** NOTE - This is the DETAILED birth story, so beware, especially any men - you probably don’t care to read! It’s really long too!**

I can’t believe that we’re now a week out from the beginnings of our baby’s birth story! Last Tuesday, April 14th, I called in to my OB’s office to see if I could change my appt. for last Friday. There are two doctors at this practice that I’m not really fond of, mainly because it’s obvious that they aren’t fond of their patients.

I was shocked to hear that my favorite OB in the group wasn’t on vacation like I had been told before, but he was on call that day! To make things better, my OB was on call the next day. Okay, so now I knew that this baby HAD to come between that Tuesday morning and up until 6:59 AM on Thursday - I wanted a doctor I liked.

I googled all sorts of natural inductions, trying some of them during the day, such as massage/ pressure points. My Facebook friends offered their suggestions, and off we went trying to prod our little one along.

Just in case something might work, I straightened up the living room before bedtime, and the kiddos all had a bath. I have no idea what time we finally got to bed, but I wasn’t having contractions - not even one!

I woke up around 12:30 AM or so for my first potty break - no contractions. Alright, I was content that this baby had decided to camp out permanently in my tummy.

I believe the next time I woke up was around 2:15 to 2:30 AM- again, for a potty trip. I remember noticing a few contractions, but nothing to keep me awake or be concerned about. I was back asleep in no time.

3:40 AM - Again, potty break. But this time was different, this time my tummy was hurting. FYI first time moms, you’re tummy will begin to clean itself in preparation for a baby. This is when the contractions got my attention.

I wasn’t sure if it was contractions, or if my stomach was just cramping - but they were strong cramps for sure. I decided to camp out on the couch for a little while, just to be able to pay attention to what was going on. I’ve learned through the many weeks of contractions that I can have tons of contractions while lying in bed, only to have them stop when I move to the couch and become upright.

I was probably on the couch for 15 to 20 minutes when it was clear that these were contractions, and then I realized that they were consistent. I wasn’t sure, but they seemed to be coming every 3 to 5 minutes - though still not too painful, just strong and intense. Yeah, intense is a good word.

(My last visit I was around 3.5 cm, 25% effaced. All of my past pregnancies I was at least 4 cm on my last visit, and each labor - induced or not - were all around 4 hours start to finish. Of course, part of that is due to being 4 to 6 cm when I started - LOL. Anyway, I figured we had at least 2 or 3 hours from here.)

I made my way back to the bedroom, and I guess my stirring around was waking DH up. I didn’t want to wake him up fully, in case it was false labor. It was now about 4:05 AM, and I knew he’d have to be up for work in less than 2 hours, so I just asked where the stopwatch was - if he knew.

It was in the bathroom drawer, but the batteries were dead. Well, now back in the bathroom, my tummy was upset again. Yep, this is it - you normally just don’t go potty that much, especially in the middle of the night. And that normally doesn’t cause contractions to get more intense.

So, 4:11 AM, I’m waking him up telling him I’m pretty sure I’m in labor. My next step is to call the hospital and let them know that I think I’m in labor. I told them contractions were now 2 to 3 minutes apart, and we might be showing up in 30 minutes or so at the earliest if they kept up. They said yes, to come on in.

I wanted to prepare them, since I have fast babies - they would have time to read over my birth plan and maybe alert the doctor (yeah right… they insist on checking to be sure you are in labor before they even call the OB, like I wouldn’t know… I don’t know that they even looked at it at all.)

Back to the story - DH is getting up really quick, and since contractions are only 2 to 3 minutes, I tell him that I don’t think I have time at this point to get a shower. Next thing I know - he’s IN THE SHOWER! Hello! If I don’t have time, he doesn’t have time! (He later told me he thought I meant a shower, dry and fix my hair, etc… No, I meant I didn’t even have time for a shower!)

4:15 AM - I’m sure enough that it’s happening now that I call my parents to wake them. I tell them it would probably be 30 minutes or so before we got ready and left, but if they could be ready to meet us at the hospital to get the kids.

 After that call is made, I begin trying to fix my hair where it won’t look too dirty in pictures, wash my face and begin putting on makeup. Hey, pictures aren’t forgiving!

At one point, I began to think it all stopped - I thought it seemed to be a few minutes without a contraction. Kinda disappointed, but that didn’t last long. Before I knew it, back they were, and now only 1 to 2 minutes apart.

