Z's Birth Day

Last year for Z's birthday I did this post with a picture of every month of the first year of his life. This year, I thought I'd share a bit about his birth day. So, read on, if you wish!

Below is our birthing room. To the left we have the tub that was indispensable to my ability to handle the ordeal. I was determined to go drug free, if at all possible. I was a week late and my midwife (yes, my mother-in-law) decided we would schedule an induction for Tuesday morning. Monday afternoon we went to Long Horn Steak house for a fancy steak meal with my parents. That evening after the room I wanted (the room with the tub) finally opened up, they admitted me at 5pm, and around 9pm gave me Cervadil (to "ripen" the cervix) in preparation for the pitocin/induction the next day. Thankfully, the Cervadil sent me into labor and I was able to avoid the pitocin all together. If you want to know some of the ways we helped bring on labor prior to coming to the hospital, let me know, I'll e-mail ya. :-) I'm positive it helped me avoid the pitocin!
Well, they put me in the tub pretty early on, and I think I was in there several hours. When I hit the transition stage and kept having huge urges to push, I started vomiting with each urge. Z was turned just a tiny bit and this caused some back labor which Ben was in charge of. I absolutely depended on him to push as hard as he could on my lower back (I had bruises the next day) with each contraction. My mother-in-law, who's given birth six times and delivered hundreds of babies was wonderful in telling me what to do and when.
Eventually, they coaxed me out of the tub because they needed to change the water (did I mention the puking?). When I got out, they told me I was 9cm dilated and it was time to move to the bed. I remember trying to be funny (in my delirium) and saying, "And you said you needed to change the water! You weren't going to let me back in all along, I was tricked!" But, they (my husband and mother-in-law) thought I was actually offended or at least confused. It's hard to play off a joke when you're anticipating the next painful contraction. I never bothered to explain...till now.
I'm not sure when my mom arrived, but she was there for the entire pushing ordeal which took two hours. She got a little queasy from the view as she held one of my legs, but she moved and helped hold up my head and made it through. So, there was one nurse and Ben holding a leg each, my mom holding my head and my mother-in-law delivering. It was rather perfect, I must say. The whole thing took about eight and half hours. I wouldn't change a thing (except I wish I didn't have to have an IV and the resident doctor lady who gave me the cervadil the night before had zero bedside manners). I was talking about having another baby within the first hour of giving birth!
There's lots of details I left out, like how my sisters-in-law came the night before and made me laugh till I cried and cheered me on for IV (I have PTSD with those things), oh and how I really had planned to have them and some others present for the birth, but I wouldn't let Ben leave me for a second as I needed him so much through the labor, so they never got called, and were surprised Z came so early. We were all a little surprised. I thought it would take 24 hours or more, like my poor mom had to endure. I loved that I got to nurse him right away. Ben and I would never really sleep the same again. And thus began my new job, the best job I've ever had, and I'm speaking from experience. I didn't like working out of the home 40-60 hours a week which I did for many years. But, this, non-stop, endless, work night and day, is my dream come true.

Happy Birthday, Buddy! We're glad you're here.