Okay here is my Cyber Shower Party Post for the shower being held at 5 Mins for Mom.

First they ask for a photo of you during or immediately following labor. SO here it I had just given birth to my third son, Nathan after 25 hours of labor including one hour of pushing. Yes that is how I spent new years day 2000.





Now for a baby bump picture... This baby bump is Arabella and was taken the morning we went to the hospital for her delivery.

Now for a baby birth story. Let's see I have 7 of them.
Make a concise overview of the 7 will work.
My 1st baby Steven, I went into labor with him at around 11pm with him. He was over 3 weeks late. I was up most of the night and couldn't sleep due to the pain. At 5:30 I made my husband get up and call the midwife. She agreed to come and arrive at 8am. I labored through out the day at home with my husband, Daddy, soon to be step mom and my mother there and of course the midwifes. When I was dilated enough to push I had to wait about an hour longer due to a lip on my cervix that had gotten swollen. Finally I was able to push and he was born at 3:52 pm. At 8lbs 6 0Zs and 21 1/2 inches long. He is my smallest weight baby.

Baby number two, Brandon. I woke up at 8 am on a Sunday morning in pain. I went and got in the bath tub. My husband wanted to call the midwife but I made him wait for quite awhile to make sure I was actually in labor. He called his aunt to pick up our son when she was done with church. The midwife arrived shortly after. Labor was strong and painful. When it was time for pushing this was the hard part, his shoulders almost got stuck as he had such wide shoulders. It was quite hard pushing out those shoulders. He was born around 5:52 pm. He weighted in at 10 lbs 4 Oz's. and was 21 1/2 inches long. He was a solid boy. We jokingly called him our butterball turkey but also our baby linebacker. He was one week late exactly.

Baby number three, Nathan. I woke up in labor around 6am on New Years day. We called my husbands sister to come get the other two boys and the midwife. She arrived around 9am. I labored throughout the day. We walked around the house, I walked up and down the stairs. My husband even took me for a ride in our car down a road that was quite bumpy do to some road work. Nothing helped to speed up my labor. Finally it was time to push after 24 hours in labor. We tried all kinds of positions...squatting, on my side, leaning back in bed against my husband, than finally on my hands and knees and that is how he was born. He was born at 7:02am and weighed in at 9lbs 15 1/2 inches and 22 inches long. He was my longest baby.

Baby number four, Andrew. In Texas midwifes are required to have there clients have a non-stress test done when a woman is 2 weeks past due. When I was 2 weeks and 6 days past due (which still counts) I went to my midwifes house and we drove together in her car to the hospital to have a non-stress done. Well alot of doctors in the city I live in don't like midwifes. As soon as I got to the hospital we had trouble brewing. The nurse took my blood pressure with a cuff that was too small. They continued to take my blood pressure too frequently, with too small of cuff thereby getting artificially high blood pressures. The doctors claimed I had severe pre-eclampsia and I was admitted to be induced. The doctors also put me on a magnesium drip for the "high blood pressure" even though the blood pressure monitor (which was then a machine and not a person taking the blood pressures) showed my blood pressure to be perfectly normal. Our midwife questioned them giving the magnesium but they insisted it was safe. Once they had me all ready to go so I was unable to leave the hospital the doctors admitted that all of my test where perfect and they had nothing to support there claim of severe pre-eclampsia or pre-eclampsia at all. But they said I was almost 3 weeks late and the chance of losing my baby was 50% simply because he was late. (This can be true but not for me everything was fine with me and my baby and I always deliver late as did my mom). When the pitocin kick in and started working I went from talking to my husband (who was waiting for his dad to take his mom to church later that evening so that he could come and pick him up to get our van from the midwifes house and come to the hospital) I went from talking and no contractions to not being able to talk during the contraction in 10 mins. I am so grateful our midwife was with me as I couldn't have made it through this delivery without her. I had never had an epidural or any pain medication with any of my children as they were all born at home, but pitocin is evil. I finally begged for an epidural. My midwife suggested I have them check me. They did and I was 4cms. The anasialogist was called and came only to tell me he had to go do an emergency c-section and would be back in 15 mins. My contractions quickly started coming one on top of the other and I told my midwife I had to push but how could that be possible. Well be the time the Dr came to do the epidural 15 mins later my son had been born. I upset the Dr doing the delivery because he told me to wait and not push, my body had other ideas and pushed that baby out without me doing much of anything. The Dr was very upset by this as he did not have all of his stuff out and was not ready. He handed the baby to a nurse and walked out in a huff without a word. My son was born in 52 mins from first contraction to delivery. He was 8 lbs 14.1 Oz's and 21 1/2 inches long.

