You know blogging has taken a backseat in your life when you have two posts between birth stories! Whoops. There are so few things that need a whole blog post, I guess. Since this is a birth story, I feel like you may not need a TMI warning - it's a BIRTH STORY.
Baby #4 was due on August 8th. Due to that being Aynsley's first day of school, I was feeling a little anxious about timing. I was hoping for baby to be early (which would be typical) or late (which was only the case with Aynsley).
On Monday, July 30th, I had a really strange morning. I had been having some contractions, but none of the contractions were major. Then I had one long, painful one that required a rest on the couch. Thankfully, Matt was home, because I couldn't move. It was really unusual. I already had an appointment scheduled for that afternoon, so I asked a friend if he could come over during naptime to stay with the kids so that Matt could take me. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to drive at this point. I packed up my hospital bag, but I was feeling much better by the time of the appointment. Due to feeling so unusual, I decided to have an exam in the office. This was the first time I'd ever been checked in the office!
My midwife confirmed that I was 3-4 centimeters and about 70% effaced but I wasn't, in her words, "labor-y". Contractions were consistent but mild at this point. I figured things would progress and we'd be back that night. We went home, had dinner with the kids, and went out for ice cream. Then nothing happened! I woke up on Tuesday, still pregnant. The same for the rest of the week. As it got closer to the weekend, I was hoping to make it through a Saturday night service at a local church that was hosting a special speaker. I also had to clean at my church following an event, so I was hoping I might be in the hospital after that on Saturday night or Sunday morning (which would mean going home in time for Aynsley's first day of first grade!).
My Saturday night of laughing and crying through a wonderful service, followed by cleaning (scrubbing toilets, cleaning counters, vacuuming, sweeping, and mopping) did nothing. Sunday was another normal day!
Monday morning was another story. Contractions were starting to feel a little more intense, though I could still take care of chores and the kids and such. Matt decided to take the day off, so I called into my midwife's office and explained my situation. I said I'd been in a week earlier (and stated what my midwife had told me about my progress) and that I was hoping I might be able to come in for a quick exam if they could squeeze me in. They had an opening within about twenty minutes, but the sweet receptionist told me to get there whenever I could and they'd fit me in. I quickly got dressed, packed my hospital bag again (but left it at home this time), and went in.
Upon getting my weight and blood pressure checked, the nurse encouraged me because she knew I was hoping to have the baby before my oldest started school. I said that I'd miss her first day if I had the baby that day, but she said I could go home after 24 hours. This was brand-new information for me! I felt a little better about this possibility.
During my exam, my midwife confirmed that I was between 5 and 6 centimeters. She stated that the baby's positioning felt like she might be facing up, which might be why things were progressing so slowly. She said that she could give me some exercises that might help her to flip over, but that things usually progressed really quickly after that. She also suggested that I could go to the hospital and get my water broken. I knew that would do the trick, as Eliana made her appearance about twelve minutes after my water broke. There was another midwife at the hospital and room for me, so I left. I had left my phone in the car, so I couldn't text anyone until I went and retrieved my phone. It was about 9:30am.
The hospital and my practice share a parking lot, so I just had to walk downstairs and across the lot. Before I went in, I called Matt, a friend I knew was home, and my mom. I got to where I needed to go inside the hospital (strange, because I usually come in at night, in the ER, and they wheelchair me to labor and delivery). One woman in the elevator asked if I was coming to visit a friend and I said, "No, I'm coming to have a baby." It was a very different experience from my other three!
The nurse got me into a room and brought me a gown and everything. I changed and drank as much water as I could once she left. For awhile, they left me alone. I just sat on the bed and read a book between contractions, which I was able to easily relax through at this point. Matt showed up and the midwife helped us with some exercises to (hopefully) help the baby to flip over. I also used a birthing ball and did my typical Bradley side-lying position that is most comfortable (for me) for labor.
By this point, I'd already been laboring at the hospital longer than with any other kid! This was not what I was expecting with baby #4. In fact, at one point, it felt so silly that I asked Matt if we should just go home. "This feels stupid!" I said. I knew, though, that once things got moving, it would be no time at all for baby to arrive.
My midwife came to check me around 1:00pm and said she was comfortable with breaking my water. She did so at 1:07. That really did the trick, but I lost my concentration right away. I had two pushing contractions that did nothing (in my opinion) - I could feel the baby sliding back up and I was incredibly frustrated. Despite how in control I'd felt through the rest of the labor, I felt like (and voiced that) I couldn't have the baby. I was pretty much crying and holding Matt's hands and trying to disappear into the hospital bed. When another contraction came, I pushed way past the point of comfort (sorry, Bradley method) and there was a baby! It was 1:34pm.
Thought this birth required more stitches than my other VBACs, I didn't need any medication during recovery (the cramps during nursing weren't as bad as with Eliana, which was probably the recovery that required the most medication but required no stitches).
So Sofia Evelyn weighed 7 pounds and 15 ounces - so close to 8 pounds! She was 20.5 inches long and resembled Eliana at first (in my opinion). Now, she definitely looks like her big brother (and I see baby Aynsley when she's awake). She is adored by all family members (the kids are always fighting over who gets to be closest to her), but we have had some meltdowns and tantrums that I think are due to the changes in our family. Due to the changes in newborn protocols, we had the chance to go home after 24 hours. The nurse explained to me that I'd have to convince my pediatrician and they usually still wanted to see baby after 48 hours, but she said I had a good chance at that because it was my fourth child and baby and I had no risk factors. Our pediatrician usually requires seeing us the day after we go home from the hospital anyway, so that wasn't unusual for us anyway. We were able to go home on Tuesday night and be there for Aynsley's first day of school.
We really had trouble with picking a name this time. I think our names get more common as we go now, as Eliana is a fairly common name. Anyway, I kept mentioning names to Matt and he wouldn't say anything (which usually means "no"). When I was a little girl, I wanted two daughters named Sophia and Evelyn (so I could have a Sophie and an Evvie - I don't know why, but I've never forgotten about it). So when we lost my stepaunt to cancer in February, I told Matt I wanted our daughter's middle name to be Evelyn in her memory. We usually choose a family member to honor with the middle name, and it was also a name I've always loved. When I mentioned Sophia as a first name at another point, it was the only name that Matt said he liked. Despite it being so popular, we don't actually know any Sophias. I wanted to make it slightly unusual with a different spelling, so Sofia is what we decided on for our littlest love.
Honestly, Sofia is a pretty easy baby. She's not too difficult to figure out and she sleeps pretty well. I'm so grateful for another VBAC, another Bradley method birth, and another little one to add to our family. Thanks to all of those whose love, prayers, support, and encouragement have meant so much to us over the last nine months! And thank you to Jimmy (who watched the kids ON HIS BIRTHDAY during our false alarm), Jess (who watched the kids during labor and delivery), Donna (who watched the kids when Matt was still at the hospital because they hadn't moved me to recovery yet), and my mom (who made my life infinitely easier for the first two weeks of Sofia's life). Thank you for your help in welcoming Sofia into our family!
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