One of my friends, Missi, is all for natural childbirth and homebirths. I remembered reading something she had wrote about standing and rocking through contractions - or dancing with your husband. At the time, I thought it sounded crazy.

Hospitals have you flat on your back to labor. With my first, I was brave and tried the hands and knees positions. Just seconds into my next contraction I discovered that was NOT the position I wanted to be in, and after it was over, I quickly went back to my back. So in my mind, on your back was the way to go, like they do at the hospital.

Well, this time I thought I’d try it Missi’s way. So each time a contraction would come on, I would lean over wherever I was (at the footboard of the bed, or at the bathroom counter) and begin swaying back and forth. To my amazement, it felt wonderful!

So I just kept rocking each time a contraction came. By 4:25 or 4:30 AM, I was rocking an awful lot, and contractions were getting a lot stronger. It was kinda hard to get ready at this point, since I had to keep stopping every minute.

DH was now getting the kids up and dressed, and I was once again going potty. Only this time it was different - it felt like the baby was coming out! I began getting a little frightened at this point, afraid to even sit down since it might come out.

There was so much pressure, that I quickly just dropped my drawers and rushed to the potty. There I was, straddling the toilet - a sight to see. Actually, DH did come to the door and I had to scream him away. But what really scared me was at this point I began bleeding. I’ve never done that, and even having 3 children before, I didn’t realize that you bled BEFORE having a baby.

Let’s just say I was VERY panicked at this point. It felt like the baby was coming out right there, and now I was bleeding. I called L & D to ask them what to do. The nurse was trying to be calm, but that only made me more tense.

She began asking me if the head was right there, to which I finally ended up screaming at her that I didn’t know, I was just hurting real bad and was bleeding. When in pain, and fear on top of that, I’ll scream and not think much of it except that I’m right in doing so.

She could tell that she wasn’t getting anywhere with me, so she kept asking for me to put DH on the phone. Well, considering he wasn’t in the bathroom and I was having contractions almost continally now… well, I wasn’t going to hunt him down.

He came to the door and took the phone from me, at which point it became a little humorous. She asked him if he could see the head, and can you guess what he did??!! He actually got down in the floor and was trying to look! NO!!! (Yep, I’m screaming at him now - ha ha!!)

She’s trying to get him to have my lie on the bed, which I’m yelling back NO to. Yeah, been there - it hurts. He’s beginning to panic at my rocking, wanting me to stop doing that.

Well, I manage to get pants back on and get to the living room before the next contraction. I thought I’d try the lying on my back thing since I was in the middle of the room and had no where to go except the couch.

I threw myself down and back - and yes, I was right, on your back is no fun! And let’s just add this to - thinking you might really have your baby at home isn’t too fun either when you don’t know what you’re doing!

I have mentioned a lot this pregnancy and last that I really would like a home birth, but at that moment, I just wanted to snap my fingers and be somewhere where someone knew what to do.

The nurse had mentioned calling an ambulance, but I knew from my kidney stone that those guys really don’t know much about pregnant women. Plus, I knew this baby was coming NOW, and I didn’t want to have it in the back of an ambulance with strange men with my husband and children behind us in the van.

So, we prepped my clothes and the van (not that it wouldn’t been enough if my water were to break, but it was something), and loaded up. The last time I recall on my clock was 4:41 AM (I’ve been awake an hour now). Of course, we had to sit a minute in the driveway because another contraction came on and I couldn’t even close my door!

I do remember looking back to the kiddos as I was getting in. They were all 3 VERY awake at 4:41 AM in the morning! DD was SO excited, and talked our ears off - asking lots of questions. I wasn’t exactly in the talking mood, I was just trying not to have a baby in front of my children!

For the past 10 mintues or so at that point, I had begun to push against the contractions. While in the bathroom, I would have to stand up on my tiptoes during them. In the van, I was pushing down as hard as I could against the armrest and door - along with pushing up on my feet.

Of course, we came to redlights - but again, a laboring woman cares little for what’s right - so I’m telling DH just to run them. We make it to the interstate ramp, and get behind someone going grandpa speed…. NO!!!

