the birth of everett stephen

my mom arrived in atlanta from fresno, ca on saturday, november 22, 2008. we had prayed that i would not go into labor before she got into atlanta. she really wanted to be with us during the birth and wanted to experience my water birth. the lord answered our prayers because she arrived just in time... perfect time!

driving back home from celebrating jessica's 21st birrthday at ted's montana grill on a sunday evening at 7pm-ish, november 23, 2008 to be exact. i began feeling what i believed to be braxton hicks contractions. turned out to be the "real thing". since this was my first pregnancy, i had no idea what to expect.

i felt like i was going to burst! i layed down on our bed and propped my feet up on to a pile of soft pillows as i moaned and moaned. then took a few baths to relax. from that moment, i knew i had a very long night ahead of me. trying to fall asleep was not a success. looking at the time passing by was no help at all. i learned in my birthing class not to time the contractions as soon as they start because it will seem like forever. we waited as long as we could then began timing my contractions. 10 minutes apart. 7 minutes apart. 5 minutes apart. around 5am it was time to call my mid wife, margaret strickhouser (she is an amazing woman and i highly recommend her). another prayer was answered, margaret was on call! i gathered my belongings as fast as i could being that i only packed half of my things the day before, woke my mom up and got myself ready to go. in between my contractions i was packing karl's bag too and crossing the list off. hey, at least i was prepared with a list. i had already packed the fish net... but we will not go there.

karl loaded up the car with a pile of towels on my seat just in case my water broke on the way. we were off to the hospital passing all the commuters on the highway. we missed most drivers because it was around 6:00 in the am. we pulled into the hospital drop off spot. apparently i was the only woman in labor that morning that asked for a wheelchair. the others just walked right in. i think my adrenaline was pumping so much that i could not even walk. after being admitted into the hospital, i was examined and was told that i was 5cms dilated. since this was a planned water birth the wonderful staff began to fill the huge tub with hot water and i mean HOT!!i slowly stepped in by the help of karl. ohhhh, it was amazing! the hot water was so relaxin let me tell ya! it was my drug of choice for sure, no epidural for me! the hot water was probably just like a natural anesthetic. it eased the pain of my contractions that were very close together. i believe at that time they were about a minute apart. by this time it was after 7am and i had promised my mom before that the hospital has a coffee bar for patients. i felt horrible being that my mom was still on west coast time and if you know my mom she runs on her coffee. my mid wife was very generous and brought a huge cup of coffee to her!

the time passing was so slow!!! gradually, i began to dilate with my contractions closer together. it was very encouraging to hear karl's soothing voice tell me how good of a job i was doing. i was filled with so much excitement! it was a very emotional experience and i just wanted to see my baby and hold him in my arms. by the time i got between 9-10 cms i was beginning to feel the urge to push. that feeling was one i can not describe. it was a such a huge relief for me to push during each contraction! i loved being in the water and feeling so free and being able to move and turn to a comfortable position rather than having to be restricted in a bed. from the time that i started pushing to the time that everett was born was a total of 5 long hours. it seemed like forever, but the grace of GOD was with me. trying to push everett out was a very long and drawn out process. as you can tell, it was a 5 hour process. i was EXHAUSTED and that is an under statement! after approximately 3 1/2 hours of pushing, i was not progressing. everett's head would crown then go back in. that was happening for a long time. margaret, my mid wife suggested that i get out of the water and try to push on the bed. i was so upset because it was my desire for a few years (after watching a documentary called, the business of being born. visit the link: www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com to have a water birth. however, everett was not wanting to come out. karl's line of the day was, "he is stubborn just like his mommy!" karl knows how to keep the humor alive! after an hour and a half our little or should i say huge baby was born!!! that was the most amazing experience i have ever had, thus far! i was filled with emotion however did not cry like i thought i would. i was just trying to concentrate on getting the baby OUT! margaret layed the baby on my chest and i remember saying, "my baby, my baby, i love you, i love you, i love you!" i looked over at karl and he had tears in his eyes. he leaned over to kiss me and i melted. i could not believe that our dreams had come true.

after karl cut the umbilical cord we finally decided on the baby's name. we announced it to my mom since she did not know yet. baby everett stephen baune was born on november 24, 2008 at 5:55pm weighing 8lbs 15oz and 20 inches long. we were over joyed with emotions! it was such a miracle!

thank you to my amazing husband karl for your support through the whole birthing experience and for your loving and encouraging words. thank you to my beautiful mother who was my cheerleader and held my hand throughout. i love you both very much and i am very blessed to have you both be apart of this experience. now onto being a mother and wife!


post bt lisa