Malia Elizabeth...

(For those who perhaps have questions, it's pronounced "Ma-LEE-A".)

I didn't expect to be almost 6 days overdue, but thats exactly what happened. My due date came and went and twice I went to the hospital thinking, 'this is it" only to be told, "No, it's not" and was sent home feeling oh so embarrassed and disappointed.
Tuesday July 12, I went to see my OB for an appt. He said I was 3cm (had been for days) and asked if tomorrow I would come in so he could break my water. Great. Let's just do this thing. So I left, went and did some grocery shopping and came home. We hung out in the living room with the kids, my Mom and Beth (my sister). I stood up to start making supper, and my water broke. Strangest feeling ever when you have clothes on and are not in a hospital room. We all sort of looked at each other for a moment - kinda dazed and confused - then we lept into action. Call Dave at work! Where's my bag? Can you grab my water? The time was just after 5 pm. By the time we got to the hospital, it was around 5:30 and after my intital assesment and first round of anti-biotic(group B) it was just after 6. I still wasn't feeling many contractions at this point, so we went walking around the halls, peeked in the delivery rooms and watched some TV.




(The time frame gets a bit fuzzy here as we didn't have a clock in our waiting area.)




When the pain began getting so bad that I couldn't talk, I was moved to the delivery room and measured around 6cm. In no time at all though, I was feeling the urge to push and told the nurses so. They assured me this couldn't be and that I was not allowed to push because I could damage my cervix. About 5 contractions later - each with a stronger urge to push, I again let them know that this was for real, but was told I needed to breathe through the sensation. Ya right! Cuz thats SO EASY! Then give me the epidural I said...I can't keep this up for an hour or two. The anesthesiologist was called, but because it was later at night, we would need to wait for them to drive in from home. A few more contractions, and I couldn't hold it in anymore and my body began pushing. Finally the nurses checked me again and to their surprise, I was fully dilated and ready to go! I had gone from 6-10 in 15 minutes.
So without the supervision of my OB, we began. 2 pushes in her head came out with the cord around her neck. (I didn't know this until later, but I remember the room going strangely quiet). Apparently she was quite blue and again I was told to not push. Remembering the advice of a dear friend I used some breathing techniques to hold her in while they got rid of the cord around her. 3 more pushes and she was out!




Born at 9:25 pm, she weighed in at 8 pounds 15 oz. BIG BABY! About two minutes after her big debut, my doctor came rushing through the door. (He had left his car running in the parking lot and had bolted up the stairs, but still he was too late. His face was so surprised!) He did one stitch and then was on his way.
Also, my sister Beth (who captured many amazing moments on film for us) did great! She was a calm, supportive help to me and to Dave. We are so thankful that she made us a priority and chose to be here for Malia`s birth. Hope she is not too traumatized by everything she saw! :)


It was a great birth. Short. Intense. But not too traumatic on my body. It felt amazing to be walking around within minutes of her arrival and I know I got the birth I had always heard about. We were left alone to try different positions and do things in our own way and our own time.
It was a perfect note to end on. A wonderful way to bring this part of my life to a close.
And now we are a unit of 5. So far the kids are doing great. Sophie can't stop kissing her and Connor is somewhat uninterested/overprotective.



Thanks to all those that were praying for me and for Malia. It is such an amazing thing to be prayed for! :)