Baby Wally has arrived!!
Wally's birth story:
Baby W was born exactly on his due date which was so shocking to me since I swear I had another week and a half to go. We had been in Bear Lake the few days before and I was feeling great! I went on the boat, the jet ski, paddled in the canoe and felt like I could do a lot more but didn't since I was nine months pregnant but felt like I was six or seven. On Sunday the 24th we headed home but decided to take a detour to Oakley. We stayed the night there and my mom came home with us on Monday to help me clean the house. I was feeling a bit tired but figured that it was just from the busy weekend. That night I was talking to my little sis, and I remember telling her that I was not expecting this baby anytime soon. I think at that point I knew that something was going on but I wasn't about to set myself up for disappointment. A and I started to watch Harry Potter 7 part 1 and around 9 p.m. I started to feel a little uncomfortable. I moved over to the birth ball to try and relive my discomfort but that did little since I was having back labor. A little after 11 p.m. I told Andrew that I was done with the movie and needed to get in the tub to relax. I sat in the tub from 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. only getting out a few times because I was a little warm. Around 1:30 a.m. I woke up Andrew and let him know that we should get ready to head to the hospital. He was a little hesitant but got up anyway and was very helpful. He stepped right in with putting counter pressure on my back and keeping me calm. At 2 a.m. we called his dad and asked him if he would come down here and stay with little B.
At this point I was pretty sure that I wasn't going to make it. I was telling A that we needed to get to the hospital because I needed medicine now. B's labor was 14 hours not counting the pre-labor for two nights before, so I was thinking that I still had a ways to go! A's dad finally arrived just before 2:30 a.m. and I was just finishing up another contraction. At this point I was laying on our bed on my side in the fetal position, and A was grabbing the last few things and giving his dad some instructions. I had one more contraction before we left and I remember feeling a bit embarrassed that his dad was listening to my deep moaning and a bit of screaming while I worked through the contraction. I got in our car and was just praying that we wouldn't hit any traffic lights. We had called my Doula around 2 a.m. so she was on her way as well. My initial goal was to labor at our house with Angie my Doula. Little did I know that this was going to be much faster, even though they say to expect your labor to be cut in half the second time I just didn't believe it. We called labor and delivery on our way so that they would be ready as soon as we arrived. While driving I had two more contractions. A pulled up to the hospital and I wobbled into L&D as fast as I could. Right when we arrived I had another contraction and had to sit down. My nurse asked if I needed a wheelchair and I let out a forced yes. Within 5 minutes I was in our room changed and checked. I was dilated to a 9 plus!! Those words were the most beautiful thing that I had ever heard. Once I knew how progressed I was I was so relieved. My Doctor was on call that night, thank goodness, and she was in the room within 5 minutes. Within 15 minutes I was trying to bear Wally down. Luckily he was posterior, which is why I was having back labor, or else I would of had him at our house or in the car. I had an amazing nurse that was helping A give me counter pressure, helping hold my legs, and giving me encouragement, water and snacks. My Doula arrived around 3:25 am as I was bearing down. At this point my water had not broken. Sam (my doctor), was so wonderful, she kept me informed the whole time and followed my Birth Plan perfectly. I had Sam break my placenta since I new that I didn't have the mind power to break the sac as well as deliver Wally. During the last contractions I would push and then sit back and completely relax to regain my energy.
Once Wally was crowing Sam told me that I couldn't relax anymore and that I just needed to push. This to me is the hardest part. Knowing that you are so close but being so exhausted makes it hard for me to finish the task. At that point I would almost rather make it all go away and just stay pregnant. But then I think about my sweet baby almost ready to meet the world and I find that strength and I push. Once his head cleared life was easy. Wally was born at 3:45 a.m. and was given straight to me where I held him skin to skin for almost 2 hours. The nurse did all of the newborn procedures while I was holding him and waited to to everything else until we were ready to head up to the room.Sam delivered my placenta and showed it to us which I thought was amazing, knowing that this it was kept my baby alive is incredible.
There is no way that I can adequately describe the feelings I have at that moment when my babies are born, lifted up so that I can see them, and then handed to me. This is the greatest joy that I think I will ever feel.
Wallace Larsen Richards weight 7 lbs 1 oz and measured 22 inches long.
