Julianne's Birth

I know you've all been excited to read my birth story.  I'm sure you understand how busy I've been though with a newborn and a (terrible) two year old.

I'm happy to say that I've had two natural births now.  Each experience was beautiful and hugely transformative for me as a woman; although they were very different.  Oliver's birth was a marathon event lasting 32 hours from the time my water broke to when he was in my arms.  Julianne's arrival was a sprint-to-the-finish event lasting only 10 hours from my first sign of labor.

Lets start the day before her arrival.

Tuesday February 12th I saw my OB for a prenatal appointment.  I was 40 weeks and 2 days.  Up until this point I had not allowed him to check me for several reasons, the biggest being that dilation and effacement tell you very little about when your baby will actually arrive.  I feared another early baby and since Oliver was born early,  I also didn't want any unnecessary aggravation to my cervix.  However, after watching my due date come and go (which was something that I secretly hoped to experience), I let curiosity get the best of me and decided to be checked.  I was 2-3 cm and 60% effaced with an anterior cervix at my appointment.  I know women who have spent that last few weeks of their pregnancy at 5+ cm and, personally, my water broke with Oliver with no active labor.  So, this really didn't get me too excited that I was close to labor starting.  Little did I know, our baby girl would be in my arms in less than 24 hours!  We left the appointment with plans to go walk around the mall.  We ended up meeting Libby, Sean, and Haddie and enjoyed some time walking and browsing.  While there, I became very hungry and decided my old craving from Oliver's pregnancy sounded pretty good.  I ate Taco Bell covered in fire sauce for dinner.  (Shame on me!)

After leaving the mall, we went to my friend Renee's house.  She had offered me some Hibiscus tea because it is known to induce labor.  We visited on her front porch for awhile before heading home.  When we got home, Kurt asked if I wanted to have sex to help bring on labor.  I was feeling a little different.  Something had me feeling like things would happen soon, so I turned him down.  I opted for a huge glass of hibiscus tea and a warm bath.  (Have you tried hibiscus tea?  It's delicious!)

Wednesday February 13th I awoke to use the bathroom at 6:00 am.  I noticed "bloody show" with bright, red blood and the remainder of my mucous plug.  This didn't happen until very active labor with Oliver, but I was trying not to get my hopes up!  I went back to bed after texting Kurt to let him know.  He was excited and replied with--

About that time, Oliver came in to sleep with me.  He asked to nurse and although I hadn't been allowing him to nurse at night, I let him.  He snuggled into my pregnancy pillow with me and we nursed back to sleep.  I figured I might as well let the nipple stimulation do some good work! :)  We went back to sleep.  When I awoke to use the bathroom again at 7:30, I noticied more blood.  I decided I felt like today was the day!

I called Jenny and my mom so they would know to pack up and hit the road.  They were coming from Virginia, about 5.5 hours of hard driving.  Mom said they would start packing up and leave as soon as they could.  Oliver and I got in the shower and I shaved my legs since it was my birthing day!  After getting out, I dried my hair (in-between frequent trips to the bathroom!).  I straightened up the bedrooms before I went downstairs and made a to-do list of things I wanted done.  I was still nesting at this point and I really wanted to keep moving.  I did laundry, cleaned the kitchen after breakfast, organized some things and just kept busy around the house.  I was feeling mild contractions, here and there, along with loose bowels (which is a good sign of labor!).  Oliver could tell something was up and was being a little whiny.  At 9:39 am, Kurt said he'd get things in order at work and leave ASAP so he could help me.  At 10:20, I decided I better pay attention to when I was contracting and I quickly realized they were 5 minutes apart.  I was easily moving around and keeping busy. We had planned to wait to go to the hospital until 4.1.1 (contractions that are 4 minutes apart, 1 minute duration, for 1 hour.)  I fully expected for them to stay that way for the majority of the day.  Kurt stopped to fill up our second car with gas and got home just after 10:40.  My contractions were steady at 5 minutes apart.  Kurt set out working on his list of things to do: take the trash out, set up the dog crate for Ellie, make banana bread, and pack his labor bag.

