kannondicarpo
02-08-2009, 05:39 PM
This is late (and long) but I still wanted to post it. Pics is post 2. She is a doll.
Kate Elise Carpenter
November 6, 2008
6:13 pm
7lbs 12oz
I woke up just after 6am on Thursday, November 6th having some slightly uncomfortable contractions. I thought nothing much of them but did start timing them. They were about 10 minutes apart but since I had already had 2 false alarms and lots of Braxton Hicks I dismissed it as “real” labor. I went to the bathroom and noticed that I finally had some bloody show. I got up for the day and eventually decided that even though I was still having contractions that Kevin should go to work. It was about 8am by the time he left with the instructions to call if I needed him to come home even if it ended up being another false alarm. I figured that they would eventually just fizzle out like they had twice the week before. Meanwhile I had called my sister, Kelli, who was going to drive 3.5 hours up from Ohio to be at the birth to let her know that I was possibly, maybe, not really sure in labor. We were trying to figure out if she should leave and what time. I then called my midwife to let her know that I was having contractions and some bloody show. She encouraged me to keep my fluids up and try to rest so that I had the energy to labor if it carried on. The next two hours went by slowly. I was having to concentrate on some contractions but not all of them but I noticed that I was having a difficult time keeping my eye on Nikolas so at 10am I called Kevin and asked him to come home. He got home just before 11am.
We watched some tv and then at noon when I usually put Nikolas down for a nap I told Kevin that I was going to go lay down with Nikolas since it may be the last day I napped with him before he was a big brother. I intended on taking a nap myself but while I was laying in bed with Nikolas I was having some contractions that left me writhing in pain, I needed to get up. I got up and just paced around the house for awhile. The contractions were still very erratic and even spaced out at times. Throughout the day I was having bloody show almost every time I went to the bathroom. I ate lunch and told Kevin that we should go walk around the mall once Nikolas woke up to try to keep things going. I really was thinking that evening would come and everything would calm down again.
Nikolas woke up around 2:30pm and after he ate lunch I realized that I didn’t really want to leave the house. Over the next hour or so Kevin and I went on a calm but thorough cleaning sprint. Around 3:30pm Kevin called Kelli to try to figure out what we were going to do. She could only come for a few days and Kevin was going to have Friday and Monday off if I had the baby that day so I had to decide if I wanted her to come up and be there when Kevin was home or just have her come up Monday night and stay during the week when Kevin went back to work. I was trying to decide but I was really torn. I wanted her to be at the birth and be able to stay during the week. I was having a hard time concentrating and making a decision and I think Kevin just ultimately made the decision that I needed her help during the week and called her to tell her.
Sometime around 4pm I started laboring in our bedroom window, just looking out. It was a beautiful fall day, in the high 50’s. My contractions were coming steadily now and I told Kevin to start timing them. I called the midwife between contractions and let her know that I still didn’t know if I was really in “real” labor but that despite all of the changes during the day I was still contracting and that I was going to start timing them. I had a contraction while I was on the phone with her and I couldn’t talk through it. I asked her if she thought that I would have the baby soon, I really just did not want to go to another prenatal appointment. She said she thought the baby would be here sometime in the next 24 hours. I told her that we would call if anything changed.
I went to tell Kevin that the midwife said she figured the baby would come in the next 24 hours. He was thrilled. Maybe there was an end in sight. J I went back to laboring in the window for a few contractions and then moved to the kitchen counter which was the perfect support and at the best height that I could find in the house. I had suggested earlier that we go for a walk around our neighborhood once Kevin was finished inflating the pool. At about 4:15 Kevin said that he didn’t think that we were going to get that walk in.
At this point my contractions were about 5 minutes apart so in between them I was busying myself and going in the bedroom to talk to Kevin and Nikolas. As soon as I anticipated a contraction I went back to the kitchen. At one point Kevin suggested that I bring the birthing ball into the bedroom and try to labor on that. I did that on the floor for one contraction and thought that I might go insane from the pain but had to ride out that contraction. The next contraction I put the ball on the bed and laid over it and that too was unbearable pain. I told Kevin that I needed to go back to the kitchen.
At 4:30 Kevin came in the kitchen and told me that he was calling the midwife. I told him, “Whatever”. I still didn’t really think that I was actually in “real” labor. I figured the midwife was going to drive 45 minutes to hang around for awhile and then leave. Shortly after he called the midwife my contractions started coming every 3 minutes. Kevin was rubbing my back during each contraction and Nikolas was coming through the kitchen every few minutes and rubbing my leg and kissing my belly.
