Gods Plan Not Mine

My little boy Wiley James was born 12/14/12 @ 6:31 am weighing 7lb 7oz & 21" long!  He was my second planned homebirth.  He is an absolute joy & I still can't believe he's here!

He was due 12/8 & everyone thought he was going to be early, but than the whole tooth debacle occurred & put a halt on all pregnancy related symptoms.  It was crazy.  No more bh contractions, indigestion or anything!  As tough as it was to go over, I am grateful my body knew what I could handle.  My mom came in to town on 12/1 & was in town until 12/14 (yes the day Wiley was born) when she was due to leave @ noon.  When I went to bed on 12/13, I was so discouraged my mom wouldn't get to see the birth.  She was there for Addy's so it seemed so wrong she wouldn't be for this one.  Especially after spending 2 whole weeks!!

Once the date passed & I was no longer in constant pain w/my tooth, I started trying ways to get labor going.  I am not big on self induction prior to 40 wks & there are very limited things I would do.  So basically I bounced on a ball, walked all over dodge & did the deed w/hubby as often as my poor tired body would allow.  About 2 days prior to his birth, I started feeling pregnant again.  I was achy, swollen, had heartburn & finally started getting bh contractions again.  The night before my mom was due to leave, we tried doing the deed again.  That was about 10:30.  I fell asleep right after & woke @ 1am w/real contractions.  I really wasn't sure, so I stayed in bed trying to sleep for the next hour.  I was able to snooze on & off, but came to the conclusion this was definitely it.  Sex worked & my mom hadn't left yet!  I woke hubby to tell him but said to go back to sleep, called my doula & midwife to let them know & hopped in the shower.  I got out & tried to rest a bit more but things were really picking up.  At 3am I couldn't handle the pain alone anymore, so I woke hubby & he came in to the living room w/me & helped me through contractions.  They were anywhere between 3-5 min apart but picking up in intensity.  Hubby called the doula & midwife when he had gotten up so they were on their way but both lived a decent distance.  When I had Addy it was about 19hrs of labor so we figured we had time.  As things picked up, hubby wanted to get a fire going & set up the pool, so we woke my mom up @ 4am & she than labored w/me the next hour.  She was doing her best to help, but in typical mom fashion she was too busy timing my contractions & stressing about how close together they were to really help.

My doula arrived around 5am & my midwife was only a couple minutes behind.  My doula was an absolute dream.  My whole birthing team was amazing!!  There was so much trust between us all & I can not praise them enough.  As the pool filled up, I labored on the ball.  I complained that my water hadn't broken & my midwife told me not to stress as it really meant nothing.  If anything, it was better it didn't too early.  Not more than 10min later my water broke!!  It felt great when it happened but oh my word the contractions afterwards are a different story!!!  Thankfully the pool was full & I was able to climb in.  I would say it was about 5:30 at this point.  At first the pool made me feel great & relieved a lot of pain.  But as the contractions got closer & longer, I was having a hard time gaining control.  Only about 20 min in I started to feel the urge to push.  I couldn't believe things were going so fast.  But w/Addy I had gotten to this pt w/relative ease (it was about 12-14 hrs) & than she got stuck for 5 very long hours.  So I tried to remain positive as I knew negative or fearful thoughts could slow things down.  I tried 2 different positions but was starting to get discouraged as I was pushing but felt nothing was happening.  My midwife suggested the birthing stool & although I had NO desire to move, I had already decided that I wanted to try more positions than I did w/Addy.  So I got up & sat on the stool & as unbelievably uncomfortable as the thing was, the position really allowed me to feel more in control.  I don't know if it was the leverage it provided or just the gravity working, but I was able to focus so much more.  Only about 5 min in, I felt Wiley start to crown.  I was able to really meditate between & breath & was so much better able to push.  After only 20 min my gorgeous son was born.  All in all it was 5.5 hours w/only 3.5 being active labor!!!  It was incredibly intense but w/my hubby & doulas support, I did better than I ever imagined I could.

I did have a tear that required 9 stitches but I am feeling really really good.  My little man has his days & nights confused right now which is making for a very sleepy mommy & daddy.  Adelyn is head over heels in love w/her baby brother & is such a mom to him.  However, she is not thrilled w/the attention he is getting from us and we are dealing w/some acting out.  I know this is normal but I am feeling very guilty.  She is usually such a good girl, so it is tough to see her act this way.  Luckily, her daddy is an amazing person & has been working so hard at making sure she knows we still love her just as much while I'm busy with Wiley! 

At the birth, the assistant midwives daughter came to take pictures as per our request.  We haven't gotten all them yet but she did send us some sample shots that I absolutely love.  So I will share them.  

One tired but very proud Mama! My gorgeous family Proud big sister!!! And here is our little man Wiley James