Jameson Luke… Birth Story

We are so so SO thankful Jameson finally decided to make his arrival… 11 days past his due date!  

Jameson Luke- born July 15,2015 6:40 am- 10 lbs 8 oz 22 inches long

The funny thing is this whole pregnancy we have wondered the ways that J and BD would be alike and different.  Temperament, appearance, even pregnancy symptoms and I kept reminding myself Jameson's birth will be different too.  If you read BD's birth story from two years ago you know that it went naturally, and mostly to plan.  I was calm and the environment was almost serene. I don't know what it was this time… I still went naturally but it was not so calm and serene! I think Jameson just wanted to make sure he was different from his sister. So with out further ado.... Birth story from my perspective and Andrew's perspective.

And just FYI… my perspective well be birth details and includes words like dilation.  Andrew's perspective is more about the emotion of the experience.  You can pick and choose which one you are most comfortable reading ;)

My perspective...

From about 38 weeks on we were really hoping Jameson would make his arrival. We started doing all the natural induction methods we could think of since we thought he was already over 9 pounds. His due date, July 4th, came and went and I was not too worried... BD had been late. But by the time we got 4-5 days pat his due date I got really discouraged! Why hadn't he come? And I knew that 42 weeks lingered around the corner… that's when I would have to be induced. Certainly not the end of the world, but it would make the natural delivery we were hoping for much harder.  On the evening of Sunday the 12th, I started to feel contractions about 10 minutes apart … then they just stopped :(.  On Monday the 13th, they swept my membranes... had not experienced that before and it was every bit as unpleasant as it sounds.  Still no labor.  Tuesday the 14th, I tried every naturally inducing method known to man… seriously.  I may or may not have been to Chick fil a three times for dress like a cow day… maybe we can really attribute my labor to that :).  I was just trying to keep the kitchen clean but I did eat *mostly* healthy… considering it was CFA and all. After dinner at Chick fil a Andrew, BD and I went on one last stroll though Target.  I was feeling some irregular contractions, but that was pretty normal at this point.  When we got home we put BD to bed and I started feeling contractions that were more regular.  Around 9-10 Andrew and I sat down to play a game and I timed contractions.  They were about 5-6 minutes apart already but pretty manageable.  We decided this was it and got Andrew's parents to come get BD, called our doula, and texted my family at about 11. We labored at home for a while.  I spent some time in the bath, on the birthing ball and such.  Contractions got more intense and closer together, but I was still handling them well.  We did not want to head to the hospital too early since I was trying to go naturally, but I also did not want to go too late and have to deal with transition in the car.  We headed out at about 2:00 am when my contractions were about 3 minutes apart.   Of course we got in the car and got to the hospital and they slowed down a bit.  When I got checked at the hospital I was 6 cm dilated and almost totally effaced, and if I remember correct he was about at a -1   position… things were looking good!  The only thing was I was not feeling well… I think maybe the three meals of Chick fil a may have had a role in that.  I am thinking that they may have had the same effect on my labor as taking castor oil would have if you catch my drift. We kept going with labor and to handle the contractions I figured I would sit on the birthing ball in the shower and have Andrew spray my back.  We did that last time and it really helped.  Well… something was wrong with the ledge that kept the water from leaving the shower, and we *may* have been blocking the drain with the birthing ball.  Long story short, we had the bathroom door closed and before we knew it our whole room was flooded with about an inch of water (luckily none of our stuff was on the floor)!  In the midst of labor we moved to the room next door.  We labored some more… and before long the new room was filling with water from the wall of the previous room… I think we were making this birth memorable for everyone at the hospital that night.  The nurses threw some towels agains the wall and we moved yet again to the next room… it is kind of hysterical in hindsight. In the midst of all that I think I really started going through transition… they checked me not too long after we were in our third room and I was a little more  than 8 cm dilated and my bag of water bulging. The doctor was already at the hospital for another delivery so we decided to see if we could get this baby here by breaking my water.  They did that and of course things got even more intense.  This is probably where I got a little more vocal about the pain, was having a really hard time handling the pain, and was nauseous… but onward we went. I started to feel the urge to push, so they checked me again- 9 1/2 cm, so I laid down on my side to get rid of the cervical lip and before long I was at 10 cm.  It was about 5:20 am and time to push.  Now pushing is supposed to be a relief, but just like last time I really struggled through it.  I just wanted so badly to be one of those people who pushed three times and had a baby… but not a chance with such a big baby.  I pushed in every position we could… was sick… at this point I am not even going to lie I was thinking, "Could they get me one pain meds real quick and cut this baby out, because I am not going to make it."  But I knew I had already made it this far, I could do it.  After a while of pushing with one of the pushes they said stop stop stop… we need to wait for the doctor.  That's when I knew we were finally close. When the doctor came I feel like the scene was much more of that out of a movie than the serene focused birth I had with BD… I just felt like I could not handle the pain any more.  There was defiantly some yelling and choice words… which I never had last time.  Actually at one point during the pushing I felt my body almost pass out, but I think my adrenaline kicked in because I knew I could not let that happen!  At that point I screamed, "You have to do something, get him out!"  My doctor being amazing, just as my nurses had the whole time, used a little maneuver to pop his chin out and with two more pushes he was on my chest and it was almost complete relief immediately!  He cried a lot more than Bailey Drew and nursed almost immediately.  They did a little stitching, which was not bad considering the 10 lb 8 oz baby.   It was amazing and we are beyond thankful for this little one. The only thing that no one told me about second babies is that in recovery, the contractions that get the uterus back to normal are more painful… and boy were they! We are so thankful for this little boy!!!

