Born: December 16, 2010
9 pounds, 11 ounces
20 inches long

While I never really got to the point where I thought I’d be pregnant forever, I do have to admit that it feels a bit weird not being pregnant right now. I think it had become my new normal.

Wednesday afternoon, after making light of my twelfth day past the due date, I realized I had a very big problem- I couldn’t see where I was walking. I had slipped on a book the night before and fallen, and all day long I found myself stepping on toys and sliding across the floor. One in particular was pretty dramatic, and I wound up in some serious groin/leg/ab pain. Hubby came home to me sitting on the toilet, half in tears, telling him I didn’t want to be done in the bathroom because that would mean getting up and walking. Walking hurt. I didn’t want to go into labor like this, I told him. The Braxton-Hicks contractions I’d been having had fallen into a steady pattern that day. Another day or two, I thought, and we would have a baby. I really wanted to stop hurting first.

Instead of cooking that night, we went out to eat- just after picking up a futon that I’d gotten off of Craigslist. The contractions kept up, and I wondered whether we would make it through the next day. I figured yoga Thursday night would definitely get us going.

I want to interject here my thoughts on “Braxton-Hicks.” After staying quite busy throughout a good chunk of active labor with Iz, those who have heard my story this time have said I ignored labor all Wednesday. Here is my take: if I can (drive, talk, multitask, etc) through it, it is not active labor. Had I considered every round of contractions labor, then I was in and out of labor for weeks. On the other hand, if I look at it as just Braxton-Hicks or- worse- false labor- then I would be terribly annoyed by them as a meaningless inconvenience. Every contraction has a purpose. Not every contraction leads immediately to active labor.

Fast forward to bedtime. I fell asleep putting the boys down and crawled into bed when I woke up around midnight. Hubby had sifted my belly earlier, and between that and a hot bath, my legs and abs had loosened up from the fall. I was ready to relax it away in bed…but there was another of those contractions. And another. I timed them just to know whether to give my midwife a heads up that it could be in the next 24 hours- 5 minutes. Time for another bath.

They didn’t slow in the bath, and I called my midwife just as a courtesy in case this turned into something. They weren’t even remotely intense, but they came every two minutes or so on the phone with her. I didn’t think she needed to come yet, but we decided it couldn’t hurt. Maybe Hubby needed to set up the tub, too, so we didn’t miss it. It was about 12:45 AM on Thursday at this point.

She came in at about 1:20, just as Hubby had finished setting up the pool. It was filling up, and I was finally able to get out of the bathroom. Early labor, I was sure of it. Easy contractions, loose bowels…We were going to have a baby- probably by breakfast. Still, I wanted to be in the tub. As soon as it was full enough, I hopped in. I hadn’t looked up instructions for turning the water heater up, though, so I had to wait for big pots of hot water to be poured in. It didn’t matter. A fire was going, the living room was dark, and it was just us and the midwives and the pool.

The contractions were incredibly manageable, though, and both Hubby and I were thinking we set up all too soon. I would breathe and vocalize through one, then be fine and talking as soon as it was over. I finally asked them to time them, because something seemed off. They were short or something. “That was a full minute.” What?! A full minute?? It felt more like 20 seconds.

Evidently, this was a very good thing, because around 2:15 or 2:20, things got suddenly intense. I was done. Part of me was afraid this was the start of active labor and we were in for a long night. The other part saw the signs of late labor and hoped that maybe, just maybe, we were almost done. Just a few contractions later and the latter was confirmed with a big grunt. I was pushing.

It seemed like hours. Little Bean kicked and squirmed and hiccuped! all the way down. Owch, baby! Finally, I felt baby crown. My midwife supported me, but I was catching. I expected that to happen quickly after crowning, but no- just a head. Baby had stayed posterior to the end and was turning only as we pushed. I grunted and yelled and told everyone it hurt. I moved and squirmed and knew I had to be in a different position. Up in a half kneel, half squat, very difficult position to sustain, baby could come out. I felt hair. Hair! And cheeks…and, oh! We were done!

Feeling around under the towel that covered our Little Bean, with Fuzzy running around eating a popsicle and commenting on every step of the process, I discovered the gender. “I can’t find a penis!” Really? It’s a girl! Fuzzy wasn’t surprised- “It’s NOT a boy!” he said, in an I-told-you-so-voice.

Later, after snuggling her on the couch in front of the fire, confirming that I had no tears or complications, we weighed her. Nine pounds eleven ounces. Wow! Biggest baby by about a pound and a half. Fastest labor, too- about 2 hours from the time I was unsure whether to call to warn the midwife.

I’m sure there will be more about her later, but for now, we are just getting to know her. A lot of the woolies are too small, and just about all of her sweaters that I knitted come up over her belly. She’s relaxed, determined, and ready for my milk to come in. The boys, Daddy and I are all in love. Onward we go to another phase of our lives - all five of us.