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| Baby Isaac |
Of course, it's hard to not compare this birth experience with my earlier deliveries with Liam and Charlie. In many ways labor started and progressed very similarly with my first two, and I suppose I expected the third to be the same. It turned out quite different.
I was in quite a bit of discomfort the few weeks leading up to Isaac's birth. I had sciatica, SPD, lower abdominal cramping, lower back cramping, crazy paralyzing "zingers," round ligament pain, and internal bruising in my stomach where baby was laying on a nerve. I was still doing body pump and yoga up until about 39 weeks pregnant -- I definitely looked freakish with my 30kg weights on my squat bar and my HUGE stomach. It felt really good and a relief from the pain - but I knew it was time to stop when I did. I wasn't anxious to have the baby before my mom arrived on 10 June - and didn't want to be "that girl" whose water broke during the squat track. ;) Anyway - I think I experienced a lot of these discomforts the day I went into labor with Liam and Charlie but not the WEEKS leading up. No fun! I have A LOT more empathy for pregnant women! I've found myself repenting for judging other pregos - it's definitely no cake walk!
All that being said - the pain wasn't in vain. I think it was actually progressing things -- and I had a strong hunch that I would probably not make it to my due date of 13 June (aware that this "feeling" often ends in a C-section because it's hard to be patient once going beyond one's due date - especially if you assume pregnancy is only 40 weeks). I was 4 days late with Charlie and 1 day late with Liam. With both boys, I started contractions for a few hours, my water broke, contractions got REALLY bad, 2 hr drive to the hospital (rush hour first time, construction shut down both high ways the second time), epidural, and baby soon after.
Starting on Saturday night (8 Jun), the "by now typical" lower abdominal and back cramping seemed to be more rhythmic and persistent. Jason slept in the top bunk of Charlie's bunk bed because I knew I would be tossing and turning a lot at night. In the middle of the night I thought my water broke. Usually when this happens, my contractions really pick up, but they weren't really. I got this overwhelming sense of "freak out" and I was so hyped up I couldn't fall back to sleep. I probably only got 2 hours of sleep that night. I woke up to the sight of Liam's eyes oozing with conjunctivitis puss and Charlie complaining of "sticky" eyes. GREAT... We decided to take the boys to the urgent care clinic, and I went to the hospital with my friend Sally to see if my water broke and if I was in labor. It turns out my water hadn't broke (please don't ask me how this could be confusing), but I was already dilated 2-3 cm. I wanted to cry that made me so happy because it was SO HARD to get to 3 cm with Charlie. I was relieved that all of the pain was doing what it was supposed to do.
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| Sunday morning - check out the swanky tub |
We got home around lunch on Sunday and I had contractions all afternoon and into the evening. They were as close as 6-8 minutes for an hour, and so I decided to call my midwife again. She had warned me most of the pregnancy that I was probably going to deliver very quickly and there might not be enough time to get an epidural. This prospect really freaked me out. A quick labor is a huge blessing, but I really love my epidural. I mean, I REALLY love it... Anyway - I just didn't want to miss my opportunity to get one - and so, Jason and I were back at the hospital that evening getting checked. (As a side note - we were SO BLESSED that our friend Sally was staying with us watching the boys and we didn't need to worry about them through all of this). Of course, on the drive to the hospital, my contractions slowed down dramatically. I felt SO sheepish and ridiculous. This was my 3rd pregnancy- how in the world did I not know what it was like to be in labor. This stopping/starting was foreign and really annoying. My midwife was very gracious and thankfully was already at the hospital. She did a quick check and although I was still at 2-3 cm, she said there was already a lot of progress from earlier in the day, and she expected the baby to likely come in the next 24-48 hours. Jason and I left the hospital and grabbed some Lebanese take-away and were going to make a date of it when the contractions picked up again and I knew I just needed to get home.
That night, the contractions went every 8-12 minutes for hours upon hours (6-8?). They hurt really badly, but still weren't closer than 8 minutes. I moved from the bed to the floor to the kitchen floor - I couldn't talk through them, but tried to find rest between them. Strangely enough, around 6am they slowed down to 20 minutes, and I was able to sleep for an hour or two between contractions. I woke up Monday morning, and despite the painful night, I knew I wasn't in active labor. At this point, I was really scared about the sleep deprivation. I'd basically gone 2 nights without sleep, and I couldn't fathom another night of contractions and no sleep - and then needing the strength to deliver a baby. I could hear the boys fighting and screaming in our apartment, and I really didn't see the benefit of laboring at home. I called my midwife and asked if I could just hang out in a birthing room (Side Note - the Wellington hospital birthing rooms were awesome - with these gorgeous big spa tubs and double-nozzle showers and anesthesiologists close at hand). She explained I really had to be in active labor to be admitted and we could discuss interventions (I really HATE that word!) to bring about labor. She asked me to come in at 1030 and we could decide what we wanted to do. My mom's plane was due in at 2pm that afternoon. Very good friends came to our rescue on Monday - helping with childcare and even volunteering to help pick up my mom at the airport if necessary. I don't know how we could have done it without them! My contractions were starting to pick up again, and Liam decided to launch himself on my belly shouting "smasher" and "wrestle mommy" during one particularly painful contraction. I needed to get out of the apartment! We said goodbye to the boys and halfway believed we would be back in 45 minutes.