Kevin got me some tangerine essential oil to smell which was so refreshing. It helped me to stay focused and in front of the pain. Even at this point though I hadn’t yet realized that I was in “real” labor. The midwife got to our house at about 5:30. I was in between contractions so I let her in. She said a few things to me and then went into the living room and was setting some things up and getting the supplies ready. About 25 minutes later the midwife’s apprentice showed up. I heard Kevin say a few minutes later that it was not going to be much longer.
Someone then suggested filling the pool. There was some activity going on getting the hose connected and during that time the midwife was in the kitchen with me. I called Kevin in for a contraction because it was so bad and I needed his support. I told him that I was having a hard time concentrating and that it wasn’t fun anymore. He encouraged me to just let the contraction work while he rubbed my back. With the next contraction my water broke. I remember thinking to myself that things were finally getting somewhere and that I only had a few hours left to go. The midwife checked the fluid and said that it was clear.
I had another contraction or two and I just could not stay in front of the pain. I was sobbing in pain. I had really lost my focus. With the next contraction I dropped to my knees. I felt so weak. I then felt the urge to push, which I vocalized and the midwife said to go ahead. I reached down and though I didn’t realize it at the time the baby had crowned. Kevin ran and got Nikolas, who had been eating, out of his highchair. With the next contraction I pushed the head out and then I had a small break. I reached down and was just rubbing the baby’s head. Kevin was back with Nikolas and they were sitting near my head. With the next and final contraction I pushed the baby the rest of the way out. With the help of the midwife I caught the baby and then quickly turned around so that I could hold her. The midwife unwrapped the cord and handed the baby to me. The cord was so long, wrapped first through the legs, then up the back, around the neck, over the shoulders and back down the chest. Kevin announced that we indeed had a girl, just as we had been thinking all along. A few moments passed and then our sweet little girl let out the tiniest of cries. Just enough to let us know that she was ok. We were ecstatic.
I thought aloud that I had pictured myself having her in the bed and was amused that she had been born in the kitchen. We moved to the bed a couple minutes later, where the four of us just snuggled for awhile.
Kate Elise was born into Mommy’s hands at 6:13pm on November 6, 2008 at home in the kitchen with Daddy and big brother watching in awe. 12 hours after I woke with the first slightly uncomfortable contraction. 45 minutes after the midwife arrived. 20 minutes after the apprentice arrived. 15 minutes after Kevin said that it wouldn’t be much longer. And just 5 minutes after I thought to myself that I only had a few more hours to go.
We are in love, as is Nikolas, with our newest little one.
Kate Elise Carpenter
November 6, 2008
6:13 pm
7lbs 12oz
I woke up just after 6am on Thursday, November 6th having some slightly uncomfortable contractions. I thought nothing much of them but did start timing them. They were about 10 minutes apart but since I had already had 2 false alarms and lots of Braxton Hicks I dismissed it as “real” labor. I went to the bathroom and noticed that I finally had some bloody show. I got up for the day and eventually decided that even though I was still having contractions that Kevin should go to work. It was about 8am by the time he left with the instructions to call if I needed him to come home even if it ended up being another false alarm. I figured that they would eventually just fizzle out like they had twice the week before. Meanwhile I had called my sister, Kelli, who was going to drive 3.5 hours up from Ohio to be at the birth to let her know that I was possibly, maybe, not really sure in labor. We were trying to figure out if she should leave and what time. I then called my midwife to let her know that I was having contractions and some bloody show. She encouraged me to keep my fluids up and try to rest so that I had the energy to labor if it carried on. The next two hours went by slowly. I was having to concentrate on some contractions but not all of them but I noticed that I was having a difficult time keeping my eye on Nikolas so at 10am I called Kevin and asked him to come home. He got home just before 11am.
We watched some tv and then at noon when I usually put Nikolas down for a nap I told Kevin that I was going to go lay down with Nikolas since it may be the last day I napped with him before he was a big brother. I intended on taking a nap myself but while I was laying in bed with Nikolas I was having some contractions that left me writhing in pain, I needed to get up. I got up and just paced around the house for awhile. The contractions were still very erratic and even spaced out at times. Throughout the day I was having bloody show almost every time I went to the bathroom. I ate lunch and told Kevin that we should go walk around the mall once Nikolas woke up to try to keep things going. I really was thinking that evening would come and everything would calm down again.
Nikolas woke up around 2:30pm and after he ate lunch I realized that I didn’t really want to leave the house. Over the next hour or so Kevin and I went on a calm but thorough cleaning sprint. Around 3:30pm Kevin called Kelli to try to figure out what we were going to do. She could only come for a few days and Kevin was going to have Friday and Monday off if I had the baby that day so I had to decide if I wanted her to come up and be there when Kevin was home or just have her come up Monday night and stay during the week when Kevin went back to work. I was trying to decide but I was really torn. I wanted her to be at the birth and be able to stay during the week. I was having a hard time concentrating and making a decision and I think Kevin just ultimately made the decision that I needed her help during the week and called her to tell her.
