Meet Alivya!

 Oh where to start! I just got done typing up a 6 page birth story and thought about copying it over here, but I'm sure that would have you all yawning and give you waaaay more details than you really want to know about. I'll try to keep it condensed.

So lets get to it! Tuesday July 10th I had an appointment with my midwife. Baby was low and I was found to be dilated to a 4.5, 70% effaced. You'd think the baby would just fall out by then, but no, still nothing. I had really debated taking castor oil, as I had already done EVERYTHING in the book to naturally stimulate labor with no result. Darn! Wednesday morning I woke up deciding to take castor oil, but chickened out a few times. Finally Cory talked me into it (only as long as he stayed home though- I didn't want to suffer those horrible consequences even if it didn't start labor) and I chugged the stuff mixed with some OJ. 2 hours later I made it a little more bearable by taking some more with a strawberry milkshake. This is where I'll spare details, but suffice it to say the castor oil did what it was made to do. The end.

Contractions really hadn't been consistent throughout the day but that was pretty typical as I had been having false labor for 2 weeks. At around 2pm I tried to take a nap but couldn't because my body decided that this would (of course) be a good time to kick into gear (=painful contractions). Since they weren't going away I sent Cory to the store a little later to pick up a few last things that we would need for the birth just in case this was the real thing. While he was gone I sat down with Isaac to watch him play video games and felt a funny pop. Thinking it was just the baby moving, but also realizing I had to go to the bathroom I got up and quickly found out that my water had broken. It was 4pm on the dot.

Cory was on his way home already and I called my midwife to give her a heads up. I decided to also call our friend who would be watching the kids and have her pick them up just in case this might be a fast labor (oh please, oh please let it be fast!). Once their stuff was packed and they were gone I called my midwife once again to keep her posted on what had been happening. She said she'd be on her way with the birth team within a half an hour. Meanwhile, Cory was running back and forth between helping me with my contractions and finishing up some last minute things around the house/for work. The midwives showed up by 6pm and were all busily setting things up, filling the pool, and helping me not kill myself. By this time contractions were pretty intense but I was still in fairly good spirits.

Finding I was in active labor, my midwife told me I could get in the pool if I wanted to. I have heard it does wonders for labor, helping to cope with the pain much better. So I was super disappointed when I got in, and although it felt good, it wasn't as good as I wanted (ok, lets be honest. I wanted it to take it completely away!!) I stayed in the pool the rest of the time, as it was too uncomfortable for me to get out. I felt so wonderfully supported, as I always had someone holding me hand, pouring water on my back, someone to lean into, rubbing my back, or just encouraging me to hang in there.

     

A few funny things I'd like to mention at this point-
-right around this time I told my midwife I hated her. She said I wouldn't after it was all said and done. I said that yes, in fact, I still would. (Still no idea why I said it but labor makes you do funny things I guess!)
-The way I cope is to sway my head back and forth, and since I was leaning on the side of the tub I ended up swaying my head on the edge of the pool. My head wasn't gliding very easily since I was sticky/sweaty so I would splash water on the pool to help me move better. My midwife later told me "I felt like I was at Sea World seeing Shamu with all the water you splashed at me!" I really thought I was being careful to not get anyone but apparently everyone was getting wet :)

-I seriously thought I was going to die. Kind of like Bella in the 3rd (?) Twilight book when she gives birth. I so wished I was at a hospital and could have had an epidural. It was then I decided that I would drown myself in the pool and it would all go away. I even put my face in the water to see if I was serious!

At around 7:30pm I started involuntarily pushing but kept trying to stop my contractions because I just couldn't go on. But little baby and my body had different plans and at 7:45pm I switched into superwoman gear and gave it every ounce of effort I had. Here's where I'll spare many details but suffice it to say a watermelon would have felt smaller....

Within just a few minutes I felt her crown and turned back to lean against Cory to get the rest of her long, wriggly body out. I tell you what, that is the most surreal experience you could ever have. It was incredible! And even more incredible when they placed her on my chest. She was here! I was done! I wasn't pregnant anymore! I was surprised to see she was a girl since I was pretty sure I had been carrying a boy. I kept saying "I just had a baby! And its a girl baby!" Cory and I snuggled her and cried and basked in those peaceful few moments when it just seemed like it was the three of us.

She was born at 8:02pm, just like her big sister. She had the sweetest, smallest, little cry you ever did hear and a head full of dark hair! We both got cleaned up and she nursed like a champ. My midwives were so awesome and cleaned everything up, made us dinner, gave us their love, and left us to a quiet, peaceful home. It was such a crazy, funny, intense, spiritual birth and I would do it again in a heart beat!

Snuggles with dad

Jill, Lindi, Me & Alivya, Venessa and Sarah

My awesome group of midwives. They seem like family to us now and I'm so grateful for their support!

Alivya Louise Bird
Born July 11th at 8:02pm
8lb 6oz, 22in long