As I sit and type tonight I am also uploading birth photos that my amazing friend Ivette took. I can not wait to post them for you all to see. So I am going to truly attempt to make this an overview and for those that want the details, you can take a look at the photos that will be coming in the next couple days.
So to continue...Once Cooper arrived we all looked together to see if the baby was a boy or girl. I announced to the room "it's a boy!" We spent a good amount of time just looking at him, touching him, talking to him. Eventually Cooper asked to get in the water with us, he quickly changed and jumped in. There was not any blood in the water but there was clearly some vernix and amniotic fluid, but the kids didn't care. My sweet little boy started showing some feeding cues so I brought him close and he latched on. He nursed from both sides and did extremely well. The kids eventually got out, showered off and put pajamas back on. When they came back to the kitchen we were getting ready to cut the cord. Both Kylie and Cooper cut the cord together, taking turns, it was so sweet. Once the cord was cut, Craig got his turn to do some skin to skin. I had been waiting to see the gush of blood that would indicate the placenta was ready to come, but it had been quite some time, maybe even 40 minutes or so and there was still no blood. So I stood up and felt inside. The placenta was right there ready to come out. I tried to deliver it on my own, putting a small amount of traction on the cord, but I couldn't get it to come. Heather was able to provide traction at a slightly different angle and I was able to push it out easily. I got out of the tub, dried off and climbed in bed. They brought me the baby, Cooper jumped in and asked to nurse and Kylie climbed in and asked for some breakfast. We cuddled, ate, and enjoyed the light morning rain out the bedroom window. The student midwives came in to assess me. Blood pressure, pulse, fundus, bleeding and tearing. Everything checked out perfect. I was having very minimal bleeding, very contracted fundus and no tear. Next step the newborn exam. We waited until he was done nursing and started the exam while he was still in my arms. One of the best parts of having a home birth is having control over how the early postpartum progresses. I was assessed when I felt ready, they did the newborn exam when I said it was time, no rushing, no pressure, just simple peace and space to progress in a way that feels good.
The full newborn exam was done on our "mega bed" with all of us watching, including my parents. Our sweet boy weighed 9lbs on the dot, 21 inches long, head circumference 14.5 (average is 12-14in), everything perfect. Kylie helped to trim the cord again and he was back skin to skin with me in no time. The midwives cleaned up their supplies, went over some basic things to remember for the next 24 hours before they come back to assess us again. My dad took Cooper to his house to play while Craig, baby and I settled in for a nap. Kylie eventually joined us and we all enjoyed a great rest.
The rest of the day was simple and wonderful, we ate, I showered, we stared at our new addition, we nursed, called friends and family, contemplated names and recounted the birth. We still don't have a name picked although I think it will happen tomorrow. Kylie has worn the baby in her carrier a couple times and just loves it. We have dressed him in his first outfit and organized all his clothes and cloth diapers. He has had 4 big mec poops and a couple wet diapers. He is nursing like a champ and my milk "came in" this afternoon. He is a mellow baby so far, he is kinda gassy, but doesn't seem to mind. He has not opened his eyes very much, they still seem pretty swollen from birth, but his light coloring makes us wonder what color his eyes will be.
I hope to continue to document his life at least every week or so, but who know what I will realistically have time for. At this point I am committed to getting my birth photos posted for those of you that are curious, they will be graphic and unedited, just a warning :)
Time for bed, more to come soon,
Natalie
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