On the day you were born ... Part 2

We got done with our toes around 7:30 but I left my water bottle at the salon so even though were about four blocks from home we had to turn around to go retrieve it. Water has been my constant throughout pregnancy. I get sooooo thirsty but I have no complaints because staying hydrated is good for me and the baby.

Once I got home, we put the kids to bed and I picked up a few things before heading in to bed. I was feeling some contractions but nothing to exciting. However, once I laid down in bed the excitement began.

A few weeks earlier I had downloaded a contractions app to my phone. I had it on their just for fun, not really thinking that I would ever use it. But once I laid down, almost to the minute of my body hitting the bed, my contractions started. I had my phone with me so I opened the app and three contractions later I started to get up to tell Tommy they were 2 minutes apart and Pop! there went my "bag of waters." (kind of an inside joke between me and Tommy, really, why is it plural?)

Now that labor was officially on, we called in the babysitter's club. Ana was at the American Royal, as was Maria but since she was already on her way out she headed directly to our house. Since I wasn't sure I could wait we also called Lideana and had her head back to our house. Maria arrived first, then Lideana. Grandma and Papa Clark, who had started the drive earlier in the day only to turn back home, were in the car for the second time that day. Once the girls had arrived, I was ready to go. I asked Tommy to grab towel and we were out the door. Funniest thing was that during all of this Tommy had decided that he needed to change the sheets on our bed (since my water broke and all). Like that couldn't have waited 24 hours.

I definitely got the ride to the birth center I always imagined having. Every time a contraction came I felt like a river of water was coming out (TMI, sorry). I was worried that we wouldn't get there fast enough but Tommy did a great job driving and we arrived with time to spare. It was a pretty cold night and my pants were soaked, I remember wanting to get them off so badly and to just throw them away.

The midwife, Kellie, and our nurse met us at the door and took us to our delivery room (with me dripping the entire way there, I am glad this didn't happen during the day when they had other appointments going on). Asa was born at the New Birth Company, a free-standing birth center - it was an awesome experience. Once we arrived and got off those nasty pants, I sat on the birth ball and just moaned my way through the contractions. Kellie watched from the side and Doris our nurse used the doppler to check his heart beat a couple of times. 

Around midnight, Kellie told me that my moans changed to a different sound and that she thought we were close. She went to get Doris and by the time they were back, I was on the bed and ready to push. I remember trying to get on the bed and just being terribly uncomfortable. That might have been when I told them "I can't" and every one tried to reassure me that I could do it. I really meant to say, "it doesn't feel right, I have to wait" but those were too many words to get out at that moment. I breathed through it and two pushes later Asa was here!

He came so quickly that I don't remember much of his actual birth, other than being overwhelmed with happiness. I had to get a shot of pitocin and some other meds because I was bleeding - at one point the look on Kellie's face did scare me a little but the bleeding stopped soon after the meds kicked in. 

They don't do many of the usual hospital things at the birth center but they did weigh and measure him. He was 8lbs 13oz that night (but later on we found out that was wrong). He never got a bath or taken away for tests, he just snuggled in with me for the rest of the night. Tommy laid next to me and sawed logs while I struggled to sleep. I just couldn't sleep knowing that my precious little baby was here, I had waited too long to see him. And that awesome chocolate birthday cake was right there next to me wanting to be nibbled on!

I was so anxious to get back home that we got, I showered (that was nice) and packed up around 9:00am. When we got home we were greeted by balloons and streamers and some really cute signs that the kids made with Ana, Grandma and Papa. 

Once the kids got to meet Asa, they were off to a birthday party with Grandma and Papa and we got to spend a few quiet moments at home with him. It was so nice to be back in our bed, at our house so soon. 

Asa Arthur, welcome to the world!