The day my daughter was born was an amazing day. Life as I knew it was forever changed and I couldn't be happier about it!
Disclaimer: Its a birth story. I'll try for it not to be too graphic but if you don't like hearing about birthing don't read any further. You've been warned :) P.s. there are pictures at the end.... I picked the "safest" ones..... Its birth people! :D
I was "due" April 22nd, 2011 which was good Friday, Earth day, and my sister in laws birthday. It came and went. I was slightly discouraged but still kinda happy she was still cooking. Saturday came and went with no news to write home about as well.
Then the day finally came. April 24th, Easter day. I decided not to go anywhere that day because I was tired. I figured resting and sticking around the house was probably the best idea. Nothing was going on. I had no signs of anything happening... at all. Nathanael worked that Sunday. He actually worked to two back to back doubles and then his regular Sunday shift. When he got home he decided to go play basketball with the guys. Needless to say he was EXHAUSTED.
Everyone told me I would get to a point where I didn't want to be pregnant anymore but I didn't believe them. Until I was about 40 weeks and 2 days. It was like a light switch. I was done. I was tired and achy and tired of being achy. I knew in the end it would totally be worth it but I decided to throw myself a pity party that day. Before Nathanael could leave for his basketball game I would have to involve him in my pity party and have a weep-a-thon. I didn't want him to go. Not for any real reason. I just wanted him to stay at home and listen to me cry I guess. He still went. I was fine. I decided to lay on the couch while my mom did some couponing. We were just hanging out and talking when I went silent. She turned around from the computer and said, "you okay?" I said, "yeah, I just feel like something broke inside of me. That was really weird." Then I stood up.... yeah that breaking feeling was my water breaking. I said, "um. I'm pretty sure my water just broke." and I ran to the bathroom. My mom called Nathanael and he was literally pulling into the driveway from his basketball game. Talk about perfect timing! For some reason I remember the time with everything really well. My water broke at 7:20pm. I guess my emotional break down was all I needed to get things started. (So, If you're tired of being pregnant and you want to go into labor just cry! LOL) Nathanael came up stairs and I was sitting on the pot (Which is where I spent most of my time.) He called our midwife, Monique, to tell her that my water had broke and that my contractions were becoming pretty regular. She told us to keep her posted on my progress and to let her know when they were going strong for an hour.
So the labor process began. It wasn't too bad. I paced back and forth down our hallway from our bedroom to the bathroom for awhile and sat on the toilet. That was my happy spot. I was most comfortable there. Finally, around 9:30pm Nathanael asked me if I wanted to head to the birthing center to find out where we were in this process. I said no because my contractions needed to be going strong for an hour which to my surprise had already passed. So, we packed the car, called Brandi to let her know the update and headed ten minutes down the road to the birthing center.
Let me add really quickly that my plan all along was to have a water birth. I wanted to labor and birth in the water. FYI plans change.... Fast!
Okay, So we get to the birthing center to check my progress since I'm not really sure what I am supposed to be expecting through this process (except of course a baby!). She checked me and said I was only 3 cm. She told me to go home and take a Tylenol pm and try to sleep. She said that not much would be happening for awhile. She gave me a birthing ball to take home just in case I wanted to try that. (Picture with me if you will.... I'm in the front seat of the car having contractions.... Nathanael is pushing the ball in towards me from the driver's side door... its knocking me in the head. Finally, my mom decides it needs to go in the back seat with her so Nathanael takes it around to her side of the car and starts pushing it in with my mom still in the car. That was the beginning of our I love Lucy episode! I swear someone should have taped this!) Well, by the time I got home and took my Tylenol I had no resting time between my contractions anymore. I got into the tub for just a few minutes when Brandi arrived at the house. She was going to be taking pictures for me and be my encourager since we all knew that my mom and Nathanael would be all over the place. They both are super emotional so we just KNEW I would need some back up. After ten minutes in the tub I decided that the toilet once again was more comfortable. I sat awhile. Paced awhile. And I stopped talking. I went into a zone. I tried to lay down in bed because I was tired but that was the most painful feeling ever! So I never actually got to a laying down position. Nathanael was by my side through the whole thing. Just there. I got sick a couple of times but I knew that was "normal" because my sister in law had experienced the same thing with my first niece. So I didn't think twice about it (FYI its a sign of transition.... meaning the baby is coming SOON). Brandi took some pictures and was in and out of the room. My mom decided to go back to couponing since things were staying pretty uneventful. Brandi went in there with her and just told Nathanael to tag her in when he got tired. He was the best. He got me ice and kept cool towels on me the whole time. It was about 11:50pm when he told me he was going to go take a nap and let Brandi come sit with me. I didn't answer him which was normal by this point. He ended up sitting a little bit longer without asking Brandi to come take over. Again he asked if I was okay with him going to take a nap. I finally looked up at him (after I realized what I was doing) and said, "you might want to just call Monique because I'm pushing."
