Cooper is over a year old not and I haven't shared his birth story. I am finally getting to it. Here is my recording from my journal with a few more details added.
Cooper Lee Beynon is here! He was born at 4:27 pm weighing in at 6lbs and 8 oz and is 20 in. long. He's the biggest yet. He came 4 days late. He has a lot of hair...kind of reddish brown. He's a fuzzy baby. His eye lashes are long and his eyes are the common dark blue of newborns. Things went very well. I had the longest labor with him but it wasn't too bad. I had my first contraction about 9:00 this morning that doubled me over. I knew things were going to get rolling fast because my past two labors were quick so I jumped in the shower fast. |
| Picture taken two days before delivery |
I was surprised when the contractions didn't keep coming on strong or in a pattern. I had one decent contraction in the shower but that was it. I packed my bag and told Jesse we should get going. I decided to download an app on Jesse's phone to help me keep track of the contractions and intensity. Things were so irregular, but every now and then one good one would hit me. I was worried that if we waited to long to take the boys across town to Darcy's (Jesse's sister) that we would barely make it to the hospital in time. Labor and delivery with Emerson were only about 2 hours. I didn't want to be that rushed again. We loaded up the boys and Jesse drove around and we looked at a duplex. We got to Darcy's about 11:45 am. Darcy made me a tomato sandwich. We decided to drive to my midwife's office and see her. I was dilated to 5 cm. She said the baby was still super high. I hate being checked by the way. We went to the hospital and sat with Joy (Jesse's mom) while she and her friend ate lunch. She works at the hospital. I checked in a little after 1:00 pm. My contractions were painful but not really regular. This was odd for me. In the past, once they hit, there was no break and they just kept coming. After changing into the "lovely" gown and after being on the "awesome" monitor for 30 minutes, I started walking the hall. By the way, when I was on the monitor, Ruth Ann, my midwife, gave me a foot massage and whipped out her lemongrass oil. It was awesome to have her as a teammate and not just someone to catch the baby. I also loved that she was super supportive of whatever I wanted to do and never once tried to talk me into getting hooked up to the IV. That was a battle with the nurses with my other two children. Once I started walking, I had a good contraction every lap which I figured was about every 3 minutes. Finally they were coming. I walked through my contractions even though my legs would go numb and I found if I just kept walking, I could get through the pain better mentally. I bounced on the ball for bit. I felt that I was able to stay focused mentally and control my pain as best as I could. Jesse was with my the whole time. Ruth Ann checked me at 2:45 pm and I was at an 8. She broke my water then. I had a few strong contractions and started walking again. Joy came up to our room and stayed. I enjoyed company. I walked and bounced on the ball. Things became more intense. Everyone took great care of me. I listened to Pandora and one of our wedding songs played which was nice. "Two is Better Than One". Looking back now, that is kind of funny because I think it much easier to deliver one babe over two. Anyways, I had Jesse play church hymns which let to some brief discussion with Ruth Ann asked about the church and the temple. That was cool. The hymns were relaxing. Rod (Jesse's dad) came for a bit and took pictures of course. He wanted to stay, but I made him leave. I didn't want pictures of me straining to get out a baby. I don't care to know how I look during that process. I also didn't feel to excited for my dad to see all of everything. I felt the urge to push at about 4:00 pm I believe. I tried pushing from my hands and knees at first with Jesse rubbing my back with lotion and lemongrass oil. The weirdest thing happened. I could feel Cooper moving and he had the hiccups. I thought that was weird to happen right before delivery but it was a great distraction and reassuring. I then tried the squat bar when contractions became very intense. I was in pain and tired but I felt that the bar was efficient in pushing. Ruth Ann never told me when I should push; she told me to listen to my body and do what felt right. I liked that. I don't think I pushed very long, but IT WAS HARD! I should have been doing squats months ago to be prepared for that. My legs were so tire and I remember resting my chin on the squat bar. Between contractions, I could barely sit down on the bed and then pull myself back to the bar for the next push. I did it though. I remember saying to them "I can't". Everyone was replied "Yes you can!" I was bugged because I didn't mean that I couldn't push the baby out, I meant I couldn't get back to the bar.I did though somehow. I remember Joy saying "Oh Jessica! I can see his head!) That was motivating. He came just in time because I was about spent from squatting in labor. The placenta came in the same push which was relieving because I didn't want to do a second delivery. Ruth Ann said she had never seen that happen. They handed Cooper right to me and I could barely hold him because I was tired and he was all goopy but I loved that they gave him right to me. He stayed with me for an hour before they weighed him or did anything. It took a little while before I could get him to latch on to nurse but once he got it, he did great. He's been eating well. People aren't kidding when they tell you that post contractions get worse with each child. I never took the Ibuprofen they gave me in the past but I didn't turn it down this time around. I tore a tiny bit but not enough to need stitches which is awesome. I had to have stitches with the other two. I am wondering if it is because I pushed squatting and I pushed when I felt I should instead of trying to push when someone told me to. I have never been so hungry in my life. I can eat and eat and eat some more. I feel that I have a bottomless pit. It's kind of nice, because it's fun to eat and have all the snacks that you could ever want and even better, have people bring them to you in bed. :) Cooper stayed with me for hours and didn't even get a bath until after 10:00 pm. I love this. I love natural birth and I love the immediate baby/momma time. Cooper is so handsome and pure. I love him dearly. At first we thought he looked so different from his brothers but there is some resemblance. He looks a bit like Emers as a newborn. I am so grateful for how things went, for my team, for Jesse and for Heavenly Father blessing me. Cooper is healthy and strong and I couldn't ask for more. I'm so grateful to have him here an to be his mom. I am blessed and happy. 
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| Two Days Old |