Sometime around 4pm I started laboring in our bedroom window, just looking out. It was a beautiful fall day, in the high 50’s. My contractions were coming steadily now and I told Kevin to start timing them. I called the midwife between contractions and let her know that I still didn’t know if I was really in “real” labor but that despite all of the changes during the day I was still contracting and that I was going to start timing them. I had a contraction while I was on the phone with her and I couldn’t talk through it. I asked her if she thought that I would have the baby soon, I really just did not want to go to another prenatal appointment. She said she thought the baby would be here sometime in the next 24 hours. I told her that we would call if anything changed.
I went to tell Kevin that the midwife said she figured the baby would come in the next 24 hours. He was thrilled. Maybe there was an end in sight. J I went back to laboring in the window for a few contractions and then moved to the kitchen counter which was the perfect support and at the best height that I could find in the house. I had suggested earlier that we go for a walk around our neighborhood once Kevin was finished inflating the pool. At about 4:15 Kevin said that he didn’t think that we were going to get that walk in.
At this point my contractions were about 5 minutes apart so in between them I was busying myself and going in the bedroom to talk to Kevin and Nikolas. As soon as I anticipated a contraction I went back to the kitchen. At one point Kevin suggested that I bring the birthing ball into the bedroom and try to labor on that. I did that on the floor for one contraction and thought that I might go insane from the pain but had to ride out that contraction. The next contraction I put the ball on the bed and laid over it and that too was unbearable pain. I told Kevin that I needed to go back to the kitchen.
At 4:30 Kevin came in the kitchen and told me that he was calling the midwife. I told him, “Whatever”. I still didn’t really think that I was actually in “real” labor. I figured the midwife was going to drive 45 minutes to hang around for awhile and then leave. Shortly after he called the midwife my contractions started coming every 3 minutes. Kevin was rubbing my back during each contraction and Nikolas was coming through the kitchen every few minutes and rubbing my leg and kissing my belly.
Kevin got me some tangerine essential oil to smell which was so refreshing. It helped me to stay focused and in front of the pain. Even at this point though I hadn’t yet realized that I was in “real” labor. The midwife got to our house at about 5:30. I was in between contractions so I let her in. She said a few things to me and then went into the living room and was setting some things up and getting the supplies ready. About 25 minutes later the midwife’s apprentice showed up. I heard Kevin say a few minutes later that it was not going to be much longer.
Someone then suggested filling the pool. There was some activity going on getting the hose connected and during that time the midwife was in the kitchen with me. I called Kevin in for a contraction because it was so bad and I needed his support. I told him that I was having a hard time concentrating and that it wasn’t fun anymore. He encouraged me to just let the contraction work while he rubbed my back. With the next contraction my water broke. I remember thinking to myself that things were finally getting somewhere and that I only had a few hours left to go. The midwife checked the fluid and said that it was clear.
I had another contraction or two and I just could not stay in front of the pain. I was sobbing in pain. I had really lost my focus. With the next contraction I dropped to my knees. I felt so weak. I then felt the urge to push, which I vocalized and the midwife said to go ahead. I reached down and though I didn’t realize it at the time the baby had crowned. Kevin ran and got Nikolas, who had been eating, out of his highchair. With the next contraction I pushed the head out and then I had a small break. I reached down and was just rubbing the baby’s head. Kevin was back with Nikolas and they were sitting near my head. With the next and final contraction I pushed the baby the rest of the way out. With the help of the midwife I caught the baby and then quickly turned around so that I could hold her. The midwife unwrapped the cord and handed the baby to me. The cord was so long, wrapped first through the legs, then up the back, around the neck, over the shoulders and back down the chest. Kevin announced that we indeed had a girl, just as we had been thinking all along. A few moments passed and then our sweet little girl let out the tiniest of cries. Just enough to let us know that she was ok. We were ecstatic.
I thought aloud that I had pictured myself having her in the bed and was amused that she had been born in the kitchen. We moved to the bed a couple minutes later, where the four of us just snuggled for awhile.
Kate Elise was born into Mommy’s hands at 6:13pm on November 6, 2008 at home in the kitchen with Daddy and big brother watching in awe. 12 hours after I woke with the first slightly uncomfortable contraction. 45 minutes after the midwife arrived. 20 minutes after the apprentice arrived. 15 minutes after Kevin said that it wouldn’t be much longer. And just 5 minutes after I thought to myself that I only had a few more hours to go.
We are in love, as is Nikolas, with our newest little one.
