HE'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Levi Alexander was born Sept 18 at 10:24 am. He weighed 7lbs 2 oz, and 19.5 in long. He is perfect and we are in love!!!

My Birth Story

Well...where to begin lol

During the weeks leading up to his birth, Levi, had me absolutely and completely MISERABLE. I was so ready to have this baby, I couldn't stand it! Once I hit 37 weeks, I started walking to get things going.  Late Thursday evening, Sept 10th, at 37 w 3 days, I lost a little bit of my bloody show. The next day, the 11th, I lost more throughout the day and was also crampy. No contractions to really complain about, mostly Braxton hicks. At one point during that day, I went to the bathroom and lost so much show that I had to keep wiping it up and it got all over my fingers! So gross! I got excited because I figured something had to be happening soon! With Anaiya, I had some show with her and about 4 hours later she was born. So I just KNEW something was getting ready to happen. I had been walking since the weekend before  and was disappointed that nothing had happened yet. My contractions hadnt even picked up!! I was only 2 cm dilated too. ( Discovered this at my 37 week check up). I know that dilation doesnt mean much when it comes to determining when labor is coming, but I had never been that far along and only a 2 lol. To my major disappointment, I didnt go into labor that night like I'd hoped ( I wanted to at least get past Sept 11th since thats too sad of a day to be born on IMO). Nothing happened the whole weekend either, despite vigorous walking!

That Monday night/early Tuesday morning I woke up to very painful contractions. Painful enough that I couldnt sleep through them at all and had to breathe a little bit to keep from writhing around from the pain. They were strong right from the start so I started trying to time them. They were all over the place at 2-30 minutes apart. So I put my phone back down after a couple hours and laid there trying to remain calm and wait to see if they'd become regular. I had been sleeping on the couch and didnt want to wake Daniel unless I knew it was real. So I would breathe through them alone, clutching my body pillow and burying my face into it to keep from making noise. I waited for hours for them to become regular and they never did. In fact by the time Daniel was leaving for work, they had slowed down. I was very upset and exhausted from lack of sleep. But, I was hoping that was just the start and that contractions would pick up later during the day and I'd go into labor. Nope, didnt happen.  Unfortunately, the same the thing happened again Tuesday night....annnnd Wednesday night! During the day the contractions would literally fade and I'd end up with just BH contractions, but after Id go to sleep that evening, they'd be on and poppin!.

Keep in mind that I was still having bloody show every single day. I knew that Levi was in the wrong position for labor (OP/ sunny-side up). With a sinking feeling, I realized that I was in prodromal labor! My body was trying to go into labor but the baby's positioning was preventing that from happening. I was distraught, moody, tired as all get out, and so wanting to not be pregnant that I was depressed! I seriously thought I'd never go into labor and didn't want to be induced at all. I feared the worst thing possible for me: c-section. I'm absolutely terrified at the thought of them cutting my abdomen open to remove my baby. I was really freaking out. In tears almost every day. Like sobbing uncontrollably and snotting everywhere. It was pathetic lol. Thursday morning (the 17th)  from 5am until 10am,  I had the contractions every 10 min but they never got closer! Then they just suddenly stopped!!! I was done. I called my doctor finally on that morning and told her what was going on. She said to relax and go to sleep like normal that night and if the contractions started again, don't wait to see if they'd get closer or regular, just go to the hospital to get checked out. Perhaps, I had progressed far enough along that they could give me something to help jump start the labor. So, later that evening we made arrangements for Tre' and Anaiya with my sister in law to come stay with them if I went into the hospital in the middle of the night again.

Surprise, surprise I woke up at 5:39 to a contraction. I waited to see if I would have 2 more. I did, so I got up and let Daniel know. He was just getting ready for work in the room so I jumped in the shower while he put the necessary items in the car and called my sister to have her head over. In the shower I only had one contraction. Grrrr...After I got out, I went and sat on the couch and waited to see what was gonna happen. No joke, I didnt have a single contraction that whole time. My sis arrived and we immediately jumped in the car and headed to the hospital. I was starting to feel very discouraged by this time because I only had two contractions during the 15 min car ride. I felt like I was gonna get there, the nurse was gonna check me, and see that I was still just 2 cm dilated, no effacement, and send me home. We got to the hospital at 6:45 am on the dot and right when we walked into the ER, they immediately sent me up to triage. I didnt even have to wait for a nurse to come get me because someone was already in the ER. I had another contraction on the way up to triage. But, that was it. SMH

When I got to triage, it was very slow up there as well, so they wheeled me into the first room and I changed clothes and got into the bed to be checked while Daniel filled out the paperwork. I was 4 1/2 cm dilated and 100% effaced! She also said that my water bag was bulging. I was like, "Oh ok thats some progress!" She agreed and then walked out the room. She came back in with a cart and IV stuff. I asked her what was gonna happen because I didnt want to be monitored for hours and then be sent home. I said I'd rather just go home now lol. She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Girl, you're getting admitted! We're not sending you home with bulging waters and 100% effacement!" 