Once on the interstate, we speed around him, and quickly take the fast lane. I guess we went 80 or so with flashers on. I was beginning to calm down a little now, feeling in control of the contractions. They really weren’t so bad pain wise, it was just the intense pressure to push at this point.

I remember once we hit the interchange thinking I was going to have to get DH to pull off on the ramp for me to have the baby. But somehow I managed to get through each contraction, only giving in a couple seconds at a time to push.

I wasn’t trying to push, or wanting to, but the urge was really getting strong now. We made it to the exit, again having to run a redlight. This had to be done carefully, since there were more people there. And what in the world would we see, but a roadworker SLOWLY walking across the traffic lane just minutes before 5 AM!

He got out of the way, then we had no more problems until a transfer truck pulled out in front of us just before we reached the ER entrance. BTW - I dying at this point, fighting off contractions and pushing, though the pain still managable since my water was still intact.

We pull up to the ER right just a few mintues before 5 AM, and my parents come out - my dad with a wheelchair. I’m having a contraction, so it takes a minute to get out. My parents begin asking what they need to do, and I can’t think, so I just tell them to wait there at the hospital.

The nurse begins pushing me, but really, I could’ve walked quicker! She was taking her sweet little time - HELLO!! I’m having a baby - NOW!

I ask if she can walk faster, to which she replies - no, she can’t in case she were to fall or something. So I come back with ”well can he push me?” (DH). Nope again. Well, we had to comply - we didn’t know where to go!

I remember having a contraction just after this, and I had to put my feet down to stop and push against it again. I didn’t think that one would ever end, nor did they - DH and the nurse kept telling me to put my feet up so we could get to the room. They needed to let me get through that contraction without having a baby in the hall!

Well, there wasn’t a foot rest on the chair, and I knew I couldn’t hold my feet up. Thankfully, another nurse met us in the hallway and I switched to her chair. At the time, I was thinking that she might not want to give me her chair, but looking back, she was probably a labor nurse coming to meet me anyway.

The funniest thing of all was when we went to get on the elevator. There was an eldery black gentleman getting off, and his reaction when he realized I was in labor was hilarious!! His eyes bulged out, he jumped and hopped out of the way. I believe he exclaimed something, but wouldn’t have a clue what - it was just really funny.

We got to labor and delivery, and nurses came pouring in the room after us. I felt bad, all the noise I was making in the hallways, but couldn’t really help it (nor really cared at that time). The nurse said something about getting on the bed so they could check me.

Umm.. not exactly what I wanted to hear - that hurts when you’re in labor! Well, there really wasn’t any need to be concerned. Another contraction came on and I lunged onto the bed, kicking my legs and nurses tried to get my pants off.

The next thing I remember them saying was that my water was right there and was what I was feeling. The nurse pushed the baby monitor against my stomach - but didn’t have time to buckle it on. This was 5:07 AM.

The next contraction came on, and despite knowing that you aren’t supposed to push until they say (in case you’re not fully dilated and would tear), I couldn’t help but push - even without the doc there. They began calling for someone to get the resident on call in there.

I didn’t tell them I pushed, until they said I could push on the next one - then I told them I had pushed on the last one. Here it came, and of course, I was pushing again, but it seemed something was lodged. All I knew was it was the water sack.

I thought it was stuck, but DH told me later it wasn’t - he kept looking and seeing it get bigger, even bigger than the baby’s head at the end.

The doc came in, and I’m able to whisper in pain “It hurts, pop it”. The head nurse hands over some metal thing as the doc is gloving up and they are putting her smock thing on. I’m still pushing. She pops it, and next thing I know they are saying something about suctioning.

“It’s head is out?”, I’m asking. Wow - I never even knew it! I kinda felt jipped, not hearing ‘here comes the head’. I guess when the water sac was popped, either his head was right there or got flushed out. Either way, it was relief when she popped it.

I heard something about the cord being around his neck (it was around his neck twice), and the shoulders. DH thinks she pulled the baby out from there, but it was so fast - who knows. 5:10 AM our baby boy was born! It took a minute for me to realize that no one had told me what the gender was, and I had to ask!

In hindsight, I realized that this was the first birth I ‘missed’. I was able to see each child be born with a mirror before, but didn’t really have time to think about it this time. Start to finish - 2:30 AM to 5:10 AM. In hospital room, less than 5 minutes.