Nathanael jumped up and yelled, "BARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRB!!!!!!!!!! Shes pushing!"
That lit a fire under everyone! All the sudden I opened my eyes and Brandi was kneeling in front of the toilet telling me to put my head back and breathe and to stop pushing. So I said okay but I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. But I knew she would feel better if I said okay. Nathanael disappeared to downstairs to get the car started and turned around. Brandi threw his robe on me and we started down the hallway. I started pushing again when Brandi wanted me to go lay down so she could check me. I almost turned around since I had already passed my bedroom but I knew that if I turned around I wouldn't make it to the birthing center. I got my strength and decided just to head down stairs to the car! I got into the car when Nathanael started to take off with the doors locked and my mom locked out of the car! It was like an I love Lucy episode. She finally got into the car and Brandi followed in hers. I pushed again (push number 3) in the car begging the baby to stay in because I didn't want to have her in the car. My mom reassured Nathanael who was a bit on edge that there was an ambulance driving right next to us. Just in case. We finally pulled into the birthing center at 12:17am. Monique was gloved and waiting at the front door. Until she saw me in the car when everyone had already gotten out. She ran to the car and opened the door and said, "what are you doing?" I said, "pushing" (push number 4) to which she told me to put my head back and breathe through it! I finally got out of the car and got into the center, started walking down the hallway and pushed again (push number 5)!! Monique said, "Elysia, I haven't even checked you yet!!" I finally got to the bed for her to check me and she said, "shes right here do you still want to have her in the tub?" I jumped up and ran across the hall to the tub that Monique had filled when Nathanael called her to tell her I was pushing. I squatted to get into the tub and was holding on to each side to sit down when Monique said, "reach down and grab your baby." I said, "I cant! I'll sit on her!" She caught her and put her on my chest as I sat down in the tub (push number 6). She was here! It was 12:21am. My little L.A.M.B waited 21 minutes after Easter to arrive!! Go figure :D It was beautiful, it was fast, and it was exhilarating. I don't think anyone realized that it was going to happen so fast... not even my midwife. We waited for her cord to stop pulsing until Nathanael cut it, which took about ten minutes. Once she was on her own her daddy took her skin on skin so I could birth the placenta (which took longer than the pushing process). When Nathanael took Lydia into the bedroom my birth assistant, Amanda, walked into the house. She came down the hallway and looked into the bathroom and saw me in the tub and then looked into the bedroom and saw Nathanael with the baby. She just wasn't fast enough! LOL As soon as the after birth was done I got to get into bed and start nursing my baby. It was beautiful. Five hours. Start to finish. WOW! I can honestly say that I wasn't ever in pain (except when I tried to lay down) and I absolutely love labor and delivery.
Now, at the birthing center the "rule" is you have to eat a meal, after you've had skin to skin with your babe for an hour, before you can go home. Well, since everything went so fast and we ran out of the house (literally) we forgot my meal. Oops!! Thankfully, my sister in law brought some baked ziti for me to eat! And it was like the best food ever! I ate and got cleaned up, mom and Nathanael got Lydia ready to go home, and I realized that my food wasn't the only thing we forgot. I didn't have any clothes to go home in! Double oops! Luckily my mom was wearing a dress with pants and a tank under it. She literally gave me the dress off her back. What a wonderful mama!! After the paperwork and filling out her information for her birth certificate we got to go home! We were parents! I was thrilled to go home. We got home at 2:30am. Mom rode home with Brandi to stop by store for me. Nathanael and I got home and walked into the house we had left open. When I said we ran out of the house I really meant it! I couldn't believe we left the door open! Oh well! We were home. I got the baby and Nathanael into bed but my adrenaline was pumping! Mom, Brandi, and I ended up staying up and replaying everything until about 4 am. Finally, I got sleepy enough to rest for a few hours. It was hard to sleep because I was in such awe of everything that had taken place. It was amazing. Purely amazing!
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| Laboring at home with Nathanael's help |
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| Pushing in the hallway of the birthing center |
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| Final push!! The moment she was born. |
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| Pulling her up and sitting down in the water |
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| Shes here!! |
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| Looking at daddy |
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| Daddy/Daughter time and my mom seeing her for the first time |
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| First latch! |
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| Bonding |
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| Monique guessed it right on the dot |
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| First Diaper |
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| Going home outfit |
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| Proud mama! |
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| Proud Lovey |
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| Auntie B holding Lydia for the first time |
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| First family picture |
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| Monique and Amanda (the birth assistant who was late for the birth!) |
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| Hippie baby home at last! |
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| Lydia Amaria Mae Brandt April 25th, 2011 12:21 am 7lbs 10oz 22 1/2in |
Thanks for tuning in! I hope our story is an encouragement to you! Birth is beautiful! Our bodies are amazing and it blows my mind that we are MADE to do this!! How awesome?! Good luck to all the mommas-to-be! You're going to do great! Trust your body and believe if yourself! I'll have another birth story for you before the end of the year! :)
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