Natural 6-Hour Labor & Delivery with Belinda

   Well Monday May20th started out as a pretty typical day.  I had a midwife appointment at 8am in the morning and met with Mina.  My cervix was closed, but she did tell me that I was very soft and ripe and that when I did go into labor, it could happen quickly since this was my second delivery.  In the late afternoon my husband and I ran some errands, and at our first stop when I stood up to get out of the car, I felt a funny “pop” sensation down below and thought I felt some water come out.  I wasn’t sure if my water had broken or not, nothing was really gushing out but I just felt sort of damp, so I told my husband we better go home just so I could check it out.  At home I didn’t notice being too wet, so I figured that it was my imagination to think that my water had broken.  So, we kept doing normal things.  About an hour or two later, I had the exact same sensation.  So, I checked it out in the bathroom again.  There still wasn’t really any major water flowing, but I did notice what I thought might be “show” and started to get a little excited.  But, I still had NO contractions and figured it could be days before the baby decided to enter the world. 

   So, we continued business as normal.  We put our 2 yr old to bed and then left her with my dad to babysit and headed out to a movie.  As we left the house to get in the car, I felt a tiny little twinge of tightness in my abdomen and wondered “could that be a contraction?”  The twinges continued to keep coming, but they were so tiny and not painful at all that I still figured we had lots of time.  In fact most of my friends who had babies in the past several months indicated that they had contractions off and on for days before their babies came.  So I thought that since I had two weeks before my due date, I probably was just experiencing some Braxton Hicks. 

   The contractions kept coming but they weren’t really painful so I figured that it was no big deal and proceeded to just watch the movie.  It did seem though that they were slowly getting stronger.  They were so frequent that about 20 minutes into the movie I started timing them on my cell phone to see how fast they were coming. They were coming regularly at about 2 ½ minutes apart!  So then I got really excited and scared and couldn’t decide what to do.  I kept watching the movie and asked my husband his opinion and he didn’t know what to do, so since they didn’t hurt too much we just stayed in the theater.  About 40 minutes into the movie they were starting to be stronger, so I told my husband I was going to take a bathroom break and also call the midwives and see what they thought I should do.  I called and found out Belinda was on-call.  I asked her if this was real labor or just Braxton Hicks and what to do and she said she thought it was real, and for me to come to the hospital whenever I was ready. 

   But, I still didn’t feel too much pain, so I went back into the movie and tried to finish it.  Probably about 1 hr and 20 minutes into the movie I decide I couldn’t stand it any more.  I recognized that I was really in labor and we needed to go home because we didn’t have the hospital bag ready or anything!  So we left the movie early and headed home.  Our two-year-old was still asleep and my dad agreed to just stay with her while we went to the hospital.  So we packed the bag up for the hospital and at that point my contractions were getting painful.  We checked into the hospital at almost exactly midnight.    Belinda met up with us and she checked me and told me I was 4cm dilated, which was pretty disappointing considering how much pain I was already in and how quickly my contractions were coming. 

   After checking me, I was admitted to a labor and delivery room pretty quickly.  I told Belinda I wanted to try for a natural delivery, but acknowledged that I didn’t know if I would be able to endure the pain or not.  I figured out that I liked having something for my hands to squeeze to manage my pain, and the accessibility bar in the bathroom was a great grip for me during contractions while laboring in the hospital.  Belinda had the nurses get the laboring tub ready for me and when it was full I got in and it was a huge relief.  I was shocked actually at how much better I felt.  However, it really bothered me because it wasn’t as convenient to have something to grab onto when the contractions came.  But the relief from the water was amazing and I did eventually find some bars on the outside of the tub to grab onto.    In fact the water felt so good, that I started falling asleep in between contractions.  Several times I nearly dropped my head into the water before waking up suddenly!  I labored like that for awhile, maybe 45 minutes or so and then the contractions started getting so bad that I was feeling ready to give up and get an epidural. I definitely screamed through every contraction and had a hard time feeling guilty afterwards because I kept thinking how it was the middle of the night and there were probably women in other rooms with newborns trying to sleep.  I asked Belinda to come look at me and check and see how dilated I was because I knew that if I hadn’t progressed then I was going to give in and ask for an epidural.  She asked me if I felt like I needed to push and I said “no, not really, but I am just in so much pain” and so she said for me to wait half an hour and then she would check me.  So, she left the room, and right as she left the room I felt a huge contraction that made me want to push!  So I screamed for her to come back and she did right away got me out of the tub and onto the bed.  Belinda told me to get on the bed on all fours in preparation for pushing, so I did.  But, for some reason, that position seemed to stop my need to push.  I still had contractions but I no longer felt like I needed to push really.  And I no longer really had anything to grab onto during the contractions and that was extremely upsetting. 

