11 day old Mia snoozing on the couchOur little Mia Ella is 5 weeks old today. The time is going so fast. I knew it would with the second, but yikes, she is growing and changing so quickly! It took me 2.5 months to write Liam's birth story on the blog so it looks like I cut that time in half with Mia's story. Just to warn you, it's a doozy and super long! Here goes...
Early Saturday morning, April 14th, I was awakened by contractions that were a bit stronger and I was hoping, productive. It was 3:30am and I really wanted to sleep because if labor was coming soon I knew I needed rest. Labor started similarly with Liam so I knew these contractions were not the real thing yet but they were more than Braxton Hicks. I was timing the contractions in bed, determined to drift off but no luck. I finally got out of bed about 6:30am. The contractions had been between 8 and 10 minutes apart but they slowed a little by 7:00am. When Derrick and Liam woke up I told Derrick I thought today would be the day our daughter would arrive. These contractions lasted all day but were manageable and about 15 minutes apart. We crammed a couple fun things into the day despite these constant contractions. We had a special breakfast out that morning, just us three, and then went hunting for trees at The Tree Farm. We had dinner at my parents' that night, too.
Me at 8:53pm Saturday night.
About 9:00pm we got into bed to read, relax and hopefully get some rest through the contractions. I really wanted to sleep. Derrick and I are reading the Hunger Games Trilogy together so he was reading as I was trying to relax. By 9:30 I couldn't lie in bed anymore so I was up, walking and breathing through contractions that were 8 min apart. These were the real thing. Derrick downloaded a contraction timer app and we reviewed the stages of labor. I rested with the hands on the bed or dresser and kinda rocked back and forth for these contractions. Derrick kept reading Catching Fire to me :) but at 10:00 the contractions had kicked up in frequency and intensity being only 5 min apart. I had the chills and was shivering like crazy so Derrick got out our electric blanket and I had that wrapped around me for a while as I was dealing with contractions. I remember I got the chills with Liam before labor got crazy hard. A week after Mia was born, someone told me shaking and shivering can be a sign of the Transition Stage of labor. Hmm...interesting...I did not know that at the time. If I had, maybe we would have hopped in the car right then. Labor with Liam was 16 hours from the time my water broke so I was not expecting a huge change from that. I was simply praying to not have to push for 3.5 hours. We had just read on the app that contractions can be 5 minutes apart for 6 hours. We don't feel any rush.
At 10:30 I made Derrick call the doctor because the contractions were about 3 min apart and very strong! We had been told at prenatal visits not to call until contractions were 5 min apart for 2 full hours but I could tell I was at a stage where things were progressing. I recognized this stage of labor - it was when I desperately needed an epidural with Liam but we were still home...haha! The doctor said to come in for a labor check. I had no idea really how far along in this process I was. Derrick is so calm and moving slowly in my opinion! He changed the bedsheets because his parents were coming to be with Liam at our house overnight. They arrived about 10:50. I am getting LOUD now and really moaning as these strong contractions come. I remember hanging onto the door frame of the closet...it was extremely intense! I made it just into the garage as another contraction came. The good ol' Prius there for support and Pam and Bill watching wide-eyed! My water hadn't broken yet so I sat on a towel with a trashcan at my feet, I felt a bit nauseous.
We were headed to the hospital at 11:00pm. I had more intense contractions in the car (much moaning and shaking my head...haha). At one point I said, "I'm going to need help..." meaning I think I need an epidural. Derrick didn't quite know what this meant but still he was is no rush whatsoever. He kept saying "relax" as I had just asked a friend that evening for suggestions on how to cope and deliver naturally. I was hoping I might be dilated to a 7 when we got to the hospital. I really hoped all this labor was making some progress. I actually felt the urge to push a couple times while in the car but totally thought it was just a very strong, full body contraction. I was nervous about the pushing stage and how that would be if I didn't end up with an epidural. That was so, so tough and exhausting with Liam, I couldn't imagine going through that without pain relief. We were driving in the pouring rain so had to talk logistics of a drop-off at the door. We had a chance to do this during a break in the contractions. I was so thankful I at least got breaks because I didn't with Liam and the pain just took over; I couldn't cope. So we decided that Derrick would drop me off, then park the car, bring in our bags and we'd walk up together to labor and delivery. We pulled up at the main entrance, a 35 year old man with crutches saw us and said "You're almost there!"(little did he know!)
