If you want to hear the full story keep reading...this is long! lol.
My original due date was March 26th, Bridger was born 10 days early and Beckham was born 11 days early, so I figured there was a good possibility that this one would come around then too. Well, I started having some pre-labor contractions on Tuesday (11 days early), I started timing them late that night and they were pretty regular (well, for me...I never had consistent contractions with Beckham either). I decided to call my parents and let them know and they decided to drive up that night, just in case, since it's a four hour drive. Well, they got here at 4 in the morning...and went to bed. :) The next day I still had pre-labor going on, so I went to the chiropractor again and then we went out to lunch at Olive Garden (we thought we'd make it a tradition since we ate there a few hours before Beckham was born). After, we bought a pineapple to see if that would help get some more contractions going on. I ate like half the pineapple! Well, baby boy was just too cozy in there and so another day passed.
Thursday, Cathy, our midwife, and Seasons, her assistant, stopped by my house to check to see where I was at since I had had two days of pre-labor things going on, I was at a 2 and 50% effaced. Friday I woke up and decided to stop timing all of the pre-labor contractions, I decided when they got hard enough I would start timing...I started to get frustrated because so many people were asking when the baby was coming and if the baby had come yet, I also felt bad because my parents had taken work off and been at our house for like two days at that point! It wasn't even my due date yet, lol. I tried to chill, my parents kept telling me that it was fine and they were enjoying themselves, but still. My Dad and Jeremy started building the boys' new play set in the backyard while we waited for this little one and we took a TON of walks. My heavens. More walks than I took in like the last year!
Saturday I felt a definite increase in the strength of contractions, but I didn't have to stop walking or anything to get through them, so I started timing off and on, but little baby didn't come that day either. Jeremy had little belly chats with him for the few days before he was born, telling him that Daddy wanted to hold him and meet him and that he was already on paternity leave, lol.
Sunday came and we got ready for the temple dedication, Jeremy and I went to the 9 AM session. I used the bathroom while there and let the midwife know about some changes that I felt indicated I would go into labor soon, she said "it sounds like today is the day." I was sure hoping, I really wanted to meet this little baby. I took a nap that afternoon because I had been up throughout the night with contractions, she told me to text her after my nap. I did and Cathy felt like she and Seasons should come out to the house. While they were on their way we took another walk with the boys and my parents. When we got back Cathy checked me again and I was at a 4.5 and 65% effaced. Cathy said they were staying until the baby was born. Seasons made me some red raspberry leaf tea and after I drank that they sent me for a walk with Jeremy (around 10 PM). Jeremy and I walked until 10:30 PM, all over the neighborhood, just talking and holding hands, it was actually really relaxing for me and it also helped bring on the stronger contractions, but it was pretty chilly! I had to start stopping for a few before we got home. When Cathy checked me again after we got back, around 11 PM, I was at a 5 and 75% effaced. We got our bedroom ready, I grabbed a snack and I changed into some comfy pants and a robe, Jeremy got my exercise ball and then my parents, Cathy and Seasons left Jeremy and I alone for awhile. I prefer to be with just Jeremy for awhile, I did with Beckham too. While I sat on my ball he pressed pressure points on my back during contractions and gave me light touch massages and I would walk around in between. Around 1 AM Jeremy started to pass out so he went and slept on the bed for awhile and my Mom took over doing pressure points on my back. The contractions were really strong, but I just focused on relaxing and keeping my mind in the right place. I talked to my Mom in between contractions and kept things light, and I sipped on apple juice to keep my energy up. Around 2 AM, Cathy came up and checked me and I was at an 8 and 90% effaced, but because of the check my water broke, so the contractions came closer and stronger. I sat on the birthing ball for a little while longer, then went back to the bed around 2:30. They had me lay down and put towels under my pelvis because my uterus is tilted and they thought it would help the baby come over the lip easier. I had a few really strong contractions and started to feel a lot of pressure and wanted to push...Cathy checked me and said that I was almost there, but I couldn't push yet. Well, I had a REALLY hard, long contraction in this awkward position and I knew he was coming. I told them he was coming and they started pulling the towels out from under me and telling Jeremy to lift me up, all while I was needing to push, lol. They didn't think he would come so fast! I could feel him coming down and pushed, then pushed again, they told me to push again, HARD. I pushed with my entire body, heart and soul. Literally. He finally came out and they gave him to me and put warm towels over us. I found out that this little baby boy of mine had come out with his hand by his face...so I pushed his head and an arm out at the same time (and even now, over a week later, he likes his hands by his face), which is why I had to push so hard! As soon as I saw him, though, I just felt all of this love and everything else sort of faded away. My Mom was the first to ask "what is it???!!" I looked under the towels and told everyone that it's a boy!! :,) One of the reasons I was so anxious to have this little one was to see if we were having a boy or girl, I really would have been happy either way, and I was so happy to see that we have three boys!
