Mr. Magoo, Yoda, and Elmer Fudd Part II

Part II

Trav unpacked the car while I walked around the birth center and got comfortable sitting and shifting my hips on a big birthing ball.

Side Note: Throughout my pregnancy I had been doing HypnoBabies. It's a selfhypnosis course that prepares you and helps you focus and relax for when the baby comes. We ordered the 6 CD self taught course online and I started it at the 26th wk of my pregnancy. I gotta say it totally helped me stay positive while I was pregnant. The course teaches you to enter hypnosis during your pressure waves and generate anesthesia so that you can remain totally relaxed.

Trav kept encouraging me to enter hypnosis, but I couldn't seem to focus. The contractions were getting more intense and closer together. There was a special Hypnobabies CD that I was supposed to listen to during the the active labor portion, but whenever I tried putting the headphones in my ears I would pull them out two seconds later from me moving around on the birthing ball.

There was a point in time that I told Trav that I didn't think I could do it. I didn't think I could make it through and I was beginning to see why so many women elected to have an epidural. Trav looked into my eyes and said that I could do it, that I was doing it right at that instant. The baby was coming he told me. I refocused and during the next contraction I told myself outloud "baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby." I can't tell you how many times I said it, but it helped to get through that one contraction.

The later the time went out the more vocal I became. So vocal in fact, that there were no longer words that came from my mouth, just yells. I'll call them yells, because that sounds less deseperate than screams (even though some of them could be classified as screams).

12:30am
There was one contraction in particular that I remember that I began to push. I grunted and bared down as hard as I could. One of the midwives (I believe it was Clarice) came in the room and said "That sounded like you were pushing." I confirmed that indeed I was and asked if that was ok.

Myself: "Baby's here."

She checked me and I was 9cm dialated.

They started to fill the big whirlpool tub.

I entered the tub when it was half way full. Trying to get into a squating position and not having much luck because there wasn't enough water to help me support my body, I elected the knees and shins position.

Myself: "I feel like my butt is going to fall off."
Clarice: "Shanna, I haven't lost a butt yet."

The head came.

Push.

Then the shoulders.

I couldn't see and neither could Trav because of how I was positioned.

12:52am
The rest came out.

I layed back in the water waiting for my baby. I was totally relaxed. Knowing it was a boy, before anyone told me. Just had that feeling I guess.

The tub was finally full.

It's a boy!

Just totally relaxed and enjoying every moment.

I pushed the placenta out and Trav cut the cord. Tiny little cord.

Barend Mayer Brack was born on September 8th, 2005 weighing a big 5lb 14oz.
19inches long with blonde/brown hair and deep blue eyes looking just like Mr. Magoo with his hat just barely over his eyes and his forhead wrinkled, just like Yoda with his lips tensed in just a certain way, and just like Elmer Fudd with his eyes wide and his round cheeks.

Thanks to everyone for all your support, meals, and prayers throughout the pregnancy and after. You've all been such an amazing help! Love You!

Mr. Magoo, Yoda, and Elmer Fudd Part I

PART I

I couldn't sleep at 4am. They were coming every 10 minutes apart and were intense enough that whatever position that I was in wasn't a help. I woke Trav up and told him if they were still going at 7am, I wasn't going to work. They were still going.

I called in, "Not coming in today."

I kept thinking "today's the day". Well....they stopped being intense around 9am. With my hopes dashed I went into work in the afternoon facing everyone and their "you're still pregnant!" and "what, no baby?" comments. During the 2:30pm break I took a walk with my fellow co workers. The contractions were still there and still regular, but I could still function through them. Not yet.

3:50pm
I started timing them, not that this helped make labor happen during any other time that I was having regular contractions in the previous weeks. Needless to say, they started getting closer and I was feeling them getting stronger.

4:45pm
I'm home. I continued to time them for another 3 hours. I didn't want them to go away. Trav asked if today was the day. "I don't know?!?" I didn't want to say yes for fear of being disappointed again.

8:30pm
Called Clarice (our midwife) and told her I thought that I was in labor. She said to meet her at the birth center at 9:30pm (She was actually already there teaching one of the many birthing classes.)

10pm
We arrived at the birth center a little late due to getting through construction and packing the car with the goodies we had prepared for our stay at the birth center. Clarice checked me and I was 2 cm dialated. "You're in early labor." Yes, no turning back. This is it!

We were given a couple options. Stay and get comfortable at the birth center or go home and go through the early labor there. I decided that I wanted to labor at home.

Clarice was going to nap at the birth center instead of going home. She provided us with the phone number for the phone in one of the birthing rooms.

Figuring we would have time to charge some batteries at home, Trav decided to go to the Okemos Meijer and pick up some up and as well as some juice cause he was thirsty. I decided to wait in the car. 30 min later Trav returned to the car carrying his purchase. "I couldn't find the batteries." By this time the contractions were getting pretty intense and I was ready to return to the birth center. We informed Clarice that we were heading back.

11pm
Clarice checked me again and I was at 3cm. Cool I thought to myself. I'm dialating 1 cm an hour so by 9am we'll have this baby.

I can't tell you how fast time flew by after that point.