Lily's due date was either July 15th or July 22nd depending on what method of due date one picks. Of course, as my long time readers know the estimated ultrasound due date of July 22nd sounded fine and dandy but all my babes are THREE WEEKS late, so we weren't expecting Lily to join our family until the first week of August - at the earliest.
On July 13th at 5 am, I woke up with contractions. I was stunned. I couldn't believe it. How could this be happening almost a MONTH early? I panicked. I wasn't ready! There was so much to do! I begged my husband to make the contractions stop (ha!).
At noon that day suddenly everything slowed down. By 1 PM everything stopped. Now I was really confused. Not only had a I never had an early baby, much less an on time one, I had never had a false labor start. I didn't know what to think other than my body was not behaving in it's normal way.
Over the next week I really fixated on mentally and physically preparing for the birth. A trip to the Temple helped immensely. On July 22nd, a little more than a week later, I woke up again in the early morning with contractions. The same pattern I had experienced the week before started to play out again.
I had no idea what to do. This seasoned birth veteran didn't know whether or not she was in labor! I tried going about my day as best as I could. I called the midwife, I called my mom and dad. I waited. By noon the contractions hadn't stopped but they hadn't picked up either. I also usually have fast labors so this added an even bigger question mark into the pot.
I got down on my knees and prayed. I told Heavenly Father that I as ready, to please be gentle with me, but that I was ready to do this. My contractions immediately went from 10 minutes apart to 3 minutes apart.
The midwife came at 2:30 pm at which point we knew this was really labor.
I ran around the house. I sang, I swayed, I pounded on the doors. As I entered transition I could not find a comfortable way to sit and I could no longer stand. Usually I have laid down on my side during transition but something about these contractions made that an unbearable thought so I squirmed around on the floor in a variety of ways.
Sometimes I prayed out loud during a contraction. I told Heavenly Father how much I loved him and that I trusted his design for birth. Sometimes I chastised my contraction like a mother scolding a child. "You hurt!" I would tell it.
I had what felt like a lot of time in between contractions - at least it felt that way to me. I'm use to them coming right on top of each other - no time to think, just do. I didn't like the time to think. It made me feel weak, like I couldn't do another one.
Eventually I found myself leaning back with the help of the midwife assistant. I started feeling pressure with the contractions. I knew I had to change positions but I wasn't sure what. The midwife suggested getting on my hands and knees. I almost said no because I knew she was right and I wasn't sure if I was ready to push.
I got on my hands and knees, again with the assistant's help. I leaned over her back and with the next contraction I felt the baby move into the birth canal. Again, this birth was so untypical, normally I LOVE this part - really I do. The pain nearly goes away as I push and feel myself make progress and I know I'm almost done but this time I didn't like it. I wanted to just stop but of course I couldn't. I cried out, "Oh God! Oh God!"
Another push and she was crowning. Now at this point I just wanted to push her out - be done, but the contractions were still far apart. My midwife was telling me to slow down, to wait. I'm glad I followed her advice because it made it hurt less to slow down. Another push and out the head came. My water broke. I waited what felt like an eternity for the next contraction.
"Just pull her out!" I joked with the midwife. Another contraction came and out she fell. Now THAT was, and is, the best feeling on earth!
Lily was born on July 22nd at 4:37 PM.
Her entry into the world was witnessed by her three brothers, her papa and her big sister slept through it just a few feet away, apparently unimpressed (ha ha)
