Birth Stories...Our sweet little Rebecca's birthday

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To our sweet Rebecca Dorothy,

You will be six weeks old on Monday. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone and how much you've grown! I have been wanting to write this to you and I'm realizing I better do so soon before I forget all of the wonderful details of your time growing in my womb and your beautiful arrival.

It was about two weeks before Christmas when we found out we had been blessed with another sweet baby. We were so excited! I am so thankful that it was another great pregnancy. During the 18th week ultrasound, we were surprised and so happy when we found out that you were to be our second little girl, and that all was well with you. We loved feeling your little kicks and movements as you grew in my belly. The weeks seemed to fly by, as it was a busy time in our lives. You painted many murals with me! :-)

Before we knew it, August arrived! Your due date was the 21^st, so we started getting things ready and organized. On July 31^st, I had a midwife appointment. I had her check my cervix, just to see where we were at. It is a long way into Chapel Hill, so I wanted to know what we would be starting at when I went into labor. She assured me we wouldn't have an “I-40 baby” and to not worry so much. She didn't think you'd be coming any time soon as she said something along the lines of, “Your cervix is so posterior, I can barely reach it! And you're totally closed-Relax”. With three weeks to go, I was a bit relieved. There was still a lot I wanted to get done before you arrived.

Well, you can imagine our surprise when that Sunday, the 3^rd, I woke up with contractions. I hadn't slept well at all the night before, I might have been contracting through the night, too. I woke up around 4:45, and decided to just get started on my day. It was when I was in the shower and getting ready that I realized these contractions felt real and had some rhythm to them. At 6:00 I decided to time them. They were about 4 minutes apart. At 6:30 I woke your father and told him that today might actually be the day. I could see the surprise and excitement in his eyes. I was excited, too!

I decided to take a bath and drink a lot of water to rule out false labor. While in the bath they were 5 minutes apart. At around 7:00 I called Grandma Bear to give her the heads up. She was going to be the one to come get Julianna and bring her to Uncle Jason and Aunt Kim's. I then paged the midwife and received a call back from Deb O'Connell. She was the midwife who delivered Jules! She advised me to just relax and go about my day and see if the contractions intensify.

The contractions got closer to 3 minutes apart as I talked more to Grandma Bear on the phone. We decided it would be best for her to come and hang out just in case things progressed. I went to lie down to try and get some rest. The contractions then slowed to 7-10 minutes apart. I started getting a bit discouraged as I thought maybe this wasn't going to be your birthday. Daddy was getting everything together on the list, just in case it was the day. Grandma Bear arrived around 9:00 or so. Julie was playing in the exercauser and having fun while everything was going on. After an hour or two of going between laying down, sitting down, and pacing around, I decided I would just get up and go about my day. I couldn't sleep with the contractions anyhow, and thinking about it was making me crazy!. By that time it was about 11:00 or 12:00.

So I made two meatloaves, one to freeze and one to take to Aunt Kim's. We finished cleaning the apartment and putting things in storage. From about 1:00-3:30 the contractions were consistently about 3 minutes apart. We started talking about how it might be smart to make the 40 min. drive to Chapel Hill, so we knew if Grandma Bear should take Julie to Aunt Kim's for the night. In the next hour the contractions got more intense, so I told Daddy, we should probably hurry up a little bit, just in case.

I called Deb and told her we would be coming in. We left around 4:30 or so, and got to the hospital around 5:15. We waited in the waiting room while they got a triage room ready....which leads to a funny story. I was finishing a contraction and I heard somebody say, “Do you eat a lot of salt?”, so I looked up just to see who he was asking, and this young man asked again, “Do you eat a lot of salt?”, and I realized he was talking to me! And he said, “Because your feet are kinda swollen.” So I said, “Well, I am kinda pregnant”....(Wow)....He explained his wife was in labor, and she too had swollen feet due to eating a lot of salt and kool-aid. All I could think was that it was probably good he was waiting out in the waiting room.

Around 5:30 Deb checked me and I was 3 cm. dilated, 80% effaced and at a + 1 station. She was amazed at how low your head was! She told us to walk around some and then come back to see if we should be admitted or not. We made some calls, and decided that Grandma Bear would take Julianna to Aunt Kim's. We went to the cafe and got some food to eat.

At around 7:30, Deb checked me again, and I was now 3-4 cm. She left us for a half an hour to monitor the contractions, which were growing in intensity. Dad read some scriptures out of my journal. It was a sweet time together. At 8:00 Deb decided to admit us due to the fact that I was GBS positive and needed antibiotics.

