January 2014- A quick “practice a new photoshop technique” turns into a surprise of a lifetime for Matt! We are expecting our third little blessing.
End of August- 9 Months pregnant… ready to know if we’re having a boy or a girl!
August 28th, 2014
38 weeks-
10:30am- We had our weekly checkup with our midwife Kim. Everything with the baby looked great! I was measuring 3cm, and 80% effaced (I had been 1-2 centimeters for two weeks prior). I was hoping to make it until September to have this baby, but after several nights of sleeping terrible and having a hard time catching my breath I asked Kim what she thought about stripping my membranes. Kim was on board and asked me to call her cell when contractions started (knowing our history of progressing quickly she wanted a heads up as soon as we got going), but jokingly said to avoid 3-4pm as her daughter would be in piano lessons.
2:00pm- Contractions began and were sporadic about every 30-60 minutes and were super mild. I could tell I was having a contraction but they certainly didn’t hinder my ability to take care of Kinley and Laykin. I called Matt and in a bit of a doubtful mindset I asked if we should go walking when he got off of work at 3:30 to see if we could make the contractions pickup. I called my mom and asked her to come over at 3:45 to watch the kids while we walked down the road.
3:15 – I called Matt and said contractions were getting closer together lasting 30 seconds every 2-4 minutes, and asked him to come home. Little did I know… Matt was already at Kmart buying “gifts from the baby” for Kinley and Laykin.
3:45- Matt arrives home from work, my mom arrives at our house to watch the kids, and Matt and I head to the road to begin walking around 4:30.
4:30- We start walking down Jepsen Road, the contractions are 30 seconds long every 2-4 minutes. I am still able to walk and talk as go. We turned around to head back down the road the other way to my dad’s house and as we arrived contractions started to become much more painful, having to stop on the road to breathe through the pain. While at my dad’s house we walked around looking at his remodeling work and I sat down to get through the contractions. We took off to walk back home.
5:30- We started the walk back home from my dad’s… contractions were coming every 2-3 minutes and lasting 45 seconds. As the contractions would hit I would brace myself on Matt and concentrate on relaxing, as much as I could with cars driving by.
6:00- We got back home and I beelined for our bed to lie down and relax through contractions. I started needing to “vocalize” the pain as contractions were now hitting every 2-3 minutes, and were quite painful. I asked Matt to call our midwife and tell her that we were having a baby sometime tonight, but that we hadn’t gone thru transition yet so we weren’t ready to head into the hospital. Matt helped during contractions by offering encouragement, rubbing my lower back, and diffusing essential oils for calming and concentration.
6:25pm- Looking back it’s obvious that this was transition, but it seemed so far off in my mind that I couldn’t see it for what it was. Contractions were coming every 4-5 minutes and were 1 minute long and crazy intense. My body began shaking and I remember thinking that I was never going to make it through another natural labor if I was already shaking and in this much pain…. (duh- hello transition?!?)
Matt started to talk to me about preparing to leave for the hospital; I tried to convince him that it wasn’t time for the hospital yet… I didn’t want to get there and be stuck for hours with nurses bothering and checking me and telling me what I had to do. Apparently he didn’t want to deliver this baby on our floor, and told me that I had two contractions to get in the car, because he was leaving. I told him I needed to use the bathroom first… I waiting for a contraction to end, and sprinted (a 9 month pregnant lady sprint that is) to our master bathroom, where my body “prepared” for delivery. I felt incredibly nauseous… I can remember this exact moment, it hit me… I’m having a baby, and I’m having him/her soon! I fel ta sense of panic as I realized that delivery was imminent, and I would need to be ready for the pain that came with delivery. After using the bathroom I headed for the back door where the kids ran up to ask where we were going, and my mother asked if she should plan on being off of work tomorrow, to which I gave a snotty response that I was leaning over the couch to brace myself from a contraction, and yes she would need to watch the kids because the baby was coming soon.
