Jonah's Birth Story

Me in triage...so uncomfortable. So here's the way it all went two weeks and two days ago. I hadn't had much luck with the stripping of the membranes thing. My midwife had done it three times without any results.
I went in on Monday, five days overdue and was scheduled for some further ultrasounds on Wednesday and and induction on Friday. I was getting worried about how big the baby would be because Aaron was 9lbs 6oz and was five days overdue. My midwife said she didn't think he was that big, but maybe closer to 9lbs. Okay then. I was dilated to a five and not really contracting that I could tell.
Wednesday morning at 12:40am I was rolling over in bed, you know one of those three point turn kind of roll overs and !POP! there goes my water. I immediately turned to Travis as I ran to the bathroom and said, "Crap, Travis, wake up we need to go to the hospital now." (Aaron was born less than two hours after my water broke at the hospital) Then I got on the phone to the midwife and told her I'd be there in about an hour. I wasn't really in any pain...yet. I was, however "leaking" (nothing a extra grande sanitary napkin couldn't handle, right? WRONG). Got dressed, packed up the car, informed the in-laws we were on our way to the hospital, and headed out, the kids still safely unawares in their beds.
Remember the super grande sanitary napkin, well it was no match for the contraction that hit me right as we turned into the hospital. I couldn't believe it, I had to waddle into the hospital with a soaked bum. To top it all off in triage they insisted that they had to test me to "make sure" that my water HAD broken, umm, hello do you not see the puddle I'm sitting in here. UGH! I changed into my lovely hospital garb and they did their standard 20 minute monitoring...by this time my contractions were starting to get quite painful. I HATE laboring lying down and hooked up to stuff, my worst nightmare actually. The testing and monitoring were finished and it was determined that little Jonah had had a bowel movement in utero, so the NICU would have to check him out after his delivery.

Jonah one hour after being born: my little smurf boy.I'm finally moved into my laboring room after which seems like forever, but in all truth was only about forty five minutes. It was almost three in the morning. My midwife, Margot, said it was okay for me to get into the bathtub even though my water had broken...this was a first for me...laboring in water. I was grateful to get into the warm water and stayed there until a little after four in the morning when I felt the baby move down after a truly painful contraction. Yes, I really felt him twist and move down, it was crazy. I told Travis to help me out of the tub and the midwife came in to check on me. I was dilated to a nine or more. Almost ready to deliver, but wait, I'm still not 100% effaced, only 90%. Midwife asks me if during the next extremely excruciating contraction I can push down while she moves my cervix out of the way, umm, yeah, sure, okay. Never want to do that again. Now I can begin to push the babe out. Thank you! Two more extremely excruciating, mind numbingly, painful contractions during which I can clearly remember telling the all those within earshot that I couldn't possibly do this anymore and Jonah entered this world into his father's waiting hands. This is the first baby that Travis actually caught. Thank goodness for the extra midwife in training, Brenda, that was helping me get through the transition while Travis helped our little one come into this world on his end. Jonah Benjamin was born at 4:49am Wednesday morning.
My fourth in four hours from beginning to end. I couldn't have hoped for a better labor. However, I have imprinted that delivery in my mind because I never want to do it again. I don't know how we forget about how bad it is,(I actually felt myself tear this time, crazy) I'm determined not to let the memory diminish this time. Yeah right! In a couple of years I'll probably see new babes and ooh and aww over them, but I AM DONE, okay, OKAY!
So now you know the gory details, I left out the bits about how they were teasing me about gushing amniotic fluid all over the floor and how Travis was christened with said fluid while he waited with hands outstretched for baby. Oh, well I guess NOW you have all the gory details.

Jonah, two weeks old: so darn cute.

Hugs.
Have a great day.