The next 14 hours are a bit drawn out, so I will write a little synopsis. Throughout the night, I worked on relaxing through the contractions, made many a trip to the bathroom. Daddy raided the pantry many times, and ate a lot of cereal. He got a few hours of sleep in here and there. Of course, I didn't get much sleep except for a few dozes in between contractions. I was so antsy at times-the hours seemed to go by so slowly, as I just longed to hold you in my arms! I watched a few episodes of The Cosby Show, and did a lot of walking around the halls, as well as hanging out on the birthing ball a bunch and praying.

I got checked a few times throughout the night-Deb was so great as well as our nurse Cherese. At 10:15, I was 4 cm, and completely thinned out. At 2:30, I was 5-6 cm. At 4:30, 6 cm. At 7:30 we got new nurses Margaux and Wendy, and Susan Nickel came on as the midwife. At 8:30 she checked me and I was 7 cm. She advised me to keep walking and to try some different positions during contractions to open up my pelvis. At 10:30 I was still 7 cm, so after much consideration we decided it would be best to break my water, as at this point I would only progress, and I was growing very tired. The whole labor was just like Julianna's....very gradual. Thankfully, your heart rate remained beautiful and everything was fine, and the midwives weren't one bit worried at the slow labor. I feel so blessed by them and their confidence in the whole birthing process.

The water leaked out slow at first, and then began to come out very fast. It was then that I really moved into active labor and the contractions grew very intense. From about 11:15 to 12:00 I tried a few different positions, just doing my best to relax and breath through the contractions. I ended up standing and leaning over the bed side table on wheels and doing a lot of rocking. Daddy kept the table steady for me and just encouraged me as I worked through the contractions. Once again, he was my rock.

Here is the part that just amazes me. We had wanted to hire Robin and Lara,the doulas that helped us through Julianna's birth, but weren't able to. We were a bit disappointed about this, because they were such an amazing help! Well at noon, our nurses took their lunch so they had the hospital's volunteer doulas come to help us. This is right when things started getting really intense, and I was having contractions right on top of each other, so this was such a blessing! They took turns with one keeping me cool with a fan and wash cloth, one rubbing my lower back, and both them and Daddy encouraged me through each contraction. We saw that as such a blessing from God, that He provided that help right when I really needed it. At times I felt as though I couldn't go on, but was encouraged by that as I remember Robin and Lara reminding me just a few days before that when I felt like that, it means I would be holding you soon!

Soon the nurses came back and checked your heart rate and were getting everything ready as it looked like you would be here soon. I heard Susan back in the room, and really started feeling a lot of pressure, like I might have to start pushing. I felt the need to tell Susan, (as if she didn't know), but all I could get out was “Sue!.....Sue!!!....” It was funny looking back on it. Susan assured me that she was right there and ready to catch you, so I could start pushing when I felt the urge. Well I most certainly did in the next few contractions so I began to push, still in that standing up position. Everyone was commenting on your full head of hair! Susan warned me that soon my legs might give out, so if we needed to, we would move to the bed. Well sure enough, the next contraction I felt really wobbly-and I think Daddy was growing tired as I was holding on to him with all of my might!

Susan said, Okay, we're going to move you to the bed and you're going to be on all fours. Those two feet seemed like a mile, but I thought, let's do it! In the middle of moving I had to push again, so I had three people holding me sort of in mid-air as I pushed! Thankfully, I was able to get on the bed for the last two contractions. I pushed with all of my might, just knowing I would be holding you soon, and felt your little head pop through and then the rest of your body slither out. What an amazing feeling!!! I was able to see you right away in this position, and what a beautiful sight!!! You came out posterior-sunny-side up, or down, due to my position, that is. :-) That explains all of the pain I felt in my back at the end. You were worth every second, of course.

You let out a nice cry and shortly after, Daddy cut the cord. I turned over and laid in bed and then the nurses placed you on my chest and Daddy and I were just so thrilled to see you and hold you!! You calmed down quickly in my arms and we just stared and stared at you. We were just so thankful that God had blessed us with anther beautiful girl. Soon after, I pushed out the placenta, and then began to nurse you, and everything just seemed absolutely perfect.

You were 7 lb. 1 oz and 18.5 inches, and so beautiful. God is such an amazing Creator, and we are just so thankful to Him that He gave you to us. We will do our best to follow Him as we raise you, with our prayers being that you may grow up to know Him and love Him with all of your mind, heart and soul.

We love you, sweet girl.