Caution! Birth pictures and blog.

After the due date coming and going (Not surprising for me) only 5 days past due he has arrived! I had an intense need to clean on the 18th and so I did. After cleaning the house from top to bottom and caring for the kids in between tasks I was experiencing lots of contractions. After going all day and night with them they never got regular so I went to bed around 10pm. I had a hard time going to sleep wondering if things were going to happen since even after laying down they were still coming anywhere from 7-10 minutes apart. I lost to the exhaustion around 1:30am. I woke at 5am and was amazed that I made it through the night with no baby being born. I tried to keep sleeping knowing that Claire was going to be up in an hour only to find that I was having extreme lower back pain with contractions and I knew it was on!

I got up and wondered around to make sure things were really happening and called one of my 3 midwives at 5:30am to let her know what was going on and that the contractions were 5 minutes apart. She asked me to call her back in half an hour and let her know if thing were still happening. I quickly realized shortly after the conversation with Kori that they were 1-3 minutes apart and not 5 like I thought. I could only wait 15 minutes since I realized that the contractions were 1-3 minutes apart. I got Trav up and had him start preparing the downstairs for the arrival of our 3rd baby. My mom was getting ready for work and I informed her that I didn't think she was going to make it in since this baby was on their way! Trav called his dad Steve to come and get the kids by 7:30am so they wouldn't be here during the birth. Trav and I thought it would be scary for them to see their mother in pain and that I might have a hard time relaxing with them around. Within a a half an hour the pool was up, the lasagna was defrosting, all the gear was set up, towels were put out, and water was boiling on the stove.

The midwives arrived about 7am and it was like a party with all of us talking and the kids milling around and breakfast being made while I labored. Steve got to the house at 7:30am on the dot and hung around for a few minutes and got to meet the midwives and survey the scene. He also decided to keep the kids overnight which was such a blessing for us. Steve is so generous to take the kids overnight and we really appreciated being able to get through the day with just the new one. After the kids left things picked up a bit and I just stood in the kitchen and labored amongst the birth team (Trav, my mom, Midwife Kori, Jr. Midwife Mirra, and Midwife's Apprentice Stephanie) while they went about their morning. About 8:30am I decided it would be nice to get into the birthing tub and in I went! Boy was that nice! It felt great to be in the warm water and it really made the labor feel so much better. I was in a great mood and able to chat in between contractions and then comfortable enough to sleep in between the contractions in the warm water.

It started getting super intense about 10am and I was starting to feel pressure. At that point the birth team rallied around me in the tub and at 10:34am Samuel Xavier Larsen entered the world! He floated into my arms with the help of the midwives and I remember thinking he is so squishy! He felt so plump in my hands and his little bottom didn't feel so...little. He was chubby and calm and looked a lot like Ben. He was covered in vernix which was a new experience for us since both Claire and Ben came out quite clean.

It felt great to have him here and not be in labor as he was slow upon arrival. From the moment my water broke to the time he was completly out was 13 minutes but to me felt like an hour! When I say that he was slow It took 4 contractions to get his head out and I remember thinking "What is the hold up?! How can his head not be out yet and why does my body keep taking breaks since his head isn't out?!" It was hard but well worth the 13 minutes of pain. Everyone was amazed by how plump he was and when we were both out of the tub and after Trav held him on his bare chest for a while the midwives weighed him. I got a little worried when Mirra said "That can't be right? No it is right 11lbs 1oz!" Holy cow he was a big baby! I thought maybe 10.5lbs never 11! His length was also surprising as it was 21 3/4" and his head at 15". After pushing him out the size of his head didn't surprise me. As a reminder of our previous birth stats Claire was 8lbs 1oz, 20 1/2" long, and a 13.5" head, and Ben was 9lbs 7oz, 20 1/2" long, and a 14.5" head. Sam by far is much bigger in all ways!

Overall it was a wonderful experience and it was so nice to be at home. It felt natural and comfortable and not scary like I thought it might be once I was in it. It was wonderful to have my mother there as this was the first time we had any family present for one of our births. She was very happy to be a part of the experience and Trav and I were glad she was able. We had invited my step-mom Cher but my dad had come down with a nasty cold and we all thought it was best if she could, unfortunately, stay away. We did however miss Karen, Trav's mom, terribly as she was also going to attend the birth had she not passed away in November last year. It was bitter sweet knowing why she was unable to be a part of this miraculous experience and yet also wonderful because we knew she was watching over us.

I have to plug Alma Midwifery in all of this as they gave me the confidence to birth at home and their care was far superior to any other OB-GYN or clinical midwife I have had previously. Their loving bedside manner and positive energy was wonderful during our appointments and at the birth. I would highly recommend anyone looking for a birth canter or a home birth experience to seriously consider them as you will not be disappointed.