Vincent's birth..

still attachedsnuggles with momma
everyone getting a first look at Vincent
he was taking a snooze in the swing here.. soo cozy!




HOLY COW this is long!!! well its here to read if you want to read it, lol!

The evening of November 30th we had hot wings for dinner, and I joked about how some people said spicy foods were supposed to start labor. Shortly after Paul had to get ready for work, before he did we DTD, he then left around 6:15 for work. Shortly after I started to have contractions, which at the time I didn't think they were contractions because it was only painful on my lower back, and cramping in my lower abdomen. That started, at around 7 in the evening. I got the girls in bed at 8 and started to time the contractions on a website contractionmaster.com. The site timed my contractions between the times of 8:08 - 9:33pm to be about 1 minute long in duration, and between 4 - 8 min apart. During that time I was surfing the net between contractions. I took a break from timing at 9:33, and got out my yoga ball. I had to take it in the garage to blow it up with the compressor, which seemed to take forever, since I had to wait for the thing to air itself up. I brought the ball inside and plopped it down in front of the computer desk and began to surf the net and time my contractions again. Between 9:53 - 11:01pm the contractions were again about 1 minute long, and between 3 - 7 min apart. I stopped timing at 11pm to take a bath, and figured if it was time, it would happen, but I hoped and prayed I could at least get some sleep since I didn't want to be in labor all night and have that tire me out!
After the bath I laid down, and the contractions were still there, but I was able to get to sleep, and I slept ok, I only woke up a couple of times, and dreamed that I in labor and going to have the baby!
The next morning I woke up and had to take Veronica to school, I told Paul I was having cramping the night before, and as I was saying that a contraction hit me and I had to stop where I stood. Afterward I continued out the door to take Veronica to school. The whole way there I was having contractions. After I dropped her off I went to my moms, where I had a big contraction as I was coming in the door, and told my mom I thought that I might be in labor, and about the cramping that I was having. She left to go to work, and I left with Val to my midwife apt.
The drive there I was getting hungry and hadn't eaten so I stopped at Sonic to get a breakfast burrito, and water, and something for Valerie. It felt kinda funny ordering from the drive through and having the contractions, which were were about 5 min apart. I ate as I drove and right before I turned onto Cathy's street I had a huge very painful contraction hit, and I began to cry it hurt so much, and I was just so nervous cause I think I was in denial that I was in labor.
Valerie and I went in to my apt, and the contractions let up a little, and I only had 3 the whole 45 min visit and none felt really bad. I Told Cathy and she felt the top of my abdomen, and she said it wasn’t really that hard. I then got up on the table, and listened for the heartbeat, and measured my fundus, which were fine. She also felt for the baby's head from the outside and said that he was really high, and if I was having any contractions that they probably were not changing my cervix. She did ask me if I wanted her to check my cervix, but I declined seeing as she thought he was so high, and told me she wouldn't be surprised if I made it to my apt next week.
I then got in my van and started to drive home, and as soon as I got into the van, the contractions started again, about 5 min apart. On the way home I decided to go by the $0.99 cent store, and pass some time. While shopping I had a handful of contractions, a couple were kind of painful, I had to stop and lean over the cart, and breath through them. I told Valerie that it was painful, when she asked what I was doing. We made it out of the store and headed home. While at home we just hung around watched TV, and then I made Valerie some lunch and for me I heated up the oven and was going to have left over hot wings. The contractions were not that bad as I was eating, though they were coming regularly. 2:00 rolled around and I had to get ready to pick up veronica at school. I picked up my food, and had 2 pretty painful contractions, I almost woke Paul up and told him to get Veronica, but once the contractions were over I felt good, and Val and I got in the van to pick up Veronica. The drive over I was having some pretty painful contractions, but I was able to get through them. I got to the school and walked up to wait for Veronica to get out, and then he headed to the car. The walk to the van Valerie told Veronica that "mommy's pains are painful" lol I told Veronica that I thought the baby was going to come soon, and that I was having pains from that. We got in the car and headed home.
we got home at 3:00, which we walked in and I immediately had to go to the bathroom, both num 1 and 2... Afterward I wanted to get into so warm water and relax since it was getting kind of painful, so I ran 3 inches of water in the girls bathroom, and kneeled down in that, which felt so good, but I didn't want to get immersed since I thought it might slow my labor down. I felt that this might be the real thing so I went and woke Paul up and told him he should call his boss then and not go into work that night.
I told Paul that I was having cramping and to call in to work. He asked me if I was sure, I said I was pretty sure, and he said he wanted me to be sure because he didn't want to call into work since he had already took so much PTO the month before from their not being enough patients. I told him yes to call in.
I went back into the living room and got onto the computer to time contractions again, from 3:23 - 4:09pm my contractions were 1 min long, and 2 1/2 - 6min apart, growing greatly in intensity the whole time. Paul asked when I was supposed to call the midwife to come, and I looked through some papers, and nothing said when so I tried calling Cathy at around 3:45, but she did not answer. To pass some time, I logged onto youtube to listen to the Lincoln Park song "Waiting for the End", I had wanted to download a play list to have during labor but I didn't get around to it, so I settled just playing the video from youtube. I love that sing, and even got up and danced around through a couple contractions, which surprisingly the music made them easier to get through. after the song, I bounced a little on the "birth ball" , I also got down on my knees put my head and my arms in the computer chair and rocked my hips through some contractions. I even made Paul bring in some of the under pads and place them under me incase my water broke..
