Welcome Levi Benjamin Stol

1-25-17 I woke up a few times with really intense bracston hicks contractions.  I had started having bloody show the day before.  My midwife had planned on coming around 11:00 to stretch me and possibly break my water and have a baby.  With the intense contractions at 4:15 in the morning I was concerned that she might not make it.  I decided I'd better call her to have her come earlier.

My mom and Morgan (who was staying the night at grandma's house) had grandpa drop them off at Shannon's house and they drove down with them.  When they got to my house about 6:30 AM the strong contractions that I had been having had stopped.  She checked me and I was dialated to a 3.  She was able to stretch me to about a 7 but I went back to a 3 when she stopped.  We made some breakfast and I started taking an herbal tincture and some homeopathic to help labor kick in.  Then we went for a nice long (and cold) walk...still no contractions to really speak of.

We ate some lunch and then she stretched me to a 7 only this time I stayed a 7.  Still no contractions to really speak of however.  Of course when she was stretching me, it felt like a contraction but when she stopped the contraction like feeling stopped.

I did some bear crawls up the stairs and sides step down.  By about 2:00 I was still a 7 with no real contractions but baby had shifted and there was a big bag of water in front of baby's head.  We decided to go ahead and get the pool ready and then Shannon would break my water.  The bottom part of the pool had a leak and wasn't holding air so Hans took time to try and find the leak so he could patch it.  No such luck finding the leak so we just put blankets down on the floor under the pool.  Then we discovered that the liner we had bought for the pool didn't fit.  So we had to sanitize the pool.  Now we were finally ready to start filling it.  We only have a 40 gallon hot water heater so it took a long time to fill the pool.  We were also filling my big pots and boiling water to add it to the pool.  It took what felt like FOREVER to fill the pool.  When It was ready Shannon checked me...there was no change.  Shannon broke my water and then I did some more bear crawling up the stairs.  More water continued to drain.  I couldn't help but laugh it is such a funny feeling.  I had to ask for a towel because so much continued to come.  I nearly soaked a bath towel as I moved around on the birthing ball! 

Charlie, Shannon's daughter, was my cheerleader.  I had invited her to the birth to be the midwives assistant.  Charlie is 10 and wants to be a midwife like her mama.  She had a great time taking my blood pressure and listening to baby's heart beat.  She sat at the top of the stairs as I was bear crawling up.  She was so cute. 

Once the contractions had become more consistent I had Shannon check me again.  I wanted to get into the pool but I didn't want to do so prematurely and slow things down.  She suggested waiting until I felt the urge to push.  So back up the stairs I crawled.  I was an 8 and baby had moved down.  This was the fist labor that I can remember shaking uncontrollably before baby was born.  It's such a strange feeling.  Contractions had finally set in and Charlie was there to remind me, "think happy thoughts". 

Okay...these contractions had my undivided attention.  I had to asked for a puke bowl.  I knew I was getting close.  I start making my way to the pool.  Oh no...baby was coming and I had only gotten to the side of the pool.  Getting into the pool at that point was a bit challenging but I managed to do it.  With the next contraction I push and out came the head but only to the ears.  Oh dear!  Now I was in a pickle!  I thought to myself..."No that is not how it is supposed to be!  I whole head is supposed to be out.  Now do I wait in this rather uncomfortable stretch for the next contraction or just bear down and try and get this baby out?"  I honestly don't even remember what I decided to do but it wasn't long and the head was out.  Okay I told myself, One more good push and this baby will be out.  NOT SO!!!!  With the next contraction I push and a little bit more of the baby out.  Man this baby is hard to push out.  I thought to myself, "the baby should be slipping the rest of the way out by now, what is the deal?"  I didn't wait around for another contraction.  I wanted this baby out!  With all my might I pushed him out.  It was just after 10 pm.  That was exhausting!!!!  He was so hard to push out!  I was glad I only had a couple of hours of contractions before he was born.  I wondered if I had torn for the first time since Elizabeth's birth because I continued to feel the "ring of fire" even after Levi was born.  I was stretched for such a long time as he inched his way out.  Praise God with all that pushing and stretching I didn't tear and didn't even have any skid marks.  

Ashley (age 7) got to be the one to investigate and declare to the house if the little one I had just worked so hard for was a boy or a girl.  It's a BOY!!!!!  Welcome Levi Benjamin Stol!!!  I was not in a hurry to get out of the pool.  In fact I think it was about 45 minutes before I did get out.  I even had Hans dump a big pot of boiling water in the pool after Levi was already out to make it warmer for me.  When I was ready to get out I opted to head for the shower after the discovery of a slug like substance spotted on my shoulder.  YUCK!!!  The unspoken reality of birth!  After getting cleaned up I ended up soaking in a nice hot epsom salt bath which really helped to minimize the shakes.  I had pulled my groin muscles and hoped the salt bath would help.  I told Shannon to go ahead and do the baby check up while I soaked.  She had been there long enough and I didn't want to hold her up.  I had Ashley report all the numbers to me as she checked him over.  9lbs 2 oz, 21" long, head 14 1/2" chest 15"

We were headed for bed just after midnight.   Unfortunately, Levi had a rough night.  I was able to get him to nurse three times but he wouldn't nurse all the next day until after he pooped at about 6 pm.  That night he slept 7 hours in a row!!!  That felt so good to sleep.  I hadn't slept for that long of a stretch for many months.  Levi woke up Friday morning and nursed great all day!  He is an easy going little sweetie!