He shot out in only two pushes, just 2 1/2 hours from my first contraction. If you're jealous of me, think again. One contraction in a fast labor like that is three times more powerful than anything I felt while delivering Bright. There was no "relaxation" or "breathing" - I went from, "Honey, I think this might be it" to, "Get me to the hospital NOW and get me an epidural" in about ten minutes time. While Daniel was flying through red lights on the way to the hospital, my contractions were three minutes apart and by the time they wheeled me in into labor and delivery, I (a natural childbirth advocate) was begging for an epidural. They couldn't give me one, though, because I was only dialated to a two! Thirty minutes later I was dialated to a seven, but they couldn't give me an epidural then because Zion's heart rate was dropping to 50 during my contrations (which were right on top of each other). They ordered a C-section at that point, which sounded great to me, but a moment later I was yelling, "I have to push!!!" and two pushes later we had a baby. A baby who, by the way, looks exactly like Daniel (as you can see). I had only been in the hospital for an hour.When they say, "all labors are different," they really mean it! My first labor included soft music, hours of silence, concentrated relaxation, a few whoops and hollers during transition, and a baby...completely naturally. I thought, "childbirth isn't so bad." The second time around, Daniel was holding me down as I thrashed around on the bed, hollering things I don't even remember. I'm sure glad we didn't have time to grab the video camera! You wouldn't want to show that video at your natural childbirthing class. But now that it's said and done, I am glad that Zion enjoyed all the benefits of a drug-free delivery.
So now that you know the story, here's the update. His low birth weight? They don't know what is to blame for that. There was very minimal amniotic fluid around him, indicating that I was leaking fluid into my body somewhere. There may have been a tear in my placenta through which fluid was leaking, and a problem with the placenta could have kept Zion from getting what he needed to gain weight in the last few weeks of gestation. The thing is, we'll never really know. And it doesn't matter. Doctor says he's absolutely fine and thriving like a champ, and should catch up completely in a few months. In fact, at his 48 hour checkup, he had gained beyond his birth weight! He was not a preemie, because he scored full term on all their tests (like wrinkles in the feet and body hair, etc.). So we won't have to worry about his health or development. Praise the Father for a healthy, tiny baby boy!!!
Bright ADORES him. He has shown him all his favorite toys, including all their parts and how they work. He hasn't been clingy or grumpy (which I had feared), but rather very excited about his new baby brother. He was disappointed that we didn't name him Judah, but he's gotten over that too.
We have so much to be thankful for. My heart is full. Life is good. Praise the Father!
