The Birth of William Henry

He has been making our days brighter for 10 months now (today!) and I am just getting to putting up the story of his arrival. His brothers' stories were up within weeks. Third child syndrome? A busy momma? Or just a bit of both? In any case, I can’t believe this little prince of mine is ten months old! How did that happen so fast?

William Henry entered our lives at 1:38 pm on January 10, 2014. His was a precipitous birth - two hours from start to finish! I think that may be why it has taken so long to write his birth story - I've had a hard time remembering what happened when, and then it doesn't seem like that much, because it really wasn't. Funny thing is, we waited so long for him to come, and then his arrival was like a snap of the fingers.

This was the longest I had ever been pregnant, by a long shot. I had Steven at 39 weeks and Bradley at 39 weeks 3 days. To say that I was antsy is an understatement. I was perfectly fine having William wait until after Christmas to make his arrival, but the day after Christmas I didn't want to wait anymore! Nathan had taken most of the week between Christmas and New Year's off fully anticipating that a baby would come during that time. We did a few family outings together, one of which was bringing Bradley to Build-a-Bear to get his "big brother bear" (or in his case a monkey) just like we'd done with Steven after Bradley was born. We also made a few trips to our local children's museum and had some fun days as a family just at home getting ready for William's arrival. Little did I know that instead of a baby that week I had two more weeks to go.

39 weeks

At Build-a-Bear - "bathing" Bradley's monkey

A tired Bradley with his new Firefighter Monkey

Bradely & I before one of my midwife appointments when I thought just maybe I'd have a baby that day

Sweet Steven asked Daddy to buy me flowers when they were at the store running errands

My mighty builders at the Hands On Children's Museum in Olympia

Me and my Bradley Boy

With my other boys I barely had time to get into "nesting" in the traditional sense of cleaning and organizing everything because they came early. With William, well, my house has never looked as clean as it did before he came. I vacuumed every day - sometimes twice a day. It was almost as if not seeing lines in the carpet before bed meant I had failed in my existence. Everything was constantly cleaned up and put away. I don't know how I did it since it has been nigh impossible to replicate since. I even had time to leisurely paint my nails (more than once) and take a nap everyday.

Looking back I am grateful for that extra time, but at the time I nearly cried myself to sleep every night just wanting to be done being pregnant. I was still on my strenuous diet and I was tired of it. I wanted to have a figure again instead of circulating the same few maternity clothes that still covered my big belly. Everyone else around me seemed to be having their babies (I knew probably 4 mommas due within just a few weeks of me) and I just wanted to have mine. The only solace I had in my day was taking long hot showers and spending time doing my hair and make-up, trying to stay pretty since I had time for it and nothing else to spend my time on.

40 weeks

Had the time to enjoy a bath...

...and paint my nails...

...twice.

Each midwife appointment brought with it anticipation and dread. I dreaded them possibly telling me that I needed to transfer for going too long with gestational diabetes. I desperately wanted ideas on how to make labor start, and for the most part the response was, "relax, it will happen when it is supposed to happen". My body was slowly progressing. From the time I was 38 weeks I was nearly 100% effaced and at 3-4 centimeters dilated. Surely, labor was imminent! I stayed that way until 41 weeks. At my 39 week appointment I had my midwife strip my membranes. My mom and mother-in-law both came down that day to watch the boys. We were all convinced that baby would come that day. I had my membranes stripped the next week and then once more over the course of the next 2 weeks. Each time I would have at least one contraction, sometimes more, but they never turned into anything. Nathan finally stopped staying home and started going back into the office. There was work to be done and there was no sense in him sitting home dawdling all day while we waited for baby.

The day of my 41 week appointment, I was done in. I was tired. I was frustrated. I was angry at the world. I got dressed and ate my same breakfast for the last 2 months of whole fat greek yogurt with microwaved frozen berries, chia seeds and hemp with scrambled eggs and dry sprouted grain toast. Nathan took the obligatory 41 week photo. A picture speaks 1,000 words. I look un-amused.

41 weeks

The plan was for Nathan to leave work and meet me at my appointment. Steven and Bradley were coming with because they wanted to hear baby's heart beat. So off Nathan went to work. I ended up begging him to meet me at the coffee shop to sit with the boys while I ran to Fred Meyer for some groceries before my appointment. I was so exhausted the idea of taking the boys in the store with me just wore me out. I ran my errands quickly, and had a few strong contractions while I was in the store, but I knew they were simply because I had been pushing a cart around the store and they were inconsistent. I made it back to the coffee shop in time to have a cup of coffee myself before we headed to my appointment. 

