He's Here!

Murphy William

6/25/2012 @ 11:55 PM

9lbs, 1oz & 21"

And 8 weeks old today!  I've been both stalling writing this post and forgetting/being too busy to get to it.  I'm writing on my phone because I've decided if I wait until I can put him down and get on my laptop, it'll never happen.

Murphy was due on Wednesday, June 6th.  Originally, that is.  After my 20 week scan (notoriously inaccurate for dating gestational age at that point) we changed the date to Saturday, June 9th to "buy more time" if we needed to.  I guess that point would have been a time to go over the "what ifs", but honestly, I didn't think I'd go over.  June 6th felt like his birthday and that was going to be the day regardless, but it wasn't.

I hit 42 weeks on June 23rd and at that point immediately jumped to being 42 weeks and 3 days.  I felt 42+3.

My midwife, Clare, met us at the imaging center to have a biophysical profile (BPP) on June 20th (42 weeks, or at that point 41+4).  Murphy looked beautiful.  Everything was great and healthy.  One day, Emme and Renee came over to do a Non-stress test (NST) and on another day, Clare came over to do a NST.  Murphy sounded great both times. 

Emme called me in the morning on Monday, June 25th, talking about doing another BPP, but possibly in Wisconsin.  She said at this point, 42+5, we needed to think about induction and she needed to consult with her OB/GYN.  I called Clayton in a panic (and tears) and talked to him about if the ultrasound was in WI, if he wanted to get out of work or if I should see if my sister would bring me.  He said he'd get out of work and then I waited for Emme to call back.  She did awhile later and confirmed that if I did not go into labor by Wednesday night, the OB thought it would be a good idea to come in for an induction, but my ultrasound could be here and my midwives would consult with him again over the phone after that.  I called and set up an appointment at the imaging center for a couple hours later and both my midwives met us there for another BPP.

Murphy still looked great and my amniotic fluid level looked even better this time.  We met outside after and the midwives talked to us about how if this continued past Wednesday, 43 weeks, that they wanted me to go to Wisconsin to be induced at the hospital.  (For those wondering, there is nothing wrong with Minnesota and there are no strange laws, there is just a certain doctor in WI.  He is the OB/GYN that my midwives consult with and a very natural-minded OB/GYN).  I asked my midwives if they would entertain me by trying to strip my membranes.  Neither believe that it actually does anything, but at this point the only thing we hadn't tried was castor oil.  So they met us at our home and gave it a try. 

My cervix was really long and posterior and my external OS was dilated to a 1, international OS was still closed up, so Emme could not even reach or get through to do the sweep.  I just cried before they even left.  I was so stressed out and with no emergency, the very last place I wanted to go was the hospital, especially in Wisconsin and probably not being able to have my other children with me.

I had bought castor oil over the weekend and was debating whether or not I wanted to do it.  Well, no, not if I WANTED to, cause I reeeeally did not want to, but I was kind of getting to a point where I thought I might as well.  I felt comfortable, mentally/emotionally with him still being in there.  I wasn't afraid that he was in any danger.  I was starting to believe my own joke about how he was going to be born at 44 weeks.  Wednesday, July 4th.  My first was born at 36 weeks.  On a Monday.  My second was born at 40 weeks.  On a Tuesday.  It would only make sense that #3 would be at 44 weeks.  On a Wednesday.

I was in a miserable mood all day.  I was so sad and stressed out.  At dinner I decided that I'd take the castor oil before Madd and Clayton went off to T-Ball.  I was worried about taking it in the evening and then not being able to sleep that night, but I was feeling so depressed I figured I might as well, I wasn't getting to sleep anyways.

My midwives told me to call them before I took it to make sure that there were no other laboring women (I wish there had been), so I called Emme and she gave me the go ahead.  I made a shake with Belgian chocolate ice cream, milk, and 2oz of castor oil (should have used less castor oil, but everything I read online was 2-4oz.  So glad I did not do 4oz).  I drank it between 7-7:30pm and Madd and Dad left for t-ball.

