WayfaringStrangers

Ah, it's been a while since I've had a birth story to write about.  So, here's another episode of "Megan's Precipitous Labors." My pregnancy with baby N was overall very good, but also hard. Maybe because I'm getting older and my body has done this a few times. I was more sick in my 1st trimester than before (but nothing severe, thankfully). Later, I had awful restless leg at night, sharp rib pain, and was generally exhausted. Add that to already having 3 crazy boys and homeschooling - oh, and purchasing a house and moving- and I was kind of a mess. Still, I had no complications. My 1 ultrasound showed a healthy baby, and we had decided not to find out the gender. Working with Karen and Jen- my homebirth midwives- was great. My prenatal appointments were all an unrushed hour in her cozy home office. They asked how I was doing. They offered advice for my struggles and genuinely cared for me. There was nothing invasive or uncomfortable about seeing them....

Baby Samuel Behn joined us over the weekend on April 16 th ! He is just too precious and I am loving having a baby again.  And so, here is Samuel’s birth story, while it’s fresh in my mind. The stats: 14 hours of “labor” 90 minutes of active labor and actual pain Birth weight: 7 lbs, 14 oz Samuel’s birth was somewhat different than the other boys’, although in the end the fast pace of it did seem very similar. From early in the pregnancy, my wonderful midwife and I had discussed an induction at 39 weeks because of my very fast labors. Behn and I were a bit traumatized during Patrick’s 45 minute labor and wanted to make sure this baby was born in the hospital, not during a scary moment on the side of the road or at home. My midwife agreed and that was the birth plan. The induction was set for April 16 (39 weeks) and we were going to try and go a natural route of induction by stripping membranes or breaking my water to get things moving. The night before the indu...

Both of my boys (what, I have 2 boys?) are napping right now, so it's time to update this blog with Patrick's birth story before I forget the details. Words to describe Patrick's birth: terrifying. fast. wonderful. merciful. unforgettable. We'll start with Friday, September 7th. I had my 39 week OB appointment and was 2 cm dilated and 75% effaced. Promising, but no guarantee I'd go into labor too soon. However, I did go ahead and schedule an elective induction for the following Tuesday (the 11th) because I liked the idea of knowing I'd make it to the hospital, plus my favorite doctor was on call that day, plus Behn had that whole week off of work so I knew he'd be there for everything. So it just made sense, even though I did want to try to have another natural childbirth. On Saturday (the 8th), I was excited because I knew there was a coldfront coming in. I was so ready for cool, unhumid air, but also was hopeful the change in the air pressure would c...

For Behn's account of Graham's birth, click here . I cannot believe this year has come and gone. I always wanted to be a mom, and was thrilled when God allowed me to become pregnant. And now my little baby can stand, has 4 sharp teeth, and loves to play with a ball. He still kind of looks and acts like a baby, but even those days are vanishing. A year ago today, I was 39 weeks, 1 day pregnant. I was ready to have him. I hadn't been having contractions (that I knew of) and had no idea when he'd come. I got up and went to work. I worked nearly every day of my pregnancy, as I'd had no complications. I was SO tired of working, but didn't have a physical reason not to, so I plugged away. That day they were calling for snow in the evening. I sent Behn this text, "It's supposed to snow- I hope I don't go into labor. I heard weather can cause labor to start." I wonder why I didn't want to go into labor? I think I actually did, but I was just scare...