Josiah's Birth

On Sunday we ended up going back to the hospital at around 7ish... I was contracting every five minutes and the pain in my back was horrible... I thought that for sure this was finally it. So we trucked it back to the hospital.. this time with pillows and bags in hand.

When I got there I was not any more dilated... Disappointing... but they saw my contracting uterus on the monitor and decided it was worth a stay overnight... Pete and I walked the hallways for a little while and then got in the tub for a bit... At somewhere around ten or so they decided to give me some Nubain so I could get some sleep... Bad idea! The only thing that that accomplished was getting me into some kind of drunken state where I dreamed that I could fit two big marshmallows in a spice container... I heard our dog barking in the hospital and I asked Pete if he saw the fire too??

By Monday morning the contractions had spaced out so far that they decided I would probably go home... My midwife came in and gave me two options.... Strip my membranes and send me home... or don't strip my membranes and send me home... I figured well... stripping them didn't work with Emma... Oh well... So I said well go ahead and strip them and I will go home... After she did that painful act she proceeded to tell us that we could try other things to stimulate labor... A spicy meal.... Castor Oil.... Nipple Stimulation... Or Sex... I looked at her funny... Sex???
Yeah right!!

So we went on our way... stopped at the CVS for some Castor Oil and then went home to nap... Before hand we decided to try on of those "natural" inductions *wink*... After an hour nap I woke with the strongest contractions I had had yet... I was writhing in the bed... This was at about 11am... So after this went on for about two hours... I had tried a shower... eating... and walking around... nothing made them go away... my distraught husband (can't stand to see me in pain...) asked me to call...

We finally got to the hospital at about 2 or 3 that afternoon and the midwife checked me... She said Wow!! When you left this morning you were 2 cm... Now you are 3-4! And about two hours after that the nurse checked me again and I was 5 cm!! I was so excited now... I thought I am going to do this tonight!! But there was still this niggling thought in my brain that it would all stop and I would have to go home again...

At some point after finding out I was 5cm the nurse offered me the options of pain meds... I could have an injection (all of which make me act like a stark raving mad lunatic) or I could have an epidural... I just looked at her and said... but I am comfortable right now! I am dealing with each contraction as it comes and doing well! In fact I had been a high source of entertainment for the nurses thus far with my humor between the contractions...

As the night wore on it got closer to 9pm and my contractions had spaced out to about 10 minutes apart unless I stayed up and moving... So then the midwife came in and broke my water... Wow!! That sped things up like you wouldn't believe... After waiting about ten minutes the contractions came on quick and hard... I continued to manage well with the contractions... I used various positions... All fours.. standing leaning over the bed... The toilet... and leaning over the head of the bed with it all the way up in a 90 degree angle... The pain that I felt the most was at a point right about the center of my pubic bone... The pain was HORRIBLE... That was where I felt everything and it was very intense...

I am not sure of the time but probably close to 11:30 or so I started to go into transition... May I just say that is hell on earth with no meds??? I had waited too long... It appeared I had missed my window of opportunity for meds... I had managed so well so long that when I really needed the pain relief it was too late to get it... I struggled along... Screaming for meds... desperately trying to keep my bottom and legs relaxed and trying to find the strength to get through each contraction...

At around 11:45pm the midwife told me I had a small anterior lip on my cervix and that I could try to push around it... I tried a few times but it was half hearted and the pain continued to intensify at my pubic bone... at around 11:47 (or so I am told) I finally hit 10 cm and the midwife told me that the baby would be out in 1-3 contractions... I said good I can't take this much longer!! But the funny thing is that for that first contraction I refused to push cause I was too darn tired!! So for those last two contractions the urge to push totally overwhelmed me and I could not hold back... Strange moaning sounds emitted forth from my mouth and pushed like I had never pushed before... Strangely I never really felt that intense rectal pressure but the pubic pain worsened and I got the "ring of fire" that actually only lasted seconds...

A couple pushes later and his head was out... I could feel the relief and was waiting for that squishy feeling that you feel when the rest of the body comes out... But I didn't feel it... The midwife looked at me and said Bekah NOW would be a good time for a BIG push... I did so and nothing... Then she looked at the nurse and told her to call the other nurse and to push above my pubic bone... At this point... due to my experience as a nurse in labor and delivery I knew that the baby had shoulder dystocia... a condition where the second shoulder gets stuck above the pubic bone... after some weird manuevers with my legs and what Pete describes as "almost breaking the baby in half" he finally gave way... I still didn't know he was out though till a nurse said Bekah open your eyes you have a baby!! All this happened in a matter of 4 minutes... I pushed for about 4 minutes!!! Such a nice break after the two and half hours with Emma!

I looked down and saw him.. He was beautiful... I kept asking if he was a boy... They said yes... I noticed he wasn't really breathing but he eventually did... The midwife and nurses commented on how big he looked... But since I am used to a toddler he looked little to me!!

A few minutes later after Pete cut the cord and the baby had laid with me a little bit they took him to get weighed... They kept saying how big he looked and how he looked like a football player.... When they weighed him the nurse laughed and said Whoa!! He is 9lbs 12oz!! I was SHOCKED to say the least.. How could little ole me create an almost 10lb baby!!!

So his face was bruised a little but other then that he faired his difficult delivery well... Mom is fairing pretty well... A little sore and bruised herself but good none the less!!

I am very satisified with the way the delivery went... I loved the nurse I had at the time of delivery... She was awesome!!! She stayed in the room from the time they broke my water till the baby was born... She suggested all kinds of positions and really kept encouraging me and reminding me that it was almost over!! I loved her to death...and she is going to get a thank you card from us for sure!

I also wanted to add that even though we had that scare with the cyst in his brain Josiah came out perfectly healthy and formed... I thank God for that.

Also one other note about his name...

We chose the name Josiah before we ever found out if he was a boy or that there was a possible problem... Since then we found out that one of the meanings of Josiah is "Jehovah Heals" How true is it that his name fits the surroundings of his making and birth... We love Josiah and are very glad that God blessed us with his presence.