Colin Mitchell's Birth Story

Born 5/2/2012, 1:35am, 11lbs 12oz, 22.5in

I was terribly uncomfortable during this pregnancy.  I had pretty bad "morning" sickness the first seven weeks or so, slept poorly from 20 weeks on, had painful braxton hicks contractions starting at 18 weeks, and I felt huge which I know is a complaint everyone has.  I was so big that it was uncomfortable to sit up straight, including on the toilet, and as everyone knows, pregnant women spend a lot of time going to the bathroom.  To top off the aforementioned discomfort, a week and a half before my due date Connor and Oren came down with a terrible cold which we later learned was the flu.  They had high fevers and persistent, long lasting coughs.  I went from wanting the pregnancy to end, to hoping I would go past my due date so the boys would have more time to get better before we brought a newborn home into a cold stricken house.  As luck would have it, I came down with the flu as well.  I coughed so hard I pulled an abdominal muscle.  Did I mention I was still pregnant?  My muscles were already stretched to the max, so coughing with a huge uterus was made worse.  But, I got lucky and that healed.  Then, while still pregnant and having the flu, I coughed so much and intensely, I pulled a rib muscle.  How lucky can one girl be?!  And because I was pregnant I couldn't take any medication.  I was left to suffer.

My mom, thankfully was here for it all.  She drove up on April 20th and was here from the beginning of the boys illness.  May 1st was like any other day.  Spent the day with the boys.  Shawn was going to class during the day, he was taking his paramedic refresher course.  We ate dinner, got the kids in bed, and started watching Burn Notice with my mom and Shawn.  Around 9:45pm I thought my water broke.  Shawn posted it on Facebook and then I had doubts, and then I wondered what everyone would think if I had 'cried wolf" thanks to Shawn.  But, I was right and baby time was finally here.  I called the midwife and we agreed that we'd meet at the birth center at 11:30pm because Shawn thought the earlier the better.   He's always been worried that I'd wait to long and we'd have a baby in the car or at home.  At 10:30 I called the midwife back and told her we'd be leaving for the birth center ASAP because I had one hard contraction.  Oren's birth was so fast and I had driven into town (20 minutes) in hard labor that I knew I didn't want to do that again.

 

 

We arrived at the birth center (BC) at 11:15 and the midwives already had the tub filled.  Shawn got Enya playing and candles lit.  These two items were very important to me since we didn't really have time to get things organized like this when Oren was born.  After spending a little time in the tub, and contractions being regular, I decided to get out, I just wasn't "feeling" it.  I sat on the toilet for maybe 10 minutes and then decided I needed to get back into the tub.  And then of course time warps and I loose track of time.  I know when I got back into the tub I was in transition, that the baby was descending, and that I was uncomfortable.  I also know that I was happy this was coming to an end.  This labor and delivery was nearly identical to Oren's so I knew it wasn't going to take long.  Although fast labors are extremely intense, it's also nice to not be in pain for hours.

With a couple of pushes the head was out.  Then, the strangest thing happened again, my contractions stopped, just as they did with Oren.  This freaks me out again, and I got all crazy and asked the midwives to help.  The baby was stuck and then finally after what seemed like forever, but what was really only maybe a minute, the baby was born.  It's another boy!!!!  Colin Mitchell was handed to me.  The midwives couldn't believe how big he was.  I got out of the tub and moved onto the bed.  Shawn cut the cord about 20 minutes later. 

 

 

As the midwives went to weigh him we all took our guesses.  We knew he was bigger then the other boys, so maybe in the upper 9 pound range.  When they put him in the sling and weighed him Kelly's eyes popped.  I asked if she was surprised because he weighed less then what we all thought, she said "No, more."  Corey the other midwife took a look her eyes too popped.  I said how much?  They said, "11lbs, 10oz."  I said, "Go get the real scale."  You know, the ones hospitals have that give a digital read out.  Once weighed they said, "Uh, this scale says he weighs more."  Holy moley, I just delivered an 11lb 12oz baby boy.  WOW.  Who even does that?  I guess I do.

 

 

Then all of my pregnancy woes came back to me.  No wonder I was so uncomfortable, no wonder I couldn't even sit on a toilet without being in pain.  I was carrying this huge baby.  And to boot he was long as well.  There was NO ROOM for either of us.  Everyone has been shocked at how much he weighed.  I didn't gain a bunch of weight, no more then I did with Connor or Oren, I didn't have gestational diabetes, he was just meant to be big.  I'm not even sure he was truly stuck.  I think if I had remained calm and waited for another contraction he would have come out more easily.

Fast forward to now.  Colin is a very healthy 14lbs 8oz at seven weeks old.  He has fit spectacularly into our family.  We all love him to death.  Connor and Oren can't get enough of him.  Connor calmly reminds me when he's fussy, "He wants to nurse."  They give him gentle kisses and rub his head when he's upset.  And best of all, this baby sleeps.  And I mean, this baby sleeps.  I couldn't have asked for more.  I think he may have acid reflux, so he sleeps in the swing.  I never thought I'd "mechanically mother" my child, but last night he slept 7.5hours, and I sure as hell ain't going to mess with that.  I know what sleep deprivation does to mothers, I was there for three straight years and will avoid that at all costs.  Sleep is enabling me to be a happy, healthy, fun mother to all my children and I am so thankful.  We are overjoyed to be the parents of another boy.  Even two months later I still can't believe we have three boys and that I gave birth to what my friends affectionately call a toddler.  I'm thankful that my mom was here for three weeks after Colin was born to help out, which enabled me to recover and enjoy my newborn baby.

There you have it!