I went up to take a nap at 11:00.  Before laying down I quickly packed Julianne's hospital bag and called my mom to see if they had left.  She was on her way home from dropping my nephews off with friends of theirs and said they'd be leaving around 11:30.  I remember getting a really antsy feeling when I found out they wouldn't be leaving for another 30 minutes.  I had been having a feeling for a couple weeks that my mom wouldn't make it to the birth.  Those 30 minutes ended up being a big part of the story.  Finally, I laid down and slept about an hour and a half until around 1:00 pm.  I figured I must not have been in very early labor because I was able to sleep through any contractions I was having.  When I got up, I straightened my hair, did my make up, packed my toiletries, and went downstairs for lunch.  I still had my appetite and enjoyed left-over spinach lasagna roll ups for lunch.  Kurt and Oliver had worked on their to do list and had already eaten lunch.  Kurt was washing dishes from their banana bread.  I asked Kurt to lay Oliver down for a nap and I went on to paint my nails a nice, bright hot pink.  My contractions were steady and by 2:30 Kurt was back downstairs, the banana bread was out of the oven, and my nails were dry.  I noticed I couldn't talk through my contractions anymore and Kurt urged me to time them with the contraction timer app we had downloaded.  He was going to vacuum the downstairs so he set me up with our birthing playlist.  I laid on my right side on our couch with my earbuds in my ears.  Kurt put our playlist on shuffle and it was fantastic!!  Our playlist included the Best of Enya, Dartmouth college relaxation tracks (which Kurt edited to avoid the talking at the beginning and the end), and our Hypnobirthing tracks.  The way it shuffled from a song to another short relaxation track, to Hypnobirthing was really amazing!  I became so relaxed, I didn't realize how things were picking up so quickly.  Apparently, neither Kurt nor I were in our right mind or we would have called my sister Libby to come over.  She had gotten out of class for the day, but we never thought to call her. Before this point, I had not wanted Pam there because Oliver was napping.  I didn't want to be watched and I was concerned she wouldn't have anything to do, that was also a mistake.  By the way, Pam is Kurt's boss' wife.  She is one of the sweetest people you've ever met.  And she saw me in the serious, crazy eyed, heat of labor.  But we'll get to that soon.  So by now, it's pushing 3:00 pm and things are getting very serious.  I kept having to get up to pee, but being upright was really painful.  It made my contractions come SO QUICKLY and STRONGLY that I didn't want to be up.  They were strong and close enough when I was laying down, thank.you.very.much. While we were in the bathroom and I was moaning (Yes, I was a moaner this time; I was NOT with Oliver so that surprised me), Kurt called Dr. Brabson's office and he called Pam telling her to come quickly.

I told Kurt I needed to go lay down again.  Sitting on the toilet was progressing me way too much.  He helped me to the living room floor and I tried propping on the ottoman on my hands and knees.  That created killer pressure and I couldn't stay there.  He helped me onto the floor on my side and got me throw pillows to prop up behind my back, between my knees, and one under my belly to help support the big, ole thing.  At this point, I was getting scared.  I was very, very, far into labor.  I mean, close to pushing far.  I was thinking, "I can't move.  I am going to have the baby right here."  I was telling Kurt that I was scared.  He reassured me we would be OK.  And in my head, I trusted that he could deliver our baby if it came to that.  I remember saying, "She just moved down..she moved again....and again"  It was literally like that.  Three movements down that were blatantly obvious to me.  She was coming SOON!  About this time, Pam comes in.  I tell Kurt he can't leave my side.  He quickly orders Pam around.  The poor lady probably had no idea what she was walking into.  I mean, I'm on the living room floor MOANING!  Kurt's in my face telling me I'm OK.  I'm in a nursing nightgown that's hiked up around my belly because I didn't want it touching me AND I'm not wearing any undies!  Pam loads our bags into the car.  Kurt tells her which are most important because we needed to go SOON.  She backed our car out of the garage for us.  Shortly thereafter, Oliver woke up crying and came downstairs.  Kurt tells me I have to get up.  Seriously?  I have to get up?  I'm not sure this is going to happen.

He goes and gets me some yoga pants to throw on.  Of course, he has no idea when he’s grabbing my pants (in a frenzy straight from the dryer) that they are not maternity and only pull up to just below my hips!   He helps me into them (which basically means he dressed me because I was not with it).  We work together to get me standing up and I contract again before getting all of the way up.  As soon as I stand fully, I contract again and I lean on the arm of the loveseat.  Suddenly my water bursts.  I seriously think there were sound effects.  It soaked my pants, but there was no time to change.  No time for shoes, or a coat.  Pam tells Oliver to give mommy a kiss and I remember loving on him for a quick second.  I'm barefoot and pregnant, about to be un-pregnant.  My pants are soaked with amniotic fluid and it's freezing out.  Pam and Kurt help me out to the car.  They've put two dishtowels on the front seat.  Pam buckles me in and we rush out of the driveway.

As soon as we back, out Kurt hears the dreaded noise.  You know, the one where you start bearing down?  I mean it when I tell you, there was NO.STOPPING.IT.  It was the same feeling as Oliver's birth.  I knew that meant I was 10 cm and this baby was coming out!  Kurt really high tailed it after hearing that noise.  He began praying out loud, "Dear Lord, Please get us to the hospital safely.  Please keep us safe, keep Julianne safe."  At one point on the interstate, Kurt was speeding at over 85 MPH (it feels more like 150 MPH but he assures me it wasn’t!) with the hazard lights on and honking the horn the whole way.  He looked at me and said, "Riss, say the word.  I'll pull this car over and I'll deliver our baby.  You tell me what to do."  I was still bearing down and you know what happens when you bear down?  You poop.  Yep, I was pooping my pants.  I could feel her head.  The whole time Kurt sped as fast as he could.  We were swerving lanes and running red lights on Broadway.  I remember passing the gas station across from the Kroger on Broadway and seriously about to tell Kurt to pull in and deliver me because she was coming.  Luckily, Kurt sped on the whole way and we zoomed into the Women's Pavilion, leaving our car right in front of the door.  Kurt runs in to tell them I'm crowning and it felt like it was taking FOREVER for them to get someone down there to me.  I remember people walking on the sidewalk staring at me.  I was MOANING and hanging half out of the car.  I was debating taking my pants off but I knew I couldn't manage that myself.  After what felt like an eternity, an OB (Dr. Heartline) and a couple nurses and other hospital staff come outside.  They have a wheel chair and they say, "Can you get in the chair?"  Kurt's like, "She's going to need help!"  So, he helps me into the chair.  I remember Libby, my precious little sister who had just arrived at the hospital, touching my arm as to say, "I love you, you can do this, you made it."  In the heat of the excitement, Kurt told Libby to stay with the car.  Sadly, that meant the nurses thought she wasn't welcome upstairs.  So, Libby got stuck with a car she couldn't move because she didn't have the keys.  They also expected her to fill out my paperwork, like she knew my social security number!?  AND, they wouldn't let her upstairs because she didn't know the days code!  Dr. Heartline was wheeling me up to my room and I remember him commenting on my nails and asked if I did them that day.  He also said Dr. Brabson was going to owe him for this! Haha!

We went straight into my room and Dr. Heartline noticed the birthing pool.  He said, "Are we going straight into the water?"  The nurses quickly said it wasn't ready.  Sadly, it only had a couple inches of water in it.  So, he said he'd like to check me and they took my pants off me and helped me onto the bed.  I remember he was putting his hand out to check me when he saw I was already crowning.  LOL!  He asked if I needed an episiotmomy with Oliver because if I was likely to need one, he was going to numb the area.  I remember quickly saying, "I DON'T WANT AN EPISIOTOMY!" I was too far along for manners.  About this time, Dr. Brabson walked in and I could have kissed him!  :)  He was dressed in khakis and a dress shirt.  He quickly got ready for the delivery and asked me how I was doing and so forth.  I rememeber him getting all ready then standing at the foot of the bed and crossing his hands and saying, "We'll just wait till you feel like pushing again".  I really love him.  I think my body was giving me a minute of rest after all the excitement.  I remember processing that I was in labor, we'd made it to the hospital, Dr. Brabson had made it for the delivery, we were safe, everyone was going to miss it, etc. etc.  The nurse told Dr. Brabson there was no time for an IV and asked if he was OK with that.  Of course he was.  She also mentioned she had Cytotec ready for after delivery and I again shouted out, leaving my manners in the car, "I DON'T WANT TO TAKE CYTOTEC!"  Again, Dr. Brabson was OK with that and we moved on.  Quickly I felt a contraction coming on.  The nurse and Kurt helped me hold my legs.  I pushed and they told me they could see her face.  Then I experienced the "ring of fire".  I didn't experience that with Oliver because he was so small.  Once his head was out, his body basically fell out.  This time was different.  I waited till I felt another contraction and I pushed hard to deliver the rest of her face and her shoulders.  At 4:38 pm, a mere 8 minutes after arriving at the hospital, she came straight to my chest.  She was looking at me like, "Hi Mama!" That's when I realized I never took my blasted nightgown off.  I hate that I missed feeling her wet and warm body right against my chest.  I told Kurt and the nurse to help me and I was soon naked and feeling her body right against mine.

Do you know the rush of meeting your child?  The feeling of that conquer?  Knowing that you just did something so amazing.  Oh, that feeling is the absolute best feeling there is.  That moment is hugely transformative.  And then there's the smell.  Oooh, the smell of your baby.  She smelled just like Oliver smelled and I LOVED that. In that moment, I became a mother of two.  I suddenly had a daughter.  I was meeting her for the first time and my heart was immediately changed.  I've said that Oliver made me a mother and that is something I will only share with him.  What I share with Julianne is that she is my daughter.  My mother and I are so close and I look up to her so much.  My sisters are my best friends.  Now I have my own daughter; a little woman to mold and cherish.  My sweet, Julianne.  She's here and she's perfect.

"Hi Mama!"

Precious first moments!

Do we make a good team or what!?

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So, after about 5 minutes Libby walks in with Haddie on her back and I say, "She's here!"  Libby said she thought, "psh, well she must not be that far along because she hasn't lost her sense of humor!"  LOL!!  Then she looked over and realized I wasn't joking!  She was here!  Libby got out the camera and started snapping pictures.  The nurses were fabulous.  There was no pressure or contention when we didn't want to do several of the newborn procedures.  They waited to weigh her until we asked them to, which was a couple hours later.  Dr. Brabson told us he had been getting his hair cut and had JUST finished when he got the call.  I thanked him up and down for making it back for our birth!  Mom and Jenny arrived about 30 minutes after Julianne's arrival. The room was already emptied out and we were just soaking in our exciting day.  My mom walked through the door first and immediately started crying.  This is the first birth she has missed.  This was our 10th natural birth among the 4 of us. We all love birth and love experiencing it together.  I hate that they didn't get to be there, but I know it happened the way it did for a reason.  For whatever reason, my inclinations were right that my mom wouldn't make it.  I'm thankful I had those feelings in the weeks prior because it kind of helped me prepare for that.  I don't have amazing labor and birth pictures to share with you because of how quickly things happened.  But I do have my story to share which I think is so important.  Thank you for reading my story.  Feel free to share it with a friend!

Here I am feeling like a rock star after an exciting day!

Aunt Libby rocks <3

Grammy meeting Julianne

Best shot we have of everyone!  Talking about how everything happened!

Aunt Jenny meeting Julianne and hearing about our birth

Proud Parents!

Ollie's first words about his little sister, "WHOOAA!"

7 Pounds 12 Oz.
20 inches long

PROUD big brother!

Thank you for reading!  I hope you enjoyed my story!  <3

xoxo,
Riss