Hi ladies! It's been so long since I've been on here and I miss you all so much! Samuel is 3 weeks today (where did the time go??!!) and I can't believe how busy he has kept me. I'm actually typing one-handed while he's in my other arm! Anyway, I want to share my birth story and some pics. Hope everyone's doing well!!

Dh and I went to bed at 11pm on Tuesday night (5/23) when I woke up to my water breaking at 1am. I had dh run and get me a towel and thankfully, the fluid was clear with just a little bit of pink in it. I was so excited that baby would be here soon but I was so
nervous, my whole body was shaking. Now, we knew that first time moms could potentially be in labor for many, many hours so we were told by our midwives and doula that if my water were to break at night, to try to go back to sleep so we'd have as much
energy for what was to come. It was easy for dh to doze off but I was just way
too amped up. I eventually told dh to catch some Z's downstairs on the couch
since I was keeping him up and I wanted him feeling his best.

I kept laying in bed and small contractions began just before 2am. They felt just like
menstrual cramps but I also had lovely back pain thrown in. I stayed in bed until
3:30am when I couldn't stand the laying down position anymore and decided to
draw a bath. At this time, I was getting an upset stomach during each
contraction so I had to deal with sitting on the toilet, a strong contraction,
and lower back pain all at once. Nice visual, eh? :)

Anyway, once I got into the bath, I felt soo relaxed. Unfortunately, I couldn't lay back because that position made my contractions & back pain feel worse so I just sat
cross legged and swayed back & forth to massage my tailbone area (that was
where the back pain was). I wanted to sleep but there was no possible way I
could lay my head down so I just kept my eyes closed while dealing with
contractions. I have no idea how close they were coming at this point, since I
never timed them, but if I had to guess, I'd say they were maybe 4min apart.

Around 5am, I couldn't handle the pain on my own anymore. My stomach was
still getting upset and I had to get out of the bath to go to the bathroom. I
really needed counter pressure against my tailbone and it was hard to keep my breathing nice and slow, so I made my way downstairs to wake up dh. This is were it was the
hardest. It seemed like every time I moved, it triggered another huge
contraction, so I barely had time between them. I'd go through one half way down
the stairs, then I made it to the living room where I all I could say was,
'Babe, I can't do it by myself' and then I'd drop to the floor to deal with
another one. Dh immediately jumped up and applied counter pressure but the poor
guy didn't know how much pressure was needed on my back. I was no help to him
because I could no longer talk...all I could do was moan. He did do a great job
at getting me to slow my breathing though, and I'm glad he did because I was
starting to hyperventilate and become light headed. After going through a
couple contractions in the living room, my stomach got upset AGAIN so I made a dash to
the bathroom but not without a barf bowl. Yep, you guessed it. I was sitting on
the toilet while barfing, having the strongest contraction of them all and not
knowing if I was going to pass out or not. It was the hardest, scariest moment
of my entire labor and I told dh to call everyone NOW. Little did I know that I
was in transition (this was around 6am-ish).

After coming out of the bathroom, I draped myself over my labor ball while Dh was running around the house trying to get last minute things put in our labor bag and in the car. I hated that because I needed my hand held during contractions and it was hard for me to verbally tell him to stay with me (I was out of breath). At around 6:30am, my body started pushing on its own. I couldn't help it and that freaked dh out even more. He couldn't believe how fast I was progressing and kept telling me to not push (that was pretty much impossible to do!). My doula arrived after ten minutes of involuntary pushing and oh my gosh, I was so happy to see her! She just walked right in to our house and got to business without saying anything. She knew exactly where and how hard to push and let me squeeze the crap out of her free hand. Dh was on the phone talking to our midwife when our doula asked to talk to them and I heard her saying, 'She's pushing and yes, I've delivered babies before'....

