Last Sunday 12/30/2018 at 4:15 AM my third baby entered this world. We welcomed a son, Ronin Thomas into our family. He joins his sisters Fiona and Saoirse. He came just a day and a half after my due date.
The morning started out normally. I got up with my girls and did the morning routine. I was feeling a little off, but I chocked it up to pregnancy woes. When you are at the very end of your pregnancy, sometimes you just feel like crap. Then about 9:30 AM the contractions finally started. They were minimal, but unmistakable. I put my youngest daughter down for a nap at 11 and they stopped! I was so disappointed. I waited all day and nothing. FINALLY by 6 PM they started again.
Now, my best friend flew in from Germany for this baby. Her family got a nice long visit with relatives and when the contractions started we messaged each other every 5 minutes. I got a contraction timer and realized how weirdly inconsistent they were. We waited until 10 PM for her to jump in the car and make the 3.5 hour journey. She arrived at the hospital the same time we did, it was perfect timing!
As the contractions got stronger, I finally called my dad to come to the house. He arrived at 1 AM and by 1:30 he kicked me out of my own house because my contractions were making him nervous. They tell you to wait until you can't talk through the contractions anymore. That night my contractions met the required times but I could still talk through them. I went anyway.
I got up to the delivery floor fast and into a room. I was able to answer questions, change into a gown and pee a couple of times. It was fine...until it wasn't. All of a sudden they got hard, fast and strong. I was eased off the table and put on a medicine ball. It was wonderful. I had my husband on the other side of the bed holding my hand, a handle from the bed rail and my friend behind me. As a contraction hit I would roll in a circle, brace myself against the bed and tried to keep my voice in low, deep tones. When you are in pain its best to grunt, moan or scream in deep tones. It helps you breathe through the pain. Anything high pitched just locks up your body.
Eventually I could feel a shift, some sort of change. I wasn't sure if I was ready to push, but I was ready for something. I climbed up onto the bed and turned on my side. I needed something I could grip. I had my doctor at my head talking me through the contraction and the other one and a nurse holding my leg. After a...bodily function mishap...I was finally ready to push. After 2 pushes the Baby was out. It is an interesting feeling when the baby is coming. There was pressure, a pop of the water sack and then I could feel the head, then the shoulders and then the rest slither out. As the body came out it was a feeling of immediate relief. I laid on my back and as they brought the baby to my chest the Baby was facing me. In surprise I blurted out "It's a BOY!!!!!!". My friend and husband both went WHAT?! He was like wait...are you sure? He completely expected another girl. All of the statistics said this baby would be a girl.
The whole thing was fast, painful and absolutely amazing. His labor times were nearly identical to Saoirse, the time it started, the erratic timing, how fast the consistent surges hit, and the time we went to the hospital. While they mirrored each other, the experience was vastly different. Ronin was my second VBAC (vaginal birth after Cesarean), and it was so much better. It was amazing, empowering, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience.
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