Our sweet boy Hunter Dawson made his grand appearance on May 11th. The last few weeks of pregnancy were exhausting and painful (found out the kidney issue was really big stones. So lame because I don't drink soda or consume any of the things that usually make you susceptible to stones) yet so special with my Ryan. That sweet little dude and I finally got into a comfy spot together where our days were fun and fulfilling, and now we're working to find our new rhythm again.
It's all worth it though because having this new little babe in the house is a dream!
Hunter's story is so different from Ryan's. I birthed Ryan at home with 0 interventions or medication. I would never discourage a mama with a low risk pregnancy from giving home birth a shot, it has amazing benefits and was an experience I wouldn't trade. It's something I'd like to do again some day. However, the more I reflect on it the more I've come to terms with the fact that my particular birth was somewhat traumatic, so when I found out I was pregnant so soon after I knew right away I wasn't ready for another home birth. I found a CNM that delivered in hospital and was highly recommended, and told myself that I was A-OK with getting an epidural this time. I had WAY more interventions this time, and that was ok too. There was so much less pressure and this birth was so so so amazing.
I had my last prenatal appointment in the morning on the 10th. I was 37 weeks 5 days and my midwife Diana offered to strip my membranes. Usually she doesn't do this until 38 weeks at the earliest, but she made an exception because I had been in so much pain from the kidney stones. Again, so many more interventions! I never would have even considered this the first time around because I know the risks, but I felt so at peace with every decision that we made throughout the whole experience. I was dilated to a 3 and she told me if it was going to work, I would be in labor in 12-24 hours.
I went home and had a moment of "holy crap, I might have a baby today!!" My to do list was still a mile long and I felt panicked and totally not prepared. Up until then I had been thinking I'd still have at least a week or two before delivery. I put Ryan down for his nap and went to town cleaning, pre registering at the hospital, and calling my mom and Jake's mom to let them know that they were officially on call.
I was cramping for a couple of hours but not having any real contractions. When Ryan woke up I put him in the stroller and we headed out to walk to the park. That kickstarted some good contractions so we took the long way home and I started timing them. They were close together, but only lasting about 30 seconds and weren't very strong. They continued that way until Jake got home. At that point I was convinced I was NOT in labor and that these contractions were nothing. Ha. :) I got kind of grumpy and told Jake to STOP asking me if I was still having contractions. Pretty funny looking back...I think I was just afraid to get my hopes up. By around 10pm they were picking up and I was having to stop what I was doing and focus through them. Jake kept saying we should call the midwife (just like when I had Ryan) and I kept saying it was too soon. Finally around 10:30 he called Diana to say I was having contractions that were 3-5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute, strong enough that I had to breathe through them, and that it would be about an hour until we could leave (we had to wait for Heather to get here to stay with Ryan). She basically said "um, hurry" because we had waited too long and she was nervous I wouldn't make it. He hung up and immediately got his mom to head over. We gave her some quick instructions, snuck in to kiss Ryan, and headed out.
I only had two contractions the whole 25 minute drive to the hospital, so by the time we got there I was feeling super frustrated and confused. It was like my body suddenly got stage fright and stopped progressing. I was determined to not get sent home, so we walked around the hospital parking lot for a whole hour. My contractions would pick up and get pretty intense, but immediately slow down when I slowed down. We found a bench and said a quick prayer that we would know what to do in order to have a healthy baby and safe mom. We both felt pretty strongly that my body was giving me a chance to rest and that we should go home and try to sleep. Soooo we drove back home, never stepping foot into the hospital.
We got home and Ryan was awake. He just wanted to party. :) we got him back down and asked Heather to stay until morning because there was still a chance for baby to come. We were pretty wired but snuggled on the bed and tried to rest. My contractions, which had been about 10-15 minutes apart and not very strong, picked up again about an hour later. It was super late at this point, and I was dozing off in between contractions. Around 2:30am I couldn't sleep anymore and I told Jake we should go back to the hospital because these weren't going away. Off we went...again. I was dilated to a 5 and they admitted us. NOW it started to feel real!
Diana came to the hospital and suggested we break my water and we agreed. As soon as there was a gush she got wide eyed and smiled and said something to the nurse super quiet. I asked what she whispered and she said "I'll tell you after you deliver!" I was basically like umm don't do that to me..spill the beans!! We finally got it out of her and she said that as soon as she broke my water the baby came down the canal and I went from being 5cm dilated to 8cm, and that she didn't want to scare me but she didn't think I was going to have time for an epidural. Woah! That definitely came as a shock and I was suddenly super nervous and didn't know what to do. I was not planning on another unmediated birth! They called the anesthesiologist to come to the hospital and we decided if I had time to get an epidural I would, but that if I didn't have time I would be ok. I was still handling the contractions really well even though they were super strong at this point, and I felt a sense of peace again. I was practically ready to push and still totally calm, completely opposite of my first birthing experience, so I knew I could handle it.
The anesthesiologist made it and I got the epidural. It was obvious he was good at what he did and it wasn't nearly as painful or scary as I thought it would be! I asked for a light dose so that I could still feel my legs and the contractions and move around, and he nailed it. It was just enough to take the edge off and I didn't feel like I lost control of my body.
After I got the epidural my contractions slowed down again so we decided to start the lowest dose of pitocin and set me up with a peanut ball. We checked me one last time (less than 10 minutes later) and I was fully dilated. It was go time!! With Ryan I pushed for 3. brutal. hours. This time, I pushed for 5 minutes. Diana came back in and we got all set up. The mood was still super light and fun, Jake and I were so excited to finally meet this baby! I did a couple "practice pushes" and that was enough for baby's head to come out. A couple more and he was placed on my chest, purple and crying. There is nothing better than that moment! It was so so special. He was a tiny little thing (compared to Ryan) and so stinking adorable. He wasn't swollen and his head was perfectly round. It was love! Jake was a total champ through the whole thing. He was so sweet and funny and kept me and all the nurses laughing the whole time. It was the most perfect birthing experience from top to bottom. I am so incredibly grateful for my awesome midwife who was 110% supportive of my wishes the whole pregnancy and birth, and for everyone who helped it go smoothly. I will never forget that day!
I spent the day at the hospital napping and soaking up Hunter's newness with Jake. Our parents came to visit and Heather brought Ryan by to meet baby brother. It was close to lunch and nap time so he was grumpy and didn't stay long. We had a photographer come and take newborn pictures, which turned out so cute! Ryan doesn't nap or go to bed easily with other people, so that night Jake went home to put him to bed and get some solid sleep himself, and I stayed at the hospital with Hunter. The next morning Jake came back and after newborn testing we got to go home. It felt so good to bust out of there and be home!
Since we've been home, Ryan has been SO sweet with Hunter! He pets and snuggles him so lovingly and even offered him his beloved binky yesterday. He's understandably been a little jealous, especially when I'm nursing Hunter, but overall he's adjusted really well so far. He just ignores him 75% of the time, which I'll take over him hating Hunter any day!
Here's to the wild days ahead!
