I always regretted not waiting for my body to go into labor on its own with Leslie. I was determined this time to wait for my body to go into labor and I wanted to do another birth without pain meds like I did with Ki. Mostly to save money because our insurance is ridiculous.
My pregnancy was completely healthy and similar to the other 3. Nauseous the first trimester. Awesome second trimester. Then the uncomfortable big as a house third trimester. But really the pregnancy was great. Heartburn and a back ache here and there was about the biggest things to complain about. And having to pee every 3 seconds.
I go to my 36 week appointment...The first cervical check. I am not dilated or effaced. And baby is still high. WHAT?!?!? This has never happened in the history of Lydia pregnancies. With Ki I was atleast 3cm by 36 weeks. I step up my cleaning game and clean all day, everyday! Thank you nesting!
37 week appointment. Same. No progress! My doctor was going to the beach and he wanted to me schedule an induction for the week he got back (39 weeks). I said no thanks, we will just see how far I am then and go from there. I get on my yoga ball alot more and keep cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.
38 weeks- Some progress!!! Whoop whoop! I was 2-3cm and I think 50%. I was told not to do anything to induce labor so my doctor would be back from vacation. Ha!
39 weeks- I was waiting to take my Silhouette picture the same weeks I was when I took one with Leslie. That was Sunday. The only difference I had been feeling was that I was soooooo tired in the afternoons for the past few days and more grumpy then usual. Now to Monday...Had a normal Monday. Helped mom with some insurance paperwork. Cleaned house for the millionth time. Cooked Kung Pao Chicken for dinner. After dinner GT went to put up chickens and found a snake in the chicken coop...
This is the kind of excitement that happens at the Nehls home. Ha! We all gathered around the snake answering the kids million questions. Googling to find out what it was and if it was poisonous. I cant even remember now what it was but it wasn't poisonous.
Over the summer, Audrie and Leslie have really bonded. This was the last picture I took that Monday night. I remember thinking how grateful I was that Leslie loves Audrie so much and lets her carry her around and get her things. What a help it is to me!
And now for the fun part...I just dont want to forget the other things. Its so strange how one day you only have 3 kids and the next day you have 4! This has always been amazing to me with each kid.
So Monday night...I fix myself some Milton Crackers with homemade pimento cheese from Fairfield Market. I eat them while sitting on my yoga ball. I do 10 minutes of pelvic rolls ( I dont know what to call them) each way while watching the EIGHTIES documentary. I go to the bathroom about 10:45 and feel a ton of pressure. I go lay down in the bed to go to sleep and feel something kind of pop and water starts leaking. I jump out of bed quickly and tell GT "my water just broke!". He stays in bed while I go to the bathroom. I again tell him "My water just broke" and he asks me "How do you know?" Ummm..because I am leaking! lol! He didnt believe me! I call my mom. She asks me the same thing! ha! Then I call my friend Robin who was my person if I went into labor to come watch kiddos.
We had to switch all of our hospital bags/car seat from my van to GT's truck in case someone needed the van and all the car seats. Robin gets there around 11:30. My head was spinning. I didn't feel prepared to leave everyone even though they had bags packed. Robin said "we will be fine, just go have a baby!" So off we went to WK South... I called on the way to let them know I was coming. I tried to text everyone to arrange childcare for the next day but everyone was asleep!
I wasn't really gushing water or anything. My contractions were pretty sporadic and not really painful yet. Normally, I would have wanted to labor at home awhile but...1) We live 30 minutes away from the hospital-and being my fourth we had no idea how long it would be. 2) I tested positive for Group B Strep...and I knew I needed 2 bags of antibiotics so we wouldn't have to stay 2 nights.
Got admitted to the hospital pretty quickly. Was up in a labor room by 12:30 am. The nurse had to make sure my water had really broken before she could consider me in active labor. This was an hour long process with the lab. She also couldn't start my antibiotic until it was official I was in labor. She was a really sweet nurse but had to follow protocol. She checked me and I was 4cm and 80%.
I had forgotten my yoga ball at home so I asked GT to go buy one at Walmart. While he was gone, my nurse and the head nurse informed me that I couldn't use it because my water had broken. Basically, I was stuck in the bed to labor. They could get permission from my doctor to be mobile but it was the middle of the night and I still wasn't considered "in labor" until the lab confirmed it.
I would say at about 2am contractions were really picking up. They were closer together and getting pretty painful. During each contraction I would picture my dad in Heaven with Jesus. The song "You're Beautiful" played over and over in my head. I am not sure why I didn't think to turn on worship music.
At 2:45 I called the nurse to come check me. I told GT if I was only 6cm, I was going to ask for an epidural. Sure enough I was 6cm and 100%. I failed to mention-when I was first getting situated the anesthesiologist came in about 12:30 and asked if I wanted an epidural because he was leaving for the night but he was on call. I declined at that time. So they had to wake him up to come get me an epidural. I do think if I had been able to walk around, get on my ball or even on all fours I could have pushed through. Nonetheless, He got there around 3:45 and had to read over my chart and blood work.
The epidural was very painful because I was contracting so hard and trying to be still. And he wasnt too happy we woke him up. Once its all said and done its about 4:15. The epidural wasnt working. It took a little bit of the edge off on the top of my uterus. But thats about it. I felt everything else. Felt my legs and my lower stomach and everything in between.
About 4:20, I asked the nurse to check me. I was 9cm with a cevical lip. This has been the case with 3 of my pregnancies so I told her I need to push and it will make me 10cm and take care of the lip. She asked me not to. Ha. I HAD to push. She calls my doctor to come in. For 30 minutes, I was having very painful contractions and wanted to push. The nurse told me to act like I was blowing out birthday candles and try not to push. This is next to impossible when your body is trying to get a baby out!
My doctor rolls in at like 5:05, trying to make conversation. GT says, "Lets save the pleasantries for after"...He barely gets on a gown, only gets 1 glove on all the way...He pulls out the stirrups, I throw my legs in them (because I can still feel everything) and push Powell out. It wasn't that easy and didn't feel that quick but I will spare the details. Mom will appreciate that. I did have some words come out of my mouth that I would never speak in front of my mother. I so wish we had it on video.
They put him on my chest...and just like with the others I was almost too exhausted to enjoy the moment. They let his cord pulsate a few minutes...something I was thankful for. I didnt tear so no need for stitches. I remember him crying so much when he came out. Leslie didnt do that...my first thought was we are going to have a fussy baby. I remember the nurse saying, "Wow, he's a big boy!" After a few minutes, I gave the ok for them to weigh him and do whatever else they do...
9lbs 1 oz...21 inches long
Powell Allen Nehls
In a lot of ways his birth was different then the others and some ways the same. We are over 3 weeks in and I still cant believe we have another baby most of the time. You know I like to be real- these 3 weeks have been really really hard. And not just we have a newborn baby hard. That will be a long blog for a different day and honestly still too real for me to go there. But each day is better and God is so faithful. Our community and family has blessed us by keep kids and bringing meals. And most importantly praying for us through this time.
I cant finish this blog without mentioning my dad. I knew it was going to be hard having Powell without dad there or here. And it was sad. The hardest part is living everyday without being able to call or go visit. I can just picture him holding Powell and singing Jesus loves me. Tickling Leslie and laughing at her newest phrase she's learned. Hearing all about Audrie's birthday. Listening to Ki's wild stories. It hurts so much Pappy isn't here. I know all of the right things- He is in Heaven, we will see him again...but it really sucks.
Here is Grammy and Audrie standing in the gap for Pappy
