.introducing.

Meg Caroline Hoffman

12/27/2012

6lb 1oz

18.5 in

8:54 PM

Thursday began like a normal day and we weren't expecting anything to change that.  I had been really tired the day before and had put off putting Christmas away and instead took a nice long nap with Finn, but Thursday I was determined to get everything down so I wouldn't have to worry about it.  After Christmas was taken down I had arranged to have Finn have his nap at my mom's while I went to my mid-wife appointment that afternoon.  On the way to my parents, the car decided that today was the day to break down.  Roy was called to come and figure out the car issue, while my mom let me take her car to the appointment.

I had had a thought that morning to just throw the bags in the car...you know...just in case, but of course I ended up not doing it.  
When I got to the birth center the mid-wife almost didn't check me, but I just felt better knowing where I stood even if I hadn't progressed at all.  I'm glad I had her check because I had dilated to a 5 and was 80% effaced (no 7 cm and 90% like I was with Finn).  I assumed she would just send me home, and let her cook a little longer, but she decided that with my history she wanted to call the mid-wife that would be on call for the night and talk about breaking my water.  I was surprised to hear that, and started getting anxious.  I was kind of hoping that she would let me go, what with the car breaking down, and hoping I could get a little further along before they broke my water.  But it was decided that with the storm coming in, and the fact that the mid-wife had a 45 min drive in, and that it was a full moon (apparently that causes women to go into labor too) that it was going to happen that night...a perfect storm as it were.  Poor Roy was in the middle of dropping the car off at the mechanic when he got the call to head up.  I sat in the waiting area shaking with adrenaline and anticipation trying to get my head in the zone for delivering baby girl that night.  

Roy got there about 45 minutes later with my parents (who totally saved the day with letting us use cars and arranging to take care of Finn), and sister Angie (who took all the great pictures for us), and then we got the show on the road.  

They broke my water at about 5:30, and I was anticipating a quick start just like Finn, but Meg had other plans.  She took her sweet time, and I actually had a harder mental fight thinking it was going to be a long night.

Just after they broke my water waiting for the action to start

Since Meg was still laying on her side we did a lot of ball kneeling at the beginning to see if we could help her get in the right position...it didn't work.  She stayed on her side until the last minute.

Roy texting everyone, and my mom timing contractions.

Moved to the bed for a change of position, and to try and rest thinking it could be a long night of nothing.

Still feeling really good apparently, because I'm still smiling.

The mid-wife came to check on my since my contractions weren't feeling all that strong and I was still a 6-7 after an hour and a half, and of course Meg was still being stubborn about lying on her side...I was starting to feel very down about how long it was taking.  The Mid-wife did a pretty aggressive sweep of the membranes, and that seemed to do the trick.  The contractions started coming on strong and long, and it wasn't long before I felt like I needed to get in the water to help cope with the pain.

I had only 2-3 strong contractions in the water before I felt the need to push.  I must have only pushed through 3 contractions because I only pushed for 6 minutes before she was here.  I say that like I just walked through the park, which is absolutely not the case.  I felt like I must have been thrashing around in that water just trying so hard to deal with that urge to push, but according to everyone else they didn't even know I was about to have a baby because I was so calm about it...so not the case in my head.  The actual thought that crossed my mind was "I'm going to die!

I was so relieved when they placed her on me, happy that it was over, happy that she was healthy, just HAPPY!
The birth center was a great experience if you are a natural kind of girl (which I'm still debating if I actually am).  Roy loved that he got to sleep in a bed and that he wasn't a second class citizen like at the hospital.  He also liked that we got to go home early and be in our own place after a brief recovery.

Little Meg is indeed little, but she is also as calm and content as a newborn can be.  She is a great nurser in the sense that she is not lazy like her brother.  It still hurts like the dickens starting out though, which is really my only complaint of pain.  Soo much better then with Finn.  I have only had to take a small amount of Advil more because of nursing soreness.  The idea of taking on 2 by myself is still overwhelming, but I'm ready to take it on.  We are now officially a family of four and we are so happy she is here...we are truly blessed!