Soon I decided I needed to get into some warm bath water. Paul didn't want me to as he thought it might stop my labor, I said I didn't think it would but I needed something to help me relax, so I ran about 8 inches of water and sat in that. Paul came in and asked if it had stopped my labor, and I began to have a contraction, which was pretty painful and I told him that no thanks a lot, I’m having a contraction right now, and I made a face, as it was hurting bad. The girls came in at that point, and they were being loud and annoying. Valerie was begging to get into the bath with me, I shouted no after saying no nicely a handful of times.
at some point Paul was joking about how this was nothing (referring to the pain) and if I wanted to go to the hospital for pain meds, he also commented that he wanted it to hurt, or something like that, I guess I didn't really LOOK to be in that much pain, I shouted at him, that he was mean, and he just laughed and told me that I hadn't seem mean yet, and I of course after the contraction, I told him that I had seen him really mean before, and he needed to quit messing around, I don't think he knew how serious I was or that I was really close to delivering. Also while in the bath I tried to check my cervix as I hadn’t been checked yet, and I had no idea how far into labor I was. I assumed I was still very early in the labor and had a long ways to go ahead of me. The self check didn't really help me much, as I had no idea what I was feeling for, but it did feel very different than it had before, like something was down there pretty far, but I just wasn't sure. I even told Paul that it felt weird, but of course he wouldn't know what that meant. I soon got up out of the bath. I then heard my phone ring and it was Cathy the midwife, I told he I thought I was in labor, and she asked if I wanted her to come, I said yes, and she said she was going to go home and change clothing, and if that was ok with me, I said yes.. I then hung up with her and made a phone call to my mom letting her know that she should head over, she said she was on her way, and I had to let her go really fast cause another painful contraction hit, and I couldn’t talk. After I got off the phone Paul began to make the bed the way the midwife had instructed, I was having contractions that were really hurting, and I told Paul to come over and press on my hips. I felt something weird "down there" like a pressure, or like a poo. I said I think I am going to have to push, Paul said well don't push. It didn't feel like intense pressure, so I didn't really think I was that close. I then walked into the bathroom to run some more bath water as I wanted some sort of relief from the intense pain I was having. Paul said that I shouldn't waste the hot water because there wasn’t going to be any when It was time and I really really wanted it. I told him I didn't give a sh*t, that I was running it anyway.
in between the next contraction I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the video camcorder, and the digital camera to have in the room when everyone got there. Paul started to complain about how I should be helping him make the bed. I told him I couldn't because the contractions were too bad. I was feeling the weird pressure again, and asked Paul to "check me" down there, and he said he wasn't going to put his hand down there, but to get on the bed and he'd look from the outside, which I refused because I thought that would have been pointless, and then I headed into the bathroom, where another hugely painful contraction hit, and I yelled for Paul to come put pressure on my hips again, and he was pressing, it felt better, but I told him to PRESS HARDER, and to "smash me", which helped a lot. I then walked over to the tub, turned off the water, and began to step in.. I put both feet in and began to kneel down into the water, and was trying to be fast about it because I felt another contraction coming on, but I wasn’t fast enough and was stuck with both hands on the side of the tub, not all the way in, not all the way out, just sort of hovering there. I felt a kind of pushing and felt something coming down. I looked down and saw something floating from down there, and reached down with one hand and felt it, I had pulled at it a little breaking my bag of water. My body then started to push again on its own, and I reached down there again to feel, and I felt the head right there, and a burning, so I yelled for Paul, and he started to panic and I think he even told me not to push. I then felt more pressure, and told him to "catch him", and I yelled out or groan yelled, like a cave woman, lol, and pushed him right out into Paul's hands, he caught him and brought him out of the water. As soon as the baby came out I was fine, I felt great, no pain. I was really calm, and just in amazement over what just happened. Paul shouted oh my god over and over, and said it’s a boy, since I couldn’t see, he was behind me. I stood up and he handed the baby to me from behind. The cord was short, so I couldn’t hold him very well, so I told him to hold the baby and pass him under my leg so I could hold him from the front, which we did. I was still only able to bring him up to my belly button. Paul was panicking, and saying oh my god, oh my god over and over making phone calls for people to hurry up and get there, that the baby had come and the midwife wasn’t there yet. The whole time I was trying to calm him down, that everything was ok, and to look at the baby.
I heard Paul’s phone ring and he began to search through the towels on the floor for the phone, and I said to him, "in your pocket" since I was calm and could tell that’s where it was. He picked up the phone, and was talking to someone, who asked if the baby was ok, and he asked me, I then rubbed the baby a little and he began to cry, oh what an amazing sound. The caller then told Paul to wrap him in something warm like a towel, so he grabbed a towel from the closet, and we wrapped it around the baby, and then Paul helped me out of the bath and over to the bed.
I told Paul to go get the girls since they had missed everything. They came into the room, and were so excited to meet their baby brother! Veronica immediately asked to hold him!
Paul’s sister came over to pick up the girls, and then my brother showed up, Paul had called a bunch of people in a panic to “just hurry up and get over here” since the baby had come without the midwife being there.
The midwife showed up about 30 min after he was born, and delivered the placenta, I got to cut the umbilical cord and I had to get 2 stitches for a tiny tear. They then measured and weighed the baby, he was 6lb 14oz 20 ¼ inches.
We also had to determine what time the baby was born since we were not paying attention to the clock when he popped out. They recorded his birth at 5:04pm, which now looking back it was actually 4:58pm, but I can’t change that now, can I? oh even if I did, would it matter much anyway.
here he is, the only first pics we got, which makes me sad, wish I woulda got more!