Ben's Birth Story (Part 2)

(This post contains actual photos from his birth. You will not see any of my girly parts. For those of you with weak stomachs, although there is nothing gross, the pictures are small. For those more curious, you can click on them to make them large)

At about 3:40, I felt a pop and said, "I think my water just broke." Midwife said, "Oh yes it did! Nice, clear fluid, so that's good!" And all of a sudden, the contractions got intense. I could no longer calmly breathe through contractions. I had to keep my eyes shut and make the sounds my body told me to make. I asked Midwife, "What's happening?" and she said, "Your baby's coming down and it's coming down fast." That gave me a bit of comfort to know that soon it would be over. I didn't feel like pushing yet, but I felt a lot of pressure. Midwife said whenever I felt I wanted to push, I could.

(With Colin, when I had dilated to 10 and Midwife said I could push whenever I was ready, I started pushing almost right away. Emotionally I was ready to meet my baby. But physically, my body was not ready to push yet. I never really felt the urge to push.)

So I waited, and things in my body got more and more intense. Midwife checked me and said I was 9 3/4 dilated, and to get onto my knees in the tub. Sometime after that is when Leah walked in.
(We had discussed the possibility of her coming to photograph Ben's birth. She'd love to do more birth photography but with the unpredictability of it, it's hard to schedule :) So we said, "if it works, it works, if it doesn't, it doesn't." I texted her to let her know we were going in. She had a photo session scheduled, but her client/friend was understanding and let her come shoot me instead :) It all worked out for the best for all parties involved.)

I continued to moan through the intense contractions, and eventually felt the urge to push.

I will explain the "urge to push" this way: It's like when you have to vomit. And you're kneeling on the floor in front of the toilet and you're thinking, "Oh God, Oh God, it's coming, it's coming. It's going to feel horrible and I'm not going to like it and---BBBLLELEEECCHHH!" That's what the urge to push feels like. You can't stop it.

Ben's head finally came out, but the umbilical cord was wrapped tightly around his neck. Midwife told me to put one foot on the edge of the tub and push while standing up.
Ben's shoulders got stuck, but soon enough, out he came at 4:03 pm. I looked behind me to see what we had. (by the way...Readers, meet Midwife. She's the one in the middle holding Ben).
I was surprised (but not disappointed in the least) to see that we had a little boy. Midwife said he was "sleepy" and apologized for not letting me hold him right away like we discussed.
Ben's cord was cut and he was handed over to the nurses and the OB (who was there watching her first water birth) to get some oxygen.

Meanwhile, back in the tub, I was relieved it was over and happy to have another little boy.
Kevin snatched up the baby (who, at this point, was still unnamed)And then Amy handed him to me. I was so excited to hold my little bundle of love.
Falling in love
I just really love Kevin's big smile and that he's rubbing his hands together (which I've learned means he's happy).
Then Midwife and Amy asked if he had a name. Truthfully, we hadn't decided on one. We were banking on my gut thinking it was a girl and we wouldn't have to worry about it. But all of a sudden, we had to make a decision. What should we name you, sweet little boy? We had to decide if you looked like a Benjamin, an Eli, an Elijah, a William or something we hadn't thought of yet.
After seeing his face, we quickly decided he was a Benjamin and not any of the others. So Benjamin it was. Midwife said, "Benjamin is a good name. It means "son of the right hand."" (I guess that makes Colin son of the left hand? ;)
After a few more minutes of comparing his features to Colin's and lots of snuggles, Ben was footprinted,
measured,
and weighed. Midwife guessed his weight to be at least 8 lbs. I said no way (as if I know), and she said his cheeks are those of an 8 lb-er. She was right. 8 lbs, 6 oz.
Content.
3/4 of a family.
After I had recovered for about an hour and a half, and the birth tub had been emptied and cleaned, Amy asked if I wanted to take a bath with Ben in the tub. Knowing how cool the opportunity was, I of course said yes. Amy filled the tub back up, and together, she and I scrubbed the ink off his feet and the vernix out of his hair and skin creases. It was a great bonding experience, and I'll never forget that kind gesture she made for us.

Mr. Ben, we are so lucky to have you in our family. We hope you like us just as much as we like you :) Be prepared for lots of snuggles from your mama and lots of fun and play with your Daddy and big brother.

Welcome to the world, little man!