My belly went all wonky immediately.  It was square looking.  I took several pictures thinking that they did no justice to show the craziness of my belly shape.  (The red bumps on my belly are PUPPP)

Faye was at the end of the couch using glitter glue and I wasn't really in the mood to stop her.  I got her a paper bag so that she didn't get glue on the couch and then sat down on the floor and laid my head on the couch as she proceeded to make me something pretty.  I wasn't feeling contractions and I didn't feel the way a laxative should make you feel, but I felt crummy and like I was going to be nauseous.

As soon as Clayton and Maddox walked through the door, I asked if I could take a bath and I was in there for 30-60min.  I think I lost track of time because Clayton got the kids ready for bed, teeth brushed, and books read and both were asleep when I got out of the bath.

I still wasn't having any contractions, but one big long contraction while I was in the tub.  My stomach was as hard as a rock and it was making me nervous.  That's the only reason I got out at that point, because I wanted to grab my stethoscope and listen to the babies heart.  He sounded good, so I got up, got dressed, and then I was starting to feel normal contractions.

At 10pm, we took some pictures.  I was convinced that I was in real labor this time (I had been having both braxton hicks contractions and real contractions on and off all day, every day since June 2nd), so we figured we should get some pics in.

It wasn't until 11pm that I decided that maybe I should time them because they seemed pretty frequent and pretty long.  I had been dancing around on my tip toes, pacing back and forth in the living room, gripping my pelvis firming contractions, trying to decide if this was for real for real.

It was definitely for real and I was having 1 min long contractions every 2 min (for those of you not familiar with timing contractions, that was one min on, one minute off).

I called my closest midwife (one is in Mpls, the other in StP) around 11pm and told her that the castor oil had worked and that I had been having contractions.  I told her that I had only been timing them for a half hour and they were two minutes apart and one minute long.  She asked if I wanted them to come over and I said "umm, hmm, I don't know.  I guess."  And she says "ok, I'm coming over!"

My thought process was that I didn't want them over all night if I wasn't that close.  I didn't need anyone for labor support.  My water hadn't broken yet and with my last two it broke on its own, one at 12 hours prior and the other at 1.5 hours prior.

Well, I had a couple contractions after that and then I felt the urge to push.  At some point, I had taken off my pajamas and put on a tube top dress.  Clayton grabbed my towel and laid that on the floor in the middle in our bedroom and I got down on all fours.

I HAD to push.  With my other two, I could try to hold it in and not push with it, but this time I had to actively push.  I had two contractions that I pushed with and then on the third my water broke.  I pulled my undies off and had another contraction and he started coming.  It only took him a couple minutes to come out.

I was feeling pretty nervous about tearing.  It hurt a lot in the front.  Well, it hurts a lot, but it hurt a lot more and it stung!  So I reached down while pushing and put pressure there.  I did end up tearing a little, but not enough for stitches.

Murphy came out head down, occiput anterior (good boy!), with a nuchal right arm.  He had his hand up by his cheek and eye on the side of his head.  It was such a relief after both arms were out and just his chest down remain inside.

My midwives didn't make it in time.  They certainly made good time and JUST missed his birth.

Emme rushed in to help (and turn off the fan that had been on for maybe 10mins as I poured sweat from getting this little one out).  I took my dress off and Clayton passed Murphy under my legs and up to me.  Emme went to wake the kids up.  They both wanted to see him being born and so did we, but we had made the decision to wake them when the midwives got there, assuming Murphy wasn't going to be born before then!  Maddox came out and looked at Murphy and checked to see if he was a boy or a girl.  He was still pretty sleepy and it took him a minute to check things out.

We moved up to the bed, which Clayton had prepped while I was in labor, and Faye tried to cut the cord after is had gone completely white and floppy.  It was too squishy for her, though, and Clare helped her out.  As soon as he was off his cord we nursed.  I always seem to have short-ish cords and have trouble getting them up high enough with it still on.

After weighing the baby, making Comfrey root pads and rinse, steaming the placenta, and all that good stuff, the midwives left around 3am.  We went to bed soon after that and the little guy slept better than any couple-hours-old baby I've ever had.

Now here is Murphy at 1 Month:

And 2 Months: