Baby Amelia Rose's grand entrance

Baby Amelia was due on St. Patricks day (March 17) but I figured I would have her early, which I guess was just wishful thinking.  For the last several months I've been hearing how huge I was and that I looked ready to pop. Each time I would leave, my patients would say, "Well I probably won't see you again because you'll be having that baby."  The closer the due date got the more I began to worry that my Mom would come and go and miss seeing the new baby. She came in on the 19th and began cooking up a storm. I had asked if we could make a few freezer meals and she literally filled my freezer and cupboards with good healthy food. I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to have this baby naturally (especially since I have had trouble with epidurals not working anyway). After consulting with friends on facebook I bought some books and c.d.s about hypnobirthing and began to practice relaxation techniques and learning to breathe through imaginary contractions, allow myself to open up and do what women's bodies are born to do.  I really wanted to spontaneously begin labor and not need to be induced. But at my Drs. appointment on the 21st I was told that I would be chemically induced on the 28th which would be after my Mom and Laura had gone back to Utah and we would have no help with our other kids. I began trying to induce myself with everything I could find on the Internet. I ate spicy foods, walked and exercised, swam, drank gallons of raspberry leaf tea, even tried cater oil and nothing worked! I had contractions every evening and every evening I would think, "Maybe tonight will be the night..." just to wake up disappointed that I was STILL pregnant. Everything hurt and I was tired of doing my hair and makeup everyday and shaving my legs just in case... The boys had been praying for weeks that Baby Amelia would be born soon and that she would be born strong and healthy. I finally gave in and just prayed that she would be born in God's time and that if she was healthy that would be all that mattered to me. Thinking about being chemically induced again made me second guess my decision to go naturally because of how the labor would be prolonged and painful.

On Sat. night 23 we went to Pigs R Us and ate some spicy jalapenos on a pork salad. We came home listened to the hypnobirthing c.d. and went to bed early. At 12:45 I woke up with some regular contractions and when I timed them they were about 3 minutes apart and lasted 40 seconds. I woke Adam up and we got ready to leave. We left about 1:30 and I listened to my hypno CD as I breathed through the contractions. We got to the hospital about 2:30 and went to the ER and then triage where they told me I was 5 cm. We got to our room about 3:00 and began answering questions and getting my IV antibiotic which they said was supposed to be in for at least 4 hours before the baby was born or there could be complications. The contractions began to get worse and I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom. My friend who is a doula had told me that the toilet was a good place to labor as it relieved pressure and allowed gravity to help. The nurse left and I went to the bathroom. The pain was intense and I told Adam to tell the nurse I changed my mind and I did want that epidural because I couldn't handle 4 hours of this. I reached my hand down and felt what I thought might be a head. Adam pulled the emergency cord and the nurse came back. I stood up and she felt and said, "Yup, that's a head." She was pushing her pager and asking for the baby team. She asked if I could walk back to bed, I said "No." I had 2 more contractions and out she came followed by a big gush of amniotic fluid all over my flip flops. The nurse caught her and set her on my chest. I looked down and couldn't believe it. I was thinking, "That's it? I'm done?" I carried her with her umbilical cord still attached and waddled back to bed. Then a doctor came in and delivered the placenta and let Adam cut the cord. It was amazing and natural and exhilarating.  She was born at 3:30 AM and weighed 7 lbs 15.5 oz -our biggest baby by over a pound. After she was born I nursed her and finished answering my admit questions and then an hour or two later I had some scary bleeding but it got under control with some helpful pitocin. She had to stay a full 48 hours because of her risk for strep B but then we all got to come home feeling good and  "strong and healthy" just like we prayed for. We were kind of famous at the hospital that weekend. The nurses came in and asked, "So she's that one that was born in the bathroom? How did that work?"

Lilly meeting her sister for the first time. She is in love with HER baby.

Proud Grandma got to see her new baby and was a huge help to watch the kids while we were in the hospital.

Hurray for Baby Amelia!

 

On the way home from the hospital we stopped at Red Lobster just like we did when Lilly was born.

When we got home, my mom had put balloons out on the mailbox, cleaned the house and she gave us a Lily and Roses in honor of our Lilly and Amelia Rose.

Me helping make meatballs before the baby was born. Here is my freezer overflowing with homemade goodies/ freezer meals.

 Silly Lilly and her Duck face

When the kids woke up Sunday morning, they had a trail of glow in the dark eggs leading up to some glow in the dark balloons that said "Baby Amelia is born!" It began to storm and snow (like it never does in Martinsville) and they cancelled church. Laura decided to brave it like a Utah girl and drove everybody up to the hospital to visit. The first thing the boys said was, "Baby Amelia was born and the Easter Bunny came!" We are all so excited for Baby Amelia and so grateful that she is strong and healthy. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father knows what is best and makes things happen when they will work out for the best. It was perfect timing to have Laura and my Mom home that night, it was nice that we didn't have to drive to Roanoke in a snowstorm, it was nice we happened to be assigned to a nurse midwife who understood my essential oils and desire for natural birth and didn't freak out about squatting in the bathroom.