Baby number five, Marshall. I again was being faced with the possibility of a non-stress test. After Andrew we wanted to avoid going to the hospital for this. So my midwife suggested we try some herbal/natural things to try and encourage labor. She said if your body is not ready it won't matter what we do you will not go in labor. SO I left the appointment went and picked up some last min. things, came home and prepared for labor that day. The midwifes arrived at 5pm and we started things. My body was responding wonderfully. I was dilating and was having some contractions although they were so mild I could barely feel them. I made it all the way to 10 cm without hardly any discomfort or pain and we tried pushing. I had no real contractions to speak of and no urge to push this was quite odd and made it difficult to push. Well I was able to move the baby down while pushing but he moved right back when I stoped. The midwifes broke my water and we decided to wait. Now I started feeling contractions. They were very strong. This was around 6am. By 2:30 I had gone down to 8cm and he had locked his head sideways and refused to move. We decided to go to the hospital. One midwife drove in front of us and one behind us. She said if my son would just turn is head he would be born on the side of the road. She told my husband to pull over if I had the urge to push the midwife behind us would pull over to help and would call the midwife in front of us who would circle back. Well he didn't turn his head and we arrived at the hospital. Same hospital as before. The doctors wouldn't even consider doing anything but a c-section even though we asked them to. They gave me an epidural and performed a c-section. He was 10lbs 2.5 Oz's and 21 3/4 inches long.

Baby five, Katie our first daughter. This time I woke up and felt as if my water had broken. We called the midwifes and they said they could come later in the afternoon after they saw patients but if things started to pick up call them again. Well I had contracts all day and the midwifes arrived around 4 pm and guess what my contractions stoped. They were not sure if my water had really broke and told me to keep them updated how things were and call when my contractions were 5 mins apart or when my water broke. They left and guess what my contractions started. We went to my in-laws house that evening and my contractions continued getting stronger. We came home and everyone went to sleep but I was unable to sleep. I got on the computer but by 4:30 I was in so much pain I woke my husband to call the midwife. They came and I was definitely in labor. My daughter had her shoulder in my spine and was in a strange position. I made it to 9cm in the early afternoon and tried to push through it (as my cervix was very stretchy). I threw up, took a nap and felt much better when I woke up. My contractions had all but stoped. I ate something and then started walking around, sitting on a birth ball, etc. Well the midwifes checked me and I was still 9cm. They were hungry and decided they would go eat and took me with them. We went to a Chinese restaurant around the corner and then to a near by Target and walked around. We came back to the house but by this time we were coming up on 24 hrs from when my water broke and since I was no longer in active labor and we did not know why the baby was not turning we went to the hospital. A different hospital from the one above. We were met by a doctor who also would consider nothing but a repeat c-section. HE told me if I was his patient he never would have let me go into labor. My daughter was born at 1:06am and weighed 9 lb and was 21 1/2 inches.

Baby seven, Arabella, our second and recent birth. This time I had no choice to use a Dr. The midwife is not allowed to take clients after a 2ND c-section. We spent several months looking for a doctor who would allow us to try a VB AC. With the help of my midwife we found two and made a choice on one. My doctor was all for a VBAC but didn't want me to go more than a week past my due date. All of my babies but one where born 2 or more weeks late and the one was a week late. Our doctor wanted to break my water but couldn't do it until the baby was completely engaged (something that usually doesn't happen to moms who have had more than one baby). We had appointments every week, then every few days hoping that the baby would engage and she would be able to induce me by breaking my water. She even at one appointment striped my membranes. For just about 6weeks prior to my daughters birth I experienced all sorts of pre labor symptoms that I had never experienced before. Other mom of many, whom I had told of the symptoms, would tell me they thought I would be in labor within a week. But nope no me. Finally after I was 3 days past my due date. The Dr said she really didn't want to wait any longer than a week past my due date. If she couldn't induce me by breaking my water and I didn't go into labor on my own she would want to do a c-section. We decided that based on everything I tried, walking, herbs, etc. that if the end result was a c-section then it was best to do it on a weekend than during that coming week. That way my husband would be off from work and his vacation time would be preserved for the week after the birth and after I was home. We scheduled the birth for the next morning. This was the most unusual birth for me. We drove to the hospital not in labor, checked in, got preped. I was taken to the OR and given a spinal and prepped and draped my husband came in. HE was able to take some pictures and video of the birth and afterwards. When the Dr broke my bag of water she received a gigantic huge fountain of water and remarked there was no way she was ever going to get to break my water without me going into labor, which I obviously was not doing in 4 days. She was born at 10:16 am and weighed 8 lbs 11 Oz's. and was only 20 1/4 inches long.

My top three picks for prizes are as follows:
1. Mom 4 Life - $25 gift certificate
2. Love, September - tutus
3. Allizon.com

They also asked for a favorite boy and girl baby name. Well since I just had a baby I use my daughters name and then the boy name we had selected if our first daughter was a boy. Girl: Arabella Boy: Jerry

I love being pregnant. My most favorite thing about being pregnant is being able to feel the baby moving inside me. To have this connection that no one else can have is just a wonderful feeling. To share something with the baby long before they are born.

SO this is my party post hope you enjoyed yourself.