8 pounds 12 ounces. 21 inches long. Born at 5:50pm on April 15th (11days late)
Contrary to popular belief....6th babies do NOT simply "fall out". 11 days after my due date, I woke up at 2:45am with hard contractions 5-7 minutes apart. By 7am, they were coming 3-4 minutes apart. We called Sue. She arrived around 8am and set up. She checked me at 8:30am and said the magical words, "You are dilated to a 10, and 100% effaced. Your bag of waters is bulging out of your cervix. Let me know when you feel push-y." (Enter angels singing. )
Then she added, "...but his head is still VERY high."
I "thought" the hard part was over...and jumped into the warm birthing tub...thinking the urge to push was minutes away. However, right when I got in the tub, my contractions immediately STOPPED. Like for 3 HOURS stopped.
Sue wasn't the least bit phased by it, and baby's vitals were great... so we just let my body rest. I sent Sue and her assistant to lunch and told them we'd call when things got moving again.
Around 1pm, they were back strong, and we called them back over. Baby was still doing great, but his head had not descended AT ALL.
We decided to go ahead and break my water...hoping his head would come down. As Sue was trying to break my water, she kept having to use larger and stronger instruments...and commented that my bag of waters was made of steel. Remember how close I was to losing him at the beginning of my pregnancy? How my bag of waters was separating on both sides from the uterine wall...and the Dr. was pretty sure I was miscarrying again? Remember all those prayers said on my behalf? Apparently, they were answered...by a bag of waters fortified with steel! :-)
Even after my water was broken, he did not budge. His head wasn't even CLOSE to being engaged.
His descension was SLOW. I could literally feel my bones move/spread as he SLOWLY moved down. After about 6 more HOURS, he reared his massive head. FINALLY, at around 5:50pm...after10 minutes of pushing, he was in my arms.
Poor Hubby. When I told him I wanted a water birth...at home, his only response was, "Sure...as long as I don't have to get in the water with you while you are giving birth." You can see how well THAT worked out for him....
Fresh from the water....Stealing our first look.
Water birth...party of 8...
Beast #2 got to cut the cord...scissors in hand ready to go...
#3 helped weigh him and measure him...
#4 helped put on his first diaper...
And they all took turns holding him while Sue sewed me back together again :-)
Beast #1 insisted on staying by my side through the whole labor. She was constantly offering me food, water, cold wash clothes etc. She was the photographer. The boys only wanted us to call them up just in time to see him come out. I wasn't sure how it would affect them... but every one of them has commented how COOL it was...and how much more bonded they feel towards him because they actually got to BE there and SEE him be born.
They have been pampering me like crazy. Now that hubby is back to work and I am "on my own" trying to heal myself...while caring for a needy newborn.. and 5 other kids, they have brought breakfast in bed every morning, have been AMAZING at taking turns caring for and occupying beast #5, and cleaning the house. Maybe because they have a better understanding what my body had to go through to bring this child into the world...and recognize the need for recuperation... whereas before, I just left pregnant....and magically came home with a baby.
On day 2, baby was spitting up blood...I had blood in my breast milk again. (caused by a tumor thing they found in my breast with my last baby that I spent 6 months of testing, mammograms, ultrasounds, MRI, biopsy, etc....) We figured it could and would happen again once I was breastfeeding another child.
When the bleeding started up, Sue spent hours with me working on his latch, and gave me some products/tools to use that have taken the pressure off where he latches. It took a few days, but so long as I use the products and the shield she gave me while breastfeeding, there is no blood. That MADE MY LIFE! When I saw blood, I figured I was done, and would never be feeding a baby again. SO THANKFUL!
Also....7 days AFTER my due date, I felt the baby flip breech. I called Sue. She had me come to her office. She checked me, and verified. I was correct. He had indeed flipped breech. Under Kaiser's care, that would have been a C-section. However, in about 5 minutes, Sue flipped him right back to being head down where he belonged. Midwifery knowledge and care cannot be beat. I especially love that all the post birth check up appointments for baby and I are in my bed at home.
A few days before I went into labor, I was at the park with the kids, and another mom and I struck up a conversation. Within a matter of minutes, it came up that all 5 of the kids running around were mine, that they are all home schooled, that we have chickens despite living in our perfect little yuppy suburban community...and that I was about to have a HOME WATER BIRTH. It didn't dawn on me until that moment what a freak I have become. If you would have told me 10 years ago that this would be my future life, I would have laughed my head off. Yep, I am a freak! But, I am a happy freak, and that is what matters. :-)
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