This was the first time I wrote about a pregnancy each week. I wrote my first post when I was 8 weeks pregnant and after reading it just now I was again reminded of just how awesome God is. We truly feel blessed.
Two weeks ago today I gave birth to our fifth child. She wasn’t officially due until April 19th, but was born on the 7th. However, God’s timing was perfect.
My husband works an hour away and three of our children attend public school. My parents live nearby, but my dad had been out of town earlier in the week and my mom works full-time. I had been concerned about the logistics and timing of Janna’s birth, but had tried to put it into God’s hands and not worry.
Two days prior to Janna’s birth I started having some crampy Braxton-Hicks contractions. They continued off and on during that day and the next. I was starting to feel like there was really no way I could last another two weeks until my due date.
The day before Janna was born I took my children outside to enjoy a beautiful afternoon and I started walking. I walked all over our yard and made sure I walked the hilly areas, too. I had decided that it couldn’t hurt to walk and that if it stimulated labor that would be great. If not, I was going to get some good exercise.
The evening was pretty normal yet I went to bed thinking that I might awaken in labor sometime in the night. At 1:15 a.m. on April 7th I woke up to go to the bathroom. I started having contractions that were 5 minutes apart. These were different from the Braxton-Hicks in that they were more painful and regular. I was feeling a lot of low pressure so I decided to walk around the house to see if the contractions were going to stay regular.
They were still five minutes apart around 2:00 a.m. so I called my parents. I told my husband that I was pretty sure I was going to have the baby that day and that my parents were on their way. I told him that my mom would take me to the hospital and that I would let him know how things were progressing. However, I needed him to stay home to get the older three kids ready for school and pack their lunches. Plus, I knew that my three year old would be upset when he found out I wasn’t home and that having my husband home might help his day go a little better.
My mom and I set off for the hospital but I really didn’t have any contractions on the drive. I started to think that maybe I had been wrong and that I wasn’t really in labor. We got to the labor and delivery unit around 3:00 a.m. A nurse checked me and said that I was only 3 cm. I had been 2 cm two days earlier when my midwife checked me at my appointment.
They decided to keep me and went through the check-in process. I didn’t have any contractions the whole time I was sitting in the bed. I knew that I needed to have 2 rounds of antibiotics 4 hours apart before giving birth due to testing positive for Group B Strep. However, they wouldn’t start that until I was 4 cm or my water had broken. I prayed that the timing would work out because I do not like to stay in the hospital for long.
They let me get up and walk around and the contractions started again. Yet, the contractions weren’t regular. My mom and I kept commenting how much different this labor was than my previous labors. At some point the nurse checked me again and I was finally at 4 cm even though I wasn’t having regular contractions.
They started the IV antibiotics and the contractions stopped again because I had been sitting in the bed. We started walking and the contractions started again. I decided that I wasn’t going to get back into that hospital bed unless it was time to have the baby or they felt it necessary to check me again.
I talked with my children on the telephone around 6:40 a.m. My husband said he and my dad had things under control, but I still tried to give him instructions. 🙂
During the time I had been at the hospital I was dilating and able to manage my contractions quite easily. I had never had pain medicine during a labor and wasn’t about to start now even if the contractions became unbearable.
My mom and I were still wondering if my uterus was actually going to be able to push the baby out. This was my 9th pregnancy and 5th live birth. You would think the baby would have just walked right out. 🙂
The nurses told me I needed to stay in the room and be monitored for awhile, so I sat in a rocker. Thankfully, the contractions didn’t stop, but I knew that standing would be better. However, the monitors wouldn’t work properly if I was standing. (This picture was taken less than 3 hours before Janna was born and I was still feeling really good.)
My husband took my dad and Joseph to my parents’ house and came to the hospital sometime after 8:00 a.m. I had thought I would be alright if he couldn’t come to the birth, but I really did want him there. My mom is a wonderful support during labor, but the relief I felt when my husband walked through that door almost made me cry.
I honestly am having trouble remembering if my midwife broke my water before or after my husband arrived. Regardless, at some point she arrived and decided to break my water to see what happened. I am pretty sure I was at least 6 cm when she did this. There wasn’t much fluid that came out because Janna’s head was so low.
After my husband arrived the contractions started getting more intense and regular. I decided to stand and the nurse gave me a button to push each time a contraction started and stopped so they could see on the monitor how frequently they were happening. I was still able to manage the pain and breathed through each contraction with my eyes closed.
By 9:30 a.m. I was in the bed. I knew that Janna would be born soon and that I would surely feel the urge to push before long.
They decided to give me a little bit of Pitocin to help me continue having contractions. I think my midwife was as unsure as we were of whether my uterus was actually going to get to 10 cm and push the baby out. I had sworn I wouldn’t have Pitocin again after being induced with Joshua. However, I consented in order to keep things from stalling.
My mom was by my side the whole time and kept comforting me. My husband took some pictures and coached from the site of the action. 🙂 I think I started pushing around 9:40 or 9:45 a.m.
It felt like I pushed forever and that the contractions were 15 minutes apart. That is what it felt like. In reality, my husband told me there were only a few minutes between contractions and that I only pushed for about 20 minutes.
I am a noisy pusher even though I know that isn’t supposed to be effective. I tried really hard to be quiet and focus on pushing. However, I couldn’t hold back any longer. Once I hit that point I knew Janna was going to come. I am not 100% sure what all I said, but I know that Janna came out. I think I got her head and whole body out in one pushing session.
The cord was wrapped around Janna’s neck one time but it was loose. My midwife was able to let Janna’s body pass through the cord instead of slipping it off of her neck first.
As soon as Janna was born I felt so much better. Getting through a few minutes of pain was so worth it when they placed Janna on my chest.
Janna Caroline was born at 10:02 a.m. after 8 hours and 43 minutes of labor. She weighed 6 lbs. 10 oz. making her the smallest of all of my children. She was 21 1/4 in. long which made her the longest of all of my children.
My husband thinks that Janna was born with her eyes open or at least opened them immediately afterwards. She was awake and alert for an hour after being born and latched on right away when I tried to nurse her. The nurses took her after that to do some more checking and give her a bath.
My husband then left to get Joseph and my dad. Joseph wasn’t too sure about the baby, but was relieved to see me. A few hours later my husband picked up my older three children from school and brought them to the hospital. It was wonderful to have all five of my children with me. Anyone that wonders how a mother can love five children has obviously never had five children. Each of my children is unique and special and totally deserving of my love.
Janna and I got to go home when she was 25 hours old. That was plenty of time for me to be in the hospital. We feel so blessed to have been able to have another healthy baby. Janna has been a true joy and we are all in love with her.
I thank God for giving us this gift. My heart had longed for another baby girl, but I didn’t dare ask God to bless us in this way. Yet, He knew the desires of my heart and chose to grant us this precious child.