6:50pm We loaded up the car and headed for the hospital. Matt called the midwife and asked if she could meet us at the hospital, as we had just transitioned and were on our way. I was worried about avoiding the dreaded triage room, as the first delivery I got left in that godforsaken room, and the second delivery they demanded I have a fetal heart rate monitor when I was already ready to push. She said that she’d have a room ready for us. ;) My contractions spaced out a bit on the drive, but were incredibly hard to deal with in a sitting position.
7:10pm- We arrived at Covenant hospital, walked to the elevators and were joined by a dad and his young son. (Great- just what I want, to moan and look like a crazy lady in front of a young kid). I did my best to keep moving towards the delivery unit, but had to stop often for contractions. I knew this baby was coming soon and I needed to get to our room and be done with this pain!
7:15pm- We finally make it to the delivery unit! We met Kim in the hallway and she took us straight to our room. I headed to the bathroom to change into my delivery gown, Kim followed me in to ask some questions (secretly I think she was gauging my progress). I overheard her tell the nurses to hurry and prepare for a delivery, and that I was delivering naturally. (oh shit, I am. I need this to be over).
7:20- I make it to the bed and Kim checks me, 9 cm. (dear god, we really are close). Matt continues to rub my back, the nurse is offering sweet words of encouragement, and all I can do is moan, breathe, attempt to relax my body, and start to wonder if we were having a boy or a girl.
7:25 Kim asks if I want my water broken to drop the head down so that the baby would come faster. I agreed, and within seconds I tell her that I need to push.
7:35- Everything is set, I ask for the stirrups to hold my legs, at which point I said I couldn’t get my legs up because of the pain and someone must have helped that happen. ;) I give one or two good pushes…..
7:38pm- Our sweet babe is born. 7pounds 11 ounces, 20 ¼” long. The incredible relief of having the baby out once again surprises me. The baby is lifted up towards me… as Matt announces “it’s a boy!”. I am shocked, even though I was certain we were having a boy I still can’t believe we are blessed with another boy. He is placed on my chest, and is oddly quiet. A few suctions later and a sweet cry immerges. I am once again struck by the strangeness of holding our own slimy, cheesy, amazing child in my arms. It is surreal. The years and fears that we had been through with infertility have shaped my head to believe that I would never be “this girl”. And here I am, holding a baby as he takes his first breath, our baby. I quickly think of the chaos we shall endure some day with having two boys 21 months apart, the wrestling that will be coming, and the scraps that are sure to follow, and have a quick laugh.
The placenta is delivered, and my bleeding slows down without the need for Pitocin. Baby boy king nurses and cuddles and I stare at him in awe as the nurses patiently wait for the ok to check him over. A while later we call the grandmas to let them know that the baby has been born and that we will share the gender once the kids arrive.
8:30- A quick, quiet snuggle before the kids arrive.
8:40pm- Kinley and Laykin arrive at the hospital with nana and papa. They come in the room to learn that they have a brother… Kinley cries, saying that she really wants a sister, then minutes later declares that she loves him and wants to hold him. Laykin gives him a good looking over and then moves onto begging papa to open is new truck from “broder”.
The name list goes on the white board and we begin working our way through our options…trying to continue the tradition of using the letters from Leymaster and King, and for sure using Matt’s middle name Thomas as the baby’s middle name also.
The baby has some severe bruising on his face from such a quick delivery, so we are told that he may have some jaundice issues as the bruises break down and cause bilirubin levels to rise (5-6 days later he would be hospitalized for his bili levels).
Hospital snuggles with daddy.
At 22 hours old we make a decision, this precious boy would be named Miles Thomas King. We were in love with his name when we were just a few months along in the pregnancy, but we just weren’t sure we would sustain the love… apparently we did. Miles it was.
At exactly 24 hours old we left the hospital to take our newest bundle home and begin life as a family of 5. Such a tiny peanut in such a big car seat… how could he really be ours?! God had blessed us beyond measure, again.
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