   I ended up finding the bars on the sides of the bed to hold onto but that just buried my face in a pillow during every push and my husband was worried I wasn’t getting sufficient oxygen.  I finally said “this isn’t working” and Belinda then had me try laboring on the labor bar which I had indicated earlier that I really wanted to do.  I loved having something to hold onto, but it kept feeling like it was in the wrong spot because leaning on it put too much pressure on my chest, cutting off my ability to breathe very well again.  I did that for a good amount of time, but still didn’t feel like it was successful because I couldn’t breathe well.  So, finally, I ended up pushing in the regular position, laying on my back with my feet propped up on the bar.  This worked the best, actually, although once again I had nothing to grab onto.  I remember feeling frustrated that I didn’t have anything to hold onto, but decided that it just didn’t matter because I wanted the baby to come out.  So I choose to focus on making the baby come out and not pain management.  Anyhow, I pushed really hard a few times in a regular lying on my back position and felt the “ring of fire” as they call it and Rosaline’s head finally emerged.  I kinda thought I was pretty much done at that point, because I knew her head was out but Belinda kept shouting at me “push push” and I kept asking “her head’s out right?” and Belinda just kept telling me to push.  So I tried a tiny push and that wasn’t good enough, so I finally gave it a full effort and pushed hard and it turned out that Rosaline’s shoulders were actually much harder to push out than her head.  Although I couldn’t tell personally, those watching the birth said that my water didn’t actually break until Rosaline literally was coming out of me.  So, basically, she was almost born inside the bag of waters, but as she emerged, it broke. 

   They gave Rosaline to me right away and it was sweet to hold her and tell her that her name was Rose and talk to her.  As soon as she came out Belinda commented that she thought Rosaline was a huge baby and was guessing 10 pounds, or at least 9 pounds.  That really freaked me out, despite the fact that she was already out of me!  But Belinda was wrong because she was only 8 lbs even and 19 inches long.  Still, that is quite large for a two week early baby.  Rosaline was born at 2:22am which meant that my entire labor was only 6 and a half hours from first contraction to the final push!  To me that was so fast I couldn’t believe it. 

   I was so happy and relieved that it was such a success and so grateful to Belinda for her supporting me in fulfilling my wishes for the delivery as well as the other midwives for such a great pregnancy and family circle experience.  I just remember being so shocked that I actually had accomplished having a baby naturally!  My recovery for this delivery was so much easier than for the delivery of our first child-in my opinion because this time it was a natural childbirth.  I could walk around soon afterwards and I was just so much more comfortable.  Having an unmedicated birth was a dream come true and such a positive experience.  I know it isn’t a prospect that many women nowadays have because of all the risks, challenges, and complications we face during delivery and I completely respect that the first priority of the medical community is keeping both baby and mom safe using whatever means necessary.  But, I am so grateful I was able to have this opportunity and I would do it again in a heartbeat if given the chance! 

Proud Momma: Anna Mae

Natural Birth with Belinda

I had always wanted a midwife. I knew this way before I was pregnant because my great great grandmother was one, and it was said of her that she never lost a baby. My first pregnancy, I saw my regular doctor to confirm that I was pregnant, and then she said she would send a referral letter so that I could go see the midwives at Valley Women for Women. 

  

Unfortunately I did not know that realistically I didn't need to wait for this referral and I lost the first baby at 14 weeks, before I ever got into see the midwives. But going in after my miscarriage, I knew that these were the women I wanted to see. I had spent lots of time stalking them on their Web Page, learning their names and degrees, so when I finally met Janice for the first time, I felt like I knew her. After meeting her, I knew this is where I was going to be the happiest, most comfortable, even with my second miscarriage, feel the most love. I remember finding out that our second pregnancy was a pseudo one, that there was no baby, we were devastated. I had a sinking feeling in the ultrasound room when we couldn't see anything, and the technician asked if we had our dates right. I was crying before we left the room while my husband kept saying, just wait for Janice, just wait. She delivered the bad news with such love, hugging us, telling us what was happening. I remember only half listening because I was heartbroken and sobbing, which she then took both my hands and said, "You're gonna be okay, and sooner than you know I'll be delivering a big fat baby for you." 

 We should have placed bets on it then and there. With our third pregnancy, I was trying hard to distance myself from emotion. This pregnancy was either gonna be a baby, or our third miscarriage which I was preparing myself for. At least if it was another miscarriage, our insurance would finally pay for testing to get done. I had mentally prepared myself so well that even after our first ultrasound I waited to miscarry. It took until our 20 week ultrasound where we found out we were having a boy that I finally allowed myself to get a little excited. It probably also didn't help that I had morning sickness the entire pregnancy! 

 Family Circle is probably going to be some of my favorite memories being pregnant. It was so nice and calming to be in a group of people all pregnant around the same time, talking about past experiences with parents that already had children, expressing concerns, talking about all the tests and options we had. I loved going to listen to our midwives. They were always happy, funny, and could answer any questions we all had. My husband loved being able to be in charge of finding heartbeats, and he loved being totally involved with the pregnancy. When he learned that he could even catch our little boy, he was so excited for Gabe to come into the world.