I laugh that God must’ve known He had to help me have a natural birth, making it that quick so I couldn’t give in to meds. Really, it was all very managable. The last 3 to 5 minutes were rough, with the water coming out and stretching to the max. That was mainly a very tight, burning feeling.

The cord only was attached for 5 to 8 minutes probably. They said that something was detached and it wouldn’t pump blood to the baby anymore, but instead pull blood out of him. I really don’t think they knew what they were talking about, but they kept arguing and insisting, so DH told me just to trust them and let them cut it.

Since they were saying something about me still bleeding and being concerned about that, I agreed. Plus they said the cord had a knot in it, so I wasn’t sure if much blood could even get to him. In the emergency rush they made us feel we were in, the doc cut the cord - something DH has always gotten to do.

I realized this later, and feel bad for DH. I think he was disappointed, but he doesn’t like to think or dwell on things that he can’t change or fix. (Very unlike me, why do I think I can change things in the past?)

I was able to have him placed skin to skin on my stomach right away, and wonder if him being elevated like that was part of the reason they said the cord would pull tight and draw away blood?

We also forgot to snap a picture with the doc, actually, I don’t even recall her saying goodbye… Really, it was complete chaos!

After he was born, the nurses were great about leaving us alone. It was wonderful to be in a quiet room, no wires or machines hooked up, able to hold and nurse the baby for as long as I wanted. They came in occassionally to check him temp, and just as I thought - he was perfect!

My last baby had his temp drop, but they wouldn’t put him skin to skin - this time we did and it was great! I called my parents back, and they brought our children to meet their new brother around 5:45 AM. The reaction was so sweet! DD’s face was all lit up.

The comment was made that ’someone’ wanted it to be a girl, like a baby patter-in, but they were happy with their brother.

Well, aside from one nurse insisting on giving me a shot of something (starts with M) for bleeding which I really didn’t think I needed, the rest of my care went pretty good. DH was okay with that, not wanting me to bleed too much, and was willing to chance the drugs.

Overall, I’m amazed at how I can go from start to finish in LESS than 3 hours!! I knew it would be a night baby, and was surprised it was a boy. Mainly because his pregnancy was so high and caused little to no pain/ pressure on my pelvic floor or legs. But he was all in front, so that did have me somewhat thinking it was a boy.

We opened the envelope on Saturday once we remembered it, and the sonogram tech was right “It’s A Boy!”. We are so glad he is, and have been loving every minute we’ve had to love and kiss on him!

Thanks for reading his story, and we’d love to hear a comment from you! I’m very curious at who all of my visitors are - I can see numbers, but that still leaves you a stranger. So please, could you drop a quick comment, maybe even letting us know how you found us? Thanks so much!

“Little Mommy”

PS - It’s true, natural labor DOES give you a much quicker recovery time. This was my 1st all natural. I’ve had two inductions (pictocin and water breaking), and my 2nd child was a natural start with some pain meds in my IV about 45 minutes before she was born. I’m not sure that they helped with pain, but sure made me dizzy!

As long as you focus on contractions, know that they are doing something and shouldn’t be fought against (unless you are in the van!!), you can easily work through them. Your body knows what to do if you listen to it.

I was pretty much on my own this time. I had nurses at the end, but really don’t know much of what they were saying, I was doing what I knew my body needed me to. I didn’t even tear this time!

In case you missed it, he was 7 lbs. and 6 oz., 20 inches long. Okay, NOW I’m saying goodnight - it’s taken about an hour to type this all up!

To my dear son, I love you more than words can describe, and have so loved stroking your head, having your hold my fingers, and kissing your precious little self time and time again! You are a true blessing from God - HIS creation - and we’re so blessed that HE decided to create you for our family! We Love You!

Well, it’s 9:28 PM on April 10th, 2009, and I’m pretty confident at this point that the baby will NOT come on it’s due date!

The end of each pregnancy leaves me torn, because I really do love being pregnant. There’s nothing to describe how wonderful and close you feel to your baby during pregnancy. It’s the only time in the world that it’s really just you and them. No one else can share in this, it’s a special bond - a gift of motherhood that is such a blessing!

I love feeling all the movements and trying to figure out which body part it is that is playing with me. I love the feel of hiccups in my belly. This baby hasn’t given me too much of either, at least not comparable to my other children. But still, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the ‘play’ times we have had.

