The Birth Story of Ares Caspian Quill

The Birth Story of Ares Caspian Quill
Born 5/22/15 at 12:59am
7lbs 9oz 20 inches long

I was scheduled for induction at 39 weeks because of a history of fast labors. I was already 5cm and 50% effaced the week prior. I came in at 7:30am and they hooked me up to antibiotics because I was GBS+. It took several hours for them to just get an IV on me, after many attempts they finally got an anesthesiologist from the OR to come up and start a line in my hand. I was having regular contractions every 2 minutes at that point, but they were not painful. About 11 hours after I came in they broke my water. It took forever for the antibiotics and it was annoying needing them every few hours. I walked around a bit, sat down to rest for a few minutes in the rocking chair, stood up and gushed for 5 solid minutes on the floor. The nurse came in and said my water broke. Apparently the doctor missed both parts of the sac and only one had ruptured the first time. I walked around some more and told my husband that it felt weird. I was feeling contractions in the front, not a spot I normally feel them. I told my husband it almost felt like a hand or something. We walked more and I stayed upright. The doctor came in and checked me awhile later and said if there wasn't any change by 2am that they'd start pitocin since my water had been broken awhile now and as she was checking my cervix she got a strange look on her face. She said, "This may hurt just a bit." Then she shoved her hand up and twisted a few times. Ares had his hand up and over his head so that his head wasn't the only part bulging. (It was his hand I felt!) So she pinched his finger gently and tried to encourage him to move his arm back. They wanted me back on the monitors at that point and not walking around anymore and told me that the water birth I was so.close to having this time, wasn't really an option at that point and either was Pitocin. So my options were basically to hope that he moved his hand and stayed away so his head could come down or else it may be a c-section. I was mentally panicked. I've never had a c-section before. The contractions were in my back and coming every 1-2 minutes at that point. And I couldn't even get off the bed now. I was annoyed. It hurt. I asked my husband to tell the nurse I wanted some Nubian or something. It was after midnight, I was tired. She said she needed to ask the doctor. The doctor said if I was asking for meds that she wanted to check me first. I told her my back just really hurt. She checked me and I was still at 5cm's but at least 100% effaced. Then she frowned again and said, "I'm really sorry about this." She went up higher, and started twisting and pushing. Baby Ares not only put his hand back out my cervix, but his whole arm and elbow were completely above his head and coming out. No wonder my back hurt! She said the Nubain was fine since I was only 5cm still. The nurse gave me some. It doesn't mask any pain but makes me feel a bit less anxious. They hooked me up to the telemetry monitor because with every contraction I felt like I had to pee, so I would get up and go. 2 minutes after the doctor and nurse left the room, I stood up to go to the bathroom again, went and on the way back to the bed couldn't walk when a contraction hit. I was shakey and cold. My husband, being the epic man that he is and we've had so many babies together he knows me well, said he was getting the nurse. I told him, "no it's probably just because of my back pain. I'm good." He said, get in bed Ana and nudged me. I didn't move. Suddenly I realized I was uncontrollably bearing down. And I felt something touching me on the inside of my thighs. He ran to the call button and told them to come. The doctor and nurse ran in and found me standing near the bottom of the bed. I sorta flopped down sideways on it as the doctor said, "It's time for a baby!" And I said, "Now!" and my body automatically pushed. He was halfway out and the nurse was frantically trying to get my undies off that I still had on. He was born in seconds. The cord was around his neck and looped around his body as well. They said that was likely the cause of his decreased movement the past few weeks. I tore down the same spot I have for all of my kids and was stitched up. I didn't feel the tearing at all, but I sure felt the needle with lidocaine being put in my anus! I think that and the IV in my hand were the worst part tbh!
The birth just went so fast. I had a few hours of uncomfortable but very doable contractions that I normally wouldn't have even come to the hospital for, and was still 5cm's at last check at 12:57am. Ares Caspian was born at 12:59am, exactly two minutes later. 5cm's to baby? Yeah this one would have been another highway birth for sure! If it wasn't for the compound presentation, he likely would have been born very shortly after my water broke. It was that hand and arm that slowed things just a tad, and when she moved his arm that last time (sorta hurt just a bit) he was born minutes later. It was such a fast birth and very much like his big brother Odin's who was born in the car on the highway. Ares cried initially when he was born because he wanted to nurse but I still had all my clothes on including my underwire bra. Once I finally got help wrestling out of those I was able to nurse him and he was content. He sleeps so well, isn't a fussy newborn (so far) and has been just a little angel in the hospital. The nurses and doctors were all talking about how quickly birth happened. Which I found funny considering it's how it usually happens for me, that's why I was being induced in the first place! I guess when my husband called down, there was only one nurse right there and she was holding someone's baby. So she had to run that baby back to its room and run to mine. They just barely made it in the room. I'm one day postpartum now and he finally has started pooping and peeing well. I feel awesome! I didn't need cold packs, spray, tucks, and I'm barely even bleeding. Cramping while nursing is minimal, but my uterus is nearly back where it belongs already and aside from a sore tailbone, I'm feeling the best I have out of all 7 babies! 👍🏼👌🏼 the compound presentation is rare, occurring in 1 out of 1000 births. (I Googled in between contractions 😂) though the outcome could have been different, I am immensely overjoyed that my likely final birth went so well despite that. We are so in love with our newest little guy. 💙

