Chandler's Arrival

When I look at this little face I am filled with thankfulness. Chandler's pregnancy was the first pregnancy I have not had low numbers with or bled the first part of the pregnancy, but it was extremely hard and at times scary. I was so weak, faint and dizzy (with no medical reason). At times I was scared to be by myself with our three other kiddos (there were several days where I had to call Daniel and ask him to come home early because I was so weak and close to passing out). I remember one day feeling especially bad on a day when Daniel was in meetings all day long and could not come home, calling Shelden to my side as I laid on the couch and instructing my little four year old that if mommy for some reason should not be able to wake up to call "daddy's picture" and keep calling until daddy answered. The merciful Lord lifted "it" the last few weeks of pregnancy as I was able to hit nesting mode to get ready for our little one. I believe He gave me strength for labor, because if I had gone into labor feeling the way I had most of the pregnancy I do not think I could have done it. 

Its not super detailed, but it may have more information than some people want to know (this is always more for myself to have a recorded birth story)... 

July 14... After cramping most of the morning, I started to have these little contractions (really more like cramps) about every four minutes around 1:30pm. This went on for about an hour before I let Daniel know that it was looking like I was going to be going into labor soon.  After some more time past with more of the same kind of the thing happening, I let my parents know, so they could be prepared to head this way. I asked Daniel if he could come home early so I could try to get some rest (I had not gotten much sleep the night before as Ian had the croup). My parents decided to come on and got here a little before 5:00, allowing Daniel and I to try and get some rest. 

At 5:58pm, I felt Chandler move and when he did it really hurt, followed by a contraction. I started having contractions 10 to 12 minutes apart, after about four of those they went to every four to five minutes. They would stop whenever I laid down, but when I stood up I would immediately have a contraction that I had to breath my way through. 

My labor felt so different this time, my contractions went back to being about 10 minutes apart and stayed that way even at the end. Itf elt really weird trying to push a baby out with the contractions 10 minutes apart. They were SO hard though I felt I need that full time to recover from them, I had pain from the contractions radiating down into my legs that I can still feel when I think about it. 

I believe my midwife arrived a little after 8:00pm. I had asked her to come on, since I had cut my labors in half every time, and I was a little nervous about a short labor (Ian's was only six). Instead of cutting it short by three hours, I added three. Jackie (my midwife), broke my water about 2:40am, because he just wasn't coming. 

Even though he was my fourth baby, I still pushed for around an hour. 

I have always labored in the water, but for one reason or another I had never gotten to have a water birth. I was feeling so completely exhausted that I felt I had to lay down. Jackie, knowing I really wanted a water birth this time, encouraged me to give it two pushes and if he hadn't come by then they can get me out and in bed. I think it was actually three pushes, but I was eventually able to push his little head out and have my water birth. It then took a few pushes to get the rest of his body out. It being as big around as his sweet little head, but Chandler Levi made his appearance into this world at 3:35am on July 15th, 2015 weighing 8lbs 13oz and 22 inches long. 

I didn't realize it until later when Jackie said "I loved the way you just grabbed him", that I was actually the one that caught him It was just so automatic.