Where does the time go?

Oliver was a month old on Monday...he continues to be a sweet baby who loves cuddles and milk...smart guy. He weighs more than nine pounds already (about 2.5 lb weight gain in 4 weeks), and has outgrown many of his newborn clothes.

Not much new around here - poor Dan is up more at night with L than I am with the baby; girls were on Spring Break last week - we just hung out a lot; L has become Mr. Destructo. He enjoys throwing things in the pool through the fence, dumping his water table over, and flipping the kids' table and chairs outside on their tops. While it's rather annoying, he keeps himself entertained quite well!

Lots of pictures for your entertainment (I believe if you click on the slideshow you can just get to the album instead):



The boys yesterday (and a drawing by Clara...):



And a bunch more...I made the sleepsack, so I was trying to model it; also made the whale pants so I tried to get all four kids at once. Yeah, just as hard as it sounds! LOL

Just a little funny...

Pictures

Oliver Patrick, 16 days

17 days, in the insta-sleeper...aka wrap



Mom and the boys, after our morning walk around the neighborhood (have I ever mentioned that I *love* Arizona weather??



OP in the cradle hand-made by Grandpa CJ seven years (and four kids) ago...

The birth of Oliver Patrick

Oliver’s birth was not at all what I expected. His siblings had arrived, in birth order, at 39 weeks 4 days, 40 weeks, and 41 weeks gestation. I was fully prepared to welcome our fourth baby sometime after that omnipresent and somewhat annoying 40-week “due date” of March 5, 2009. I also expected a very short, very intense labor, as again in birth order, I had labored for 7 hours, 2 hours, and a mere 45 minutes with the older siblings.

Well I really should have known better. Birth is not predictable.

On Sunday, February 22, at 38 weeks and 3 days gestation, I awoke from a nap and was somewhat disturbed to discover wetness in my pants. I rolled my eyes and wondered why on earth I had developed incontinence so late in a fourth pregnancy – not a problem I’d ever encountered before! So I used the facilities, changed my underpants, and immediately felt a trickle. Since I had *just* peed, I was really confused at this point…yes, I live in a state of denial. I think I changed my underwear three or four times before deciding that no, I was not incontinent, and yes, my water had indeed started to leak. However, (remember that state of denial?) I was convinced that because I was leaking so early and just lightly, it must be a forewater leak, which would obviously reseal itself and the baby would come in a few more weeks. I did have enough thought to send a text message to my midwife-photographer that read, “It appears I have sprung a small leak.” She immediately called me back and asked if I didn’t think that warranted a phone call…I told her not really, since nothing was happening, and after all with Liam it had been 40 hours from first leak to first contraction!

By the time we headed to bed around 10 or so, my “Braxton Hicks” contractions had developed a certain edge to them. I still wouldn’t call them contractions, but the intensity had picked up just a notch. By midnight, I was instant messaging with my sister in India that it looked like we were going to have a February baby, and to expect news in the next couple of days. Between midnight and 4:00 in the morning, I dozed between very short, hardly annoying contractions that woke me up, but lasted about 15 seconds. I left Dan sleeping next to me, and despite waking up every 3-10 minutes, breathing slowly and rubbing my belly, it didn’t really occur to me YET that I was in labor. I did think to get up at some point and have a yogurt and a banana…and I continued drinking my red raspberry leaf tea. Somehow I felt well rested and energized through the night. When Dan’s alarm went off around 4:00 I told him what had been going on, confirmed he would not be leaving for work, and then promptly started feeling much more intense contractions. I needed Dan to hold on to, but was a little confused and frustrated when again, the contraction would last only 15-20 seconds. We got the bed ready with extra sheets and chux, I nibbled some more food, took a shower, and then decided I wanted to fill the tub…but the hot water didn’t survive both, so I sent Dan to start boiling water to heat my bath.

Just before 5:00, based on my vocalizations and actions, Dan called Stephanie (midwife/photographer) to come over (we promised to give her more than 15 minutes’ warning for this birth!). When she arrived around 5:10, I was sprawled out in the tub, and slightly embarrassed that she had been called so early. I was afraid we had hours left to go, and I’m not one to want additional people around while birthing! My contractions continued to be fairly regular, but very short…

Around 6:00 I suddenly had that good old “undeniable urge” to push, and Stephanie woke the girls up to come watch the baby being born.

I began pushing, and compulsively checking the progress of the baby’s decent. I was really upset when after a few pushes I wasn’t feeling any change – in fact I looked up at Stephanie and told her, “multips aren’t supposed to have to work this hard to push!” I thought it was really unfair that I had to do so much work this time!