 Now, my mother kept telling me that I was most likely going to be a 'slow cooker'. All of my siblings came out super late. Most of them 1 or 2 weeks behind schedule. So with my due date coming up, I prepared myself to wait it out. My sister-in-law was pregnant at the same time as us with twins. She lived an hour away, so unfortunately she didn't get to see the midwives. We stayed pretty close during the pregnancy. When she was 37 weeks and I was 39, she started having a lot of braxton hicks. She had been having all sorts of issues the whole month before, and had really wanted to wait out the full 40 weeks, but my nephews were already wild in there. Her doctor scheduled her to be induced that Friday. She'd been dilated at 4cm all weekend long, and really uncomfortable. She started having lots of pain on Wednesday and let us know that they were going to go in. I grabbed our own hospital bags and when my husband got off work we headed over to her hospital in Goodyear. She had already been given her epidural when we arrived, and had started some pictocin. She had progressed to a 7cm early in the day but had stopped there and was sort of stuck. I hated that she had to be constantly monitored, and knew I definitely did not want that. I had to hold one of the babies monitors in place because it kept slipping in the straps. They only allowed 2 visitors at a time in her room, so all of us took turns in the waiting room. Around midnight my husband and I decided to go sleep at their house and wait till after they babies were delivered. They weren't going to let us in the OR room anyways, and I was exhausted. 

They called us at 6am telling us they were here! I stayed the next 2 days with her taking turns with her husband and my mother in law sleeping and helping with the twins. After learning that she'd be released Saturday morning, we decided to head home Friday night. I was sick of the hospital and was looking forward to not being in one for another couple of weeks. Ha ha. We met up with some friends, staying up late catching up on one of our TV shows, thinking that we could sleep in all morning Saturday. Haha Haha. I wasn't due for another week, and with my mother telling us we'd be late anyways, we didn't dream we'd be delivering that morning. I had been having some burning back pain earlier in the week, but it was usually accompanied by a big bowel movement. 

So when my back started burning around 1am when were getting ready for bed, I figured I was constipated. I hadn't had any braxton hicks contractions, and hadn't even had uncomfortable cramping, so at 2:30 when I started having sharp pain right under my belly I assumed it had to be something else. I remember looking at my husband, with slight terror in my throat though, because that had hurt more than anything I had ever felt before. I went into the bathroom telling him I probably had to poop, where I then started having regular contractions. Still thinking there was no way this could be labor, I wasn't due for another week, I was supposed to be late etc. I climbed into a hot bath and told my husband we'd wait it out a while before calling the midwives. By this time I was panicking slightly in the tub. We weren't ready, and I had used all the stuff in our hospital bag for our trip with my sister-in-law. I hadn't even done laundry that week. I kept telling my husband after a contraction that we weren't ready and the baby just simply could not come right now. We still had to fix the crib's base because it was wobbly. Thank goodness for loving husbands. He simply said, "Don't be angry Sam. This baby will come whenever it comes and we'll love it. Don't stress out about it. It's gonna be ok." That helped me decide it was finally time to call the midwives. Telling him that, we realized we hadn't been timing the contractions since I had been in denial. I really started to panic when we timed them at 4 minutes apart. While my husband called (to which he said "Sweet it's Belinda") I got out of the tub and got dressed. I tried to figure out and repack our bag, which ended up being really sad. I guess the stress and panic really got to me then because I really didn't pack anything we needed for us. At least I had a separate bag for the baby that was ready to go.

Contractions in the car were brutal. I placed my feet up on the dash and just held onto the bar above the window while breathing and moaning all while looking at the clock and praying this would go fast. We arrived at the hospital before Belinda, at 3:30am. I felt bad actually having to wake her up in the middle of the night. This was my least favorite part ever. Getting to the emergency room of Mercy Gilbert, they made me answer all sorts of questions. There was actually more pregnant women before me, but the nurse that came downstairs to wheel them up took me first because my contractions were rapidly progressing. She apologized to the other ladies by simply stating "I've already delivered a baby downstairs today, and don't want to do it again. I'll be right back." It was nice not having to walk, because it was easier for me to deal with the pain being still and pushing against something like a chair, or wall. 

The triage room sucked though. We were still waiting for Belinda to show up, so the nurse on duty shoved the metal clamp up my hoo-ha to check my dilation. Dear lord I almost slapped her, that HURT the most. I yelled out actually then because it felt like she pinched and punched my uterus at the same time. Then they ask questions. SO MANY QUESTIONS! WHY?! Not only did she ask them to me once, which was a slow process, but she stopped afterwards and said "Oh no, the computer didn't get those in" and she had to ask me ALL the questions AGAIN!! I told my husband that I hated her.... I hoped she didn't hear that. In the middle of all this nonsense I started throwing up. That was cute. They got me several blue baggies and YAY Belinda showed up. 