I was anxious to say the least. I was prepared for them to say that I had failed and would need to be seeing an OB since I hadn't had the baby. What they did say surprised me. They wanted to check me to be sure, but given where I was at during my previous appointment they thought I was a great candidate for having my water broken. Would I be okay with that? Ummm….yes?! I wasn’t planning on having a baby that day, but now I was thrilled…nervous, but thrilled. Nathan took the boys out of the room and called my mom to tell her to come since they were breaking my water (somehow this information didn’t get relayed properly and instead of leaving right away she thought she was supposed to wait for another call).

I was indeed a good candidate for having my bag of waters broken and they told me that I’d probably have a strong contraction or two as they broke it and immediately following, but I’d need to go home and wait for labor to really begin. It took all of 10 minutes for them to be done, probably less and I was on my way again. They broke my water right around 11:30am.

Prior to my appointment I had gulped down a huge bottle of water. I was desperate to get to the bathroom after having a huge contraction once they broke the bag. While in the bathroom I had two more strong contractions, practically on top of each other. While I had planned on both Nathan and I driving to bring the boys home and get his car home, I quickly decided against that and walked slowly out to the car to tell him he’d be leaving his car there. I had 2 more contractions before we left and was getting really, really nervous and uneasy. I just wanted to get home and get the boys home so I could focus on what I knew was beginning to happen.

The ride home was miserable. I kept telling Nathan to slow down cause it seemed every turn would bring a contraction, but then I would tell him to speed up because I wanted to be home. He was trying to stay calm through my irrational behavior, but I could tell he was getting irritated.  Poor guy. I would have been irritated at me too. I managed to phone both my mom and my mother in law that they needed to come NOW. Plans were arranged for my parents to pick up Anna at her work on their way through Seattle from Lynnwood and bring the moms to the birth house, and my father-in-law, Bryan and my dad would meet and get the boys once they reached our house.

We got home and Nathan brought the groceries in the house (good thing we didn’t forget about those!) and brought the boys next door to the neighbors while I went upstairs to change and make sure the bag was ready to go. Like my previous deliveries, I found the toilet to be the most comfortable place to labor and halfway through changing I ended up there. It is where Nathan found me after dropping off the boys. He kept telling me to get up. I didn’t want to. I honestly thought if I could just hang with it a little longer, the bad part would go away and we could then head to the birth house again. He was worried I wouldn’t leave, but finally, I did. It was so uncomfortable to put pants back on for the drive to the birth house.

I repeated my “slow down”, “speed up!” demands in the car on the way to the birth house again. I had so much pressure and so much all around pain. I knew it wouldn’t be long once we were at the birth house. I believe we arrived back at the birth house sometime between 12:15 and 12:30, but the timing is foggy to me (gee, I wonder why). I had been contracting consistently, closely, since the time they had broken my water an hour before.

Once we were at the birth house I quickly undressed to get ready to get in the tub. All I could think about was getting in the warm water and relieving some of the pain and pressure. Sinking into that warm water felt amazing and for a brief moment I thought I’d get a reprieve from the work for a little bit as my body adjusted to the change. Nope. If anything it kept things moving right along.

Throughout my pregnancy this time, I had clung to a few different worship songs that really encouraged me on the tough days, and unlike my previous deliveries, I decided I wanted music to listen to and help me focus. I chose a mix of hymns, worship ballads, and instrumental music that I loved. I found it really helped to just focus on the music that I had listened to so much that I could predict what part of the song was next and the rhythm helped me breathe in a steady pace through the contractions. 

I only remember a few things from that last hour or so. I remember asking Nathan a number of times if the moms were close (the first time he said 15 min away when they were still in Fife, the 2^nd time he said they were right up the road when they most certainly were not…I found this out later). I remember my midwife, Carolee, upon hearing one of the songs on the playlist talk about how she had just been to one of their shows and how much she enjoyed it. But mostly, I remember feeling like I needed to push, but thinking, “there is no way I can have to push already!” I also knew that I would be having a water birth that day, as I was frozen in place. Every movement brought a strong contraction, and I did. not. like. those. With the other two boys when I was ready to start pushing I had to get out of the water. That was not the case this time. The water was the safe place. Moving wasn’t.

I was beginning to get tired and it was hard staying comfortable enough to support myself in the water. I asked Nathan if he would get in the water with me. First I asked if he could sit on the edge, and then I think Carolee, bless her, asked if I wanted him to be in the tub with me and he must have seen the desperate look on my face because he climbed in without hesitation and let me lean into him.

Soon enough the moms were there. I greeted them and then announced that I thought I was ready to start pushing, that maybe I had been for a while. Carolee and Bekah, the apprentice, told me to just go with what I felt. I mostly pushed on my knees with my head buried in Nathan’s arm. I remember reaching down to feel for baby’s head, and just like Bradley, I proclaimed that he was stuck when he started to crown. I just wanted that head out! This scared my mother in law to praying in the corner and my mom (who has been at every birth) just took it in stride as normal for me. 