He had aspirated some amniotic fluid and was having trouble breathing, similar to Beckham's birth, actually. His lungs were wet, and from what I understand his left lung hadn't inflated yet or something? Anyway, Cathy told me to try to get him latched on because the colostrum is pretty much the best thing to clear it out but he just couldn't breathe well enough. She got an oxygen mask and he took a few breaths of that, but the mask was a little too big for his face. We kept rubbing him and sucking out his nose and mouth. Cathy suggested that we give him a blessing, so Jeremy and my Dad got some oil and blessed him. Right after, Cathy took him and used her own breath to force air into his lungs and a few minutes later he was doing much better. :) He latched on and was gulping that colostrum like a champ! I held and nursed him until the umbilical cord stopped pulsing, about an hour, then Jeremy put the clip on and cut the cord. I'm really grateful that he was still attached to the pulsing cord because he was still getting oxygen and blood while we got him breathing better, it was the same for Beckham. While I got a couple stitches, Jeremy and Seasons weighed, measured and checked Benson over. This little dude hardly even cried when he got the vitamin K shot! Seasons showed me the placenta and the "tree of life," which are the veins that run through the placenta and actually resemble a tree, it's pretty amazing. As soon as I was finished, Cathy and Seasons cleaned up while Jeremy helped me get to the shower and get dressed and back in bed. By this time it was around 5 AM, Cathy tucked me into bed and her and Seasons gave me hugs and last instructions. My parents headed to bed and Jeremy and I finally fell asleep around 6 AM. :)
The boys woke up around 8 the next morning, Bridger was up first, so Jeremy picked him up and carried him into our room, my Dad took pictures of the boys first seeing and meeting Benson. Beckham woke up about 30 minutes later. They both LOVED holding and meeting Benson, they were both waiting and everyday would ask when our baby was coming...they love him so much. Beckham keeps talking about how the baby came out of my belly and he can sit on my lap now, lol. He likes to say, "it's so so cute!" lol. Bridger loves to show all of his toys to him, and he tells him all about them, I love it. The boys both love to come and kiss his head and say hi to him, and I've tried to let them hold and cuddle him a lot so they can hopefully adjust easier to this new sibling. :)
Benson is one week, 2 days old today, the time has flown exactly like I knew it would. My emotions have been everywhere, which I know is from hormones, but still. I have a hard time coping with the passing of time, I just want my babies to stay my babies! lol. I just know they grow so fast. As soon as my babies are born I miss them being in my belly where I feel every movement and have them so close. When they are born I have to share! Jeremy went back to work this morning after 11 days of paternity leave, but since my Mom is here I haven't been as emotional about it as I would have been...that's why I expect that when my Mom goes home on Sunday I will have another emotional few days, lol, but who knows? Maybe I won't, we will see. :) For now I'm just holding and cuddling this little baby of mine as much as I can, and doing my best to help our boys adjust and feel loved. I think they are doing okay so far, they both had a rough day last week, but after that they have both been doing really good. I hope it continues after Grandma leaves, lol!
My original due date was March 26th, Bridger was born 10 days early and Beckham was born 11 days early, so I figured there was a good possibility that this one would come around then too. Well, I started having some pre-labor contractions on Tuesday (11 days early), I started timing them late that night and they were pretty regular (well, for me...I never had consistent contractions with Beckham either). I decided to call my parents and let them know and they decided to drive up that night, just in case, since it's a four hour drive. Well, they got here at 4 in the morning...and went to bed. :) The next day I still had pre-labor going on, so I went to the chiropractor again and then we went out to lunch at Olive Garden (we thought we'd make it a tradition since we ate there a few hours before Beckham was born). After, we bought a pineapple to see if that would help get some more contractions going on. I ate like half the pineapple! Well, baby boy was just too cozy in there and so another day passed.