Andrew's Perspective

            One of the toughest things about pregnancy is those last few weeks.  You watch your wife go through a myriad of emotions: from joy and hope to fear and distress.  This is especially true when you have big babies and when your wife is hoping to have a natural birth with these enormous babies!

 

            After we hit the 40 week mark, I could see how each day that passed weighed more and more on Stasia’s mind.  She is always an incredible woman and kept a smile up most of the time, but I knew it was a shadow always growing within her.  Still, she kept going out, hanging out with people, and acting like it was any other day, except she had a huge baby hanging on for dear life inside her…

            Passing the timing of Bailey Drew’s birth was another tough time for us.  Again, as a father the last few weeks are tough because you wait for nine months for this child and to actually be able to help in some (in my mind) meaningful way.  While I am excited for this, I can’t help but wonder how things will go for my wife.  “Will the labor be longer than last time?  Will she be able to be rested?  How long until she hits transition?  How long will that last?  How long will she push?”  The questions start multiplying and becoming more and more real.   This could happen any day.

            Finally, on Tuesday night, July 14^th, Stasia started feeling more consistent contractions.  We had gone out to Target to walk around (because it’s just too stinking hot to walk anywhere outside in July) and were trying not to get our hopes up or make a big deal out of it on our way home.  However, I was already getting my game face on.  We got home, put Bailey Drew to bed, and Stasia told me that the contraction were coming more consistently.  At that time, we started timing the contractions while still distracting ourselves.  We played a game and had a movie on in the background. 

            At this point, things started moving fast.  Looking back, it felt like time just took off.  Before I knew it, we were contacting our doula and our family, it was midnight, and Stasia was already starting to have to really focus during the contractions.  This was moving so much faster than our previous birth experience. 

            Our doula arrived and Stasia just went to work.  Y’all, I just can’t express how impressed I am with this woman.  She was pushing through each contraction as they quickly moved from five minutes apart to four to three.  We got around three minutes apart and the contractions got much more intense.  It was time to head to the hospital.

            We got to the hospital around 2ish, checked in, and started meeting with our nurses and getting Stasia settled while she was still have contractions every three minutes.  Long story short (which you can read about in Stasia’s version), we flooded one room completely, moved to a second room, which had water from the first room seeping in, and finally arrived at the room where we would deliver our son.

            After that, things really sped up.  Stasia was already having very intense contractions and was getting really close to being ready to start pushing.  They broke her water and things got moving even more.  I’m doing everything I can to help her any way that I can without saying something stupid or having any nurse do anything that Stasia wouldn’t want to happen in her birth plan.  My head is spinning!  At the same time, I am having to watch my strong, beautiful wife writhe in agony and struggle under each contraction. 

            Then it’s time to push.

            At this point, I have a very weird mixture of emotions going on.  On the one hand, I know that it is almost time.  My son is about to make his entrance and I am going to be able to meet him for the first time.  I have been waiting for nine months for this moment and it is finally here!!

            On the other hand, I know that this is probably going to be a very trying time for Stasia physically and emotionally.  I’m not as green as I was last time around and I know that she is about to face one of the toughest things she will ever do.  Also, at this point it is nearly 6 in the morning and neither of us has slept at all, so I know she is tired in every way a human could be tired.  At this point all I’m trying to do is make her as comfortable (yeah…..) as I can while just praying over her constantly and encouraging her. 

Again, the mixed emotions rise up.  I’m so proud of her as she focuses on every push.  I’m also so excited that with each push we are closer to seeing, holding, and knowing our son for the first time!  However, I also can watch my wife struggle mightily and grow weaker and in more and more pain. 

Birth is such a wonderful, terrible, beautiful thing.

 

Finally, after almost eight and a half hours, Jameson Luke Skelton takes his first breath and our son is born!  My son is here!  The nurses clean him up, place him on his mother, and our family of three is officially a foursome! God is so good!

 


After the chaos subsides and our room quiets down, I fall into a chair in the room and just watch my son with his incredible mother as she takes care of him, looks him over, and loves him the way only she can and I marvel at why God would give me such an amazing woman. My life is incredible and I can’t wait see how God is going to use Jameson to draw our family even more towards His heart!

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