The Birth

January 20th 2010

9:00

Jenn- "I think I feel something...?"
Jon- "You just want a foot massage."
Jenn- Probably.


11:00

Jenn- "No that was really SOMETHING I think..."
Jon- "Maybe you should just go to bed and see if it stops?"
Jenn- "You just want to play xbox"
Jon- "Probably."

January 21 2010


1:00

Jenn (to self...) "I am not in labor...I am not in labor...I am not in labor...."

2:45

Jenn (to self...) "I am not in labor...I am not in labor...OH crap...I think I am in labor!"

Jon gets up.

Jenn- "I think I should call the midwives..."
Jon- "You're sure?"
Jenn- "no."

3:15

Jenn (to midwife)- "I might be in labor".
Midwife- "Hi Jenn...give me a second to wake up okay"?
Jenn (to self)- "right...it's 3 am...I BETTER be in labor..."
Midwife- "okay, can you tell me what you are feeling?"
Jenn- "I just feel strange and a bit crampy and...I don't know really..."
Midwife- "Okay do you want me to come over and check you"

Suddenly the "funny cramping" gets to be really painful and regular cramping...

Jenn- "No, I think we will just meet you at the hospital if you don't mind...I have a feeling this is it".
Midwife-"Are they regular, like you could time them?"
Jenn- (looking at the $4.99 IPHONE application we were really happy we sprung for that times duration and length between contractions) "um sort of they are..."
Midwife- "and you can talk through them?"
Jenn- (wondering if she is going to believe me)- "ya I have had a few now".
midwife- "okay I will meet you at the hospital in an hour- are you sure you don't want a homebirth"? (We had planned on a homebirth tentitivly...I always said I would decide when I was in labor what I wanted to do...my homebirth kit was next to my hospital bag and the day before we had discussed a possible cord prolapse risk becuase my pelvis was large enough for the baby's head to move around in...that made us lean towards hospital over home).
Jenn- "I am not really sure of anything right now..."

Jon called his mom to come over and I still had contractions..however irregular and not very painfully. Since I had never gone into labor on my own before I didn't know what my body's contractions felt like...but I had "a feeling"...

3:45

Jon's mom arrives

4:00

Arrive at the hospital

4:15 find our way to L&D to meet midwives.

I have not had another contraction since I left our driveway.
I have been swearing in my head for most of the ride the hospital. I am hoping that my husband, two midwives and Mother in law can find humor in this early morning trial run.

4:17

Admitting nurse looks at me suspiciously while I try to tell her I am in labor. My midwife comes over and says they have a room ready for me...nurse says maybe I should be in triage first...I realize I seem a little too pleasant for a room. I grimace in attempted labor fashion.

4:30

Both Midwives are looking at me sympathetically now...

Midwife- "Well, lets check you and see if maybe you don't need another day or so"...

This is how they let you down gently...while they curse the most awful hour of the day to be awake.

Midwife- "It's okay Jenn, sometimes it is hard to tell the difference between- Oh! I would say you are about 6 centimeters dilated actually. You ARE in labor"!

They looked at each other out of the corner of their eyes...I wondered who won the bet.

4:45

We get into the room and they prepare to break my water. It took 3 tries because apparently I have "thick" membranes...which is potentially why contractions weren't picking up, his head wouldn't engage until my water was broken.

4:46

AHHHHHH... Labor starts.

4:47-6:30

Contaction...contraction...contraction...breath breath breath...a few games of interrupted IPHONE boggle...

Heart rate drops very low during a check...I had to lay very uncomfortably on my side until it came up. It did.

6:30

Jenn- (maybe to herself, maybe out loud???) "HOLLY CRAP!!! PLEASE JUST GET ME CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE WINDOW THAT I CAN PROPEL MYSELF OUT OF IT!!!

6:40

Jenn- "I am pushing"!
Midwife (student)- "Just breath through a few, your not 10 centimeters yet".
Primary midwife (The most relaxed person ever...) "It's okay...she can push if she wants to, no birth is ever textbook...just let her listen to her body...it says push, she can push...
Jenn's body- "PUSH"
"PUSH"
"PUSH"

Jenn's mouth- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!(I really did completely scream my head off...)

6:54

Gabriel- WAAAAAAA!

And there he was.

Jenn- "He's so perfect, and beautiful and...he doesn't really look like a Gabriel..."
Jon- "No he doesn't"...

Jacob- "waaaaaaa- suck suck suck..." (I believe that was representative of his name approval.

7:00

Midwife- "he was born sunny side up- that was a surprise- usually labor is not that quick, it also explains the heart rate dropping- it is hard to come out in that position (she was telling me???). Despite the bruising on his face he is still the most beautiful baby I have ever seen or delivered in my 12 years experiance (She said this. I swear...).

9:00

On our way home! (The addmitting nurse did raise her eyebows as I smiled at her...carrying the carseat....guess I needed that room afterall...)

Whew.