Thursday, Cathy, our midwife, and Seasons, her assistant, stopped by my house to check to see where I was at since I had had two days of pre-labor things going on, I was at a 2 and 50% effaced. Friday I woke up and decided to stop timing all of the pre-labor contractions, I decided when they got hard enough I would start timing...I started to get frustrated because so many people were asking when the baby was coming and if the baby had come yet, I also felt bad because my parents had taken work off and been at our house for like two days at that point! It wasn't even my due date yet, lol. I tried to chill, my parents kept telling me that it was fine and they were enjoying themselves, but still. My Dad and Jeremy started building the boys' new play set in the backyard while we waited for this little one and we took a TON of walks. My heavens. More walks than I took in like the last year!
Saturday I felt a definite increase in the strength of contractions, but I didn't have to stop walking or anything to get through them, so I started timing off and on, but little baby didn't come that day either. Jeremy had little belly chats with him for the few days before he was born, telling him that Daddy wanted to hold him and meet him and that he was already on paternity leave, lol.
Sunday came and we got ready for the temple dedication, Jeremy and I went to the 9 AM session. I used the bathroom while there and let the midwife know about some changes that I felt indicated I would go into labor soon, she said "it sounds like today is the day." I was sure hoping, I really wanted to meet this little baby. I took a nap that afternoon because I had been up throughout the night with contractions, she told me to text her after my nap. I did and Cathy felt like she and Seasons should come out to the house. While they were on their way we took another walk with the boys and my parents. When we got back Cathy checked me again and I was at a 4.5 and 65% effaced. Cathy said they were staying until the baby was born. Seasons made me some red raspberry leaf tea and after I drank that they sent me for a walk with Jeremy (around 10 PM). Jeremy and I walked until 10:30 PM, all over the neighborhood, just talking and holding hands, it was actually really relaxing for me and it also helped bring on the stronger contractions, but it was pretty chilly! I had to start stopping for a few before we got home. When Cathy checked me again after we got back, around 11 PM, I was at a 5 and 75% effaced. We got our bedroom ready, I grabbed a snack and I changed into some comfy pants and a robe, Jeremy got my exercise ball and then my parents, Cathy and Seasons left Jeremy and I alone for awhile. I prefer to be with just Jeremy for awhile, I did with Beckham too. While I sat on my ball he pressed pressure points on my back during contractions and gave me light touch massages and I would walk around in between. Around 1 AM Jeremy started to pass out so he went and slept on the bed for awhile and my Mom took over doing pressure points on my back. The contractions were really strong, but I just focused on relaxing and keeping my mind in the right place. I talked to my Mom in between contractions and kept things light, and I sipped on apple juice to keep my energy up. Around 2 AM, Cathy came up and checked me and I was at an 8 and 90% effaced, but because of the check my water broke, so the contractions came closer and stronger. I sat on the birthing ball for a little while longer, then went back to the bed around 2:30. They had me lay down and put towels under my pelvis because my uterus is tilted and they thought it would help the baby come over the lip easier. I had a few really strong contractions and started to feel a lot of pressure and wanted to push...Cathy checked me and said that I was almost there, but I couldn't push yet. Well, I had a REALLY hard, long contraction in this awkward position and I knew he was coming. I told them he was coming and they started pulling the towels out from under me and telling Jeremy to lift me up, all while I was needing to push, lol. They didn't think he would come so fast! I could feel him coming down and pushed, then pushed again, they told me to push again, HARD. I pushed with my entire body, heart and soul. Literally. He finally came out and they gave him to me and put warm towels over us. I found out that this little baby boy of mine had come out with his hand by his face...so I pushed his head and an arm out at the same time (and even now, over a week later, he likes his hands by his face), which is why I had to push so hard! As soon as I saw him, though, I just felt all of this love and everything else sort of faded away. My Mom was the first to ask "what is it???!!" I looked under the towels and told everyone that it's a boy!! :,) One of the reasons I was so anxious to have this little one was to see if we were having a boy or girl, I really would have been happy either way, and I was so happy to see that we have three boys!
