This is the story of how we came to meet June Riley West...
Sunday, September 21st:
I kept busy Sunday getting ready for baby June,
trying to get many of the last minute tasks done before it was too late. Little did I know that I really only had that
day to get things ready for her! I
cooked two freezer meals, cleaned the house, took maternity photos (See week 35 post), finished
the birth plan, washed the remainder of her clothes and linens, cleaned the
house, and most importantly, I bought any remaining “must-haves” from our registry and we
packed our hospital bags. These last two
tasks would prepare us tremendously for the unexpected arrival of June. I was excited and felt ready for June to make
her entrance into our lives. Bill and I
had actually had a conversation about it just days earlier when we both
admitted that we couldn’t wait for her to get here (but not at the expense of
her being early!).
Monday, September 22nd:
I woke up at 6 am on Monday morning with June moving around
like crazy (possibly more than usual?). When I got up to get ready for the work day, I noticed that I was cramping a little. Bill got one of the midwives, Manola McCain, on the
phone and described the
situation. She told us it wasn't out of the ordinary, but that we could
come into the hospital to be checked out if it would make us
feel better. When we arrived at the hospital, the nurse quickly determined that both the baby
and I were fine but they would continue to monitor me to be sure. The nurse also told me that I was 2 cm dilated.
Finally, at about 12:30 and after the cramping had slowed we were released. However, Manola did not want me to do
anything for the next two days except lie on the couch and take it easy.
I had my weekly prenatal appointment scheduled
for the next morning at 9 am. The cramping never completely stopped throughout the day, and I went to bed hoping that it would cease during the
night. I was awoken at midnight by the
same, but more intense cramping. I woke
up every hour after that. At 4 am, I had
trouble falling asleep after I was woken up by another intense cramp. I noticed that the cramps continued to come every couple of
minutes and I began to realize that I was only getting closer to being in labor
(I was refusing to admit that I was actually already IN labor!). I remember worrying for a second that I might
give birth before we could even make it to our appointment in the morning, so
obviously part of me knew what was really going on. But I calmed myself down and told myself to
just sleep through it and wait to see what they would tell me at nine.
Tuesday, September 23rd:
We had a normal start to our morning: showered
and dressed, fed banjo, ate a quick breakfast.
As we were about to leave, Bill suggested we grab the hospital bag and
the carrier just in case. We arrived for
our appointment on time but found out that the midwife, Libbi, had been caught
in traffic from an accident.
Libbi finally arrived around 10 or so.
Libbi then checked me as she normally would
during a prenatal appointment, taking my fundal height (34 cm) and
checking June’s heartbeat.
Finally, she brought up my visit to the hospital
the day before. She told me she would be
checking my cervix, and when she did, her eyes opened wide as she exclaimed
“Oh. Oh!” “What does that mean?” I asked, but I knew
exactly what that meant. Libbi told me I
was 5 cm dilated and 90% effaced and
that I needed to get over to the hospital immediately. “You’re having a baby today,” she told us as
she quickly exited the room to call the midwife on call.
We only had to drive around the block to get to
the delivery wing of the hospital. Once there, we got into a room immediately. I changed into the hospital gown, and the nurse, Gail, hooked me up to the monitors for an initial reading. Manola (the midwife on call) came in checked my cervix and I was already 6 cm and
100% effaced.
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Here I am in a good mood, dealing with very manageable contractions. That would all change very soon...
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Within an hour, my water was broken. They removed the monitors and I was told that I could get up, change into
whatever clothes I wanted to wear and walk around or labor however I desired. Immediately after changing my clothes, I felt the first of the intense contractions. And the intense contractions kept coming...and coming...and coming. They felt like they were coming right on top of each other, not giving me much of a break. Needless to say, I never walked around or did anything other than lie on the bed after that first intense contraction.
Bill was amazing! He and our doula, Erin, kept me calm, held my hands, fanned me, massaged me, and did whatever was needed to keep me comfortable. Before my water had been broken, I was happy, excited. Now I was in the worst mood possible. I know why they joke about women yelling horrible things to their husbands during labor (e.g., "You did this to me!"). I did my best to keep any cranky comments to myself, which meant I pretty much didn't speak for 3+ hours. Even when someone asked me a question, I usually didn't answer. Just when I didn't think I could go any longer, Manola told me I was at 9 cm.
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| Don't talk to me |
When Manola checked again, I was 10
centimeters. I was finally in the second
stage of labor! I think this was around
3:30 pm. Manola or Gail asked me if was
feeling the urge to push. Up until this
point, I had been trying as hard as I could to remain still and calm so I had no idea if I was feeling the urge to
push. There was nothing I wanted more at that moment than to be able to start pushing - I wanted this sweet baby to be in my arms!
It wasn't long before I felt the urge to push.
The pushing phase was still painful, but it was
so much easier to handle. This was in
part due to the fact that I was starting to get a bit of a break between
contractions. The contraction would begin, I would moan a low “oooohhhhh” and then it felt like my body would take over and I'd bear down for maybe 30 seconds. Then I would collapse back on the bed and just lie there until the next one started after a minute or two. As another contraction would start, I would grab
Bill and Erin’s hands and attack it with new energy. I wanted to give it everything I had because
I knew that it was bringing our baby closer to us. This was another reason that the pushing
phase was better – I knew it would all be over soon and that we’d finally get
to meet our baby girl. I felt like I had control during this phase of
labor – I knew that if I pushed hard enough, she would be here in no time. After several pushes, I felt like June was getting ready to crown but didn't say anything. Another push, and I again felt the same thing.
I still didn’t say anything to anyone even
though I knew that June was right there! Finally, Gail lifted the sheet and immediately yelled for Manola to come get ready for the birth. I pushed again once Manola arrived. She then told me, "ok, one more push!" I was so excited, and I suddenly had no urge to push. It felt like several minutes passed before I had the urge again, but then it came. Out popped June at 4:26 pm. I was so focused on pushing that someone had to tell me to open my eyes - and there she was! My first thought was that she was so much more beautiful than I had expected! Then I got to hold her and it was the most wonderful moment. I just held her and smiled, saying “Hi, baby!” and telling
her how beautiful she was.
The past four hours disappeared from my mind. It took a few seconds, but June finally began to cry. Bill cut the umbilical cord. Soon after, the nurse from the NICU came up to check her breathing. We were relieved when she told us that June was breathing fine and wouldn't have to spend any time in the NICU.
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| Baby girl getting weighed, measured, and checked |
June was born at 5 lbs. 15 oz. and 19 inches. After Junie was checked, she spent some time getting to know mom and dad.
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| Happy Daddy |
She also got to meet some other important people, who she loved from the start...
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| Pop & Nay Nay |
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| Aunt Julia, Uncle Tom, & Grams |
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| Great friends |
June had a little jaundice and some weight loss, but other than that, she was a healthy baby girl. We couldn't have been more happy and relieved.
We spent 48 hours at the hospital. Before we left, Junie had a couple of firsts:
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| June's first bath |
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| June's first (hearing) test - Aced it, baby! |
And one more on the way home...
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| June's first car ride |
So happy to have June in our lives! Can't wait to see where this adventure takes us...
