Birth

K2 made an entrance into the world this week on Wednesday, May 27th, at 8:44 am. He weighted 8 pounds 3 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. We are so happy for arrival in our family! He is named for his wonderful maternal grandfather and after the great Gideons in the scriptures. Incidentally, K2 was born on the fourth year anniversary of our first date.

On Memorial Day, we finished cleaning our house from the previous weekend. L4 invited 3 families over for dinner and games that evening. We had a wonderful time getting to know some neighbors. The families brought their children, and Underfoot had a wonderful time playing with them.

The baby didn’t move very much from Monday evening through to the following morning. I became concerned, and we called the midwife for counsel. She told us to go to the hospital to have a non-stress test done on the baby. After finding a babysitter for Underfoot, we arrived at the hospital and checked in with our driver’s licenses and went through security. The tests were to see if there was enough amniotic fluid for the baby and then to do a non-stress test which means it monitors the baby’s heartbeat and the number of movements. The baby didn’t move enough in the first 15 minutes so the midwife brought an “alarm clock” (a buzzer) and beeped my belly. He started to move more. L4 and I went to the midwives’ office after going to hospital. Nicole, one of the midwives, checked me out.

She gave instructions for how to induce labor using herbs. We left the midwife office and went to the store to get the herbs. We stopped at Lowe’s on the way home and L4 bought some plant food for the garden (iron supplement, Ammonia sulfate, B1, and a soaker hose). We came home, I took the herbs, we did a few things, then we went to a park and played with Underfoot. I got up and down the play equipment and we went for a walk. We came home. I started having contractions as she tried to make flight arrangements for her Mom to come the next morning.
We went to bed around midnight. I got up at about 3. L4 got up around 4. I would walk around the house and have contractions. At about 5 a.m. we called the midwife office to let them know where we were at. They told us to come to the birth center. Amanda, our very kind neighbor, came over to watch Underfoot. We arrived at the Birth Center just before 6 a.m.

I labored mostly standing up, pacing back and forth in the room and sometimes on my hands and knees. Fortunately, we were the only people at the Birth Center. L4 told Fran, the midwife, that
he needed to be a bit away from the action, because he nearly passed out when Underfoot was born.

I really wanted to have the baby at the birth center because I didn’t want to be attached to a fetal heart monitor or have to labor in bed. I wanted to move and not have to worry about the labor being very long. I would walk and shake my head saying that I couldn’t do it. L4 kept saying, “Your body knows how to do this. You’ve done it before. You can do this.”

L4 was a great support. Beth, the nurse, said that the baby was transverse meaning the baby hadn’t turned the right way to come down the birth canal. The baby needed to turn before it could come down the birth canal and took about 2 hours to turn. Once the baby turned the baby came within a few minutes.

Judy, the midwife, actually delivered the baby. I didn’t tear or get stitches because the midwife told her how to do it. Fran thought that the baby would come very quick and broke my bag of water around 7 am. The baby didn’t come for about another 2 hours. L4 kept saying, “We’re going to have a baby soon.” After he had said that a few times, I was hurting so much that I didn’t want him to say that anymore.

Heavenly Father gave His help in many ways. K2 came in a great and marvelous manner. K2 was born within minutes of crowning. I wanted the baby to come out and was ready to be done. I’m glad that the baby decided to turn and come.

I remember that I hurt more with baby K2 than with Underfoot. I wondered if I hurt because of the baby not being in the perfect position and needing to turn. The blessing is that Heavenly Father takes that pain memory away and replaces it with a desire for more children and love.

Today, Sunday, we blessed K2. Grandpa K., Uncle A, Tia and Tio drove all the way from Idaho to be a part of the blessing. They brought us strawberry and raspberry plants that L4 planted with A. and J. late on Saturday night. We cleaned house, cooked a lot of food, and got ready for a luncheon today after the blessing. L4’s boss and his wife attended the blessing along with our neighbors Beth and Bill and their two children.

We are so grateful that everyone is healthy and happy.