A year ago from today was when we found out we were going to be a family of FOUR. We woke up early, took a test and I swear Mike snatched it from me exclaiming we were pregnant before I even set it on the table. For that reason, I find it very fitting to post Jack’s birth story today.

**Side note: William and Jack’s birth stories could not be more different! And I am so very thankful for that! Alright, here we go. Birth story numero dos:

July 6^th…hospital trip number 1

First of all, we had William at 38 weeks and this baby was sitting MUCH lower than Will was, so naturally I thought labor was going to occur around the same time, if not earlier. Well, 38 weeks came and went and I was still pregnant. Kind of a bummer but this just meant I was able to spend all MY time one-on-one with William. This was such a blessing because I will probably never have alone time with him again, at least for awhile. Unfortunately, we also had sort of a tight deadline…the baby was due July 10^th, we had a baptism scheduled for July 17^th and we were moving across the country on the 20^th. So, I may have been trying to get things going, if you know what I mean;-).

Well lo and behold, on July 6^th I started feeling something (and honestly everyday before that at some point I felt “something”). I thought they were contractions, but honestly was not sure. When they started getting consistent, I decided to call Mike and let him know.

Now, we had a doctor’s appointment scheduled later that day (so I felt a lot of comfort in that), however we decided that Mike didn’t need to come to this doctor’s appointment because it was his last week of work and already had a happy hour scheduled for that evening (I was also secretly hoping that I would never even make it to this appointment). Well, since things seemed to be progressing Mike decided it would be best if we went to the appointment together, just in case the doctor thought we should head to the hospital.

When she checked me, I was only at about 2.5CM, still had my bag of waters in tact and contractions weren’t that close together yet. She stripped my membranes and told us that things could progress quickly and we could end up having a baby today or it still could be a few days…Ugh! The uncertainty in pregnancy kills me! Anyway, she did say that since I was due Sunday and she really doesn’t like her patients going too far past their due dates, she would induce me on Tuesday. Ok, phew! At least I knew this baby was going to make it to his/her baptism!

When we got home from the appointment, we went for a walk (to get ice cream). I continued to time my contractions and they seemed to be getting closer and closer. So, we decided it was time to head to the hospital! Unfortunately, when we got there I was only 3cm (.5 more dilated than earlier in the day…womp womp) and my contractions only seemed like they were getting closer because I was dehydrated (double womp womp) . They gave us the option to either a. go home and rest or b. stay in the hospital and see if something happens. Well, feeling discouraged and embarrassed, we decided to go home.

Throughout the whole night, I was in and out of sleep, fighting each contraction that came my way. They were super intense, but about 15, maybe even 30 minutes apart, so in my mind not even close to active labor. By the time morning came, my contractions were maybe 10 minutes apart and still super intense to the point where I was googling “contractions 10 minutes apart but super intense.” Surprisingly enough, nothing came up on Google (haha) and since we had already done the whole hospital thing (and I felt super embarrassed by it…aren’t you suppose to know when you are going in labor, especially when it’s your SECOND go around?!!) I was pretty much at a loss of what to do. Well, very quickly (as in the next contraction) they started getting a lot closer together and continued to do so for the next few minutes.

At this point, I think Mike could tell we needed to get moving because I could no longer speak or carry on a conversation during a contraction. He called our sister-in-law to come over to watch William (which she and her husband so graciously did the night before) and then he decided it was also time to call the nurse. Mike had her on speaker phone, while I jumped in the shower, and the conversation went something like this:

Mike: “My wife has been having pretty intense contractions since last night and they are now about 3 minutes apart…”

Nurse: “I think you guys need to head to the hospital.”

Mike: “Alright, we’ll head over there pretty soon.”

Nurse: “Yeah, I highly recommend that you leave now.”

Mike and I both found her reaction to be hilarious. What did she think? This baby was about to come flying out? Clearly not, since I thought it was going to come last night. Well, we already had everything packed from the night before, so we left William with his Aunt Maddie and made our way to the hospital.