We slowly walked to my room when that was finally over and they were in the middle of filling up the birthing pool. I was dying to get in it. One of the only ways I had been relaxing lately was in my tub at home. We got me seated on the toilet for Belinda to check me. My water still had not broken, but I had progressed to 5cm and we got me in the tub. I could die in that thing. It feels SO SO SO GOOD to be in there. Cuts the pain in half, gets you all comfy and you can change into almost any position. I went from hanging over the side with my husband feeding me ice chips to on my hands and knees, to some other weird inventive positions. I thought I had urges to push at one point and asked Belinda to check me. Getting on the bed and lying down put me in a full panic attack. It hurt 20 times worse being in the bed, and I freaked out. Luckily Belinda stayed calm and got me checked and back into the pool. Around 5am my labor stopped though. We really didn't notice too much, because all of us fell asleep. I had been awake for over 24 hours at this point. Then around 6:30 my contractions came back full force, and I started pushing in the tub. The nurse noticed first and I had to get out. Big bummer. The nurse went to go get Belinda, who was checking in on another labor, telling her it was time for me to start pushing. I got on the toilet first with my husband holding my hands while I did another push, and POP went my water. It literally shocked us both because it sounded like a popping balloon and it shot out all over my husbands shirt and chin. I knew that I was going to want the squat bar right away. This part went so fast and so slow at the same time. Everyone helped me get ready to push, with my hands up on the bar, and my feet pushing against the bottom of the bar where it connects to the bed. I admit that I screamed...a lot. It was the worst pain ever, not going to lie, and at one point I felt like I was going to rip in two down below. If it wasn't for the water softening everything up, I think I would have torn pretty badly. 

One of the nurses kept telling me to hold my breath, she probably wanted to control the screaming. I remember in between pushing I cried that I just couldn't hold it in. Belinda was really good about it and just kept saying, it's ok, let it out let it out. It's just the birthing song. Oh Belinda....we love you. My husband tells me at this point while he's panicking changing from my side to looking below that the Nurse kept saying, he's coming too fast. I guess Belinda then gave her a shut up look, and had him get ready to catch our baby. It was really fast though. Withing 15 minutes of pushing out came Gabriel. Unfortunately, maybe because I did push so fast he came out dark blue, and my husband had to hand him over quickly to Belinda because he didn't breathe right away. A testament to her though because I remember looking over and watching her pat and rub his back and he was crying soon. For some reason my body decided to go into shock for a little bit. I remember after being done pushing I just collapsed on the bed and started shivering. The pool was really warm, and with Gabriel I had been running at a higher temperature the whole time, so I think it was just a big change really fast plus sheer exhaustion. The nurse had to help me hold him to feed the first time, and we got him to latch good. He stayed dark on his toes for a day though, which one of the nurses said I bruised him on the way out :( poor baby. After he was out it was a huge relief. 

My parents checked in about a half an hour after he was born. We got me dressed and cleaned up and we went to our room where the rest is history. I recommend anyone that I know who can make it over to see the midwives. They love and care after each patient and are the calmest people to deliver with. I already know if I have to move away before I'm done having babies, I'm going to cry about them not being there for me.

Proud Momma: Sam

Briella's Birth with Diane

Briella's EDD was March 31, 2013. We were told from our ultrasound at 30 weeks that she could be as early as March 16th and that she was a pretty good size baby. This got all of us excited and I thought for sure we would have our baby girl before her EDD. Our first cervical check on March 5 indicated I was 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced already so this definitely made me think I would give birth sooner than later. I kept making progress every week so when March 31st came and went I started to believe I was going to be pregnant FOREVER! I literally tried so many things to jump start my labor: walking, bouncing on a birth ball, sex, spicy food, accupressure/reflexology, yoga, black licorice, nipple stimulation, squats, castor oil, and I even had my membranes swept. There were four times in the month of March that I thought I was in labor, but my contractions weren't consistent and always disappeared after about six hours. 

