Jasper Cole: A Birth Story

I was 38 weeks pregnant when I woke up a little before midnight on Friday night, January 7, with contractions. They weren’t very hard and were 10-15 minutes apart, but it made it hard to sleep. I spent the rest of the night alternating between trying to sleep and sitting in the bathtub. Being in the water eased the contractions, but they would pick back up whenever I went back to bed.

By morning they were no closer together and got even farther apart as the rest of the family woke up. That was disappointing! I had thought we’d have a baby soon.

Saturday was rest day for us, so we played games, read books, and relaxed. Contractions continued, but they were now about half an hour apart and it didn’t feel like we were getting anywhere.

After lunch they became a little harder and closer together. Andy checked me for dilation and I was at a 3 or 4. Progress from the 1 I had been last night!

We put the children to bed for quiet time around 1 pm, a little early because I was having a hard time coping with contractions in front of them.

Things started getting a lot more intense and in about an hour we called our neighbor lady to come pick up the children. They live just up the hill, so she soon arrived.

I still had a couple minutes break between contractions, but they were getting hard to manage. I got in the tub and whenever one came Andy would rub my back and I would squeeze his hands. I began feeling panicky and overwhelmed and he was so good at talking me down and keeping me calm.

It all happened pretty quickly once I started pushing. The water bag broke, and his head came right behind it. One more push and he was out, crying loudly.
“It’s a boy!” Andy exclaimed, but it hardly registered for a bit because I was feeling pretty disoriented and shaky with hormones. It was 3:25 pm and had been less than an hour since the children had gone to the neighbor’s.

Finally we got things sorted out and I held my baby for the first time. What an adorable little boy! It always awes me how quickly you can go from pain to relief and the most intense love.

Andy was busy warming some towels in the dryer and sterilizing the shears to cut the cord, but I just sat there for almost an hour holding my baby.

Finally I handed Jasper off to Andy and took a quick shower before heading out to the living room. Andy had the fire going nice and warm and had been busy calling people with the news that Jasper Cole had joined our family! It was Saturday afternoon, January 8, 2022.

Jasper was awake for several hours and I just sat on the couch getting to know him while Andy made me some food. He has the tiniest ears! The midwife came around 7 pm to check up on us and Jasper weighed in at 6 lbs 13 oz, and 18 1/2 inches long.

The midwife checked him and I over thoroughly and told us warning signs to watch for before heading home.

Around 8 pm the neighbor brought the other children home. They were so excited to meet their baby brother! The first thing Oscar did was run get a toy to show him, and Ariel just couldn’t keep her hands off him. Jasmine started trying to feed him bits of muffin until I told her he only drinks milk right now. It’s a full time job to keep them from smothering him with love! They all took turns holding him, and there were some tears when one didn’t get as long of a turn.

It was nice that it was almost bedtime so we could regroup a bit. We’ve been taking it easy ever since, adjusting to having a new member in our family and learning how to be gentle and take turns holding the baby nicely.

We are so blessed and thankful for a safe delivery!