Felix's birth story

Jan 3 at 3:00 in the morning I got up to go to the bathroom and realized I had been dreaming about talking to Amanda Dettbarn about labor and contractions.  After coming back to the room I realized I was actually having contractions and they were pretty intense.  I looked at the time and figured I should try to get some more sleep but I couldn't even sit down or lie down without a contraction.  I walked around a little and started counting during contractions and recording spacing.  I was only having 15 to 20 second contractions but they were already 5 or less minutes apart.  After an hour I woke Bryce up.  I had him move link to his own bed and get the bedroom ready for labor.  I called Karin and let her know what was going on.  She started coming over right away.  

I put on my diffuser and pandora station and tried to relax by kneeling in front of the birthing ball and swaying my hips during contractions and walking around and squatting.  Two great songs came on pandora during this time.  Brett Deneen's "blessed" whose chorus goes "blessed is this life, I'm going to celebrate being alive" and Regina Spektor's song "folding chair" which has this great line "I've got a perfect body, though sometimes I forget.  I've got a perfect body cause my eyelashes catch my sweat."

Contractions kept getting stronger so before Karin got here I called Brenda and Sadie.  Karin soon arrived and did a stop watch count of my contractions.  She said I was right about timing and we needed to intensify the length of contraction.  I suggested getting in the tub.  I did and it wasn't long before I was having minute long contractions and my counting turned into low moans.  I was already in the next stage of labor and here I had planned all these things to do in the first stage because of the length of my first birth.  I no longer had a sense of time but it was probably around 5 pm.  

I laid on my side in the tub with Karin putting pressure on my back and Bryce assisting.  Sadie soon arrived and did the same. She also helped loosen up my legs and butt which I kept clenching during contractions.  Sadie also moaned with me nice and low to match pitch and keep my voice low.  I kept saying things like I want a break and I want to be done and Karin knew I was thinking of Link's birth and how long it was and kept reminding me this was a different birth.  

Link woke up around 6:00.  Bryce called Trish and Richard and they came to pick Link up, but for 45 min or so Bryce was downstairs with Link while they waited.  When he was back up in the bathroom I started pushing.  I pushed and felt my water bag pop open.  I pushed and felt the baby's head enter the birth canal and I remember saying "wow that's big."  I loved that no one told me to push this time, I just felt it.  In my last birth I was pretty numb by this point so I don't remember feeling anything like that.  What i do remember from both births is my legs uncotrollably shaking at this point.  I loved that in between pushes it suddenly felt like I was getting a break.  Maybe only 30 sec to outside observers but it felt long to me.

I had already been able to feel the hair on the baby's head when Brenda got there.  Karin had been trying to get me on hands and knees and I didn't want to, but when Brenda got there she told me I need to get on hands and knees or out of the tub because the water couldn't go high enough and the baby wouldn't be able to figure out what to breath if born right on the surface.  In between a push they put me on the birthing stool.  One push after that but all of the sudden there was a giant splash and Brenda had the baby in her arms, handing him to me.

It was awesome.

Bryce, Felix and I were put in bed for a while to cuddle.  I birthed the placenta and then tried to release my bladder.  I had been having trouble all during he birth to release and actually for the past couple days so I knew one thing that worked, which was laying on my belly in the tub.  So I did that while Bryce and Felix hung out and then Sadie came in and washed me all up.

Felix was born at 7:28 am.  I couldn't believe how short it was.  Sadie made me eggs and we got some after ease tincture and sitz bath going.  We checked out the placenta.  Felix got his measurements.  He got a 10 on his apgar.  Karin asked me if I thought he was smaller or larger than Link and I thought smaller, but boy was I wrong.  His head was the same 15 inches, his length was one inch longer than at 22 inches and his weight was a whopping 11 lbs and 6 oz.  

He is such a strong boy and nursed right away.  There were no complications and I am feeling great.  I have the normal swollen bum which is keeping me in bed but once again I had no stitches, no real tearing.  Felix is doing amazing with diapers and sleeping and everything.  We are so happy.

Link was brought back to the house at around 12.  Trish said she had told him two different times that Felix was born and he didn't say anything but when he walked in the house he shouted "I love my baby brother."  He came right upstairs and saw Felix sleeping on my chest.  He gave him a hug and a kiss and looked at him a while.  Then he wanted attention and was super rambunctious.  Richard went to the store and got us some food and supplies and Trish held Felix while we did some upkeep.  After they left Link and Bryce played while Felix and I slept.  Grandma Rose got link that night and he is there all weekend.