Thursday, December 5, 2013

Thursday Birth Day: Dashel's Birth

Welcome to Thursday Birth Day!  My hope is that this series will help to encourage women who may be expecting their first baby or their second/third/fourth/etc.  These posts will provide some real life experiences that we can all appreciate and maybe even learn from.  I also hope for this to be a place where women who have gone through birth can have a place to share their beautiful stories. 
 
Be sure to check out Katie's blog and baby Truitt's birth story

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Baby Dashel's Birth Story

They say every pregnancy, labor and delivery are just as different as the babies themselves. Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad, lol. In fact...I'll just say that this labor and delivery had me feeling like a professional.  
 
So just like with Truitt, I decided to go the home birth with a midwife route. I found a new birth center that I absolutely loved and all the midwives in it. Despite the drive to Chantilly for the appointments, I would highly recommend Nova Birth Center and their amazing team to Everyone looking to do a natural birth center/home birth.  The Birth Center itself is spectacular and almost had me tempted to deliver there in one of their wonderfully unique and all encompassing birthing rooms. I did however choose to do a water birth at home which was a fantastic decision. I had rented a birthing pool that was inflatable so it was nice a cushiony where I felt I could relax the best. They say that the birthing pool is like the natural birth's "epidural". Sounded good to me!
Truitt, Nonny and I would make day trips every appointment and always found something fun to do. No one was more excited than Truitt to meet you. He loved listening to you and feeling you in my belly.  So with all the preparations made I found myself waiting, feeling like a pot of water coming to a boil. Your due date...Oct 28 -Nov 3. The ultrasound said Oct 28, midwives said Nov 1, the pregnancy app said Nov 3. Mom had decided you would definitely come end of Oct due to some crazy storm intended to take place where all travel would be impossible, leaving her and Daddy to deliver the baby by themselves! Moms... so funny.  I eventually got tired of sitting around, waiting to burst so decided Daddy and I would go to dinner with some friends and talk about our future.  And wouldn't you know it, driving home from the restaurant, at exactly 10 pm, MY Water Breaks in the car... AGAIN! If I had known I just needed to be in the car driving somewhere with DJ we would have done that weeks ago, LOL.
 
I looked for something to sit on and found DJ's sweatshirt, Then called Mom. Truitt had just gone to sleep so Poppy came over, grabbed him and the dog while we were still making our way there.  Next call was to the midwives. Peggy Franklin asked if I wanted them to come now or wait until I started having contractions and I decided it would be nice for her and the birthing assistant, Joann to come now.  While we waited for them to arrive, Daddy and Nonny went about filling the pool, which we had already blown up, with nice hot water! As enticing as it was, I waited until the midwives arrived before getting in.  Mild to moderate contractions started around 11pm and the midwives got there at 11:30 pm. Peggy checked me and I could tell by the response that I wasn't too far along. Plus she said that you were head down but facing the wrong way. Not a medical emergency but much easier to deliver if we could get you turned. She recommended we all find a place to lay down and try and get some rest and in between contractions for me to do the "Shake, Rattle and Roll" technique. Lay on one side with my top leg up into my chest for 5 contractions, then flip (as if a 41 week preggers can "flip", lol) onto the opposite side and do the same thing and then flip up onto my hands and knees.  Repeat. Mom and I stayed in my room, the midwives off to the spare room and Truitt's room and Daddy vanished to the basement we found out later. 
 
I tried to rest but the contractions started to get more intense and more frequent though still irregular in timing. Well, much in line with my pregnancies, it wasn't long before I felt like I had to puke. Yuck! So up came the very yummy burger and fries from dinner and on came the contractions even more.  I decided it was time to get in the pool. So with the midwives approval I changed and into it I seeped. Ahhhh.... I still remember the instant relaxation. This was about 1:45 am. 
 
Soon a friendly face peered into the room, Auntie Katie. Much to our surprise, due to her coordinating coming up (which I was totally cool with) with Daddy who no one had seen since 11:30! and because he feel asleep and wasn't answering his phone she was waiting in the car for 45 min! Sheesh! Nevertheless, glad to see her I proceeded to keep track of the contractions and decided it was time for the energy boosting pucker ade I had made, frozen and instructed DJ to be his only responsibility during the entire process. So in search of him she went and by the time they got back I had gone into transition and was pretty sure I was about to start pushing. Ready or Not, Here You come!!  The midwives came in, checked me, said I was good to go and to just listen to my body.  Push when I felt like pushing, rest when I needed to rest, etc. So that's what I did. 
Katie told me later that as her and Daddy watched she asked if he was going to help.  His response, "Naa, I'm good over here.  They got it." LOL! Thank the Lord for my mama who definitely talked me through it and in 15 min baby Dash came swimming out, literally you were kicking your legs even after they laid you on my chest. 
Dashel Alexander Marcussen had arrived on Nov 5, 2012 at 3 am, 8 lbs 8 oz, almost 22 inches long. Blue Eyes, Dark Brown Hair and the most beautiful newborn I had ever seen. Perfectly shaped from head to toe, no vernix, blood, nothing on him. Lots of hair. It was truly love at first sight. 
The midwives said it was such a clean, beautiful birth they didn't believe it could be my last. I told them, bet me, lol. We'll see who laughs last. It may not be me though because you have helped me slow down and fully appreciate the gift of a newborn baby to hold and cherish. Only time will tell...
Five hours from start to finish and you had already lived up to your name as you dashed out as if you were excited to meet everyone.  Daddy, Aunt Katie and Nonny cried, while you and I just chilled. Daddy finally came to and took pictures, cut the cord and stuck around while the midwifes measured and checked you out.
After about an hour Daddy went back to sleep, the midwives left, Nonny went to work since it was a Monday and Auntie Katie stuck around to help me while we caught up on some sleep. Truitt and Poppy came to meet you after lunch, and I never saw a more excited little boy. He had been asking and waiting for your arrival with more anticipation than anyone else.  He wanted to introduce you to all his friends, hold you and kiss you.  It was truly Love at first sight all over again.  And although he had picked out 3 names for you, Moose, Dash and Flash... he conceded to Dashel and has never called you anything but.  

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