Introducing..

OWEN!!

So, before I even had a chance to blog about my pregnancy, little Owen surprised us all and arrived 2 weeks early!! Silly little boy!!

Owen was born on Monday Jan 30th in the wee hours of the morning after a LONG labour. He weighed 3.165 or 6 lbs 15 oz. and is 51 cm long. 

17 weeks pregnant

36 weeks pregnant

So, as you can see, I got BIG!! I felt HUGE! But, oddly, I was content to still be pregnant. I had a lot to do yet and I wasn't in a hurry to get it done. However, in my 37th week of pregnancy, all the little bits started coming together. The cot (crib) got set up. We got a new family car (that would fit 3 car seats!!). Marco built me a board for my change table. He also sanded and refinished an old set of drawers from the garage. In fact, he just brought those in on Saturday. Saturday was also the day that I threw my first load of baby clothes in the wash.
Saturday afternoon Marco washed a friend's van while I did the week's groceries. Then we brought the van over to another friend's house. We had planned to have a quick cuppa and then we had other friends coming for dinner. However, I was about to get a large lesson in my plans not necessarily being HIS plans. 

Disclaimer: from here on in, I'm about to tell Owen's birth story. Don't read it if you don't want. Your choice. 

So, at our friends house, well.. my pants got wet. Yep, I'm standing on their deck and I feel this rush of water descend into my undies. "Umm.. I may have just wee'd myself - or my waters just broke, if you don't mind, I'll use your toilet to check". Thankfully, I've had a lifetime of being embarrassed in public, so I wasn't really. I went to the bathroom to check, and sure enough: clear and no odour. My water just broke. So, summoning the husband, and gathering up the kids we returned home. We shipped the kids off for the weekend, without really telling them too much first. They're always excited to sleep at "Pake & Beppe's" house, so it was very exciting to them. (Pake & Beppe are friends of ours that have "adopted" our kids as their grand kids. Pake & Beppe are the Frisian words for Grandma & Grandpa.)

Now we wait for labour to start. Well, actually, we run around like mad people, trying to wash the rest of the baby clothes, pack the hospital bag, install the car seat, find the diaper bag etc. etc.)

Then we wait. All night long we wait. I can't sleep, so I'm up and down, remembering things, imagining contractions, timing the imaginary ones, trying to sleep. Tossing. Turning. Ugh. Marco got nearly 12 hours of sleep. Lucky. or Smart. 

10am Sunday morning - We decide to try off-roading in an attempt to get labour started. Marco seems oblivious to what off-roading is. He sticks to pavement, but claims its bumpy. It does nothing. 

11:30am - the midwife instructs us to meet her at the hospital in an effort to get things going. 

I'm induced with a gel, and started on antibiotics. 

3pm - Contractions start. 45 seconds long. Every 2 1/2 minutes. Consistency. That's what I am. Consistent. 

9pm - contractions hurt more. Midwife (and myself) are convinced that things are progressing. I start to imagine (or maybe I didn't) an urge to push. I do some, but not a lot. The urge (or imagined urge) passes. Ugh. Baby is mostly posterior. Back pain sucks. Pool is tried in an attempt to turn the baby. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't. I don't know. Still having back pain. 

I'm just being a tool and pulling a stupid face. But this is the hospital room with the birthing tub. 

11:30pm - I'm checked. Midwife starts to cry as she informs me that I am in fact only 2cm. I cry. She suggests that we either get an epidural and some stronger drugs to start labour (did you know you're not officially in labour until you're 3cm?? Not really the thing you want to learn when you've been having constant and strong contractions for 9 hours.) OR I get a shot of Pethedine and take a 4 hour nap and hope that contractions start back after that nap. 

1am - I ask for the Pethedine shot. It makes me drowsy alright. Does NOT relieve any pain. So, now I'm falling asleep for the 2 minutes between the minute long awfully painful contractions. URGH!

2am - midwife is called back in (she tried to go home to sleep.. hahaha). Pain is worse, they are, once again, convinced I'm progressing. 

3am - I beg the midwife to check me once more. This time, I hold out little hope for having progressed. We agree that if I'm still under 5 I'll get an epidural. If I'm over 5, however, I'll get in the bath. I'm 7-8. Thank you Jesus. I hop in the shower while the bath is being filled. I hop in the bath. Its not full. As soon as I hop in, I need to push. the midwife tries to slow me down. I'm obedient - to a point. 

 3:20am - Owen is born. I place him on my chest in the pool. The cord is pulled off from around his neck, clamped and Marco cuts it. Owen is purple and covered in that waxy film  - eww gross. 

Proud daddy

see? purple and eww..  :)

5am - we're out of the delivery suite, in our room. I send Marco home for some MUCH needed sleep. I stare at my gorgeous baby boy before nodding off myself. 

noon, Monday morning: Marco brings the girls in to meet their new brother. Within moments, they're wanting cuddles and kisses. They're going to be EXCELLENT big sisters. 

By 4pm Marco picks me up to go home. Its been a LONG Monday, but I'm anxious to get settled into our home. 

This is the "going home" picture of each of our kids. They all look SO different!! 

So, there it is, the birth of my 3rd born, my first son - Owen. 

I love the frog legs, and I love crying pictures. It reminds me  later , looking back, that they did cry.  :)

But, overall, he's pretty chill...