Party of Five

To say that this labor was the longest would be an understatement. Beginning on Tuesday with my membrane sweep I started having some lovely contractions. They were steady, intense, and gradually increasing. And then all of a sudden they stop....

This happened every day.... for a week.

And every day my spirits fell a little more, until I no longer believed this baby was going to come out on his own.

On Monday March 19th, I was scheduled to go in for fetal testing since I was over the 41 week mark. I woke at around 2 am with more contractions which I didn't pay much mind to since they were just the same as the rest of the week. By 7 am the contractions weren't slowing, and they were much more intense so we decided to just go in. At this point I figured if nothing happened they would just rip the baby out and I was at my wits end.

When they did the initial check I was at 4 cm so they admitted me right away. I cannot tell you how happy I was at this point. Not only was I 4 cm, but my amazing midwife was also in which meant that she would be there with me.

Now, let's remember that I got to the hospital at about 9 am and was at 4 cm. After hours of laboring when I was checked again, I was still at 4cm. I started having flash backs of my labor with Harper where I labored for hours and hours and never made it past 4 cm. 20 hours later he's born. So, naturally I became super frustrated and wanted to give up right then and there. Luckily I have a great support team, and they rooted me on.

But then, hours later, around 4 pm, I'm checked again.... still 4cm. So, at this point my midwife says, how are you feeling? Do you want to talk options? Yes. Yes I do. We decide to go with the epidural.

Now, initially I wanted to do a completely natural birth again, like I had with Gideon. But, for whatever reason, my labors haven't gotten easier, they've become more difficult. So, I came to terms with it pretty quick and accepted the drugs.

I am actually so glad I did. I was able to sleep for an hour, and within that time went from 4 cm, to ready to push out a baby! And you know what, I was actually able to enjoy it. I wasn't too tired, I was happy, and relaxed. It turned out to be a wonderful birth experience.

I pushed out that beautiful baby, sunny-side up, they say, and it was finally over. My last baby. No tearing, no c-section. Just a healthy baby boy.

The End

Tried to keep it short and sweet.... We'll talk more about the dirty details later... 😉

41

Ever wonder what it's like being 41 weeks pregnant?

It's awesome! What makes it especially awesome is having contractions for days with no end in sight.

When you have your membranes swept and it sends your body into "labor" mode for a few hours and then suddenly stops, that's cool.

Then the next night, same thing happens. Oh wait, except these contractions are much longer and more intense before they suddenly stop.

I haven't slept for about 4 days now....

I've lost all hope. This baby is never going to come out. He's just going to live in my uterus for the rest of my life.

The Unexpected Truth About Parenting

One day when your child turns about 2 years old, something miraculous happens.

That child recognizes their own ability to assert their wants and needs. It's a beautiful chaotic beginning to a long difficult life for child and parent.

The child has a new super power that enables them to be the parent's worse nightmare and greatest accomplishment all at the same time.

But this is not the most miraculous part of the process. Unbeknownst to them, the parent will awake one day with the ability to speak a different language. While this seems like a gift, the parent has no control when they will speak the new language. This is a language which is not understandable by the toddler, and will even at times make the parent say something that clearly means the opposite of what they actually mean.

Example:

Parent: Harper please pick up that toy you threw across the room.

Child: NOOOOO!!!!!!!!! (picks up another toy and chucks it at parent)

Parent: You need to pick that up right now, and say sorry to Mommy.

Child: NOOOOO!!!! I go play in my room.

Parent: If you walk away you are going to have time out.

Child: (walks away)

You can envision the rest of the scenario......

God help us.

Like a Big Rubber Ball

I have entered the round stage of pregnancy.

My face is round.
My body is round.
My fingers are round.
My ankles and feet get round when I sit for too long.

In order to get out of bed I have to roll my body.
There is no upside to this stage other than the signal that things are coming to an end.