One Day at a Time

Today I realized as I reached into the refrigerator, that I'm out of creamer. This doesn't start the day off in the right direction, but as a friend pointed out to me; at least the creamer is gone because its gone and not because one of the kids dumped it in the Guinea pig cage or something. She has a point you know. In the past month I've cleaned up numerous things that the kids have dumped out. Maple syrup all over the playroom floor. Odin wanted to see what syrup did when it mixed with water. He found that the syrup expands. From the look on his face when I raised my voice, he simply had not thought about how he was going to hide the mess from me. It wasn't the best thing to wake up to, but it wasn't the worst.

As the kids grow up they're becoming gross little human beings. I find food stashed behind their beds, clothes stuffed in closets, my toothbrush behind the toilet and my shoes missing because they're on someone elses feet. My make up is always missing or broken, the hairbrush is on the floor, and I'm critiqued when  I get dressed every day.

"Is that what you're wearing mom?"
"Are you going out like that??"

My self esteem soars not only about myself and how wonderfully fantastic I look, but because of how put together and organized my house is. (You know I'm being sarcastic now with that sentence.)... Persephone just came over and handed me her fathers now mutilated deodorant stick. ... she smells like Right Guard. ..  will I ever get this blog posted today?

How many things must I clean up? Have I mentioned that Persephone is the most destructive child I've ever known? Give her a pair of scissors and a piece of anything, and she'll be happy cutting all day. Cutting my tablecloth, her shirt and her hair I might add.

I think I'm slowly giving up the clean house fight. I can clean all day and at bedtime it doesn't matter how much I've been on my feet.. the piles of "things" just keep accumulating. Little pieces of paper that are very important to someone. Clean clothes strewn about the room instead of being in baskets or GASP! even put away in dressers! Broken straws taped to paper that is tied to several toys and my door frame. One of these times I'm going to get stuck in some trap they've set up with duct tape and string. They're out to get me, so I say bring it on! It can't be worse then the Lego's they left on the floor for me to step on again.

All kidding aside, this parenting gig really does gets harder and not easier. Just when I think I finally know the rules and I can do this. I find confidence in parenting at last!... they change the rules again. The kids are getting older and its not as easy to make the right choices anymore. Its complicated! I feel inadequate most every day, but I keep reminding myself that life is a journey and I'm not expected to know everything all at once. I'm still happily learning every day, along with my children. As they grow, they're teaching me things about myself. For the first time I realize they're watching me and really taking in everything that I say, the good; the bad; and the ugly. While making cookies one night, Ivy asks if she can lick the bowl. Piper says without hesitation, "No Ivy. The batter has raw eggs in it. You can't lick the bowl, I'm sorry."  What makes it interesting is that's the exact phrase I have always said to the kids over the years, but never realized it until that exact moment I heard it parroted back at me. I had that moment.. the one where everything stands still and it feels like I'm in a movie. These little children that I created, are individuals and they're growing up.

They need me less and less every day, yet they need me in other ways that never existed before. I have a bond with each of my children, and watching that bond change and grow over the years is surreal.

Sometimes I catch myself getting grumpy about a particular phase one of the children are in at the moment, but its easier now to put it in perspective. One day at a time around here.