Pushing. Carolee is checking to see if baby is crowning. 

I don’t remember how long I was pushing, but it wasn’t long, maybe 3-4 good pushing contractions. I caught him and brought him out of the water. His chord was wrapped once around his head so Carolee had to maneuver him around a bit, but soon I was leaning back holding my precious new baby boy.

He's here! Lifting him out of the water

unwrapping the chord from around his neck

Admiring our new little William Henry

Relief that he is finally here

Instant love

After the chord was cut and Nathan was out of the tub again, they drained the tub so I could deliver the placenta. They kept the shower head running on me the whole time which felt so amazing. My body was having a really hard time after the speedy delivery and so I received a shot of Pitocin to try and get my bleeding under control. Soon I was finished with my job and all that was left was to rest and get cleaned up.

During all of this they were checking out William and weighing him. My mom captured my face when they said how much he weighed (I left that one out as it isn't quite decent). So that’s what my one week late babies end up like! 9 lbs and 9.5 oz and the easiest most precipitous birth of them all. 

Daddy assisting with the baby check

A little "skin to skin" with Daddy

Proof. That was in me. All of him. And I got him out.

Sweet William Henry

Once we were in bed, William began to nurse and he nursed ferociously. There were no problems with him wanting to eat and there haven’t been since! His blood sugar was low at first, but it quickly resolved itself once we both had something to eat. I had eaten nothing since breakfast, so therefore neither had he so a little burgers and fries and shake from 5^th on 4^th (really the best fries in Oly) we were all to rights again. 

Time for snuggles in bed

And FOOD, glorious FOOD

Our Midwives - Bekah (L) and Carolee (R)

Getting checked out and okay'd to go home

This was the first grandchild Grandma Anna got to see being born. Glad she could be a part of that special day.

My Momma

Papa Pat & William

All ready to go home in his football outfit and hat his Momma made

9 lbs 9.5 oz still looks itsy bitsy in a carseat

We decided to just keep the boys home and have them meet their brother when we go there, and I am so glad we did. I was much weaker than I remember being after the other two, it hurt to even breathe when standing. I was anxious to get home to my own bed and rest.

Our meeting of the boys went as sweetly as it possibly could. They were thrilled to meet their new brother, especially Bradley, who could not stop talking about “his baby”. Part of me hurt inside to see them have to leave with Grandpa & Grandma after so soon meeting their brother, but I knew I’d recover much more quickly if they weren’t around. 

Big Brother Steven

Big Brother Bradley

Proud Momma with her three boys

Nathan and I had a few days to ourselves to get to know our newest man. Most of that time was spent at home watching football with the Seahawks going to the playoffs (and later the Superbowl!), and we ate lots and lots and lots of food that had been off limits to me for 3 months. My husband really spoiled me in that regard, making many trips to downtown Olympia for pastries and coffee and treats from my favorite places. We also began receiving meals from friends from church and were again, spoiled. Nathan and I were able to get a brief date night out with our little tag-a-long before our big boys returned and I was blessed by friends with a baby shower (which had many delicious treats).  

Littlest 12th man just 1 day old 

Off to the baby shower just a few days after he was born

I could go on and on and on about differences between my recovery with William as compared to my other two, but I won’t. I will leave it as this - it was harder all the way around in every aspect and took much longer than I anticipated. I was so blessed to have tons of support in the beginning with Nathan being very flexible in his time at work, my amazing grandma flew in from Minnesota just to stay and help me for a solid week and then I received continued help and company from many friends. Even with all that support I hovered on the brink of serious post partum depression and by the grace of God was able to get to the other side of that sooner than later.

The experience of my recovery this time really taught me a lot about how differently each birth leaves its mark on a woman and that it really is hard to reach out for help when you feel so alone. Hug a new momma today, friends. Let her know you care and that you are there for her. It’ll mean the world!

WOW. I really can’t believe 10 months has gone by. It seems like yesterday. Steven and Bradley look like babies themselves in the pictures of William coming home, but now they have grown into sweet little boys with the most creative imaginations and love for life. I’m excited to see how William fits into their play as he continues to grow and someday I know he will be less of a “monster baby!” to their play times and someone that is welcomed in.

If you made it this far, you are a sucker for a good birth story just like me – thanks for reading! I really cannot speak highly enough of my midwives. They were so supportive during the pregnancy and throughout my challenging post partum phase, always available by phone and ready to give a hug. It was sad to leave their practice wondering if it would be my last time as a client. We'll see what God has in store. 

The sweet Birth Scroll that the practice writes all the names of babies born on

William Henry - we love him so!