AAAAHHHH HAPPPY JOY JOY!!!!!!

I literally teared up lol! I was so happy this baby was coming out!!! It was go time!!!!

She got my paper work for admission and I was officially admitted at 7:04. That's how fast everything went lol. I filled out all the paper work, and had my IV put in and everything. I was wheeled into my room by 7:45.We sent a few msgs and phone calls out to friends and family to let them know that the baby was FINALLY coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When we got to the room I would deliver in, I asked the nurse if I could have a low dose of pitocin. I told her that the baby was in the wrong position and that I needed some consistent contractions to get things really going and him turned the right way. She stared at me for a minute and laughed and said she had been there for 12 years and a patient has never ASKED for pitocin before lol. She got me hooked up though and set the dosage at a 2. Throughout getting admitted and stuff, I think I had about 2 or 3 contractions. They were strong enough that I couldnt talk through them so she asked me if I wanted the epidural. I decided at that exact moment that I wanted to go natural! Don't ask me why lol. I had planned to get the epidural like I did with the previous births but I decided that since this is prayerfully our last kid, that I wanted to try it to see if I could do it. My husband, the nurse, and my sister (who'd arrived by then) all looked at me like I was crazy lol. I told them I really thought I could do it and I wanted to go for it. My sister had all three of hers natural so she was really rooting for me to do it. Daniel...not so much. He was afraid that Id get to the point to where I really couldnt do it and it be too late. I told him that if it got to the point to where it was too late for one, then there would be no reason for an epidural anyway since it was soon gonna be over anyways! LOL

Anywho, the contractions started coming immediately with the pitocin. Every 1.5 to 2 min. I had asked for the birthing ball because I had used that through all three labors before but soon found that I could NOT sit during those contractions. AT ALL. Every contraction, I felt so much pain and pressure in my vag area that made it worse! I asked everyone in the room to breathe with me. I'd take a deep breath in and let it out slowly throughout the contraction. Thankfully each contraction was only about 30 to 40 seconds long. But, my gawd they were intense. I realized that I could handle them alot better if I stood through them. So thats exactly what I did. I stood throughout most of my whole labor until it was time to push. I would lean over the bar attached to the pitocin pole and stare at the floor while breathing until the contraction was over. I had planned to update people while in labor like I had the other times but I just couldn't. For the first time I was not on my phone while laboring lol!

My doctor came in and told me that she was not going to her office today until she delivered my baby. She was convinced that he was going to come super fast so she decided to hang around at the hospital! She checked me at 8:20 and I was dilated to a 6. She asked if I wanted her to break my waters to speed things up. I contemplated this because I know that once those waters are gone the contractions intensify big time. I also knew that once they broke, things would probably speed up. Sooo, I told her to go ahead and do it. First off, let me insert this. CONTRACTING WHILE ON MY BACK WAS THE WORST EVER!

Ok, so she tries to break my water using two different tools but she said the membranes were too thick and that she just couldnt snag it right to break it. Plus, she was worried that since he was facing up, and my cervix was behind his head, that once she broke it, the cord could come out first. So it was decided that I would labor a little bit more and maybe he'd turn and they would hopefully break on their own. I was fine with that, I’d been on my back for almost 25 minutes at that point so I just wanted to get back up so I could finish laboring standing. It was around 8:45 at this point.

I pretty much lost track of time after that. The contractions were intensifying pain-wise but still remained about 30-40 seconds long. I wasn't even watching the contraction monitor screen thing anymore. My sister would watch it for me and let me know when I was almost done. So for the next hour or so, I would have everyone in  the room breathe with me through the contraction while I swayed and rocked and held on to the pitocin pole for dear life. I had found a spot on the floor that I stared at to help get me through each contraction. I was peeing alot and every time I walked the short way to the bathroom, it felt like the lonnnnngest walk EVER! I felt like I couldn't walk too fast because then a contraction would come quicker than 2 minutes. But, I also didn't want to be on the toilet contracting cuz sitting down was horrible for me. It was a no win situation lol. 

 I begin to feel like I had to poo. So I let the nurse know, (who hadn't left the room much at all because she said she was afraid the baby would just pop out before anyone knew it lol) and she immediately buzzed my doctor because she was convinced that it was the baby. I kept saying, "No I feel like that is a poop turd, not a baby head!" She and my sister kept trying to convince me that it was the baby. I let them think that I believed them and a few minutes later told them I had to pee again with full intentions to try and poop...and lo and behold, I pooped! I was NOT about to be the girl who pooped on the table! Nope, Never, Not me!!!

