is where Nathan's birth story gets the most personal and special to me. I don't think Stephen or I have ever been in a more emotional state. Bringing Nathan into the world was scary and hard for me to do. His birth was very intense and raw. Something I had expected to happen but was not emotionally or mentally prepared for. I honestly didn't think I would be able to do it. The doctor who delivered Nathan, Dr. Smith, was exactly who I needed at that time. Stephen was an incredible support and I honestly couldn't have done it without him.
We arrived at the hospital around 7:30 am and almost immediately got taken back to our room. I was having very quick and painful contractions. From the check in desk I only made it a few steps before I was on my hands and knees on a waiting room chair having another painful contraction. I had another contraction on the way to the room where I just had to hold onto the railing for a minute so I wouldn't fall on the dirty hospital floor. Dr. Ryan knew we were on our way and met us as we got to our room. The nurses were trying so hard to hook up a baby monitor but I just couldn't lay down on the bed for them. I couldn't stop moving, trying my hardest to get comfortable while surviving contraction after contraction. The contractions were too intense I had to be on my hands and knees on the bed. Finally right after a contraction ended I laid down long enough to get hooked up and Dr. Ryan checked me. His immediate response was "well you are complete and I feel the head. Ready to start pushing?" From the moment my contractions became super painful at home I knew I was going to be delivering Nathan naturally but it didn't truly hit me until he said those words.
I broke down crying. I thought I had been preparing myself for a natural birth but hoping deep down I wouldn't actually need to do it. I was hysterical. I couldn't control my emotions and the contractions were so intense I couldn't help but just scream and cry through them. In all honesty I was having a full blown panic attack. I couldn't be calmed down. I was just begging for an epidural or any kind of pain medicine.
Just a minute later Dr. Smith came in to take over for Dr. Ryan. Everything was happening so fast. They were setting me up to start pushing all while I was screaming through contractions begging for an epidural. Oh and my bed was broken so it wouldn't sit up. The nurses were scrambling to find pillows to use instead to help me sit up. Dr. Smith was calm and wonderful through it all. She told me that if I wanted to wait for the blood work to come back and for them to get the anesthesiologist I could have my epidural. What I didn't realize at the time was that was a complete lie and she knew it. Everyone knew it but me. This baby was coming. All I needed was my water to break and it could all be over. Even though Dr. Smith knew I wasn't getting my epidural she reassured me a couple more times that we could wait. Or that she could break my water and we could try pushing. She even gave Stephen a look that said "no shes doing this natural but doesn't need to know it yet."
The reason Dr. Smith was the perfect person to deliver Nathan is because she knew I needed to decide to push on my own. She reassured me and at the same time gave me the option to try pushing if I wanted to. The whole time knowing that as soon as she breaks my water this baby will be out in a few minutes. After only being in the hospital for about 20 minutes I asked her to break my water and that I would start pushing. I couldn't take the pain any longer.
I pushed about 12 times. I only had about four really good pushes and that was all it took. Once I could feel his head starting to come out I knew it needed to be over. I needed to pain to be over. I gave it one or two more good pushes and he was out. I felt it all. I felt his little body be born and they handed him right to me. I was the first to hold him, to love him, and soak up his perfection. I kept crying over and over "my baby my baby." I was still crying and in so much pain but he was mine and I was holding him. I never wanted to let go and I didn't for about two hours.
He was beautiful and perfect in every way. And I had delivered him with the help of Stephen and Dr Smith, true angels there for me when I needed them most. I had pushed through the worst pain I had ever experienced but it was also the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. I will never forget the special spirit that I felt holding my beautiful baby boy and having Stephen by my side. I don't know how long I held him before he started nursing but it was so incredible. He knew right what to do and nursed for almost an hour.
Nathan was born at 8:40am on March 25th after only pushing for about 25 minutes.
He was 7 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long.
We were able to stay in that room for about two hours just holding him in our arms and letting him nurse. During that two hours time stopped and it was just us holding a sweet perfect little soul that had just come from heaven. I will never forget how incredible it all was.
Nathan’s birth story starts on Saturday March 24th. I was 38 weeks pregnant. I took Everett to the kids fair at the convention center. It sounded like a lot of fun and what 38 week pregnant women wouldn't want to chase her 2 year old all over the place, while being surrounded by 500 other kids and parents. It really wasn't so bad and I was up for anything that might encourage labor to get started. We got to the fair at 10:00 am right when it started. There was so much for Everett to see and play with. We ended up staying for two hours! It was a lot of fun and actually a perfect little date for Everett and I. I honestly can’t remember what we did the rest of the day. I know I pulled out some pork chops from the freezer to have for Sunday dinner the next day. I had found someone to teach my primary class a week earlier because I didn't think I would be going to church the next day. It also just happened to be Stephen’s last day off work before my mom would be here the next Thursday. He was going to take Everett to church while I got some much needed rest. We had all missed church the week earlier and Everett kept asking when we could go back.
Sunday morning March 25th, around 1:00 am I started timing my contractions in bed. They had been going on for about an hour but by 1:00 were no longer comfortable enough to try and sleep through. They were about ten minutes apart on the dot. I stayed in bed until about 2:30 then decided to take a shower. My thought process at this time was remembering back to how awful I thought I looked when I delivered Everett. This time if this was really labor I wanted to be nice and clean with shaved legs and washed hair. Of course like last time with Everett, I didn’t actually believe I was in labor, if anything just another false labor like I’d had two weeks earlier. So I washed my hair and shaved my legs. Then instead of getting back in bed I decided to go watch some tv so that I wouldn’t keep Stephen up. That was around 3:15. From about 3:30 - 4:50 my contractions were every four minutes with the occasional ten minute one. So I called and left a message for the doctor.