Dan was behind me applying pressure to my sacrum, I was pushing with all my might and still checking baby’s progress…considering I only pushed for about 15 minutes, I know my timeline is a little skewed, but it seemed like ages went by went suddenly I felt real progress, and baby’s head went from a smooth round ball (amniotic sac still over unmolded head) still lodged up the birth canal a ways to that oddly comforting, mushy, soft hair, molded head, almost-emerging feel. At this point I told Dan “if the baby comes that way, don’t tell me what it is.” What I meant was, if I stayed on my hands and knees (as I had done the previous two births) don’t announce the gender of the baby to me!

However, as the head began to crown, I sat up on my knees and supported the crowning myself. As the head emerged, I felt the baby’s face…and hand…then pushed the body out. I immediately lifted the baby up and in shock announced, “It’s a boy!” I sat back against Dan, and Clara jumped in the tub with us…Evelyn remained on the side. Oliver was born at 6:14, just over two hours after what I consider real labor began, maybe 6 hours from when I realized I was really going to have a February baby!

I didn’t stay in the tub very long – I wanted to get to bed – so with assistance, I worked my way over and lay down with the baby. Liam woke up about 10 minutes later, and Dan brought him in to meet his baby brother. It was a good 45 minutes later that the cord stopped pulsing and the placenta emerged. Of note with the placenta was the presentation – the maternal side actually came first (known as Duncan presentation). The more normal presentation is for the fetal side to come first (Schulz), but we surmised that my very low-lying placenta must have detached every so slightly at the moment of birth (you see a gush of blood and a few clots in the birth pictures), and then thanks to its position, come out in the more unusual manner.

At some point while we were lying in bed, and I was complaining about my extremely sore and aching sacrum, Stephanie commented to me suggestively that I had not flipped the baby over when he was born. It took me a second to put the pieces all together, but suddenly I realized that Oliver had been posterior! So my little guy emerged occiput posterior with a nuchal hand…which helps explain the very short contractions, the extra sacral pain, the “longer” labor, and the extra work I had while pushing!

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As for pictures...here are a few...if you'd like to see the rest, just send me an email. I am happy to share, but I think this is enough nakedness for a semi-public blog!

40 minutes before birth:

14 minutes before birth:

13 minutes before birth (if you remember pics from Liam's birth, the girls drew me pictures then, too):

Crowning...

The head is out (sadly obscured behind the gush of blood):

The moment I lifted him out of the water:

A minute later...


In bed snuggling...

Clara cut the cord:


The "official" weigh-in!

13 days

Master Oliver is 13 days old today...and I realized I haven't posted any new pictures! So here you go...(as always, if your screen chops the pictures, just click on them to see the whole thing)












I just weighed him, and he's up to 7lb 2oz from 6lb 10oz at birth :)

Introducing...

...Oliver Patrick!

(click on the pics to see the full image)








Even though it's a little late, since I never got to post my 38-week belly shots...here I am the night before Oliver was born (so 38 weeks + 3 days):

It's a BOY

Baby4 was born this morning at home, weighing 6 lb 10oz. He is 19 inches long and was born at 38 weeks + 4 days (our earliest by a week). He has already nursed like a champ and is now burritoed up and sleeping.

Details (like a name) and more pics to come...here's one from the moments after his birth:

Random Birthday Thoughts and Kid Pics

While IMing with a friend, I realized that C was born on a Tuesday night; E on a Wednesday afternoon; and L on a Wednesday evening...so maybe Baby4 will be a Tuesday/Wednesday baby too? D was also born on Wednesday; I was born on a Thursday. I'm definitely guessing a mid-week baby LOL

So...38 weeks tomorrow...will try to get some belly shots. I'm thinking of doing another belly cast for this baby. We made one for C at about this gestation...I'd love to make one and get some newborn pics of baby in it...I'm always amazed that they fit in there :) Maybe this weekend.

Some pics from this last week...

Last one before my own...

Got the call last night around 6 p.m. that our client's water had broken...and another call about an hour after that to head on out to their house. This second-time mama lives about 45 minutes away, so we wasted no time getting on the road. When we arrived around 7:45, she was laboring in her room with her doula, mainly standing and leaning...she got in the birth tub not long after our arrival where she continued laboring with close contractions. By about 9:00 she was feeling pushy, and at 9:22 out came a beautiful 8lb 10oz baby girl, into her daddy's hands. Mom was a rockstar - simply beautiful and so powerful - many congratulations to the newly enlarged family!

36 + 2 and Henna'd belly

Pics from Saturday (36 weeks + 2 days from LMP)...


I spent Saturday alone. D took all three kids out to the Renaissance Faire, where they spent the entire long day! I worked on some sewing projects, washed and sorted newborn diapers and clothes, organized the spice cupboard, and simply enjoyed my day of solitude. In the evening I attended a "chick flick" night, watching "An American President" and "Steel Magnolias" while eating delicious lasagna, 7-layer dip, berries and brownies :)

My wonderful sweet friends had a blessingway for me Sunday, held under the pretense of an appointment at the office (my mentor midwife threw it). I was completely surprised, and had a wonderful time, surrounded and supported by such a great group of women...