I was in there longer than everyone in the room thought I’d be so Daniel knocked and asked me what I was doing. When I told him I was pooping, he told the nurse and I heard her freak out! She let out a squeal and said, "Oh my Lord, is she sure it’s not the baby coming out!? Let me in, Let me in!!" Lol!!! I was done and standing by then, so I let her look in the toilet (it was flushed by then) and said, "See, no baby!" HAHA good stuff lol

But, I DID have a ton of pressure still. So, they were right about that being the baby. So, my doctor had come in as I was telling the nurse about the pressure. She had me get back up on the horrible bed and checked me.
It was 9:48, I remember. I was 9 cm, very close to being a 10. But, because he was still facing the wrong way, it was preventing me from becoming complete. So, she had me get on a ball that was shaped like a peanut called..the peanut ball lol. It was actually shaped like the Planter's Peanut guy, you know the dude with the sunglasses lol. I had to turn around facing the back of the bed, take my right leg, and drape it over the ball in between the area where the ball dipped. She said that I should try and stay in that position for either 3 contractions or for 10 minutes, whichever came first. Lemme tell you, that was absolute agonnnnnyyy!!!! In that position, I started shaking from the pain, feeling nauseous and truly felt like I could NOT do it anymore! it was at that point that I started being more vocal with my pain management. I started whimpering and moaning through the contractions. It hurt so bad! It felt like I was in that position, that was a cross between laying on my side and being on all fours, forever!! But, it was only through three contractions and the second my third contraction ended, I asked if I could flip back over. She said that I could and that if, when she checked me and I was still the same, then I’d have to do it again on the other side. Luckily, she checked me and immediately said, "YOUR READY TO HAVE A BABY!! 

Everyone started filing in at that point, getting stuff prepped. She told me she was gonna break my water now. I was mid contraction when she did it, and oooooohhhh my gosh...The water whooshed out of me, I immediately felt like my butt was going to explode from the amount of pressure that came, and suddenly my whole body hurt! It was so crazy! I started writhing on the bed saying, "Omigod, omigod, omigod!!!! My sister and Daniel both started trying to calm me down while the doctor got her gloves and everything on. Once I calmed down enough to speak in between contractions, which oddly enough had spread out, I asked them to place the mirror where I could see him come out. It was actually pretty comical and had everyone laughing. Here I was, fully directing the nurse on the perfect mirror placement: " Tilt it up..now down..a little to the right..no too far..back to the left." Lol

Once that was done, I felt a contraction coming, and that along with the fact that there was no water anymore, and there was so much pain and pressure in my butt area, I panicked! I started freaking out saying I can't do it!! I started sweating ( a first for me during labor) and Daniel saw that and started blowing on my face. It felt sooooo goood!! I had also started feeling like I was gonna hurl at any moment so it was alot going on! Everyone assured me that I could do it and that it wasnt gonna take long for him to come out..that I was almost done. That helped me refocus and calm down. I asked the doctor what do I do? It's funny now because this was my fourth time delivering a baby. But, I really felt like I wouldnt know how to push? Like, how do I push when Im in so much pain??? 

She told me to look straight at her, and when she says so, bear down like I have to poop. For some reason, haha, that clicked for me! When the next contraction came, I experienced the craziest, coolest, most intense and most painful moment of my LIFE. My body literally pushed all on its own!! Like it felt like my whole body was pushing, even my shoulders!! It was so weird and cool! But, it hurt so bad that I tried to stop it! But couldnt! I gasped for air as she told me to push again during that contraction. I closed my eyes and this time pushed hard:

POP!!!

NO JOKE.I heard his head pop out, along with a gush of water. It was so loud!! We have a video of the birth and you can hear it on the video too! and HOLY RING OF FIRE!!!! That feeling right there was ...whew...real!!!

 The cord was wrapped around his neck twice, so she quickly removed it and not a moment too soon. Because, my body had a mind of its own, and I couldnt stop myself from pushing with all my might and then he was out!!!!!

Levi Alexander was born at 10:24 am!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He cried immediately! He was placed on my chest and it was love at first sight! The nurse was trying to suction his mouth out since there was no time when his head first came out, and I remember pushing her hand out the way so I could see his face. He was absolutely beautiful to me!! They took him over to do all of the baby checks while I delivered the placenta. It was weird to actually feel it come out of me this time!

I couldnt believe Id done it! Id given birth naturally with no pain meds at alll! It was around a 3 hour labor and according to the video, about 50 seconds of pushing ( although it definitely felt like longer lol. My doctor kept saying that she bet that it would have been a lot quicker had he been turned the right way.

 I hadnt planned to do it natural and although I had thought about it throughout the pregnancy, I always felt like I'd still get the epidural. I am so incredibly proud of myself for pushing myself to do it. I wanted to see if I could do it, just to say that I did it! And I did. I wanted to experience feeling the baby actually come out of me, and it was seriously the coolest, amazing, and  most awesome feeling ever. Despite the pain lol. Its been two weeks and I can still remember what it felt like lol.

So there it is. My first natural birth story of my third son, Levi!