I love the rounded belly, the funny walk, the smiles you get from others when they notice your belly. I love having my children and husband being able to feel the kicks and hiccups too, and listen to the heartbeat.

I love knowing that God has created a wonderful gift - He has blessed our marriage with something that can’t be compared to. Here is a gift, from our obedience to ‘be fruitful and multiply’, part of me and part of my husband.

I love the mystery of not knowing if it’s a boy or girl. I love the anticipation of seeing it in those first moments - holding it close, calming it’s cries, holding those tiny little fingers! I love it all!

I really thought I was in labor Wednesday night/ Thursday morning - and that we would have a baby by 7:30 AM. (Don’t ask why I picked that time…)

We got to bed around 11, but it was 1 AM before I was able to fall asleep - even in my exhausted state (and knowing I had an OB appt. the next morning). My heart seemed to be racing, but I really wasn’t having any contractions.

2:30 AM - Awake again. This time I WAS having contractions. They were very strong, and every 10 to 15 minutes. I laid in bed until 3:40, at which point I was really thinking that Thursday was ‘the day’. I kept telling myself to let them get closer together, at least 8 minutes, and then get up and shower.

That never happened, and I was getting more and more frustrated at my 1.5 hours of sleep so far into the night. So I gave up on the bed and moved to the couch. Around 4 I finally fell asleep again, with only occassional contractions.

I woke up at 6, hearing DH in the bathroom getting ready for work. Okay, so now I had 3.5 hours of sleep, better than before. Our youngest (20 months now) woke up at 6:36, when DH left, but when I went to get him up, he was back asleep. So I managed to get back in my own bed for about 45 more minutes of sleep before the baby woke up again for good.

Yeah, 4. 5 hours of sleep +/- isn’t so good for a very pregnant momma. Not to mention that now the contractions had stopped completely! I was so disappointed. Maybe it was all just the excitement of showing our house Wed. afternoon… or all the cleaning I had to do! Thankfully, DH is the best, and surprised me Wed. by coming home an hour early to help me finish cleaning! I couldn’t have done it had he not helped (since we have 3 little ones that do the OPPOSITE of helping sometimes).

At my visit Thursday, she told me I was close to 3.5 cm now, still not effacing much. Of course, she had to throw in the whole induction thing… I’ve learned by this point that this is NOT the way to go unless there’s a medical necessity.

Those sonograms aren’t 100% accurate on a due date. God knows when the baby is ready! There’s apparently some reason that He still has it ‘perkin’. Plus, I’ve been okay with it all week, since all 3 children seemed to have caught some really bad cold last week - very icky noses and coughs! I really wanted to get everyone healthy and well, so they could all see and hold the baby.

Part of me does question if the mag they put me on at 33 weeks does indeed slow down going into labor. An OB with my 1st child told me that, but then the nurses this go round said that NO it didn’t. Either way, I’m not interested in pumping modern day drugs into my body or my baby’s!

I’ve been amazed at how little research is actually done on modern day medicines, by doctors that is. Twice in this pregnancy they have prescribed me meds that are NOT even tested on pregnant women because of the risks! But not one dr. told me there were risks at all! The first time, as you might recall, the pharmacist warned me.

The second time, with the kidney stone, I had wised up to this group, and questioned the pharmacist before we even went to pick it up. Both times, it was a matter of risk vs. benefit - but the docs never gave me the option of making that decision.

I highly recommend doing your own Google searches, you’ll find out all kinds of information CONTRADICTING taking a lot of the things docs and nurses try to force on you. I am pretty much convinced that drs. today only care about getting as many people in and out as quickly as they can, and making the most money that they can.

Drug companies giving them money to promote their medicines. Inductions bringing in more money than normal labors. Then when inductions get stalled because the mom or baby one isn’t really ready - they have to add in more procedures = more risks, more threat to mom and baby, higher chance of intervention via forceps, suction, or c-section = more money!

Yep, drs. are SO out of the world they should be in. I really felt as if my OB was telling me the other day that I was putting her out if I even hinted at her delivering me, should she not be on call one weekend. That wasn’t what I was asking her, but she went on for probably 5 minutes about her life and family.

I was simply asking how I could have my records sent to another hospital, should a dr. be on call that I didn’t like. Simple question in my opinion.

I DO understand where she’s coming from, I don’t like DH working weekend rotations at all! But in her field, I believe being there for a patient that has trusted you to take care of her and baby just comes with the job. If an OB can’t handle it, they have either too many patients, or they are in the wrong field.

I so wish we weren’t in Alabama, where midwives and birthing centers aren’t legalized. I would love to have a home birth, and still haven’t ruled it out this time. We have a swimming pool we can blow up in the living room! If it wasn’t for the known genetic heart problem each child faces, I wouldn’t hesitate - at all.

But on that note, my OB told me that heart problems aren’t usually heard in the first few days anyway. That’s why you go back to the pediatrician within days of coming home. Hmm… she didn’t know that was my main reason for the hospital… There still would be the chance of a completely blocked valve, or almost closed, that would be noticed and require emergency surgery.

Well, the weekend is now officially here, so I’m hoping the Lord has just been holding off to allow DH to be home when labor starts, and family to be off to help with the children. I’m really hoping it’ll be a Resurrection Sunday baby!

The only OB in the group I really like is on call this weekend. He’s the one that said I could labor on my head - ha!! He’s on call til Monday at 7 AM, then he’s out the rest of the week. We’ll see - keep us in your prayers, and unless it’s still not here by the end of the week, you won’t see any posts. I’ll be focusing my attention elsewhere the next few days, but will still be popping in on Facebook (Mrs. Candace). If I DO have the baby, that’ll be where you’ll hear it first anyway.

Praying you have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

“Little Mommy”

PS - Thank you to those that have taken the time to comment and/ or send an email, I’ve loved hearing from you and have really appreciated it! In case I don’t have it available on here, my email is Candace @ Sonbeams.com or Candace @ HeavenInOurHomes.com - both without spaces.

I’d be happy to reply with updates for those wanting to know ‘what’s going on??”

I’ve been sitting here this evening having contractions on and off - kinda afraid to go to sleep. I don’t like the idea of going into labor while I’m asleep, since I have such quick deliveries anyway. What if I slept though most of it and we didn’t make it to the hospital! I guess I’d have my home birth wouldn’t I? Ha!

It’s late, but I wanted to post this in case we DID go in tonight and were there for several days - everyone would have an idea of what was going on.

Mainly, I’m really stressed out right now. So much for my energy burst - it left around 2 today. We have two sick ones, one teething one, and I myself not feeling so hot either. I think it’s mainly from being outdoors so much the past two days in all the pollen.

Plus, DH’s boss is making it impossible for me to have him here when needed. He’s having to work 12 days straight starting next Monday - saying that he had to give a 1 mo. notice for taking a day off. (It’s his turn for weekend rotation next weekend)

Needless to say, I’m a little irked at the guy right now! I’m REALLY glad I’m not his wife - he doesn’t seem to have a clue about how hard it is to be a mother to three young children, plus pregnant on top of that. I need my husband here some too!

He did say he could take off a day before the baby comes (as long as it’s a month out). Well, the baby is due in less than a month! I could cry - well, actually, I did break down today… I reached my point of stress and buckled. My oldest watched helplessly, trying to wipe my tears - but they were falling quicker than he could wipe. He has such a tender heart!!

For 1st time mommies…. What do contractions feel like? How do you know if you’re having contractions?

For me, it’s not so much my stomach hurting, but first my chest starts getting tight, making it hard to breathe. My stomach then begins to tighten, like a hard rubber ball being inflated inside. I’ve never really had painful contractions until maybe 6 or 7 cm? And then they were manageable, as long as my water hadn’t broken.

Tonight, they aren’t on a consistent time frame, so I’m not calling the dr. yet. Just called family to alert them in case they received a call tonight.

“Little Mommy”

Well, it seems I might’ve overdone a little this past week. I awoke this morning to an unusual back pain - some mid back, but mostly upper back pain. I hadn’t hurt like this since my food sensitivity to hydrogenated oils after having my last baby.

I took it easy today, with the pain easing until evening - but contractions on and off all day. I’m writing this just in case it’s a few days before I get back on here. I noticed as I was making yet another trip to the bathroom earlier that at some point in time this evening I began spotting a little.

