everything about my pregnancy with Finn was different.
From the false negative pregnancy test, his "due" date, his positioning in utero.
Everything felt so different from the other two.
The ultrasounds dictated the due date and since the first ultrasound was later than the standard 12 week, I never felt confident in its prediction. December 15th came and went without any signs of baby and I knew it wasn't to be anyway so we waited. Baby was moving lots and I felt good despite a nasty cold, then December 21st came and went and still no signs of baby. So with recommendation of normal protocol I went for a non stress test at the hospital on the 10th day of being "overdue". Other than my blood pressure being elevated since hospitals do that to me every time! baby was great and no need for concern (my bp was normal throughout my entire pregnancy). That was on a Monday and by Thursday the 26th there was still no baby and so the recommendation was for another NST and bedside ultrasound consult with an OB. My gut told me no, it wasn't necessary since I was still feeling lots of movement and I was feeling fine. But when I woke on that Thursday morning and didn't have any signs of labour I felt the pressure of what ifs and just to be on the safe side.... let's do the consult.
Of course the typical, routine NST and consult turned into much more. My elevated BP (which goes up as soon as I take a step into a hospital) and wacky ultrasound was cause for concern from the OB although the baby was not showing any signs of distress, blood work and urine samples followed and I waited and waited with talk of induction swirling around from the nurse and the OB was no where to be found. I took lots of deep breaths, stretched and walked around trying to keep calm and hold my belief that this was not our birth plan. That things were going to happen on its own... at home!
Thankfully one of my midwives was at the hospital, supporting me and monitoring the situation.
Knowing that she was there advocating for me was everything. It allowed me to keep calm, keep focused and not burst into hysterics. After nearly 3 hours from when I walked into triage, the OB came in to say my blood work was fine, the baby was active but that I had low fluid and I would need to be induced either later that day or tomorrow. I obviously said "tomorrow" knowing that at least I could go home, regroup and form a "new" plan.
So I bolted out there like a bat out of hell, swung by the pharmacy and picked up a bottle of castor oil.
I am a big believer in letting nature do its thing, it worked brilliantly with my other two pregnancies and deliveries but now I felt like I was racing against the clock to avoid an induction. Desperate times call for desperate measures. As soon as I got home I downed the recommended dosage from the midwives. My midwife came out around dinner time to do a stretch and sweep and help keep me focused. I had progressed to 5 cm from 3 cm that morning and my blood pressure was completely normal. It was the extra boost I needed! Once she left, Oliver, Georgie and I had a massive dance party for like an hour. It was a win win, tired them out and helped get some contractions going for me. Let me tell you those contractions were so glorious and so welcomed! Then the castor oil kicked in and whoa! does it really kick in. The contractions were sporadic and not promising of imminent labour but they were something and so I happily rejoiced for each one. We put the kids to bed, I did a few more things around the house still having mild contractions and cramping and then I went to sit down and rest. Everything STOPPED. No contractions, no cramping. I knew if I kept walking around things would start up again but I also knew I would exhaust myself trying to keep it going. So I went to bed and held hope things would happen on their own and I would avoid the pressing 8 am induction at the hospital.
At 12:30 am, I woke up to strong rhythmical contractions (cue Angels singing!). Guy was asleep next me so I decided not to wake him until I knew this was the real deal. I downloaded a contraction app off of itunes and started timing! They were coming about 2 mins apart lasting about 45 seconds. My water hadn't broken so I wanted to make sure the contractions were staying on course before I paged the midwives, which in hindsight I should have called a little sooner. By 2 am the contractions were definitely stronger and intensifying so I woke Guy up and called the midwives while doing a happy dance! Things progressed quicker than I anticipated, I was already feeling the urge to push when my midwife came in around 2:30. She quickly setup the supplies and paged the other midwife although we knew she wasn't going to make it in time for the birth. Maybe three or four pushes later at 3:05 am,
Finn Ezra was born. Healthy, handsome and on his own.
Just like his brother and sister before him, he was born in the same spot in our kitchen- a makeshift bed near the woodstove. I'm not sure why I chose to birth in the kitchen with Oliver other than it's a very spacious room but I did and so it became tradition and therefore Georgie and Finn were born there too. I did rent a birthing tub again but with the way things went we didn't have time to set it up and to be honest I didn't really need it. So we hung out on the bed in the kitchen, Finn latched immediately and nursed for close to 40 minutes. I happily chatted with my midwives, had a bite to eat and snuggled our new little babe. Despite the dramatic events earlier that day (well technically the day before) Finn's birth was anything but. He came swiftly and with purpose. After he was weighed and measured, Guy prepared the herbal bath (that I had previously prepared and stored in the freezer) and Finn and I enjoyed a nice soak together.
I was back in bed by 5 am and managed to get a few hours of sleep before Oliver and Georgie woke up. Oliver was up first and seeing his smile grow as he walked into our bedroom and realized his baby brother had finally arrived was one of the best moments of my life. He was a proud big brother when Georgie was born but he was only two and this time he knew just what it meant.
And so on the night Finn Ezra was born we became a family of five.
Finn Ezra was born. Healthy, handsome and on his own.
Just like his brother and sister before him, he was born in the same spot in our kitchen- a makeshift bed near the woodstove. I'm not sure why I chose to birth in the kitchen with Oliver other than it's a very spacious room but I did and so it became tradition and therefore Georgie and Finn were born there too. I did rent a birthing tub again but with the way things went we didn't have time to set it up and to be honest I didn't really need it. So we hung out on the bed in the kitchen, Finn latched immediately and nursed for close to 40 minutes. I happily chatted with my midwives, had a bite to eat and snuggled our new little babe. Despite the dramatic events earlier that day (well technically the day before) Finn's birth was anything but. He came swiftly and with purpose. After he was weighed and measured, Guy prepared the herbal bath (that I had previously prepared and stored in the freezer) and Finn and I enjoyed a nice soak together.
I was back in bed by 5 am and managed to get a few hours of sleep before Oliver and Georgie woke up. Oliver was up first and seeing his smile grow as he walked into our bedroom and realized his baby brother had finally arrived was one of the best moments of my life. He was a proud big brother when Georgie was born but he was only two and this time he knew just what it meant.
And so on the night Finn Ezra was born we became a family of five.
