Friday, April 1, 2016

The Birth Story of our Son

Babies are funny about being forced out of your body...our induction was scheduled for 42 weeks gestation if he didn't make an entrance first. My beloved doctor told me he had to go out of town because his mother was sick at 41 weeks, 1 day....and that he wouldn't be back for 5 days (Easter Sunday), and that I should try not to have the baby without him (haha-but he was very sorry at the idea that after all we have been through, this may happen outside his watch). Well, I told him I was clamping my cervix all the way down until he got home. And I did. We went into labor the day after he got home.

Our son Andrew Jewell was born March 29 (Tuesday) at 9:38 am. He decided we weren't the boss of him, and that he was coming before we forced him out. Monday, we did all.the.things. That way if it didn't work, we could sleep all day Tuesday in anticipation of induction on Wednesday. Nonni and Grandaddy came to town the 24th for Easter thinking he would be here, so they were around and had promised to take the girls to a hotel one night to swim and hang out downtown, so we asked them to do that Monday night. Monday I did acupuncture, my doula/midwife (hired her as a doula, but she's also an awesome registered nurse midwife who delivered a couple of my friends' kids, which was nice) came and checked my cervix (3 cm, 70% effaced, which was improved over the 1 cm, 50% effaced that it had been for weeks), then we discussed the game plan, which included two 2-oz doses of castor oil (she said I was ripe for it to work--at the top of the roller coaster before it headed down the peak-just needed a good shove!). blerg. Anyway, she left and hubs and basted the tukey for those good prostaglandins, ate spicy noodles for dinner, which I chased with 2 oz of castor oil in 4 oz of OJ, we went to the grocery store to stock the kitchen since his parents were leaving Thurs morning, went home, watched a little of a movie, and by 10 pm my contractions were 5 min apart. I called the doula, and she said "take the other 2 oz of castor oil and take a bath and go to sleep--if this is real labor, the bath will let you slow down enough to rest, but nothing can stop real labor". So I did.

At 2:48 am I couldn't sleep through the contractions anymore (intense!) and at 4:09 am I called my doula and woke Sean because they seemed to progress fast. At 4:34 I texted and told her to hurry because we needed to go to the hospital. We (hubs, doula, and me) left at about 4:50, got to triage about 5:25. Finally got in my L&D room around 6:30 or so. Labored very hard, and they broke my water to help me quickly get to 10 cm. I pushed for what felt like forever. My doula had great ideas for positions (crunching into a squat on a birth bar puling up on a knotted ribozo was the most productive till the end) and when he finally came out with a nuchal arm it was clear why it took him so long to come through my pelvis--his arm was next to his head! 9 lbs, 8 oz, big headed, add a few cm for the arm. 2nd degree tears instead of 3rd like last time. No pain meds, no interventions till after the placenta was delivered (minor hemorrhage, but under control pretty quick), baby was placed on my chest immediately and had a great latch for nursing, they didn't take him to weigh until an hour and a half went by.

Looking at this sweet baby-my last-I was overcome. My last baby...my SON. This time I know this is my last time raising a baby. And he is so beautiful. He reminded me of Addie as a newborn-big blue eyes and pinky pink skin. Except Andrew has a sweet little dimple in his left cheek and Nonni dimples and Sean's deep, deep hole punch dimple in his chin. How I love that sweet one in his cheek!

My doc stitched me up, and I went home the next day after lunch. This recovery has been really easy, and I am feeling really empowered getting through a second natural VBAC! I can't help but thinking about how God is so good to us, and how this baby has come to bless us and bring us grace. My prayer every day of my pregnancy was that this child would bring joy to everyone he meets.

Just born-dimple!!!!

My doula/widwife and wonderful Doctor!

Brand new <3 td="">

Sisters meeting him for the first time...

Our little family is complete

Ultimate Nonni

Three generations...the chin is the trademark!


Since we were only in the hospital a day and a half, Baby and I went home midway through the next day after the baby's last few labs and hearing test (we were in the hospital 35 hours total). Nonni got a very cute outfit for the trip home, and I was more than happy to get home to my own space.


After the hearing test, we could go home!                                           Going home outfit


Gillian and Addie made sure that Andrew and I felt special going home, and with Nonni's help, they made some banners and signs to welcome us home, and we had a ZERO birthday party for Andrew!






Extra snuggles on his celebration day...


So much love. Glory.



Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Forty one weeks...and counting

Feeling Large....no swelling like with the girls (no weight gain in the past 8 weeks...difference between boys and girls???). That said I am feeling pretty uncomfortable! Chiropractic care since month 4 has made this so much more manageable...I walked 10 miles this past weekend! I couldn't have done that when I started going to the chiropractor before I gained 50 pounds, but I can do it now...

Not to rush the time, because we can still do this... <3 p="">

Friday, March 18, 2016

Lady in Waiting

Today, you are two days past due. The child I mourned the loss of has returned, according to Adelaide. She told me you would that sad, cold day in mid December when we found out the little life inside had passed. She was matter-of-fact about it.

This pregnancy was more guarded, more mine than the others. We announced at 20 weeks this time...no early announcements we had to choke back, no broken façade to hide in public. We found out you were coming last June. The days and hours have flown and lingered eternities since then. At once joyful and confident, at other times fearful and cautious, excited, and exhausted. I know I am a low maintenance pregnant woman and my condition hasn't changed my interactions with my family much. At this moment, I feel heavy and tired and slow. I feel ready to have you in my arms and out of my flesh, where you keep growing, and stretching, and tearing me. My son. My SON. Such a foreign thing to even think with two daughters all this time.

My belly won't ever be the same. My heart won't either. Adelaide smells it in the air, and she is scared to death. I make this judgment by her recent pattern of manic joy followed by crushing sorrow every night just before bed about some new affront. It breaks my heart, how she thinks I could ever love her less. I tell her a mother's heart gets bigger every time...it doesn't just learn to accommodate more guests. That her space is hers-forever and ever and ever. No matter how shitty she ever gets with me or what mistakes she makes, she is forever my baby. Gillian is harder to discern-how she feels about it all. But some pre-teen angst seems to emerge from time to time that exhausts me completely. She can't wait to love you, and love you, I think.

We discussed having you ad nauseum...for years. We would decide it was a good plan, and then that it wasn't...that we are too old and tired, then that my heart would forever be missing a piece without you. Now we are on the precipice of knowing you, and yearning to have you tangible and here and stop talking in uncertainties about you. So, we're here, still waiting.