Declan's Birth Day

I guess this is going to bring the blog to a bit of a close. I hate when they drop off the map entirely, but I'm not ready to start a new blog or anything. So I might just do some periodic updates every month or so. Thanks for following/reading! It's been a fun experience for me. Now, when farmers across the globe get knocked up, I hope they can find some good reads in my blog, or they start their own. Power to the pregnant farmer!

Well, you all know I had a cold the week of my due date, etc. So I wasn't really feeling going into labor until that cleared up. The universe, however, had baby-birthing plans for me. We went to our prenatal check-up the morning of the 4th, my due date. She swept the membranes, which basically is sweeping a finger around the cervix (ouch!) to separate the membranes around the baby from the cervix. This releases hormones called prostaglandins which may kick-start your labor. We didn't want to do anything too drastic since I was sick, but she said it really just gets things going in the right direction, it doesn't induce labor.

Well, by 9 PM that night my labor had started. Early labor is supposed to be a breeze from what I've heard... not for me. It was intense from the beginning, not something I could sleep through or ignore. We were up all night, trying to get through the contractions, waiting for them to get close enough together to call the Birth Center (TBC) and head over there. We didn't get to TBC until 7 AM, and things were still moving pretty slow. I was exhausted, and dehydrated; I couldn't keep any fluids down. They gave me an IV to hydrate me, and some anti-nausea drug. I got checked the day before at the appointment, and at 7 AM and 9 AM the morning of the 5th. My dilation wasn't changing much. I was suffering. They suggested if things didn't start to move by 11 AM, we consider more fluids, and something to help me sleep. That way Gerard and I could retap our energy for what lay ahead.

However, again, the universe had different plans. We were to have this baby cracked out from sleep deprivation. By 11 AM, I was 4-5 cm dilated, moving into active labor. Which was really okay by me; labor stopping seemed unproductive to me at that point. Our friends Sue and Aby came at around 1 PM maybe, which changed the energy for the better. Though I, was still suffering. I could barely talk to them, couldn't really focus on what was going on besides contractions. Beginning, middle, and end I felt I could not handle it. It was too intense. But everyone cheered me on and I got through it, miraculously. Thankfully my active labor was pretty fast (didn't feel that way to me, but...), as was the pushing stage. And everyone said I was like a rockstar... knew exactly what to do, so strong, etc. I didn't feel like one, and but it was nice to hear. I guess at the very end, I felt a little bit like a rockstar. I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and I got really excited to bring it home!

Bottom line: SO SO MUCH harder than I ever could have anticipated. Not sure if I would want to endure something like that ever again. But completely amazing and awesome. I watched, in a squat, while I brought my son into the world. I saw his head and body come out and Gerard helped catch him and cut the cord, etc. It was completely fascinating and totally surreal. And they passed my gorgeous blue baby (don't worry, he pinked up fast) to me for skin-to-skin contact and no words can really describe it.

Since we've been home it's been so great and so challenging. I'm not fully recovered yet, physically, and the whole thing is so life-changing and emotional. Gerard took off for 2 weeks, which has been so nice. We're all working at this together, getting to know each other, and fall even more in love. A part of me is sad, closing a chapter of my prior life (my relationship with Ger, my pregnancy and that unique connection I had with Declan, how things will change with friends, work, etc.) And the new chapter, with different sleep schedules, breastfeeding, a whole new amazing being in our life, can be daunting at times. So many big big changes. I almost felt a bit of an identity crisis of sorts. But it's just all so wonderful. And we just take it one day at a time.

Welcome to the world, Declan! We love you so much!