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| Sunning |
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| Getting some more sun for mommy & baby |
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| Kisses for Daddy |
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| Gazing at you right after you were born Siena Lovejoy Myers - Birth Story
Friday February 4th Austin received its biggest
snow since 2004, one inch!
Everything in our yard was blanketed with powdery white. We took photos of the house, of Merritt
and of me (9 months pregnant) basking in the white stuff. We could hear the kids yelling and
sledding down at Northwest Park and people trying to get their cars up and
running. We ate a nice big
breakfast and snuggled up watching television. We decided
since it was a snow day that we should go ahead and do another clean of the
house. So we vacuumed, Merritt
dusted the ceiling fans and we looked out our windows at the lovely snow. I so badly wanted to go out and play in
it but was feeling too tired. I
also decided I should cancel dinner plans with Amanda because I was feeling so
off. Merritt cooked up an
awesome chili and I ate three bowls of it as we watched The Social Network
curled up on our sofa. We went to
bed sometime at 11am or so and around 2am I awoke with contractions. I got back in bed to see if I could sleep but couldn’t so at
3am, I started running a bath.
Meanwhile, Merritt is still sound asleep and as I was about to get in the
tub I had another intense contraction so I decided it would be wise to wake
Merritt up. He was slightly groggy
but got the lights on and got our book out to time the contractions. I got in the tub and realized this
could be the real deal and sure enough, they started getting longer, stronger and closer
together. When an intense
contraction would come I’d get onto my side and hold onto the tub and kick my feet
back and forth. Merritt started
turning on all the lights in the house, boiling water, unlocking the front door
and I’d yell out to him “another one!!!” each time a contraction came. When he told me they were 2-4 minutes
apart, I said call Mari Mikel! It
was 4:15am. I stayed in the tub and
we kept timing contractions until Mari Mikel arrived around 5am with all her
equipment. They helped me out of
the tub and she checked me and said I was 7cm dilated and that things were
moving along quickly. Merritt
called my parents and helped Mari Mikel carry in all of the equipment. My parents arrived at 5:30am along with
Margaret and then Rachel, the assistant midwives. I had gotten up and was hanging out on the sofa when they
started cooking breakfast (I guess it must have been around 6 or 7am). The smell of eggs made me even more
nauseated so I retreated to our bedroom.
They checked me at 7am and the
baby’s head had floated back up so they decided to break my water. I just remember a warm gush and the
contractions started becoming more intense. I tried the hands and knees position but it didn’t feel
good. I would lean over the bed
and I tried laboring on the toilet.
Everything was difficult but I was so beyond being able to hold anything back
in regards to my body. Merritt
asked if I wanted music and I said yes so he put on the Snatum cd of very soothing
music which I enjoyed. I can
remember pacing back in forth in my room as the sun was rising and looking
outside to see snow on the ground in our backyard and our neighbors yard,
incredible. Once the sun came up,
it started to feel like I had been laboring for a long time. I was starting to feel really tired,
hungry, and still nauseated.
Sipping coconut water helped. My mom held a cool washcloth to my face and neck. I was practicing my breathing as best I
could and being quite vocal (I thought I was being really loud). Merritt was my
rock, an incredible coach. He was
by my side the whole time and I couldn’t have done it without him.
I was leaning over the bed when
Mari Mikel came to check me again around 8am. I was 8.5cm but not quite there yet. She told me that I could lay down, get
comfortable, and do whatever I wanted.
She had all day if I wanted to take my time, however if I wanted to get
that baby out, she said I needed to start moving, walking, squatting and
essentially go toward the pain.
Well, the last thing I wanted to do was go toward the pain but I also
didn’t want my labor to drag on all day long! So I started pacing back and forth in the bedroom. I would walk from one side to the other
and then when I felt a contraction, I would yell for Merritt and I’d literally
throw my arms around his neck and squat and sway with all my weight on him. This movement definitely helped things
progress but I was worried his back was going to go out!
A little before 10am she checked me again and said that it
was time! I was so relieved
to be fully dilated that I did not care about any type of pain with pushing. I pushed like a champ and out she came
in just 21 minutes and Merritt caught her. The umbilical cord was huge and went
through her legs so we couldn't see...I was yelling out what is it!!!???
And he presented me with a beautiful little girl right onto my stomach,
it was absolutely amazing and an indescribable experience. I cut the
umbilical cord and then shortly after he was able to bond with her (I needed
stitches). Then she was placed on me and she latched right on with a
little help. We are on cloud nine and absolutely head over heals in love.
It makes me tear up just thinking about Merritt with her, he is so hands
on and just adores her to no end. We love our little girl so much.
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