One of the activities was a henna painting...here's the result:


And finally, here's Baby L helping clean over the weekend:

One tired kid

Poor E was so tired by the end of school today, this is how we just found her moments ago:





We were at a birthday party last night for one of her friends, at one of those Bouncy House places...well, it started at 6 p.m. and we didn't get home until almost 9. Our normal bedtime is 7:00...and she was up bright and early this morning. Besides, a full week of school is a lot for the poor girl!

In other news, C is going to be in an opera of Hiawatha that the school is putting on next month - she will sing as a bird, and be one of the villagers.

Baby L has been using the potty regularly for quite some time now; at home during the day (and often while out and about) he is completely dry, and tells us when he needs to go...or just goes on the little potties alone! Now if only he'd get over the insistence of a diaper for those #2s....but I guess at 20 months, that's asking a lot!

Baby-in-Utero is still active - though definitely running out of room, as most of the movements are not nearly as quick (and painful!) as they had been.

For midwifery, we have one more mama due soon (EDD is 2/21), then I'll be temporarily off-duty for a while...which is very hard for me to even comprehend, much less plan! I'll miss so many pre-natals and births of these mamas I've been following for a while now :( I'm hoping to be back in the office pretty quickly post-birth, with the new wee babe. We'll see...

Finally, many thanks to all who posted guesses on the baby's birth stats...and Molly and Aunt Nancy (on her second guess at least) get bonus points as the only participants who didn't make me go past 40 weeks! And demerits for those who put me over 41 weeks...don't you know how impatient a pregnant lady gets at the end? :)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

And hey!

...get your guesses in now for the new baby's stats :D Liam had 15 guesses in his game...this poor baby only has six so far!

(and can I change my guess to boy? LOL)

And in other news...

...Dan found out today that his pay has just been cut by 30%, effective as of last Monday!

So we're re-evaluating our expenses, cutting out things like the newspaper and the house phone, getting quotes on insurance, etc.

It makes for a really fun pre-baby gift, that's for sure...but on the bright side, he still has a job and we're all healthy. Dan and I have always been "go with the flow" or "it all happens for a reason" folks, so we're trying to approach this in the same way. We are happy that this job brought us to Arizona, and figure that alone has made it worthwhile. Without this position, I would not have my amazing circle of friends; my birth networks; my midwifery apprenticeship; free Montessori education for the kids; no ice scraping.

We have also been lazy with budgeting and saving, so while we won't saving anything now, at least it will force the budget-keeping and true thriftiness to finally get put into play. See, there's a bright side to everything...right?

Sigh.

34 + 4

I actually took this picture to illustrate how I wear my SSC (baby carrier) when preggo...but since I haven't posted a belly shot in a while, figured I'd go ahead and share :)

Pic of the girls

My sis just sent some pictures she took at Christmas time...thought I'd share this one, taken at the Arizona Temple (LDS) Christmas Lights display (which, by the way, is AMAZING):

(click on the pic to see the whole thing)


See, we do have to wear coats in Arizona at times! :)

Smooth as Silk

I just got home from a quick, simple, peaceful water birth. Mama was a primip, 18 years old. Tiny, beautiful baby boy was born 17 minutes after we arrived, in the water and IN THE CAUL! He was 5lb 13 oz, 20 inches...which compared to that last baby (9-13!) was minuscule LOL.

Got a call at 5:30 from the midwife, was picked up maybe 20 minutes after that...we picked up the other student (N), and headed to the birth place (not the mama's home - the home of a very generous, wonderful doula and member of our extended birth team).

It was such a blessing to witness this calm, beautiful birth. Sadly the father of baby is in another country, and was not here to see his son's birth...

Three kids

Thought I'd share a few new pics. No big news in our lives right now...I'm at 32 weeks 2 days, baby is very active. Girls are back in school, taking dance once a week. C takes keyboards once a week as well. My apprenticeship keeps me busy...

HBA3C

That is, home birth after three c-sections!

Wednesday morning I went to the home of a wonderful woman in labor. Thursday morning around 6:45 her daughter was born...9 lb 13 oz! She was the first girl after three boys, the first vaginal birth after three C/S, the first born at home (obviously), and her biggest baby by over a pound and a half! This mama worked so hard for so long, and birthed this big baby like a true birth warrior...I was so amazed and in awe of the work she did and her dedication and commitment to this birth. I may share more later, but want her to have the chance to share her own story before I do so...

Congratulations to the entire family...

30 Weeks...and more pics

30 weeks (note C showing off her "belly" too):


Some miscellaneous fun from Christmas: