Alanna's Birth Story | Part 2

Start with Part 1

If you made it through Part 1, you are amazing.

"Part One" was long for me too. But it also flew by. The older I've gotten, the quicker those 10 months go by.

So the story-telling left off at the first attempt at birthing this baby.
Labor stalled.
Came home empty-handed.
And then had a very uneventful  next week.
VBS had wrapped up. We didn't get another Bible School baby. 

 

I was so tired. I was big. Couldn't breathe. My feet were still really swollen. My face was fluffy. I wasn't sleeping well AT ALL. 

My smiles had turned to something a little like this... half-hearted.
Grateful for a baby baking longer. But half-hearted.

^^

^^^^^More CookOut shakes! Yum! Anything cold and wet and unhealthy right?!

So the two weeks prior, I had been losing my mucus plug slowly over time. It wasn't like with Jasper coming as one big glob (sorry, entirely way TMI!). Everything was throwing me for a loop this time. But I had made it to 37 weeks. That day at work, I again started having some mild contractions. I honestly didn't think too much of it because of all of the BH contractions I had had over the months and the previous week of labor stalling. I told everyone that I was NOT going to the hospital unless I was fo' sure in labor. Like, can't breathe, crying, hurting labor.

Well that evening when I got home from work, we decided to work in the garden a little bit. I helped weed and water the garden - dead of June - it had to be done. Watering the garden wasn't hard work but it was hot, that's for sure!

While watering, the contractions started feeling a little different. It only took me about 10 minutes to do that so once I was done, I went inside and changed out of good clothes into my maternity/nursing comfy nightgown and some tennis shoes. An obvious wardrobe choice. And decided to go for a walk. We were going to see what these contractions had going for them. I wasn't going to sit around for another night of worrying and obsessing over contractions that were coming too close, too soon, too early. I was 37 weeks. This baby could come. I was full term.

Joshua and I walked while his mom and dad drove in the Baccamobile with the kids. The contractions were definitely getting more intense but they were not that bad. His mom and dad decided to take the boys with them that night just in case something happened. We knew from previous experience, I like to go into labor around midnight.

So that night, contractions kept coming, things were looking promising but they were just not coming at any frequency that seemed worthy of the real thing.

I decided that I would try to go to bed. I figure, if history repeats itself, around 11pm or so, I'd wake up with some nice contractions and we'd rush off to the hospital. Before going to bed that night, June 25th, I took a photo of my belly. I had definitely dropped. My belly button was the nice blue color it always turns when I'm so stretched and full of life inside.

^^^Pretend that's a bathing suit!

The next morning I woke up at 5:55am. I looked at my clock and sighed, I had slept all night long. Midnight had come and gone. But something strange....had I dreamed that I had just had a nice strong contraction or was it real? I decided to trudge downstairs to pee - I had gone all night without - which was the first time in quite a while that I hadn't made a nighttime pit stop!

While using the potty, I had another nice contraction and then there bright red blood and lots of it. I was a bit concerned. The show that I had been having earlier was nothing like this. I knew bright red blood wasn't the best sign so I called Dr. A. and she said to go ahead to L&D. I called my mom, hands shaking....this time this is real. The finality, the rush, the excitement and anticipation, nervousness & some fear flooded me.

Contractions were picking up after losing, what I believed, was the last of my plug. Joshua got dressed while I packed the last few items and paced the living room. I still believed that somehow the contractions might die. Once my mom and Doc got there, we took off toward the hospital.

This was our "It's a good morning to have a baby!" sunrise. God welcomed us by way of sunshine and clouds, drawing us toward the hospital. It was the calm before birth.
 

On our way, we stopped at McDonald's to grab breakfast. Food is important to us. Even when having contractions strong enough to catch my breath. I still wanted food because you never know how long it will be until you can eat again.

Let's be real....
This was how I felt.
And it wasn't the hot biscuit sitting on my lap either.
And yes I was taking selfies while having a contraction.
I'm ridiculous sometimes!

Once we made it to the top of the parking deck, I knew we wouldn't be sent back home this time.
This was it.
I was having a baby.

We started using the Big Bertha camera at this point.

Part 3 to come....