Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Birth of Our Son

I'm finally getting around to writing my son's birth story. Dresden is 4 months old already and is as precious as can be! Seeing all the blues and greens in the laundry baskets, after the last couple of years with pink, still catches me off guard. As does the realization that I'm now the mother of 3! The transition to 3 children in such a short time, has been no easy task. It's a daily reminder to me of how much I have yet to learn, how much one can do while being exhausted, just how messy a house can get, and how big a mountain of clean laundry can be piled on the couch. Haha!

When I found out I was pregnant with our little guy, I will admit, I was scared...mainly at the thought of giving birth again. It was quite the journey over the next 9 months as God answered my prayers, put my heart at peace, and then gave me an amazingly empowering birth experience. I am thankful for the beautiful water birth arrival of our healthy baby boy right in the comfort of our living room...God is good!

After all the excitement and waiting for months, Dresden's due date (November 1), came and went. I went past my the due dates with both our girls, so though I wasn't thrilled, I expected this pregnancy to be no different. Little did I know how long he would end up taking to arrive... 

I was beyond miserable at the 42 week mark... I could tell our baby was very heavy, extra stretch marks were appearing, and my pregnancy waddle went from cute to hilarious. I had decent days and bad days at that point. One morning I'd be crying uncontrollably, and the next I would resign to the fact that I'd be pregnant forever :P  The day of the 14th, I went in for a midwife appointment. I was dilated to about 5/6 cm and pretty effaced. I had my membranes stripped, had some really good contractions consistently after that...then once again, everything slowed down. I went home and waited for my midwife to arrive and break my water. I planned on absolutely no interventions unless needed, but since my body appeared ready and I was so far along, we thought it was perfectly safe to give baby a "shove".  My midwife arrived and broke my water at about 7 p.m. It was a strong sack and didn't want to break...it proved to be an interesting experience ;)

Then the waiting began. I was having contractions, but still didn't feel like I was in active labor. I walked a bit, but nothing seemed to change...so my midwife and her assistant headed home. I talked with Vince for a while, we picked up our girls from my sister, tucked them into their own beds, then decided to head to bed myself and rest just in case something was going to happen... It was midnight at that point.

No sooner did I lay down, then the contractions started coming every 4-5 minutes. I was so doubtful after all I had been through with start and stop labor for 2 weeks...so I just waited and continued to time the contractions. After a couple of hours, I decided that it was time to call our midwife since she lived about 40 minutes away and I really didn't feel like having our baby without her. lol!
Vince set up the birthing pool and I stayed in the soothing water until our Dresden was born. Labor was calm, peaceful, and powerful, as I felt the process take over my body every step of the way. Listening to music and praying, my heart and mind were ready for the difficulty ahead. At one point within an hour of when our little guy arrived, I needed to hear the encouraging voice of my Doula friend who lives in Michigan. Kathy was amazing over the phone...she prayed with me and helped remind me of the strength from within that God gives to women at just such a time. It was beautiful, empowering, and just what I needed to get through to the end. Love you girl!



Our midwife Salli was incredible as well. She was a quiet pillar of strength and reassurance. Having birthed 6 children herself, she knew exactly what I was facing. She did a perfect job of reminding me that my body knew just what to do on it's own...when to do it, and how to do it. I had never experienced this level of trust in God, and in myself as a birthing mother. It truly was life changing. I am blessed to have had the birth experience that I did. No, it was not painless...um, not at all! But I learned for the first time deep down, what strength I have. My husband was of course my rock and the one I held hands with through the most difficult moments. His presence is always my constant strength during the births of our children.





 Dresden Michael (Dresden is a city located in Germany and Michael is his daddy's middle name as well.) arrived at 5:17 a.m. on November 15 weighing 9 lbs. 10 oz. 22 inches long. Alert, peaceful, and having such beautifully colored skin. He "swam" with me in the water for a while before being passed off to his daddy.




 Our girls both slept through the entire labor amazingly! Vienna woke during my last push and walked into the room as Dresden emerged from the water. It was a precious moment...truly perfect timing...thank You God!








 










Dresden has been such a delight. Our biggest baby...and still growing like crazy. I love his laid back personality, his constant smiles throughout each day, and his love for snuggles.
I'm in awe that God gave him to us to raise, and can't wait to see what He has in store for our little boy as He grows. God is good!