Derrick walked me past the first set of sliding doors into the AirLock of Good Sam's when another contraction came (same place as with Liam). I was hanging onto a pillar on the wall, moaning, coping, minding my own business and then got the strong urge to push. I yelled to Derrick that I felt I had to push. Derrick was saying, "No, no don't push, just breathe!" The security guard asked if we wanted a wheelchair (yup, he must have heard me coming) and said he'd call labor and delivery to say we were headed up. Derrick said "Sit down!" but I refused to sit and said "She's coming..." because I knew she was crowning. Derrick told me later he was thinking "Just cross your legs. Do not push! She can't really be coming!" I said, "I have to push...I'm serious! She is right there!" Derrick now felt her crowning and immediately ripped off my pants. I shouted, "Her head is out!" I was sort of squatting over the wheelchair with my hands on the armrests. Derrick said I let out quite the war howl (I was a bit scared and totally shocked of what was happening. I felt totally out of control) as I gave one push. He caught Mia as she dropped onto the wheelchair seat. Then he ordered me to sit down which was possible now and we whizzed down the hall, pants at my ankles and leaving a trail of yuckies streaming from the chair, I'm sure. We could hear the gasp and see the whites of the security guard as he again said, "I'll call and tell them you're coming!" I immediately checked to make sure Mia was indeed a girl because I was nervous about that. A boy in a purple room...umm, no thanks. Anyway, as we're flying down the hall getting wind chill, I was so shocked, all I could say was, "Hi, Baby?!?". As we got close to the elevators we were relieved when she let out little whimpers and cries; we knew she was breathing. We're all pretty calm now, baby in my arms, listening to the elevator music. The Mom/Baby wing is a locked area. Derrick was pounding on the doors. I told him to pick up the phone to call and they'd let us in. The door attendants didn't know our baby had come so they were in no rush. I guess women frequently pound on the doors thinking they'll have their baby any second when they're really only dilated to a one. When we got in we shocked 'em! We whizzed down the hall where about 6 nurses were frantically directing us where to go. We went into our labor and delivery room I said "she's still attached" (duh!). The nurses cut the cord and put her on the warming table for several minutes. She was cold because we didn't have any blankets. The nurses kept commenting on how calm we were. I said, "Well, it doesn't hurt anymore." I got an "Oh, bless your heart" for that comment. My mom told me later, a delivery like Mia's is what the nurses call a "Stop and Drop". That sounds about right! Mia wanted to make an shocking first day for her parents and an memorable last day for Melissa, the nurse who was moving to Cali the next week.
Derrick now gave the nurses our Birth Plan. Good timing, huh? One commented that I did what I said I wanted on my Birth Plan..."a natural birth, without pain medication". I guess I did it! Wow! I can do anything for two hours, especially if I don't really know what's happening. I had also written, "We are going to be flexible as we go through the birthing process. No one can predict all that will go on." You can say that again!
Derrick went to go move the car which was still outside the front door! I had to wait probably 15 min for Doctor Roos to come to deliver the placenta and stitch me up. That was much more painful than with Liam. Since I had to wait, the placenta kinda got stuck because my body thought I was done laboring. The doc had to push on my uterus and pull out the placenta...not fun! Anyway, Derrick got to sign under the doctor's name as "who delivered the baby". We think that's pretty cool! We are still shocked as to how the details of this birth played out. If you would have asked me at 9:00pm on Saturday if I thought I was going to have my baby that day, I would have said that there was no way. If you had asked me at 11:00pm if I thought I'd have a baby within the next 15 minutes, I would have said there was no way. How could the entire "real" labor & delivery process have been only 2 hrs and 15 min? Plus 3.5 hours of pushing with Liam compared to only one push with Mia! I'll take it!
Derrick had gotten a text from his dad asking, "Did you make it to the hospital?" He responded, "Baby's here!" and surprised them. We called my parents (who didn't even know we were headed to the hospital) and told them the baby was here and she was born in the lobby! They didn't know if they had heard us right. :) It is still shocking for us to think about Mia's birth story. God was in control the whole time even when I felt things were progressing out of control. He had a special plan for us. Mia is an amazing blessing to our family! We pray for God's wisdom in raising His child.
Thanks for reading about the most recent Wildhaber adventure. It was intense and unexpected but had such a fantastic ending! We are so grateful our little Mia came safely and that we were both healthy! Mia Ella was 7lbs, 8oz and 20in long at birth. She was born on April 14th at 11:14pm. Her name means "My Torch". Ella was my maternal grandmother's name and my mom's name is Ellie which is a form of Ella so Mia Ella is a tribute to both those amazing, godly, lovely women. Besides living up to being a torch of light for Christ, we think Mia will be a "go-getter" who does everything in her own timing since she made Daddy deliver her in the lobby of the hospital!
Liam is doing great with his adjustment to Mia. He is being so sweet and gentle. He always notices her and seems to understand she's staying around. He asks about her, wants to see her, wants to hold her. He gives her such sweet kisses. He's a fantastic big brother. We love our family of four! I'm loving having a boy and a girl. There will be so many fun times ahead...stay tuned!
