The Birth of Jaxson Robert

Jaxson Robert Andresen
April 5, 2009 @ 6:13pm
7 pounds even

18.5 inches long

So the (long) story goes something like this:

I had my 39 week appointment on Friday, April 3rd, and I was 3cm and 80%. I had my membranes stripped (which didn't hurt at all like it did with Jayden) and I soon started losing bits of my plug and was having Braxton Hicks roughly every 15-20 minutes. Following the advice I was given when I was anxiously awaiting Jayden's arrival, I decided that Aaron, Jayden, and I needed to go for a walk, so we walked around Alderwood Mall for a few hours. The contractions continued, but at the same intervals and intensity.

Saturday, April 4th continued with more random Braxton Hicks. Later that night we went to hang out with an old childhood friend of Aaron's in Shoreline. They invited us to a small park at an abandoned school near their home to play a game of softball. I didn't actually play since having hard balls fly at my unborn child didn't sound like a wise idea, but I got just as much of a workout running up and down the hills after Jayden. Needless to say I was exhausted by night's end. Braxton Hicks continued as usual. No big deal...I barely noticed them.

When I woke up at 7:30 am on Sunday morning, April 5th, I noticed I felt "wet". Instantly thinking it was my water, I dashed to the bathroom to find myself bleeding slightly. I called the hospital just to make sure it was normal and not because I'd over-exerted myself the past few days. The nurse confirmed it was my "bloody show" and soon after I started contracting roughly every 5 minutes. To me, they weren't intense enough to be considered real labor. I was still able to move around and do all my daily activities. Around 11:00 am, I started to notify family that "today might be the day" and to stay alert on baby watch. The contractions were still 5 minutes apart and, while they were getting more intense and relatively painful, they still weren't enough to stop me dead in my tracks.

Once I put Jayden down for his afternoon nap around noon, they started to get intense so we called my mom and she came over with my aunt. We started timing them at 1:00pm. They were still every 5 minutes apart. At around 4:30pm I was definitely in the throws of active labor and even though I knew it was coming, I didn't realize how close I actually was. I didn't want to go to the hospital because I still felt okay enough to labor at home, but I called L&D to check and they urged me to come in as did my mom. They must have sensed I was closer to delivery than I thought I was. In comparison to Jayden's birth, I felt great! There was no way (in my mind) that I was more than 5cm dilated...at the most. I ended up giving in and saying "Ok, well lets just go and get checked". At least I could relax in their jacuzzi tub while laboring, right?? We were waiting for Tommy and Samantha to come and pick Jayden up at our house and then all of a sudden...WHAM! Transition hit in full force and all I could do was scream through the contractions. They INSTANTLY (and I'm not kidding when I say that!) went from 5 minutes to 2 minutes apart.

We left for the hospital around 5:00pm. During the whole 20-30 minute car ride to the hospital I kept telling my mom that I had to push. She almost pulled over the car to call 911 because she thought we were going to have the baby in the car. I was NOT going to deliver my baby on the side of the freeway!

As soon as we arrived at the hospital around 5:30pm, my mom hopped out of the car in panic mode and rushed to the nurses' station. Since they knew I was on my way, they had nurses waiting and my room already prepped. The nurses rushed me straight in to L&D...they didn't even bother to check me into triage! Again, they must have known better than me that a baby was imminent...and FAST! Everything from that point went so quickly that it was just a blur. I was instantly stripped of my clothes, thrown into a gown, hooked up to IV fluids because I was getting dehydrated, and placed on the bed for a cervical check. Much to my surprise, I was dilated to 8cm! I cried out of both shock that I was actually 8cm and not the 5cm I thought I was and agony that I still had 2cm to go. I felt like I had to push...are you kidding me??!!

It was at this point that everything became so surreal and started to really hit me. I was trying to achieve a drug-free birth, but once transition hit (and me not knowing at the time that's what it was) I was in so much denial that I could actually be farther along in my progression than I thought that I felt there was NO WAY I could make it through the rest of my labor drug-free. I was so afraid that I was going to cave and end up with an epidural again! When the nurse announced I was 8cm and moving fast it was then and there that I realized, "Oh my God! I'm actually going to do this natural! There's no time and no turning back!".

I was progressing so fast that Aaron barely made it on time before I started pushing. He stopped in the Maternity Center lobby to ask the receptionist if they actually admitted me and apparently she chuckled and said "Oh yeah...you'd better hurry!". Haha! Even the on-call doctor was running behind. I was so close to having a male doctor (which I am averse to) that I'd never even met deliver my baby. My delivering doctor explained to me that my water was still intact but Jaxson's head was so low in the canal which explained why I felt like I had to push so bad. She offered to break my water so the extra pressure would dilate me so I could push. It worked. 10 minutes after my water was broken (and a half hour after my arrival at the hospital) I started to push at 6pm.

Pushing was the most intense feeling, and since I did not have an epidural, I felt EVERYTHING, especially the burning from the "ring of fire" as he was crowning. It hurt so bad that I didn't want to push thinking that the burning would just go away in between contractions when I wasn't pushing. WRONG! So I knew I just had to push harder and get it over with. I pushed through it as much as I could and after 13 minutes, Jaxson was born! He was immediately placed skin-to-skin on my chest where he proceeded to pee all over me. He has a bit of jaundice (not out of normal range) and he scored a 9 on both of his APGARs.

Recovery has been a breeze...just a very small first degree tear that didn't even require a stitch. I got one for good measure anyway...just in case.

So, the short synopsis: A total of 7 hours of active labor, 6 of which was done at home. Jax was born a mere 45 minutes after our arrival at the hospital and after 13 minutes of pushing...all natural, no meds! I got my NCB!! :)

He's a great little baby... easily startled, but an awesome nurser and a cuddlebug! LOVES to be held. Jayden didn't know what to think of his little brother when he met him for the first time, but I'm sure he will get used to him eventually. We get discharged tonight around 7pm and I can't wait to settle in at home as a family!!

We are now a family of four!! I'm so proud and so in love with both my boys! :)