Born at 7:03 PM, 13 minutes after my water broke. 3 long pushes, I think. And yes, born in the little birthing pool outside on the deck. Not a swimming pool, mind you. Nice warm water.
8 lbs, 9 oz. Our biggest by one ounce.
21.5 inches long
Dark hair
Proud daddy has already posted lots of pictures. My favorite is here.

Boy! 

a boy 7:03 pm

no name yet……

Not quite pool side…but Kim joked about coming in and makeing a post “just to be a show off” and then started getting some strong contractions with a bit of the urge to bear down. So she stayed put.

This may be the last update for a good while

Pc3

five minutes ago…

“8cm and not fully effaced”

Right after the last post Kim got a doozy of a contraction and the baby picked that precise moment to start wiggling about.

So back to the pool it was. It took her about 10 minutes to settle in and for the contractions to resume in ernest. While out of the pool they were intense and coming faster and faster. The last few were about 2 min apart. Once back in the pool it took a good while for them to build back up in intensity but we’re getting there and they are back under about 4 min. ( I keep syaing about ’cause it’s been a half hour since we actually timed them.)

Her mom is sitting with her by the pool while I type.

That’s Kim typing the last post.

TTFN

Pc3

The pool was a little too relaxing – or was it the 4 people watching me, waiting for the next contraction?
At any rate, I climbed out and they hit again in full force, at 2-3 minutes apart. Still manageable (where are my psychological signposts?!) but taking all my attention to make it through each one.
I’m wondering now where I am…7 cm? 8? I’m not scared or shaky (as would be typical at 7-10 cm), but I know my body has been working a lot since I was at 5 cm. But internal exams are uncomfortable to say the least, and I can’t bring myself to request one. I’ll just have to stay in suspense along with everyone else.

Real pain, and regular contractions. Sounds like time for the pool. Hubby may have to update from here, unless the pool is too relaxing and they drag me back out.

The plastic sheet is going on the bed. Things are moving!
Contractions are now so strong that I have to stop talking and breathe through each one. I might be more inclined to complain if I hadn’t been waiting so long for the pain to start!

Yes, I know. I was at 6 minutes several times earlier today. But these contractions feel different. These mean business. I wonder how much longer I can hide out before they come check on me?

I’m supposed to be napping now, but with nobody looking over my shoulder I’m finally getting some stronger contractions. I guess this baby is shy.
Maybe I’ll just hide out in my room with the computer and pretend to be sleeping. Whatever works!

Kim is out walking on the drive with the midwife while I finish cleaning the kitchen.

Seems everytime she comes in and tries to settle down all the contractions stop. As long as she is walking they stay steady (6 min or so) but not too hard.

Pc3

I’m 4-5 cm. dilated. I’m not a slacker anymore – well, at least not if I give birth sometime today. But of course my contractions got stage fright and took off as soon as the midwives arrived.
I’ll have a bite to eat, then go outside for a walk. Between the exam, and the walk, and maybe a bit of Blue Cohosh, we’re all hoping to get things kicked into gear.
Then I can get into the pool, which hubby has been working tirelessly to keep nice and warm.

Alright, I guess live-blogging warrants a little more detail.
Contractions were ~20 minutes apart throughout the night, and again nothing that kept me from sleeping. I woke up frequently but got plenty of rest overall.
Things kicked up a bit around 6:30 and I started timing contractions when I got out of bed a little after 7.
Here’s the timetable I have so far:
7:21
7:26
7:35/37 (double peak)
7:41
7:46
7:53
7:58

Did I mention the part about, “Ow”? These are entirely manageable still, but definitely stronger than any contractions I’ve had so far with this pregnancy.
Sounds promising, right?

Waking up hubby and calling the midwife, in that order. Today’s the day! I think…

I didn’t use it. I just tasted it.
It doesn’t count, because I took less than a teaspoon. But after reading the websites I just had to find what could possibly taste so horrible that 75% of the material I read is dedicated to how one can cover the taste and texture.
Hubby and I both sampled, and agreed that it had almost no flavor at all. It’s thick and oily, which could be gross to some people (esp. to the ones trying to down the whole 4 oz. at once) but just in case anyone out there is considering this route, don’t worry about the taste.
Not that I’m considering trying it. I just wondered what it would taste like. Hypothetically.

I called the midwife and left a message ~8AM. My mom called and made plans to pick up the children between 9 and 10, and…

drumroll…

Contractions stopped.

So I promised to keep the midwife updated; the kids grabbed swimsuits and squirt guns and left with Grandma (whose birthday is tomorrow, don’t forget!) and I took a nap.

Still nothing much happening, though Hubby is finishing up a bit of drywall work in the girls’ closet (hurrah!)
“At this rate,” I told him, “I could hold out til Mom’s birthday tomorrow. Or the 4th of July.”

I woke up at 6 AM, and found myself still having regular but mild contractions every 10 minutes or so. Not sure what to think, since I was able to sleep through them. I’ll putter around the house, give the midwife another few minutes of sleep and get her opinion on the matter. At this point it seems like a bad idea to hop in the van with a bunch of kids and my also-overdue sister to drive 70 miles for our prenatal appointments.
Hubby says it’s no problem to stay home a bit til we figure out a course of action, so I’m not worried.

When I climbed out of bed to post once more, my dwindling contractions went from 12 or 15 minutes apart to 6 or 7.
Now do I call the midwife and start pacing, or go back to bed? If it’s real nothing will stop it, so I’m leaning toward bed. Might as well get some sleep if/while I can. Something is happening, but I don’t want to wait up all night to see what it is. It’s nothing I can’t sleep through at this point. What if it doesn’t really get moving til morning, and I’m already tired out for no good reason?
Yeah…bed.
But I’ll leave the computer up and running for a quick post if the occasion should arise.

Not strong at all, but still regular at about 12 minutes apart. Is this a repeat of last Monday, or The Real Thing?
Maybe I should find something else to paint.

4 or 5 contractions in a row, less than 15 minutes apart. Not noteworthy in itself, but more regular than any I’ve noticed in the last week.

Kinda makes ya go Hmmm…