Vada's Birth Story

 Once again, I was extremely blessed to have Vada's birth go better than I could have hoped for. I had been worried about all sorts of things, even after having such a great experience the first time with Lucy. Not only was it relatively quick, our family was able to start and end our day at home, together.

Last pregnancy picture- 38 weeks



   Jameson had picked a day, Friday, July 27, way back in June that he asked me to please have the baby on. If baby was born on that day, he would have the most vacation time possible and we would still be able to make it to the beach for vacation. At the time, I didn't pay him much mind because I knew the baby would come whenever it wanted and there was a very small chance it would come that early, let alone on that specific day.Once we passed the full term mark at 37 weeks, we began doing things to encourage labor to start but nothing too dangerous or extreme. Lucy and I began taking daily walks and we had lots of spicy dinners. At 38 weeks, the midwife was comfortable with stripping my membranes so we did that on Tuesday but nothing significant changed.
   Friday, July 27, I woke up around 6am with noticeable contractions. I had been having lots of Braxton-Hicks so I didn't think much of them, but of course I was hoping! Lucy woke up much earlier than usual that day around 6:15am so I got up and started fixing us both breakfast. By 7am I knew it was time to start timing these contractions because they were coming consistently and had that same feeling as when I was in labor with Lucy, in my back. I called Jameson then my sister to let them know that I was timing them. By 7:30 I called my mom to let her know I may be needing her to take me over to the birth center since Jameson was at work. By 8am, Allison, Mom and Dad were all at my house and convinced I was in labor. My contractions were only 4-6 minutes apart at this point but I just couldn't believe the baby was actually coming this early, on the day Jameson chose. I called my midwife who said to wait an hour then call her back. Once everyone showed up, though, the contractions no longer hurt as badly and I was afraid it was a false alarm. I packed Lucy up in the stroller and went for a walk while Allison kept timing me, 5 minutes apart. I wanted to wait for things to get more painful or closer together before I went to the birth center but my Mom and Allison convinced me it was time to get things together to leave, in case things went from 0-60 and I was 35 minutes away from the birth center. Lucy was eager to go with her Aunt Duck (Allison) so I kissed her goodbye and headed off to the birth center, driven by my Mom and Dad.
   Around 11am, I met Jameson at the birth center and went in to talk with the midwife. She checked my progress and told me I was 5cm dilated and completely effaced but that I was free to walk around the hospital campus or go to the mall or whatever I felt comfortable with. At that point I finally accepted that I was in labor and that we were going to be going home with our baby. Jameson and I headed to lunch while the contractions picked back up in intensity but were manageable. After lunch we headed to the mall and walked around for awhile until I decided I did not want my water to break at the mall. We headed back to the birth center around 12:30pm and found out I was 7cm. We were left alone to labor however I was comfortable so I tried the tub for awhile but ended up liking the big bouncy ball that I could sit and roll on. As expected, our baby was face up so most of the pain was concentrated in my back but I had packed a rice sock to heat up so Jameson held it for me during contractions.
   Things were still very manageable until after 1:30 when I started feeling like I wasn't getting a break between contractions. I moved to the bed where the midwives told me I would be more comfortable on my hands and knees since the baby was face up. At that point I don't think anything would have made me more comfortable but I stayed there then I was able to start pushing. I pushed for 15 minutes and at 2:30pm, our baby GIRL was born and handed right to me to rest on my chest. She seemed so tiny and I could not believe that we were lucky enough to have been given another perfect baby girl.

   We were able to start nursing right away and before I realized it, the midwives had left the room and given our family time together to rest and marvel at our new angel. We were left alone until we asked to know how much she weighed and only at that point did they do the complete newborn exam.

    By 4:45, we were all changed, packed up, and ready to go. We were given last minute instructions and sent on our way. We were home by 5:30 and by 6pm, Lucy was home and our family has been together from that point since.
   I could not have asked for a more relaxed way to welcome Vada into the world. I see the entire process as something completely natural and what women are made to do so being able to have her and then come home to my family to recuperate seemed like the best scenario possible. I am amazed at how easy my postpartum weeks have been and how great I have felt, both physically and emotionally. Nursing has been a much easier process this time around and I feel like my body has bounced back much faster than it did the first time. Needless to say, this won't be the last Hunter baby for our family :)