Ben's Birth Day.

I know there are a lot of mamas who read this blog and many of you are interested in birth stories. If you aren't so interested, you can just skip this post and wait for the next one with a cute baby picture. =)

Ben's Birth Story could be summed up in a short version:
Saturday morning - 5:30 AM the alarm goes off.
Water breaks at 5:31 AM.
Go to the hospital.
Have the baby at 10:49 AM.
Move to recovery for afternoon nap time.

Seriously, it could be summed up that simply.

But for those of you who want details, here they are...

The Longer Version:
So far, Ben has inserted himself right into our family schedule without missing a beat. My main prayer for this delivery is that it would happen in the morning because I have so much more energy in the morning. And I'm too old for all-nighters anymore. So thankfully, Ben decided he'd like to arrive on Saturday morning after a good night of sleep for Mommy. It was also the same Saturday Mimi was scheduled to arrive at noon. Perfect! When my water broke as the alarm was still going off, I immediately said a prayer of praise. We got into "go" mode and got everything ready for the boys to wake up. We arranged for a friend to come stay with the boys until our nanny came and then had a nice family breakfast together - the last one as a family of four.

It was important for me to get to the hospital well before my delivery because I needed to get IV antibiotics for Strep B. I've been positive for all three pregnancies and Henry's was so quick, I didn't get there in time for them to even get an IV. My doctor had made me promise I would show up early this time! So we got to the hospital around 8:00 a.m. We told the nurse that I was going to go very quickly and the IV should get in soon. (After the antibiotics are given, you have to wait 4 hours and get a second dose to be fully covered.) I got the dose and she said, "Okay, now all you have to do is wait til 1:00 p.m. to have this baby." She was totally serious and I laughed. I told her that I wouldn't even make it til noon.

Once we were all hooked up to the IV and settled in our room, Jason and I began breathing through the contractions. I sat on the birth ball and we took them one at a time. I started to progress quickly and when the nurse kept coming to check, I told her that we were gonna go quick here. When it got to the point that I was feeling pressure and needing to push, the nurse and the resident told me that my doctor was in a C-section and I would need to wait as long as possible to push. Now, if you are a mama, you KNOW that you cannot wait to push! They had me get on the bed on my side and try to slow things down. It wasn't working. They were getting the room all ready for delivery. Still no doctor. Only the resident. (Who, I might add, looked very freaked out by a lady in active labor in a natural delivery...it's anything but calm, folks!)

At this point, Jason told me later that he was getting very nervous that only the resident was there. She was timid and didn't say much and this made him real nervous. Finally I made it very clear that I needed to push. Then I heard a man's voice in the room that sounded like a drill sergeant. Seriously, he walked in and was in charge. It was not my doctor, but still, a clearly seasoned OB who was ready to catch my baby. Jason was relieved. And I probably would have been had I known what was happening.

Ben came out with one push at 10:49 a.m. I heard him crying. Then I heard the doctor instructing the resident on how to finish things out. Thankfully I had no injuries that had to be tended to - another answered prayer. When it was all said and done, the OB who made the guest appearance at my delivery kept saying over and over, "well, she did a d*mn good job. A d*mn good job for a natural delivery." Hey, I guess of all the things people can say to you after you give birth to a baby, I'll take it! Better than "Wow, did you see that huge kid come out of that tiny..." Never mind. You get my drift.

Ben checked out healthy and we headed upstairs to recovery just after my mom arrived for a visit. Jason, Ben, and I enjoyed an afternoon nap and my boys at home hardly missed a beat.

Three cheers for giving birth on Saturday morning! If I do it again, I'll definitely add that to my birth wish list.

But right now, I'm not thinking about doing it again. Just enjoying sweet little Ben and all his newborn-ness. =)