Ariel Jade: A Birth Story

I was one impatient mama this time around. I had been pregnant longer this time than ever before and I was ready to have the baby out!

So when I woke up Sunday night around 11:45 with contractions I was excited. It was still five days before my due date and of course I started thinking about all the pros and cons of having a baby that night. Yes, I decided. This would be a great time for the baby to come.

Problem was contractions stayed fifteen minutes apart the rest of the night and we didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. Andy and I were both up most of the night. Andy was busily getting everything ready. It’s a lot of responsibility to be the only caretaker at a birth!

But Monday morning came with no baby. Contractions continued every 10-15 minutes the entire day.

Finally at 8 pm we put the children to bed and started getting ready for bed ourselves. We were both tired from losing so much sleep the night before. Suddenly at 8:15 I got a really intense contraction, and after that they were only 30 seconds apart. We were in business!

Half an hour later Ariel was born crying hard and perfect. We took our time getting acquainted since it had all happened so quickly and we were in shock, and then eventually cut the cord and got her dressed. Andy had a fire roaring in the wood stove and it was plenty warm in here.

A quick check on the children revealed that they were all sleeping soundly in their beds. We never even used the babysitter we had lined up!

The midwife came at 11:30 pm to check me and the baby. Ariel weighed in at 6 pounds 10 oz. Good thing she stayed in a little longer than the others!

She is our best baby so far, or maybe we’re just better at knowing what she needs. I certainly don’t stress out as much this fourth time around.

Four children four and under is definitely a handful and is often overwhelming if I’m by myself, but I feel like we are adjusting well to a new normal.