Just when I had given up hope, something amazing happened one Monday morning! I woke up at 9 with Troy and emptied my bladder as usual then headed back to bed and set my alarm for 11; I needed more sleep. I woke up again around 9:30 after Troy had left for work and I thought I peed the bed. I jumped up and held myself as I ran to the bathroom. I noticed some white stuff on my hand and moments later this trickling began again. My water had broke!!! I immediately called our midwives to let them know and then I called Troy home. I was so excited! I couldn't believe I would have a baby girl within 24 hours! My contractions started at 11 that morning and I tried my hardest to sleep and rest but it was so difficult. At first my contractions were 20 minutes apart. I took two baths at home to try to relax and I tried to go about my day as usual, laboring at home for as long as possible. It was around 4:30 that we decided to go to the hospital. I think it was around 5/5:30 that we finally got checked in and I was only 4 1/2 cm dilated. I was kind of bummed since I had been 3cm the week before and I didn't feel like I was making progress. I really didn't want to be induced and I was afraid I had come to the hospital too early. Diane was the midwife on call that day. She wanted me to wait to labor in the pool until I had progressed more so that we didn't slow down any progression. After a few hours, I believe it was around 7:30pm, I was dilated to 6 1/2 cm. I don't know how long I was laboring in the pool for but it didn't feel like more than a half hour. I felt like I had to push so bad when I was in the pool. A lot of the details were a blur to me and I had no idea what time anything really happened or how far I had progressed. I remember pushing for a while, it was probably close to two hours. I tried pushing on my hands and knees because that was most comfortable when I was laboring. Diane had me lay on my left side for a few contractions, which I absolutely hated at first but ended up giving birth in that position! I also tried squatting but it was way too difficult to hold myself up on the bar. I was able to watch myself giving birth to my daughter in a mirror we had set up and I was also able to touch her head! I thought my work was done after pushing her head out, but it took about 2 1/2 minutes to get her shoulders out because her little arm was stuck by her head. Unfortunately we had to clamp the cord right away and Troy was unable to cut it himself. Briella was in shock so they had to take her away to put her under the heat. She had a low apgar score at first but ended up being perfect :) I never needed any drugs during my labor or after my birth and I only had a small tear by my urethra.

Briella was born at 10:25pm weighing 8lbs and she was 20.5 inches

We are SO incredibly blessed to have such an amazing, beautiful baby girl and to have had such a great birthing experience!

Proud Mom: Jessica

Hyrum's Birth with Janice

BABY WILKINS

Hyrum Patrick Wilkins

Born Feb.23rd @5:58am

7lb. 4 oz.

1st Hospital Picture... Wait until you see under the cap! Strawberry Blonde Hair, and LOTS of it!

So I had my 1st contraction at 12:30am Monday morning. I had eaten lots of pasta and thought I was just having cramps... I had another one 20 minutes later and then another 15 minutes later. I woke Danny up and told him I thought it was time. I had him go back to bed in case it wasn't anything. 10 minutes later I waking him again as a strong one hit and I had no doubt anymore. I called my sister Sariah (coach) and then my midwife. In those short conversations I had 3 contractions! We left the house, picked up Sariah and took off to the hospital. The contractions were 2 1/2 minutes apart by this time and I was already wanting to push. We got checked into the hospital and checked out. I was at a 6 and 100% effaced. I was doing this naturally and though they were SUPER intense and painful I was able to breathe through them. The hardest part was trying to stay focused when everyone was asking me questions and transferring me from one bed to another. I finally got from ER, Triag, then the Labor room. Danny and my sister did a great job but by this time I was asking for the epidural. It was so painful. It was only 3 hours into it and the nurse was saying I had hours ahead of me, I was on an IV for the Strep B and was emotional! I hated all the tests and the monitor on my killin' stomach! Right when I was giving in to the drugs my midwife showed up like an angel! She ordered the lights out, told me to get out of the bed (hallelujia) and then I labored with her for an hour. She was confident and authorative, and yet super supportive and I just felt better with her there. I mostly stood leaning against a table, and then actually sat on the toilet seat for the restes and 3 pushes later Hyrum was born! It was a miracle! FUEGO!!! PAINFUL!!!! And yet worth every pain! I got 3 degree tears inside, OUCH! He just came so fast I was not able to stretch enough. But he is so beautiful! I nursed him right away and the rest is a blur :) It was great though feeling so alert, and able to walk so shortly afterwards. I am home now, we are doing great. He is so sweet, I can't get enough of him! Thanks for all the calls and prayers!

Oh yea, and dad is doing great!

Proud Mom: Trisha

Dean's birth with Janice

Dean Matthew Wilkins

Born - April 1st 2012  @  4:35pm

APRIL FOOLS DAY

Palm Sunday

General Conference Sunday

8lbs.  19 3/4"