About two hours before he was born. :)
About 15-20 minutes before he was born. :)
My Mom timing contractions. :)
Holding my sweet boy for the first time. :)
I think he looks just like Beckham in this picture. :)
Getting measured! :)
Jeremy weighing Benson. :)
Daddy holding Benson for the first time. :)
Grandma Brown holding Benson for the first time. :)
Grandpa Brown holding Benson for the first time. :)
He had aspirated some amniotic fluid and was having trouble breathing, similar to Beckham's birth, actually. His lungs were wet, and from what I understand his left lung hadn't inflated yet or something? Anyway, Cathy told me to try to get him latched on because the colostrum is pretty much the best thing to clear it out but he just couldn't breathe well enough. She got an oxygen mask and he took a few breaths of that, but the mask was a little too big for his face. We kept rubbing him and sucking out his nose and mouth. Cathy suggested that we give him a blessing, so Jeremy and my Dad got some oil and blessed him. Right after, Cathy took him and used her own breath to force air into his lungs and a few minutes later he was doing much better. :) He latched on and was gulping that colostrum like a champ! I held and nursed him until the umbilical cord stopped pulsing, about an hour, then Jeremy put the clip on and cut the cord. I'm really grateful that he was still attached to the pulsing cord because he was still getting oxygen and blood while we got him breathing better, it was the same for Beckham. While I got a couple stitches, Jeremy and Seasons weighed, measured and checked Benson over. This little dude hardly even cried when he got the vitamin K shot! Seasons showed me the placenta and the "tree of life," which are the veins that run through the placenta and actually resemble a tree, it's pretty amazing. As soon as I was finished, Cathy and Seasons cleaned up while Jeremy helped me get to the shower and get dressed and back in bed. By this time it was around 5 AM, Cathy tucked me into bed and her and Seasons gave me hugs and last instructions. My parents headed to bed and Jeremy and I finally fell asleep around 6 AM. :)
Jeremy and I with Cathy (left) and Seasons (right). :) These ladies are amazing.
Just before we finally went to sleep that morning. :)
After things settled down and I was holding my sweet boy I remembered the subchorionic hemorrhage at the beginning of my pregnancy, when I thought I had miscarried again, it was over Labor Day, so I laid in bed for two days wondering if my baby was still there...and cried and cried. We were praying and hoping it was Heavenly Father's will that this little one come to our family, and when we finally got an ultrasound and saw our little one there, moving and his heart beating I just cried. We were so grateful. At 17 weeks we got another ultrasound and we were so grateful to see that it had cleared itself up. These were miracles in our lives and as I sat holding my baby boy in my arms I couldn't stop crying because I was so grateful he was here. I am so grateful to Heavenly Father for His guidance and love and patience, for the Savior who is the only true source of peace in this life, and for the Spirit that gives so much comfort and helps us to know His will.
Cathy and Seasons came back Tuesday morning to do a 24-hour check on Benson and I. He did so good and didn't even cry during the PKU test (even after getting poked twice), and he passed his hearing test. They stayed for about an hour and a half and we just talked about anything and everything. We will go to Cathy's house for a two week postpartum visit next week. :) It is amazing to me the difference in relationships between a doctor and a midwife...I mentioned this in my post about Beckham's birth too. Cathy and Seasons just get it. They understand and KNOW how important bonding is after a baby is born. Cathy was telling me the best place for a newborn to be is with it's Mom, she described how as soon as Mom's see their babies, they hold and touch them, they trace their face and nurse them...and that even in my situation with Benson having trouble breathing she knew that the best place for him to be was in my arms, it's the best way to stabilize them. I love that they use their intuition and also want me to use mine. Over the past nine months, and really over the past three years since I have had Beckham, Cathy has actually tried to get to know me and our family. At our appointments they ask about my kids and our life and what is going on, they ask about my feelings about certain things and we just talk for a whole hour. Anyway, I am so grateful for these two ladies, their experience and knowledge. They are amazing and I will miss our monthly visits until our next little one decides to come along. :) I am grateful that we were led to Cathy, and that Heavenly Father helped us to have the faith and guidance we needed.
congrats! your boys are all adorable! your birth story makes me want to try a midwife/home birth. I don't know why it seems so scary/intimidating ha. you make it seem so soothing, peaceful and just right (if that makes sense ha). anyways congrats!!
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