Since it was rush hour, our drive to the birth center would take an hour, so my midwife
wanted to know if we wanted to attempt the drive or if I wanted her to come to
us (she lives 15min away). I couldn't fathom a car ride so I told her to come
over. After hanging up with her, I asked my doula if I could be moved back into
the bath. I had wanted a water birth and thankfully, we have a decent sized
soaking tub, so dh went to fill it up. Our doula helped me back upstairs and
into the tub and again, it felt wonderful! My midwife and her assistant showed up
and I was still pushing on my own, which felt so good. It's amazing how there
was no pain when I pushed. It just felt like I was trying to take a really big
poo and my body was doing it for me. (Gross, but true!)

Our birth photographer also arrived and she jumped into action. It was a very peaceful environment where everyone kept their voices low and encouraged me so much during every push. I'd alternate between holding dh's hands while my doula pushed on my back and vice versa. It made all the difference in the world! At a certain point, I asked my midwife to tell me how close baby's head was, since I couldn't tell, and that really helped
me to get that extra oomph to push. Let me tell ya, it's such a workout to push!
I truly believe that being somewhat in shape *really* helps. Anyway, I felt baby crowning, which didn't hurt as much as I expected (I credit this to being in water & having my midwife help my skin stretch), and I wanted a constant update as to how much of his head they could see. Once his head was out, they felt for the cord around his neck (it wasn't) and I could feel him turning. So weird! I pushed his body out at the next contraction (I was surprised when that didn't hurt at all) and there he was! It was so surreal seeing him in my arms and hearing him gurgle out a cry. Dh had tears in his eyes while he called out his gender.

We hung out in the tub until the cord stopped pulsing and dh made the cut. After delivering the placenta and cleaning up, I was helped into bed, where Samuel was weighed and measured (8lbs 6.5oz and 22inch long!) and then was given to me where he successfully latched on! I had minimal tearing, so no stitches were needed. It was the best day of my life and I love him so much!! Here is my Samuel Ashtin:

<---Samuel's birthday cake :)

<--2hrs old!

<---Samuel with my MIL, Rose :)

Post partum thoughts, experiences, etc.:

*To me, labor and birth was not as painful as everyone made it out to be. I have experienced pain far worse than that!

*I couldn't believe how hot and sweaty I was for days after Samuel was born. I couldn't stand clothing and opted to stay naked until my body regulated itself.

*Besides overheating, I was incredibly lightheaded for 3 or 4 days. I needed help walking to the bathroom because I felt like I was going to pass out each time! I also walked hunched over due to how sore my abs were from pushing. It really is the hardest workout of your life!

*Depends are a life saver! For the mommies-to-be: if you haven't stocked up on them, do it! They were amazing!

*I cried every day until Samuel was 7 or 8 days old. These were tears of every kind of emotion and they came very easily. Don't be surprised if you experience the same!

*I wish I had stocked up on more nursing bras and shirts before he was born. I underestimated their importance and also the fact that my boobs leak milk all the time! I also sleep in a nursing bra with nursing pads inside. If I don't, I wake up drenched in milk! Yuck!

happy birthday Samuel..you're sooo adorable.

Wow! I cried reading this, Karen! What an amazing birth story! Samuel is a very lucky boy to have you as a mommy :) And those pictures are absolutely adorable. I especially love the one where he's smiling - sooo sooo sweet!

Wow, your story is amazing! You did a pretty good describing what the contractions feel like. That's how I felt before I caved in and got the epidural. You are amazing for doing in naturally...you're one superwoman!

I love the pictures! He is so adorable! The picture of you holding Samuel is my fav! Was that also taken 2 hours after his birth? Cause if it was, you couldn't tell you just went through labor. I wish l looked that beautiful after L&D!

Congratultions! What a beautiful birth story and GORGEOUS pictures :)

Congratulations Karen!  Samuel is absolutely adorable and I'm in awe of you - so glad you got the birth you wanted.  I hope all is well with you and your beautiful family!

What a great story! I'm glad it wasn't bad and everything went smoothly for you! Those are some great pics!

Wow Karen, I'm all teared up here at work!  That is such an amazing and surreal story, thank you so much for sharing every little detail.  I can't believe how short your labor was, and you are AMAZING!  I looove all of the pictures and Samuel is just plain adorable- Congratulations again!!