 Hospital trip #2…

When we got to the hospital and checked in, the nurse came right away and brought us to a room where she hooked me up to the monitors and we talked very quickly about pain management and what the morning was going to entail. I was so confused at how quickly everything was progressing at the hospital (not like my first birth click here or our trip the night before). Looking back, I am sure it was a combination of my disposition, the fact that this was our second baby and my intense focus during each contraction that motivated everyone to move quickly. I mean they didn’t even check to see how many centimeters I was dilated!!

Another quick side note: My group strep B came back positive during this pregnancy which was something totally new to me since I didn’t have it with Will. They got me started on the first IV bag of antibiotics and informed us that I needed to get through two bags before delivery. Sounded fine to me….

Active labor 9:45 AM

When the nurse came back in the room to check on us a few minutes later, she asked how we were doing and if there was anything I needed. I told her at some point I would like to use the tub for pain management in hopes that I could do this birth unmedicated. I was also thinking we still had several hours of waiting around (Again, I still had a bag and a half of antibiotics to go through). However, she suggested getting in the tub right now since clearly I was in pain. My only hesitation was knowing that it could slow/stop labor if done too early. Well, I was in pain and a bath sounded wonderful. Before I got in I noticed some leakage on my underwear and told the nurse. She checked it with a pH strip to see if it was my bag of waters or pee. And guess what?! It was my water! It was slowly leaking which was much different than William (his was two big gushes). At this point, I was so thankful that I was heading to the tub because this is when things got real the first time around. In fact after my water broke with William, I immediately couldn’t take the pain and asked for an epidural. However, round two was a totally different story with the tub.

Ok, let me tell you about this beautiful tub. It was miraculous. I was still having contractions and they were painful, but it felt like a great weight was lifted. I even felt like I could laugh with Mike! Crazy! Well, as we were talking Mike noticed that my first antibiotic bag was gone and being the dutiful husband that he is called for the nurse to come back so we could start round two.

When she got in the bathroom, I told her I was feeling a lot of pressure (once again something I had never experienced with Will). She recognized all the signs of transition and was very eager to get me out of the tub. In my mind, I kind of thought she was being ridiculous. Good thing she is a nurse, not me.

Transition from the tub 10:30 AM

 She helped dry me off and as she did I was getting a contraction. This contraction was unlike any one I had before. I had a huge desire to push right then and there. She got me back in bed and called to the nurse’s station to have the doctor come to our room. As she was doing this I went through another contraction to which point I couldn’t even control the grunting noises coming out of my mouth. Immediately the nurse recalled the station and said “this is a 911. I need the doctor in here NOW!” Again, in my mind I was thinking “what is she freaking out about?! We have plenty of time?” Again, good thing she is a nurse, not me.

She told me not to push, but if I really needed to, just do really small pushes. I know this is too much information, but it is a birth story. So, imagine you really needed to go to the bathroom and you were on the toilet, but someone was telling you not to go yet. That’s what it was like!

Time to PUSH! 10:40 AM

The doctor literally came running in the room changing into her delivery garbs as the nurse was quickly taking apart and prepping the bed. Within minutes (maybe even seconds) they told me with the next contraction I could do a real push! Just then a contraction came and I grabbed on to my legs and gave them one big push.

“That’s it! We see it’s head!” (didn’t believe them haha)

“Give me one more. Keep going..” “The baby’s shoulder is stuck. Lay her flat down”

They quickly changed the position of the bed and within seconds announced “it’s a BOY!”

During those 2 extremely painful pushes(…yes I pushed twice and he came out!!) I screamed like crazy and bore down with all my might. I kept thinking “is it too late to have an epidural?! Haha

Pushing this time around took three minutes and was my favorite part! I have never felt so strong in my entire life. I felt the greatest sense of accomplishment and oh my goodness we had this perfect little baby BOY to show for it!

John Francis (Jack) joins the party! 10:48 AM JULY 7

Mike was able to cut the cord and they immediately placed Jack on my tummy. It was the best feeling in the world! The next two hours we had alone as a little family of three before introducing our newest member to his big brother. Like we figured, Will was interested in him for about 5 seconds and then was mostly interested in all of the outlets and cords in our room.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) we had to stay in the hospital for the full 2 days because I only got half the dose of antibiotics and they wanted to be sure Jack was ok before we left. Even though we were eager to get home, it was such a blessing to spend all our energy and time with this new bundle of joy because soon it was going to be shared. It’s amazing how much your heart can expand as you have more children. It’s a love that is indescribable and oh so rewarding! We love you, Jack!

A year later and here it is.

Since the time I had gotten pregnant with William I have worried about not knowing when I was in actual labor. In fact, I was having a tough time even knowing what Braxton hicks were. I could never pinpoint what was exactly happening in and around my belly. Were they the same thing as menstrual cramps? Where would I feel it? My stomach? My back? I had no idea!

However, I could tell something was different Thursday, April 23^rd (at just 38 weeks pregnant) when I arrived at school. I was just feeling a little “off” and in reality I had been feeling this way since after my run the night before. I was definitely feeling menstrual-like cramps, but they were mostly in my back. And honestly, I had never heard of “back labor.” The only real clue I had that something was happening was how consistent they were. I would feel them and then they would go away for about 5 minutes. It was so regular that I decided to give my mom a call and see what she thought. (Side note: she is a sonographer and works in an OB/GYN office). I told her everything that was happening and her response was, “ I think you might be in the early stages of labor.” I had so many different feelings at that point. Thank goodness! I am so ready to meet this baby! But also, holy cow I am in labor! This is going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

She continued to tell me to track my contractions and see EXACTLY how consistent they were. So that’s what I did for the next 2 hours of teaching. I grabbed a sticky note and tracked how long each contraction was and what the spacing was between them. Looking back, it was pretty comical how many times I stopped during teaching to see the length of the contraction. Nevertheless, the kids were such great sports about it.

Around 10:00 am I took my kids to specials and called the nurse. It was such an awkward phone conversation. Basically she asked me “if I had thought about not being at work?” and suggested that I go home. She told me not to go to the hospital until my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart. I had no idea what to do! I knew she said to go home, but could I really be in labor?! I had scheduled to start taking my maternity leave the following week and had nothing ready to just get up and leave for the day, or the year! I called my husband and told him what was happening (later found out he too did not believe I was in labor) and we decided it was best if I went home.

After I sent my kids out to recess, I went to the office and told my principal that I was pretty sure I was going into labor (again not convinced that this was it). She immediately told me to go home and offered to drive me. I assured her I would be fine getting home, but was worried about my class (classic teacher move). She told me “not to worry, they would take care of everything!” I felt some relief in knowing this and packed up my computer and headed home.

When I got to our very packed up house (we moved in 5 days prior and everything was still in boxes) I quickly started packing a hospital bag (yup, did not have one). Once that was done I laid on my left side on the couch, taking note of each contraction. They seemed to be getting closer, so I called my husband and told him it might be a good idea to come home. Clearly you can tell what amateurs we are.

Once my husband got home we continued to track my minor, but consistent contractions. (I know they were minor now but I definitely didn’t think that then!) After an hour, they were intensifying and three minutes apart so we decided to head to the hospital. Looking back, it was way too early for the hospital but as first time parents we had no idea how quickly/intense it would get and we were tired of waiting around.

We checked into the hospital and they sent us up to our first room. This is where they monitored my contractions and checked my cervix. I was only at 3 CM and my contractions were further apart then we thought (about 4 to 5 minutes). Ugghhh. The nurse said that she would check on me in 2 hours and if my water didn’t break or my contractions didn’t get closer together, I would have to go home….WHAT? No way!

5:00 PM: Checking into Labor and Delivery  

Two uneventful hours later of walking up and down the hall, the nurse checked me again. Luckily I had gone from 3CM to 6CM and the nurse said we were good to check in to labor and delivery. Thank the Lord!

We checked into our room and a new nurse got us all set up. Here I sat for another hour while being monitored. Nurse shifts changed and we met the nurse that would get me through the most agonizing several hours of my life. She was such a sweetheart who did everything in her power for the next couple hours to make sure we were comfortable.

9:00 PM: Water breaking

Around this time, we were still sitting at about 7 CM and having contractions every 3 minutes. I was still feeling pretty “good,” so I told Mike to go to the cafeteria and grab some dinner. After he left, I decided to walk around the room a little bit when all of a sudden…GUSH! Water was everywhere! And of course no one was in my room at the time. I had no idea what to do, so I went to the bathroom to get some paper towels and I felt another GUSH! I grabbed my phone and texted Mike “um…my water just broke!”

Honestly, I was so excited at this point. I figured it meant we were so close to meeting our little babe, but boy was I wrong. Cue the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life (sorry to anyone who has not had a baby yet). The next contractions were absolutely horrendous. Not to freak anyone out, but I was a pretty hardcore division 1 athlete and I have never felt so much pain in my life.

When my husband got back, he did everything in his power to try and comfort me, but NOTHING worked! Literally nothing! He would say really motivating things to me or a Hail Mary and all I could think of was, “Why is he talking right now?!” or he would be completely silent and rub my back and then all I could think of was, “Why is he not talking?!” Basically a win win for Mike….HA!

He was such a trooper and got me through the worst contractions. I got to a point where I physically did not think my body or mind could handle anymore and asked Mike if I should get an epidural (our original plan was an all natural birth). He was very supportive and we ordered one right after that. I was relieved to know that the pain was going to go away, but I had two obstacles in my way before then: first, I had to get attached to an IV and get about 70 % of fluid in me before we could get prepped for the epidural and second, I had to be perfectly still when they gave me the epidural and I would go through one maybe two contractions. Both of these felt like an impossible feat. The fluid seemed to take FOREVER and I was positive that I could not sit still during a contraction, I could barely remain conscious. Luckily, I was able to get through both and when that epidural finally kicked in, it was magical.

11:00 pm : Pushing

The doctor came in and checked on me, she told us that I was at 10 CM and 100 % effaced. It was time to get ready to start pushing. At this point we weren’t sure if we would have an April 23^rd birthday or an April 24^th birthday. We knew that the first birth normally takes longer, but we were hopeful that we would see our babe soon.

I was never more determined to accomplish something in my entire life. With every push, our nurse and Mike gave me the most positive encouragement. “That was a great push! You are so strong.” “Keep going…keep going.” “You’re going great!” I honestly could not have done it without either one of them.

Unfortunately, this went on for THREE AND A HALF agonizing hours. It felt like no progress was being made. With each contraction I felt like I was losing my mind. I had no idea how to cope with the longest workout of my life and internally was moving further and further away from reality. Every time the doctor came in, she would tell us the same thing. “You are so close!” “I need you to keep pushing.” But, we tried everything and I was past the point of not having an ounce of energy left. I was delirious, exhausted and oh so nauseous!

Another hour later, the doctor came back and checked me again. This time she gave us a few options due to William’s position (basically he was stuck under my pelvic bone and all the pushing in the world would probably not get him out). Our new options were: we could either do a C-section or use forceps to get the baby out. She explained both options and once I heard that forceps required more pushing, I had my mind made up…C-section it is. However, I am so fortunate that Mike was there to talk some sense into me. He made the doctor talk us through exactly what each one meant and knowing our original birth plan, we decided to go with the forceps.

(If you do not know what forceps are, they basically look like giant salad tongs that are used to literally pull the baby out…ouch.)

Delivery

While we were waiting for my second round of epidural to kick in, the nurses and doctor prepared everything for delivery. We had nurses, residents and my doctor in the room helping and watching this delivery and as long as this baby came out safe and sound, I couldn’t care less how many people were in the room.

It took them several tries to get the forceps around the baby’s head and when they did, it was time to push harder than I ever had before. It took us two rounds of pushing for them to finally pull him out. They announced “boy” and then quickly took him over to the nursing station to make sure everything was ok. Mike and I rejoiced in happy tears as our SON had finally made his way into the world.

After they checked to make sure everything was ok with William’s vitals, they placed that sweet baby boy on my chest and it was the best feeling in the world. I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, love and gratitude.

The next two hours we had alone with our little man. We held him and kissed him and soaked up every minute as a family of three. It was the best day of our life.

Because of William’s forceps birth, there were a few things that we were not able to do: I never heard the typical “oh, I see the head. Keep pushing.” And Mike wasn’t able to cut the umbilical cord. His birth was not normal by any means, but it brought us the most amazing little boy and we could not imagine our life without him. We love you, William Michael!