BIRTH MARATHON... Caleb's birth

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Caleb’s Birth

Joshua 14:10b-11 -Today I am 85 years old. I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight was well as I could then. (The strength of Caleb)

Thursday, March 29 I had not been feeling very well. I even told John I just felt raw and uncomfortable down there. I really just thought nothing of it assuming that was just part of how the few weeks were going feel as Caleb began to get into position for birth (turns out I was dilating and was unaware of it.

Friday, March 30 I woke up at 6 like always and looked at my phone and checked my baby bump app that read you are 33weeks and 7days, 43 more days to go. I thought to myself 43 that so long and 43 gee we have a lot to do. I was procrastinating that morning, not really wanting to get in ready for work so I was on the computer a little and got in the shower pretty late. At 6:40 John called me and we talked for a min about taxes and stuff and then I got dressed. I was just leaving the bedroom and going to pack a quick lunch when I felt a rush of fluid. My first thought was OMG I just peed myself. When I checked to see how bad it was I realized there was blood in it and then I got scared. I first called John and told him (he was already at work). He asked if he should come home I told him not yet that I would let him know after I talked to the midwives. Second I called school and this was at 6:53 I called Nedra and told her what had happened and she told me she would take care of the school end. I then called Missy and Martina to tell them what was going on.

Missy told me, no I had not peed myself, that most likely my water had broken. This really scared me thinking, what this is so bad my water can’t break this early …infection… etc…Missy and Martina told me to go straight to the hospital. I called John to tell him and she said he was almost home. He had left anyway.

When John got home he was trying to rush me out the door to go to the hospital. I wanted to change my pants first. I changed and we left. Missy texted me and asked me if I was having contractions and if I had felt the baby move. Again this scared me. I didn’t really know if I was having contractions, I had never done this before. I also had not felt the baby move that morning and so I was worried what that might mean. John was driving and I thought I had begun to have contractions which felt like period cramps. I texted Missy and told her I was having contractions. She asked me how long and how far apart they were. I didn’t know since I hadn’t really been timing them we just wanted to get to the hospital.

John pulled up at St. Francis and we went up to Labor and Delivery. A nurse was just about to let us in to the unit when we told her our Doctor was Dr. Caruthers. At that she informed us Dr. Caruthers did not work out of this hospital but St. Francis Bartlett (which we knew but had gone to the wrong one anyway). We headed back outside to try and make it to Bartlett. As John was getting the car to pick me up I felt Caleb move and this made me feel much better. I texted Missy and told her, she was also relieved. 

Back in the car I began to time my contractions using John’s phone to time how far apart and mine to time how long. When I started doing this they were 30-35 sec long and 2.5 min apart. I thought I must be doing this wrong or I am confused about what a contraction feels like. But the longer I timed them the closer together they got and the longer they lasted. By the time we reached the hospital they were 1 min long and 1 min apart.

We arrived at the hospital around 8 am (that is my best guess). We went up to Labor and Delivery. I walked up they asked if I wanted a wheel chair I said no. Looking back I probably could have used one. From here on out everything was a blur. They made John go downstairs and fill out intake paper work. It seemed like he was gone forever, but we have deduced that it was probably only 15 to 20 min. They took me to a holding room where I changed into the gown. At this point we are still unsure of what is happening. We didn’t really know we were coming in for a birth. I changed and was being asked many questions about med history and the like. Martina arrived around this point and began helping me breath through contractions. I think to sign paper work I went through 4 contractions. They were coming very fast. The doctor arrived right after that and checked my cervix. He told me I was 6 cm dilated and that there would be a baby today. I couldn’t even really focus on that news. That was the point I wanted John back. I told Martina I had to pee and she took me to the rest room. I told her I also felt like I had to poop and asked if that was the baby and she told me it was. Right after getting back from the restroom John arrived and I was so happy to have him back but I still couldn’t really focus on him.  Around then Martina told me to tell her when I felt like I wanted to push and I immediately told her I felt like pushing right then. She told the doctor he checked me out and said that indeed I was ready.

There were no rooms available so they wheeled me to the OR to deliver. I was wanting to push but I didn’t really feel confident that I could or that I was doing it right. The doctor had his fingers in my cervix and kept telling me to push them out. This made no sense to me so I really just focused on John and on Martina. I knew John was praying for me but I really needed to hear him so I asked him to pray out loud, he did and I instantly felt the Lord’s strength to push the baby out. At that point I knew I could do it and I was able to push with more confidence then I had been. Martina was telling me to get behind it and push down. This made total sense to me. I could really feel what she was talking about. She was coaching me and telling me I was beautiful and I just kept praying Jesus let the baby come fast. At one point John told me he could see the head and I thought I want to see the head. The worst pain was when the head was crowning and I waiting between contractions with his head half out. But Martina reminded me this was good to let him stretch and not to push to avoid tearing. The next push his head was out and he was mid shoulders.  This time I knew I wanted him out and pushed him out the last push with no contraction. 

I looked down and they were pulling him out and I think I said, “Did that really just happen?” I could not believe it. His actual time of birth was 9:09 am March 30, 2012They brought him to my chest while John cut his cord and then took him away to check his breathing. John went with the baby, while Martina stayed with me and the doc while I delivered the placenta. Which at that point actually felt good and like a relief.  They brought Caleb back for a sec let us take our first pic and give him a kiss and the off he was to the NICU.

They took me into a room which was cleaned while I was delivering.  My mind was blown at how fast everything was. I was in good spirits and did not really begin to get tired until afternoon.

That’s the story of how Caleb arrived in about 2 hours.