2.5 hours of labor

Twice a year our church holds a Conference for anyone who wants to listen, in April and October. On Sunday for Conference...  I woke up and tried to enjoy the first session. For anyone who knows me I look forward to conference and never miss anything. But this session I couldn't sit still. I got up and cleaned the kitchen, and made breakfast. I watched a few talks but couldn't concentrate. I think I eventually took a small nap. The boys took a nap around 1:30pm and I got ready to sit down for the second session of conference. Around two I realized I was having some light contractions. I felt like I should lay down and get some rest. I asked Danny to put on Ironman :) I wanted a distraction, something funny that could keep me positive. I also called my mid-wife. Because Hyrum was a 4 hour labor she wanted to know right away when I was having contractions in order to be ready for anything.  I got off the phone and layed down. After 20 minutes I asked Danny to turn the movie off, the contractions were getting much stronger and I could tell they were working contractions. Meaning, that they were doing something! I had Danny turn on the Self Hypnosis CD for relaxation. I went thru a couple of contractions lying on the couch. They were very strong but I handled them well thru relaxing and breathing. But They went quickly to about 3 minutes apart and I knew it was time. We called the Mid Wife and said we are on the way to the hospital now! I went to the bathroom and had a couple of contractions that really hurt! It's hard to relax your body when you are walking around.  I came out of the bathroom and said Danny, I think I want to do something new with this baby. Let's go ahead and get an epidural! :) He was all... "I don't care Trisha, this is your body and I will support you no matter what." I was being silly and was more worried about disappointing my doula, and my boys. (ps Danny had run to the neighbors to give them our baby monitor so that they could get the boys once they woke up from nap)  lol   that's how we roll...     I got in the car and then had to climb back out again because I was having contractions and couldn't sit down. I stood up and leaned against the van. I prayed to God that I could get to the hospital quickly and without too much pain. I prayed that he would bless me with the strength to do what I felt was best. I also prayed that we would NOT have the baby in the van!   :)  There was a wonderful breeze and I felt so much strength!  My neighbor Bethany came out as we drove by and waved. It was a small thing but it lifted my spirits even more. On the way Danny talked to me about our reasons for doing the birth that we had planned. It helped me remember why my birth plan was so important to me. It also helped me remember the blessing he had given me a week before. I had prayed for a miracle in a quick and somewhat painless birth :) The Lord promised me that I would have all the tools to make it a wonderful experience if I used them and trusted in him. By the time I got to the hospital I was ready to do a natural birth again. The hospital staff tried to check me in but luckily one smart nurse really looked at me and said let's get her upstairs she is ready to go! The wheelchair driver tried to take me to triage but luckily my mid wife Janice had a labor room prepared and the nurses intercepted him.

  Lying in bed doing the babies 20 minute heart stress test.

 I literally walked in the room and Janice was stripping me down and lying me in bed so that she could check my progression and for the babies 20 minute stress test! I remember thinking please be more than a 5! She checked me and said you are almost at an 8 and ready to go! I thought to myself, sweet only a few hours and Ill have a baby! Little did I know....      Remarkably lying in bed on my side wasn't as hard as it had been in previous labors. Danny immediately had my relaxation music on, and I went into my zone. I ignored all the nurses questions until they finally figured out that Danny could take care of it. They were great nurses! Very flexible. They even read my birth plan! wow! I can remember lying there totally zoned out, relaxing. Thru the contractions I would think "let go, give in to your body, open up, let go! trust in your body, BREATHE!" When I was not having contractions I was able to listen to the music and to those around me. At one point I looked up and my oldest sister Sariah walked in and I felt so much love for her, and felt a new strength.

It's amazing how zoned I felt. I was doing my self-hypnosis and I could hear things around me, but only paid attention to what I wanted.

Can you see my cute nails?  :)  It was important to me this time to look as good as I could. I felt like I might get confidence from cute nails and toes :)  lol

 Finally I was allowed out of the bed, which again proved to be hard because I was so relaxed! The second I got up and moved everything was harder! I went to the bathroom and while going my water broke!  Everyone was so worried about me having the baby on the toilet! I heard Janice say something about not doing that anymore, and Tracie really wanted me to get up and move to the bed. I just kept thinking, I know I am progressing quickly but I am fine ladies, he is not coming yet! I had NO clue he was minutes away from entering the world.

Little did I know I would be having a baby here in a few minutes! Man it happened so fast!

Still didn't know Dean was only minutes away.

Janice asked me what position I wanted to be in for labor, I remember thinking, why are we talking about this already? I am not that close....   lol   yea right!

looks like we are just standing around talking... I really was having LOTS of pressure :) I had Dean while kneeling on the bed and leaning against the back of it.

I have such amazing women in my life!

 I could not choose a position, this happened in less than a minute, but I felt so blah..... didn't know what to do, just felt pressure, extreme pressure! :) Finally Tracie told me to kneel on the bed and try it. I was not super excited about it, but who is at this point? This is still right after I had walked out of the bathroom and I grabbed the girls to lean on. At this point I bore down and literally felt Dean drop! It was a crazy feeling. The next one was a push and I knew it was time to get into some sort of position so I followed Tracie's advice.

Light Bulb!   This is me realizing Dean is coming now!  :)  hahaha  

 Up until this moment I was still thinking that everyone was saying things like any minute, and I was feeling like, what? I am sure I have hours ahead of me. It was a surreal feeling. Especially when I pushed for the first him kneeling on the bed. I then KNEW without a doubt that I really was going to have a baby in second. I couldn't believe it. This was an intense time, though it was still manageable. It felt so wonderful to be in control of my body. I was able to decide when to push, and for how long. Once I was mentally ready I bore down and out came my little "bullet" I was shocked by how fast it all went.

Dean Matthew Wilkins aka "the Bullet"

Good Job US!

I am grateful for a wonderful husband who allows me to be strong and fly, and yet is there to hold me up when I falter. He did so many little things throughout that short time to help me. His words of strength, getting things ready and out the door so quick, holding oils under my nose while my eyes were closed. He knew everything to do.

My favorite Mid-Wife in the world!

My sweet boy. The ladies said I kept repeating "I can't believe it's over" I was referring to A- the fact that Dean came so fast, and B- that I was not pregnant anymore, and the looooong 10 months was over!

I was in such awe of my little man. He looked like a wise old man. Erin calls him a wise little owl. So he already has two nicknames though only hours old.  I was in love with him immediately. His little face was so squishy and chub! And I love his hair! There is a ton of it, and thick! He has natural high lights. The tips are real light, and the roots are brown. So strange!  I was in shock that I was in labor for only 2 and a half hours. I couldn't believe it was all over. The pregnancy pains, the anxiousness of wanting my baby, the worries over labor, etc... It was over and I was here with my precious baby. I kept thanking God in my heart for such a quick and manageable labor. I am so grateful to have wonderful women in my life that were great strengths. My mom was so sad to have missed a birth of one of her grandchildren but she was at my Uncle Harry's funeral in West Virginia. Besides, with how far she lives from the hospital there is no way she would have made it in time for his birth anyway.  I am grateful for the confidence I felt from Heavenly Father, and I am thankful that so many provided me with the tools needed to have a great birth.

Look at all that hair. It was love at first sight!

Danny was thinking about the Bill Cosby skit where he tells his wife, congrats you just had a lizard. Because the baby changed colors so many times from birth...  :)

 It's funny how unsure of himself Danny can pretend to be. Maybe he actually believes it. But it is in no way true. He is such a great dad even if he is not what he calls a "baby dad". He thinks he will be a great teenager dad. I think he just wants boys to order around and have do chores for him :) Danny is wonderful. He helps me so much at home. Nobody can wrap a baby as good as him! When I am not home he does prayer, scripture reading, and songs with the boys. He loves to cuddle with the boys in the lazy boy.  He might have things that he doesn't like to do with the babies, like diapers. But he does it all, and doesn't complain too loudly :)

8lbs.   19 3/4 "  Born at 4:35pm   April 1st 2012   Our little April Fools baby (palm 
sunday)

We love our little family. We are so happy to have such wonderful boys, each with their very own personality! It is a fun challenge, and one that will only get better with time!

Proud Mom: Trisha

Labor how you want!

Can I labor over there?
Can I labor on the chair?
No! No labor over there!
Don’t labor on the chair!
Sit there, sit there, you will see,

You must labor with this IV!
I do not like this sharp IV!
I need to move, to dance, to pee!
Doctor, Doctor, let me be;
Say, get your pesky hands off me!
No! You can’t move, or dance, or pee!
You must labor with this IV!
Not over there, not on the chair,
Not with the ball, you’ll have a fall!
Can I labor with a doula?
Can I use some calendula?
Can I labor on hands and knees?
Can I birth just how I please?

No! Not with a doula!
No –what’s calendula?
Lay back, lay back, count to ten,
Breathe –he he hoo –push again!

No thank you, doctors, nurse, and crew,
I’ll go and labor without you.
I’ll labor here, I’ll labor there!
In the shower –everywhere!
I’ll labor standing, squatting, sitting
I’ll labor on my couch while knitting!
I’ll have a doula –I’ll have three!
They’ll let me eat and bring me tea.
Try them! Try them! You will see!
You can go shove that darn IV.
- author unknown —

Natural birth with Laura

Wednesday the 13th I was 38 1/2 weeks pregnant and went into labor. I had been having contractions all day and at about 8:00pm they became very regular and strong. I labored at home until my husband, Logan, got off work at 12:30am. Once he got home we spent some time together and then headed to the hospital. His sister came over and stayed with the kids. At the hospital I progressed to a 3 and then all of the sudden my labor stopped. We went home early Thursday morning a little disappointed and very tired.

Over the next few days I tried to relax and kick start my labor as best I could. I took a pretty picture of myself and tired to enjoy the end of my pregnancy. By Monday my contractions started again but much in the same manner. They were every 10 or 15 minutes through out the day and I just tired to ignore them not wanting to get my hopes up. After dinner they became every 5 minutes but I was still able to do the dishes and clean the house. I started to watch some TV but they were getting stronger so I hoped in the shower. By 9pm they were strong enough that I could no longer ignore them and couldn't concentrate on the show I was watching.

I didn't want to have another false alarm so instead of calling Logan to come home from work I called my Mom and asked her to take me to the hospital. She was giving my Dad a hair cut when I called and said she would finish up real fast then he would hop in the shower and they would head over. About an hour later (10:30pm) she and my Daddy arrived at my house. (After I called her twice to ask them to hurry) My Dad ran inside to watch our kids and I ran out to the car. I only had about 3 or 4 contractions in the car (a 30 minute drive), which I was grateful for since sitting during them was super uncomfortable but it worried me that since they were getting far apart we wouldn't be admitted.

