This pregnancy was a little more difficult than my previous ones and I was ready to have him. Tim made a last minute trip to Utah to see family he hadn't seen for a few years. He left on Sunday the 3rd, and came back on Friday the 8th. I'm sure if he was home earlier in the week, Asa would have come sooner, but he waited for his Daddy to be home. Thank goodness for that, but it was an uncomfortable few days of Asa getting ready; sitting really low.
Friday finally came, I picked Tim and his brother Jon up from the airport at 10 am. I started to feel contractions later Friday afternoon. About 3-5 minutes apart and 30 seconds long. I start to inform kid sitters and midwifes that something may be happening that night, but didn't have anyone come over yet. I decide since I didn't have newborn diapers yet, we would go to Fred Meyer as a family and pick up some last minute things and see if the contractions would get stronger. By the time we were driving home, they got really spaced out, and stopped. False alarm - super disappointing. I've never had a false labor before, but I was kind of grateful for it. I wasn't mentally or emotionally ready to deal with labor since I still had a good memory of how last time went with Evie. I was tensing up for the contractions, thinking "oh no, here comes more pain", and focusing on the wrong things. So, I am glad I had 24 hours to change my mindset.
Annalie, my niece, was over helping me all day Saturday while I cleaned, in effort to get the labor going again. At about 6:30 pm, I started timing contractions. It felt similar to the day before, so I was a bit leery to text people at first, but I had 10 contractions in that first half hour lasting 45-60 seconds long. I contacted my midwifes and they told me to lay down and see if the contractions continued. Laying down didn't stop them, so I got up to go to the bathroom. By this point, I felt more confident it was really going to happen tonight. I called my mom at 8:30 pm to let her know, and gave the go ahead to the midwifes to come. My mom said I sounded too chipper to be in labor. That was part of the difference in my mindset from the day before. Instead of thinking "oh no!" with each new contraction, I wanted to greet them with an "Oh Yeah!" (Kool-aid man), cheering my body on for doing it's thing. I didn't have to actively think of what to do next. Just submit with a smile, each one was getting me closer to holding my baby. Just go limp and it will be over sooner.
I decided to hop in the shower before everyone got to the house. I sat on a birth ball for a little while till that was uncomfortable, took frequent trips to the bathroom, and sat on a foam mat on the floor. Nothing felt very comfortable so I had Tim fill the bath tub. I stopped tracking the contractions at 10:10 pm when they were about a minute long, three minutes apart, and getting pretty strong. Being in the tub I think helped them not feel so intense, but still felt productive. Things were getting tougher to bare, and I was getting the old familiar thought "I don't think I can do this". I know when I have that thought it's usually almost over, but I didn't think I was far enough along to feel that way yet. I had a particularly tough contraction, and asked my body "What do you want me to do?", at which point, my water broke. It was weird, because I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to tell in the water. It felt like a lime size water balloon shot out. I don't know what time it was, at that point, but the midwifes came in and stayed till pushing started.
I wasn't planning on doing a water birth. It had crossed my mind as a possibility, but ultimately decided I didn't want to. Not that I have anything against it, I just wanted someone to give me a play by play once crowning started and I didn't think I could get that in the tub. Alas, It was too late, I knew I was not going to be getting out of the tub. I was sitting upright on my knees and felt his head coming out. I re-positioned myself onto my backside with my knees up so it could be seen he was crowning. Once his head was out, I took a little break. First thing Tim notices was how chubby his cheeks were. Tim held his head while I got ready to deliver the rest of his body. Total pushing lasted less than 5 minutes and he was born at 10:55 pm.
We cuddled in the tub a little while, delivered the placenta, and Tim cut the cord. My sweet mother was There, but unfortunately missed the delivery. I am so grateful she was still here though, and got to see him after he was born. The whole labor lasted 4.5 hours. Tim woke Brody up to meet his new brother, but I'm not sure he was awake enough to remember. Asa cheated a little on his weigh in because he nursed for a little while before we got his birth weight 45 minutes after he was born.
All his siblings were excited to meet him the next morning. They want to hold him all the time. Even Evie says "baby" and wants to look at him and pat him. I have the best kids. They are so grown up and helpful.
Great accounting and love the name Asa! Was a family name back in the day. Congratulations!
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