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| Monday morning waiting to be checked by my midwife |
We got to the hospital, but my midwife was caught up in a delivery, so she asked us to grab a coffee and do some walking around the hospital. I realized I was hungry and hadn't had a coffee in 2 days. We walked to the hospital café and my contractions got more intense. I was able to have a coffee and a bit of food but they got more and more intense. They were as quick as 2-3 minutes apart and I felt like I needed to stop walking if I didn't want to deliver the baby in the hospital café. I was having intense back labor and poor Jason couldn't do anything right to make it better - "Please press on my back... no not there!...OUCH!...Your jacket smells... Stop breathing on me... Please press on my back!" I made it back to delivery room and laid on the bed waiting for my midwife. She came in around 12pm and checked me - I was almost at 6 cm! She said if I wanted an epidural we needed to get someone quickly. She drew a bath while we waited for the anesthesiologist. Fortunately the anesthesiologist was so quick there wasn't time to fill up the bath. One great thing about epidurals in New Zealand is that they are "walking epidurals." They are very localized to your tummy and you have full movement with it. In the US, I think they prefer to just knock women completely paralyzed, so there is no danger of litigation in case of a fall. Anyway I was so thankful that it kicked in right away and I felt really amazing. I think Jason likes me a lot more with an epidural as well. ;)
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| After epidural... |
She checked me an hour later and I was at 9 cm. She broke my water, we waited for another hour, and then around 2:35pm it was time to push. It happened SO QUICKLY - it really was a blur! In retrospect, the contractions never got to the intensity that they did with Liam and Charlie - likely my water was still intact until I got the epidural. I knew my mom landed at 2pm and I was thrilled that she was going to be there so soon after baby was born. I pushed for about 7 minutes and Baby Isaac Nathan Roberson was born around 2:42pm! My midwife seemed surprised by his size and when she finally weighed him I was happy to discover he was 9 lbs (he just didn't feel like a little guy in there). I know this is terrible to say, but he looked a little like a monster with a blackish/ashen face. As with Liam and Charlie, he wasn't really crying when he came out - really chill and calm (and they were like that as babies - so fingers crossed Isaac will have a similar demeanor!). I just love the feeling of the warm newborn baby's body on my skin after they are born. It is such an incredible experience... Just as after Liam, I exclaimed that I wanted to do this every year. Wow... what an incredible feeling... My mom made it to the hospital around 30 minutes after Isaac was born. It's really amazing that she's been to each birth despite the geographic distance. My midwife marveled how I was in labor for 2 days and that was how long her travel was to NZ from the US.
My midwife was AMAZING! The midwife network in New Zealand is somewhat of a mafia to break into, but once you've got one - it's really an incredible system. My midwife is one of the best in the city. She has a really incredible reputation and I feel so blessed that I was able to have her as my midwife. It was really nice to be in the hospital, yet it was much more "granola" than in the US. There was FAR LESS pressure for interventions than what is so common in the US today. It actually makes me really sad that we can't have this experience in the US. You can have a home birth and there are also birthing centers, but those seem more fringe than what is so commonplace in NZ. The midwife visits you at your home every day or two for the 2-3 weeks following your delivery.
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| My AMAZING midwife! |
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| The knot in the cord |
My midwife marveled at the tight knot in Isaac's umbilical cord - he promises to be a great bungy jumper. She also thought he seemed very big and strong - likely the first American All Black. She was just so relaxed during everything - I don't think much could phase her. As it turned out, the Wellington hospital has private and shared rooms, but it was a very busy night and all of the private rooms were occupied. There is a "Sleepy Hollow" maternity ward about 20 minutes north of the hospital with private rooms and ensuite bathrooms that had availability so we decided to check out of the hospital that evening and check in to the private rooms that night. It was THE BEST decision. On our way home to drop off Nana with the boys, we introduced Isaac (at only a few hours old) to a good ol McDonalds drive thru. We then dropped off Nana with the boys at home, and gave "distanced" introductions to baby brother (conjunctivitis eyes still pussing), in front of our local pub, with many confused onlookers, and headed to the maternity ward. Jason and I ate dinner and marveled at our new little man. Unfortunately they don't allow dads to stay at the hospitals (security reasons?) but I was thankful he could also be there for the boys. I was so amazed how the staff at the new hospital didn't come in to check unnecessary things all night - but let me and baby sleep. They were SO WONDERFUL! I stayed for three nights and it was a really important time for bonding and recovery. Wow...
