On July 15th at 3:33 in the afternoon, we welcomed our 4th little man.
Conrad Michael, 8lb, 8oz, 21.5 inches long and precious.
The labor and delivery, in a nut shell, were long and unpredictable and very different from my other births.
Having been nearly 3 weeks early with Marcus and Isaac, I was hoping to go a little closer to term with this one, so I didn't do any of the herbal labor preps I had done before, and just waited to see what my body would do. It was a little strange to go to nearly 40 weeks again, (I went to 40 weeks with Sammy), but I'm glad I did. Toward the end of the pregnancy I was in quite a bit of pain, and I was getting weary of the, "you're so huge comments", but I made it. I think having 3 active boys also made the last few weeks tough.
My labor began around midnight on July 15th. The contractions hurt, but were 5 or more minutes apart, so I wasn't really sure whether or not it was real labor. I let my midwives know, but told them to hold tight for awhile just to see where things were going. At around 3 am I called my midwife to let her know that things were about the same. My contractions had intensity, but weren't any closer together. She stated that they would like to come on over because if my water were to break, things could start moving really quickly. I was still so unsure of what was going on with my body, (with the other 3, when contractions got painful, things sped up really quickly), but agreed they should come over. Everyone got there, they checked the baby and me, then decided to catch a nap. Peter filled the tub, and he, too, fell asleep.
For the next several hours I'd have contractions every 5 to 7 minutes, but never closer together. They seemed more intense if I was on all fours or laying on my side, and seemed to stop when I would get up or try the ball. So, in bed I stayed. The midwives would come to check the baby's heartbeat and me, then would go back to sleep. They are such pros at sleeping when they can! As the sun came up, I knew the kids would be getting up and we seemed far off from having a baby. Peter called his brother, and they came and took our kiddos for what would end up being the entire day!
The midwives checked my dilation in the morning and I was about 5 centimeters. So, progress, but not the kind I'm used to seeing. After a few more hours of painful contractions which would not get any closer together I think everyone could sense my frustration. they checked again and I was still only 5 centimeters. My midwives were not worried about the baby, but could sense I was getting tired, so they suggested an herbal tincture and walking. Because it was so hot outside, Peter and I opted for the stairs. For the next 2 plus hours, Peter and I walked up and down two flights of stairs. It all began to work! The contractions started coming closer together, but, I think, due to how tired I was, I didn't feel as emotionally strong as I have in some of my other labors. I just wanted it all to stop. We reached the bedroom after one of our many trips down the stairs, and I had a huge contraction. I felt Conrad's head move down and my water broke. I was trying to tell everyone what happened, but I couldn't catch my breath! Finally it eased and I was able to talk. I finally was able to get in the tub of water. My body had nearly finished dilating, and I could tell we were close. I think this was around 2 or 2:30 pm. The next hour I had some pretty crazy intense contractions. I remember feeling like I could not go on, and I told everyone that. I don't remember ever feeling the movement of his head like I did this time around. It was amazing but terrifying!
At one point, Peter jokingly asked the midwives why we called contractions, "contractions." He reasoned that maybe if we called them "happy squeezes" we moms wouldn't dread/fear them so much. To which they responded that if he were to call them happy squeezes to a laboring mom, he might get cussed at. As I went into another difficult contractions, one of them said, "oh, another happy squeeze!" I couldn't say anything, but I don't know if I would have laughed or cussed if I could have. :-)
My body started to push a bit on its own, and I knew we were so close to meeting this baby. I had to let go of the last bit of fear and let my body do what it needed to do. 2 big pushes later, I was holding Conrad! I remember just thanking God over and over as I looked at the little miracle He'd given our family. I really struggled through this labor emotionally, and there were times where I felt I couldn't go on. I am so thankful that God was there with me! My husband was also a huge encouragement, and he refused to let me give up, and encouraged me when I felt down. The midwives also were a true blessing and support. I remember once, when I started to say, "I just can't" one of them looked me in the eye, dripped some warm water over my arm and said, "yes you can!"
Conrad is my biggest baby at birth and he is such a chunky, monkey at 1 month old! His oldest 2 brothers cant get enough of him. Isaac's been a bit slower to come around, but he seems to like baby these days.
Conrad and Sam. Baby is a few hours old.
One week!
Brothers! Conrad is 3 weeks here and so adorably chubby.
2 weeks and hanging with Marcus.
My heart and hands are pretty full these days. I'm trying to savor as much as I can amidst the chaos that is us. The time does go by so fast!