Ughh… I don’t have time for this!! My appt. isn’t for another week, I’m not wild about the dr. I’m supposed to see - but if the spotting and contractions keep up, I’ll have to tell him and he’ll have to do an exam.

My biggest dread being that he’ll put me on bed rest. I have NO time for bed rest! Sure, it was easy with my first. I was 4 cm at 32 weeks, and on bedrest for the next 6 weeks. But now I’ve got a 4, 3, and 17 month old that don’t stop just because Mommy does. Nope - that won’t work.

Please keep us in your prayers as we enter this last trimester. I’m usually 2 to 4 cm by 32 weeks, but don’t usually start having contractions like this this early.

Also note, I’m not going to jeopardize the baby’s health for my own convenience. If this keeps up I WILL be going to the dr. BEFORE my appt. in 9 days. There’s just so much to do, and I’m the only one to do it!!

I’d probably feel better about it all had I not just watched a clip online about a woman at 30 weeks going to the bathroom and the baby’s feet coming out of her! Her mom called 911 and the EMT dispatcher walked her through the premature breech birth. The baby wasn’t breathing and had the cord wrapped around her neck, but she’s fine now.

It was neat to see how God worked in that baby’s life! If she hadn’t come early, she very likely wouldn’t have survived with the cord wrapped around her neck like that! Isn’t He Great! Sidenote - She’s named ‘ Nevaeh ‘ - Heaven spelled backwards.

PS - Special thanks to DH for washing up the dishes for me this morning and allowing me a long afternoon nap!!

“Little Mommy”

You always hear it, “I’ve been having Braxton Hicks” - but is that really what they are? To be honest, I’m not 100% studied up on it, but my OB last pregnancy told me that contractions are contractions. You ALWAYS need to mention them to the OB to be sure they aren’t doing anything but preparing for birth.

I can’t remember having contractions with my first until week 32 - but then again, didn’t know what they felt like to know! The Lord just gave me a funny feeling about things around my 32 week visit with him, and wouldn’t quit nagging me about it. So, though I was seeing the male OB that week, I HAD to catch him as he was leaving the room to tell him that ’something just didn’t seem right’.

It killed me to have to be examined by him (I’d always had females up to that point do exams), but the Lord’s Hand was all over that! Turns out, I was dilated 4.5 cm and was 50% effaced! He sent me to L & D, where they monitored me and I was having contractions every 3 minutes. WHO KNEW!!

I thought I’d been having issues with my mitral valve. What I was experiencing wasn’t pain, but my chest would get tight and I would get short of breath. This had been happening for weeks. SO, most people would say it was Braxton Hicks, but in cases sometimes like mine - they might be, but B H’s ARE contractions anyway, and they can do stuff!

With my second, contractions started around 18 weeks, and with my 3rd, around 12 to 14 weeks. I would also have them if I was nursing.

This go round, I nursed the baby up until week 14ish, and maybe had a few contractions AT ALL. Up until the beginning of week 21, I hadn’t had any at all. Then, Saturday before last, I thought I had a few, but wasn’t sure. Sunday, again, I thought I was having them in the van going to church, but not sure. But by Sunday night, I knew I was at the contraction stage.

I haven’t had them constantly, but they have started happening here and there. The weirdest thing is that I have them while riding in the car or van. DH and I took a ‘mini vacation/ repeat honeymoon’ trip this past weekend. About 1 hour into the drive, I was having contractions every few minutes - and they weren’t comfortable! On the way home, I was able to sit a little differently which helped some, but for some reason - I’ve always had lots of contractions while riding.

Needless to say, this really limits the amount of riding/ driving I do once I reach this stage of pregnancy. Due to previous pre-term labor, I have to be extra cautious about contractions.

With my 2nd, at 32 to 34 weeks, I was once again around 3 to 4 cm. With my last, I was only 1 or 2 by that point, and maybe 4 by week 38/ 39. I’ve learned some of the ‘contraction triggers’ - but you have to really pay attention to your body, AND adjust yourself to that.

NEVER dismiss strange naggings, especially with your first. I only went into labor with my 2nd, and wasn’t sure I was even in labor until 2 hours before she was born. DH had to convince me that I was in labor, and once I couldn’t even walk up the stairs without doubling over in pain did I believe him. (Aren’t us moms supposed to know??)

Little Mommy