Beau Benjamin's Birthday!

big brother hudson

not too sure about that baby

teeny little super guy, 5 days old

gentle big bro

future priesthood holder!

cutie pie

little chub

old man face

lounging at home

the joys of being a boy

brothers

baby moses pose

Due Date, Shmoo Date

Baby 2's due date (Friday, February 15) came and went. I was pretty disappointed. I thought for sure the baby would come early, considering all of the Braxton hicks I was experiencing, Hudson had come 8 days early, and I had been dilated to a 3 since week 34.

Luckily, I was able to spend his due date with my dear friend Sammi at the Natural History Museum with our kids, so it wasn't a total bummer of a day! That evening was fun, too - Seb and Hudson and I bought a big tub of popcorn and watched Wreck-It-Ralph at the dollar theater.

Heavenly Father's Hand

Sebastian and I had really wanted the baby to arrive that weekend, and preferably on Saturday since my favorite midwife would be working that day. After the baby didn't arrive Friday, we decided to take the matter to the Lord. We both prayed Saturday morning that the baby would come that day! That morning, Seb and Hudson and I did some window shopping at Lowe's. Walking around was SO uncomfortable. I was sore in my legs, my back, my crotch ... so so fun! The back pain was a new development.

Next, we headed to the Academy Hills Parks to spend the morning outside. The weather was gorgeous and we enjoyed tossing around a football, pushing Hudson on the swings, and watching him go down the slide. Around 11:00a, I thought I was having some random contractions, but I wasn't quite sure because they were mild and sporadic. We drove to my parent's house and decided to have lunch with them. While hanging at their house before heading out to lunch, my contractions started to become stronger and more regular. At around 1:00p, we started timing the contractions; they were coming about 5 minutes apart and lasting around 30 seconds. They were painful enough that I had to concentrate to get through them, but I didn't really think I was in labor yet.

Laboring at Ghengis Grill and Roosevelt Park

At around 2:00p, we headed to Ghengis Grill. Seb and I stopped by our house to pick up my "go bag" just in case we needed to head to the hospital after lunch. At Ghengis, my contractions really started to come on strong. I had to breathe to get through them, and it helped to hunch over and lean my hands on my upper legs. It was pretty ridiculous - I was standing in line to get my food in full on labor. A few people asked if I was okay - obviously no, but thanks for asking! I was able to get through lunch without too much trouble. We decided it would be best to have Hudson go home with my parents. We were pretty sure the baby was on his way, but didn't quite know how soon he'd be here.

After leaving Hudson with my folks (at around 3:00p), Seb and I discussed our options. Seb really wanted to take me to Breaking Dawn II, but it didn't start for another hour. Instead, we decided to walk around a park close to our hospital. When we got there, the thought of walking did not sound like a good idea. I tried but was in too much pain. I was on my hands and knees in the park doing my breathing techniques, but nothing seemed eased the pain. We walked one side of the park, and I had to stop every three minutes or so to breath through another whopping contraction. I started crying and told Seb I thought it was time to go to the hospital. I was ready to go get my epidural!

We had wanted to stay away from the hospital as long as possible because a few of the practitioners I had seen during my prenatal care immediately recommended I consider a C-section due to Hudson's huge size and difficult labor. We thought that I would have less of a chance of getting one the longer I stayed away. After 20 minutes or so at the park, we headed to the hospital.

He's COMING!

I had to stop every 2 or 3 minutes to breath through my contractions as we walked towards Triage. People kept stopping and asking if I was okay. Another lady even grabbed me a wheel chair, but we couldn't figure out how to use it. We tossed it aside and made our journey inside. I remember getting into an elevator full of people and a big contraction came on immediately. Ooh it was fun!

We arrived to Triage around 4:00p. I had a big contraction as they were getting my information. It was hard to focus on answering their questions. Soon enough they steered me into a room where I got to pee in a cup, change into a gown, and get strapped with a couple monitors. The nurses worked around me as I breathed through my contractions. (By the way, Sebastian deserves a huge shout out. He was a fantastic coach. He reminded me to breath, massaged my back, and was the most wonderful calm coach!) I kept telling everyone in the room that I wanted an epidural and I didn't care how far along I was. I just wanted him to come immediately! Unfortunately, though, my cervix still had to be checked. When the nurse checked me ... I was already between 9 and 10 centimeters dilated and fully effaced! I was ready to push!

The nurses immediately wheeled my triage bed into a labor and delivery room just a couple doors down. They did an emergency call to my midwife (my very favorite midwife - Karen Zimmerman!), who arrived in minutes. I had a contraction when she arrived. She checked me and broke my bag of waters. The pain was unbearable - I grabbed Sebastian's hand and twisted it in mine through another contraction as I began to push. I got to feel down and touch the baby's head. I grabbed Sebastian in a headlock as a screamed bloody murder through another contraction. At this point, I felt baby's head begin to crown. I couldn't believe how painful it was, but how I could clearly feel that it was the baby's head. At this point, I remember clinging to Sebastian for dear life, looking up into the ceiling, listening to my own horrific screams as if they were coming from some other person's mouth, and feeling like I was about ready to die. I knew I had to get the baby out if I wanted the pain to be over, so I put everything I could muster into my next push. "Get this baby out of me!!!!" I screamed. I felt the baby's head come out and I was immediately rewarded with a feeling of relief. The baby's body slid right out and the pain seemed to disappear! It was incredible! It was only 4:28p - 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital - and Seb and I were shocked that the baby was already here!

Our sweet baby boy was placed on my chest and I was able to snuggle him for a few hours as they delivered my placenta, massaged my tummy, and sewed me up down south. I immediately fell in love and that love grows stronger every day! I love you, Beau Benjamin!