A Birth Story

Caedon is 1 week old today, and we are slowly adapting to life with two children. Thank God, Danae has been the best, most helpful big sister...much better than we could have imagined.

So, how did our new little (well, big) boy come into the world? Here's the skinny:

I was having a few contractions last Tuesday (July 29), but nothing organized or strong. Early Wednesday morning brought somewhat stronger contractions, but once again, nothing really organized or that I couldn't handle. Danae got up way too early, so she climbed into bed with me and we slept until almost 9am. (How nice that was!) :o) Contractions had pretty much ceased at that point. Wednesday afternoon brought some more mild contractions, so toward the later afternoon I decided to get some of our mowing done (don't worry...I do the riding mower) in an effort to get some more contractions going. Well, by the time I was done Hubby arrived home from work, and contractions were stronger. He finished the mowing while I got dinner ready and showered. We started timing the contractions around 6pm that evening, and they were consistently 2-4 minutes apart and strong (as in, I couldn't talk during them). We called Birth Care after about an hour or two of timing, and the midwife (MaryBeth) said to come in. We arrived there around 9pm, and I was 6 centimeters dilated and about 80% effaced. I labored in the jacuzzi (awesome!) and in the bed. (Obviously, the pain grew stronger as my body dilated, and the pain...well, let me just say thank GOD for the Bradley Method and my husband, because if we didn't know proper relaxation techniques, deep breathing, and his coaching skills, then I wouldn't have made it through.) Around 11:45pm, I felt some pressure, as if I wanted to push. I was 9 centimeters, but my water had not broken. MaryBeth broke my water, and within seconds the urge to push was HUGE! After 4 pushes and 16 minutes, Caedon was born.

Our experience at Birth Care and with MaryBeth was absolutely wonderful. All of my nervousness about pain tolerance, length of labor, etc. was all for nothing, because God truly worked all of it out PERFECTLY! We had a big, healthy boy after a relatively short labor/birth, I didn't tear AT ALL (which completely shocked me), Caedon latched on at the first try of nursing (and seems to not want to stop eating) :o), I'm recovering quickly and feeling relatively good, and things are going as well as can be expected at home. What more could I ask for?

Seriously, thank you SO MUCH for your thoughts and prayers, and thanks to all of you who have sent/given gifts, cards, meals, visits, and phone calls. It's such a blessing to be surrounded by people who love and care like you do. And a BIG thank you needs to be sent out to my Mom, who stayed with us for a few days. We realized afterward that her help with the house/laundry, Danae, and the baby allowed us to get the post-birth rest we needed while not having to ship our daughter out the door (which is what we wanted to avoid). So, while she will probably want to kill me for posting a picture of her, here's to you, Nana! :o)