Claire's Birth

I'm currently sitting on my bed with Claire next to me sleeping, and I can't believe a little over a week has passed since I had her. The time has really flown by. I think it's partly because she is such a good baby! We are very blessed. Our birth this time was much different than with Ellie. Wayyy faster, in some ways more relaxing, and in other ways wayyy more intense! Let's start from the beginning:
Here I am right before we left to go to the birthing center. This was around 7:30am, but lets back up a bit. Around 5:20 I woke up and felt my water break. SO MUCH DIFFERENT than what you see on T.V.! I didn't really know if my water had broke for sure because it wasn't this huge gush that you would expect (I'll spare you any more details as I know I have a few male readers!). I nudged Adam and said that I think my water broke, and I have NEVER seen him jump out of bed faster! Hahaha! He was ready to jump in the car and head to the birthing center right then...it was really cute :) I hadn't had any contractions yet, but I called my midwife and she told me to be sure to eat a big breakfast, take my time getting ready, and then head down to the center. Contractions didn't start until about 7:15am.

We got to the birthing center, and while we waited for my parents to come get Ellie, I walked around having mild contractions and hanging out with Adam and Ellie inbetween each one :) It was a really fun experience to have her there for a while and see her- sort of- understand that Claire was coming! She kept saying "Claire Claire" the whole drive there! Shortly after she left, I jumped in the tub...that was SO nice. It felt like my contractions were so much less painful and I wondered if I was regressing- my midwife assured me that I wasn't and I spent almost the majority of the rest of my labor in the tub. Around 11AM, I was 9 cm dilated and started having some REALLY painful contractions. Up to that point, I was able to have a contraction, then laugh and talk with everyone else inbetween- it was so great! Adam didn't think I was as far along as I was because I wasn't in the apparent pain that I was in with Ellie. With her birth, I couldn't even talk inbetween- I was SO focused. Anyways, if you read all the natural birth stuff, this is the time when most women start "backing out". Saying things like- I can't do this, when will this be over, I can't take the pain, I don't want to do it- and I'm pretty sure that I said everything in the book! Between some contractions I would just sob my eyes out, and poor Adam said that he had to look away because he coudn't bear to see me in that kind of pain :( And it's a good thing that I wasn't in a hospital room with a ton of other pregnant/laboring ladies down the hall because I'm pretty sure they would be totally freaked out by all my yelling! I surprised MYSELF! That was the only thing that made the pain a little better. After about an hour of super painful intense contractions and pushing, Claire graced herself into the world at 11:55AM. Each and every contraction was worth every second of pain when I saw my baby :) I kept saying; "Oh thank God!- "Praise the Lord she is out!"- I was praising God she was out because I was SO done with being in labor! Haha!

She latched onto breastfeeding about 2 minutes after I delivered, and has been such a sweet angel baby. I couldn't have asked for a smoother transition or be more in love with her. It's so true what everyone says- that the love is just there- we don't know where it comes from (well, we do, it's God for sure) but every parent just receives this extra compartment of love they never knew they had. It's amazing.

I already love being a mom of 2, and have already been thinking about baby #3! I think it can be kind of addicting when you have 2 precious kids and too much love to go around. I find that I feel so much more content and complete now. What the bible says is so true- Every good and perfect gift comes from God. The gifts that He gives truly fill our hearts with joy and contentment, and I can't think of a better gift than a precious baby.

We left the birthing center that same day around 5:30PM. This is all of us with my midwife Mary. She is awesome and I am so grateful that she has been there with us to peacefully and lovingly bring Ellie and Claire into this world. Both my pregnancies and births have been so wonderful and it's a huge thanks to her!

Love, Krystle