Dr. Ryan who had been on call when I had my false labor two weeks earlier was on call again this time. When he called me back my contractions had gone back to every ten to twelve minutes. They were painful but not anything I couldn’t talk through. He said I could come in if I wanted. Well that wasn’t helpful. I didn’t want to be sent back home again. Plus finding someone to come over in the middle of the night for Everett isn’t the easiest. I had people I could call but I didn’t want to bother them. I decided I would hang out at home at least until Everett was awake and see how I was feeling then. My contractions continued being so random. 6 minutes apart, then 7, then 8, 3, then 9, then 6, and so on. It was around 6:30 am that the discomfort suddenly became really painful. Like on all fours on the ground painful. But still close to ten minutes apart. I went in to Stephen at this point and said they were getting really painful. I had a contraction at 6:26, 6:35, and 6:48, then I stopped writing them down. I was in too much pain. Stephen called the doctor back at 7:06 and said we were heading to the hospital because they were suddenly coming consistently a couple minutes apart and I was dying on the floor trying not to scream during them. And in between them I was in the bathroom thinking I needed to go to the bathroom. Which thinking back now was probably the baby trying to come out. We called someone to be here when Everett woke up. But it was someone he'd never even met so we called someone else to come as we were leaving. They had babysat Everett a few times and actually ended up taking him to church with them. He had the best day playing at their house.
This is where Nathan's birth story gets the most personal and special to me. I don't think Stephen or I have ever been in a more emotional state. Bringing Nathan into the world was scary and hard for me to do. His birth was very intense and raw. Something I had expected to happen but was not emotionally or mentally prepared for. I honestly didn't think I would be able to do it. The doctor who delivered Nathan, Dr. Smith, was exactly who I needed at that time. Stephen was an incredible support and I honestly couldn't have done it without him.
We arrived at the hospital around 7:30 am and almost immediately got taken back to our room. I was having very quick and painful contractions. From the check in desk I only made it a few steps before I was on my hands and knees on a waiting room chair having another painful contraction. I had another contraction on the way to the room where I just had to hold onto the railing for a minute so I wouldn't fall on the dirty hospital floor. Dr. Ryan knew we were on our way and met us as we got to our room. The nurses were trying so hard to hook up a baby monitor but I just couldn't lay down on the bed for them. I couldn't stop moving, trying my hardest to get comfortable while surviving contraction after contraction. The contractions were too intense I had to be on my hands and knees on the bed. Finally right after a contraction ended I laid down long enough to get hooked up and Dr. Ryan checked me. His immediate response was "well you are complete and I feel the head. Ready to start pushing?" From the moment my contractions became super painful at home I knew I was going to be delivering Nathan naturally but it didn't truly hit me until he said those words.
I broke down crying. I thought I had been preparing myself for a natural birth but hoping deep down I wouldn't actually need to do it. I was hysterical. I couldn't control my emotions and the contractions were so intense I couldn't help but just scream and cry through them. In all honesty I was having a full blown panic attack. I couldn't be calmed down. I was just begging for an epidural or any kind of pain medicine.
Just a minute later Dr. Smith came in to take over for Dr. Ryan. Everything was happening so fast. They were setting me up to start pushing all while I was screaming through contractions begging for an epidural. Oh and my bed was broken so it wouldn't sit up. The nurses were scrambling to find pillows to use instead to help me sit up. Dr. Smith was calm and wonderful through it all. She told me that if I wanted to wait for the blood work to come back and for them to get the anesthesiologist I could have my epidural. What I didn't realize at the time was that was a complete lie and she knew it. Everyone knew it but me. This baby was coming. All I needed was my water to break and it could all be over. Even though Dr. Smith knew I wasn't getting my epidural she reassured me a couple more times that we could wait. Or that she could break my water and we could try pushing. She even gave Stephen a look that said "no shes doing this natural but doesn't need to know it yet."
The reason Dr. Smith was the perfect person to deliver Nathan is because she knew I needed to decide to push on my own. She reassured me and at the same time gave me the option to try pushing if I wanted to. The whole time knowing that as soon as she breaks my water this baby will be out in a few minutes. After only being in the hospital for about 20 minutes I asked her to break my water and that I would start pushing. I couldn't take the pain any longer.
I pushed about 12 times. I only had about four really good pushes and that was all it took. Once I could feel his head starting to come out I knew it needed to be over. I needed to pain to be over. I gave it one or two more good pushes and he was out. I felt it all. I felt his little body be born and they handed him right to me. I was the first to hold him, to love him, and soak up his perfection. I kept crying over and over "my baby my baby." I was still crying and in so much pain but he was mine and I was holding him. I never wanted to let go and I didn't for about two hours.
He was beautiful and perfect in every way. And I had delivered him with the help of Stephen and Dr Smith, true angels there for me when I needed them most. I had pushed through the worst pain I had ever experienced but it was also the most beautiful thing I had ever experienced. I will never forget the special spirit that I felt holding my beautiful baby boy and having Stephen by my side. I don't know how long I held him before he started nursing but it was so incredible. He knew right what to do and nursed for almost an hour.
Nathan was born at 8:40am on March 25th after only pushing for about 25 minutes.
He was 7 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long.
We were able to stay in that room for about two hours just holding him in our arms and letting him nurse. During that two hours time stopped and it was just us holding a sweet perfect little soul that had just come from heaven. I will never forget how incredible it all was.
