Gideon's Birth Story!

He is here...and here's how it happened...


We had friends over Saturday night for dinner and I noticed that I seemed to be, well, leaking more than usual. I decided my water may have broken, but it was just a trickle. I didn't call the doctor, but planned to see what happened the next day. Sunday morning I woke up around 2:30 am with contractions. They were about ten minutes apart and not too intense, but definitely "real" contractions. I tried to go back to sleep, but realized there was no way I could sleep through the pain. Since I had showered the night before (and shaved...I always like to do that before walking around in an attractive hospital gown) I did my hair and got dressed. Dan woke up at this point and said, "uh-oh, are you having contractions?" and I told him I was, but they were light and to go back to sleep. I came downstairs to post on Facebook and ask for prayers and to write up a daily schedule for our helpers. While I was sitting on the birthing ball I heard Dan shower and pretty soon he made his way downstairs to sleep on the couch and write down my contractions. This went on for awhile. Contractions were painful but I was able to get through them. In the beginning it really helped to sing through them. I was thankful for all the hymns we've been memorizing! It helped me to focus on HIM instead of my pain. By about 6am I decided it would be time to go to the hospital. These contractions i couldn't sing through, but I would relax as much as possible and tell myself, "this will end, this will end" and I would count how many deep breaths it took me to get through it. Usually it was 5 deep breaths with number 3 being the most painful. I held off until 7am and called my neighbor to come and stay with the kids until our wonderful friend from church could get there and stay with them for the day. I called my parents too and they made arrangements to come that day.
After our neighbor arrived we headed to the hospital. Contractions were every 3-6 minutes and lasting around 40 seconds. Thankfully, they were still not very intense and I only had one in the car! We made it up to labor and delivery and the triage nurse came to check me out. She took awhile asking questions and entering information, and I'm pretty sure she was thinking they were going to send me home as my contractions were only every 6-8 minutes and I wasn't complaining. I was scared I hadn't dilated much and that this labor process was going to take a loooooong time. However, when she finally checked me I was at an 8!! What??? I was shocked. Every other labor I've been about to die, cry and beat someone up at 8. She admitted me and I walked down to the delivery room. Our nurse was a parent from Q's old class and was so nice. They called my doctor for me. He had been at a different hospital all night and would not be able to get to me until after 8 am. Thankfully the baby held off until then! I had been praying he would be the one to deliver my baby and God said yes!
After about a half hour in the delivery room the nurse checked me and found that I was complete. They called the doctor to hurry (he said something about me pushing for at least an hour and the nurse told him not to count on it!) and he headed over. Ten minutes later I commented to Dan that I didn't' think the doctor was going to make it. Right after I said that he walked into the room! He decided I wasn't' too close to pushing and went to get some coffee next door. I asked the nurse to get him to see if the baby was posterior or if he was in position. He came in, checked and found that baby was positioned correctly (hooray!! another prayer answered, as he had previously been turned quite wrong) and that I still had my water bag. He broke it and the baby came down. Down enough for him to say it was time to "put on his special suit" LOL. I decided to stay up on my knees leaning against the back of the raised bed to push. I pushed lightly through one contraction. I hate pushing and was afraid of how much it was going to hurt and just couldn't muster the courage to push hard! I mentioned that I felt like I had to pee and the nurse and doc suggested going. I can't believe it now, but I was able to walk over to the bathroom, go and come back. The next push I felt him crown and said, "is that him?" The doctor said yes and out he came. OUCH! OUCH! OUCH! He was out halfway and I heard doc tell me that I "probably didn't' need to push anymore", but there was no choice...the primal urge took control and he came out the rest of the way. The first thing I heard was "look at those big feet and long fingers!". I was in a lot of pain and was unable to turn around and sit down on the bed to hold him so my doctor passed him up to me to hold against my chest. Eventually I was able to turn around and look and him and hold him. How I love that feeling of a brand new, slippery baby on my chest. He stopped crying and I held him while the doctor checked and found I had torn in 3 places. Thankfully I only need a stitch in one of them. Apparently when the baby rockets out so quickly that can happen! I was nervous when I saw his face all blue, but the nurse told me he had bruised from entering the world so quickly!
Dan cut the cord and we had our little man. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. I am so thankful for my mild labor, quick delivery and healthy baby!


Important info...
He was 8 lbs. 15.3 oz and 22 inches long! Born at 9:43am