When we got to the hospital the maternity floor was super busy so we had to wait in the ER for about 20 minutes. Once we finally made it to the OB Triage they had to monitor fetal heart tones and contractions for 20 minutes before I could be admitted. I was checked and told I was 3. Which I had been about for 1 week! It was disappointing and I was told that if I didn't progress in the next hour I would be sent home. I was able to sit for about 10 minutes before I decided I couldn't sit any longer. The nurse and my midwife kept telling me that I needed to sit down so they could get their records but it was just not possible. Even though I had not been admitted yet I called my husband and told him I needed him to come because I knew it was happening and I needed him there. I don't remember this happening but my Mom said Laura, my midwife, checked me again and I was a 4 so they would get a room ready. I only remember telling her that even if she didn't admit it they would have to carry me out because there was no way I could walk.

From the time it took him to get off work and to the hospital I was admitted and had my IV started for my antibiotics (because I was positive for strep B). When my nurse was getting ready to start my IV she asked me to sit down, which I knew I couldn't do so I made her do it while I was standing. I later learned this was the first time she did that and she was super nervous I was going to pass out. Haha silly nurse! Logan got there at about 12:30 am and I was SOOO happy to see him. My other 2 labors my contractions had all been in my back but this time they were all in my front. I was unprepared for this and in my opionion they were worse! I begged the nurse to get the tub (because apparently waiting one more second was to long for me!) and got in it before it was even ready.

With the others I didn't like the tub because I couldn't get into the right position because of the back labor but this time it felt soooooo good. The WONDERFUL Laura repeated birthing affirmations the entire time and I was so grateful for that. I felt like a puppet and anything she told me to do I did. 

"Now relax your shoulders." Shoulder got limp. 

"Now relax your stomach." slow breath out. 

"Now relax your mind." Totally blank mind.

Her sweet soft voice was so peaceful and comforting. The warm water on my back felt amazing and having my wonderful husband and my Mother there was perfect! After what seemed like a very long time for me I told Laura (pictured below) I wanted her to check me. Since I was in the tub she couldn't see what she was doing and could only feel blindly. She felt around for a while and then said, "I can't seem to find your cervix" I thought that was REALLY strange and wondered if that was bad, but quickly after she said that she proclaimed in a very surprised voice "Oh my! Its because your a 9!" 

Music to my ears! After the next contraction I got out of the tub, asked her to break my water and was ready to push! I pushed on my hands and knees for a while, then switched to my back and used the mirror to help guide me. Baby Rutledge Logan was born at 1:14am.

After he was born and the nurse announced that his birth time was 1:14 am I burst into tears and thanked Laura for not sending me home. I had no clue that it had only been 1 hour and 45 minutes since she had said they might send me home. If I had gone home I probably would have had the baby on the freeway! 

I went from a 3 to baby in 1 hour and 45 minutes!! 

This is probably the biggest reason my husband says it was like the devil came out of me. I was very in control with my last labor, which was also all natural. I felt calm through it and was able to adjust to the pain as it came. 

This time I felt like my body was out of control and there was nothing I could do except listen to my midwife tell me to relax. I was extremely demanding with this labor and kept telling everyone what to do. I begged my midwife to not stop talking and at one point during the pushing I yelled at my husband to get me ice, which I actually feel really bad about. He said he didn't know I had a cup of ice and he thought I meant I wanted him to leave the room to go get some. Which of course I didn't, I would have been more mad if he had left, he knew that so instead he just held my hand. After I told him there was ice in my cup he handed it to me and I dumped a whole handful on my face and neck. 

It still scares me how fast it all happened and makes me worried for the next child. During the admitting process one of the questions they asked me was if I had a history of rapid progression. I said no, but now I know that next time I will have to say yes! 

The best thing about doing it natural in my opinion is the recovery. I don't even really feel like I was in labor, I just feel totally normal again! About 30 minutes after Rutledge was born he was getting weighed and examined across the room and I got up and walked over to watch. The babies nurse didn't see me get up and was shocked when she looked back and realized I was standing by her. After I watched for a few minutes (and the nursing asking me a million times if I needed to sit because she didn't want me passing out) I went to the bathroom. After that I went back to the bed to rest. When my nurse came back in the room she asked me if I wanted to get up to pee but I told her I already had. She was SHOCKED and that's when she told me I was unlike any other patient she had every had. 

"You make me do your IV standing!"

 "You go to the bathroom by yourself!"

"What am I going to do with you!"

I felt like saying to her, "Haha I'm sorry but I didn't realize that that was uncommon. I just had a baby naturally woman, I can handle anything!"Or maybe I did say it, I'm not sure.

Rutledge weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces and was 18 3/4 inches long with a head circumference of 13 inches. He was my smallest baby, but his head was the same as my daughters.

This photo was taken after I went to the bathroom and got dressed again. Feeling sooo happy that labor was over and that I was holding my baby in my arms and not in my tummy!

Right after his bath

Thank you soo much Laura! I truly believe that if it was not for you telling me to relax I would have had a mental break down. 

I am so grateful for all the midwives at VWFW!

Proud Mom: Clarissa