Welcome Zechariah Bruyn To The World

I'm going to start earlier in the week. I went to bed Monday night at 40+1. I will admit that I had been ready for a couple weeks, but still thinking that he could hold on like Joy did and wait until almost 43 weeks.  

Ok, so I went to bed Monday night exhausted.  What did I do all day. I cleaned all day long. 

"My house is ready. My birth kit is ready. I organized baby's clothes and diapers. Dinner was ready by 4 (a little crazy on getting dinner going early). Showered, did laundry, organized. No sewing today."

I had the nesting bug.  I I had been sewing cloth pads and a few fun craft projects all week. 

I'd been having pretty hard contractions for 5 to 7 hours at a time starting Monday.  They would go on for hours, me breathing through them, then stop.  

Wednesday night I decided to take a picture. I thought "This could be my last picture of this pregnancy". 

So, come Thursday night, I was tired and ready.  We went to bed and at midnight (12:04am actually) a very hard contraction came along.  My eyes popped open.  Ok, this might be it.  I fell back asleep.  Another contraction.  It was one hour apart.  This happened until 4am.  Then they picked up.  I stopped timing at that point.  

I went back and forth between bed and the bathroom. I lost track of time at that point.  I listened to music on my phone. I spent a lot of time in the bathroom between laboring on the toilet, hanging on the counter, and kneeling over my birth kit box.  At some point I got on the couch and slept between contractions.  Waking only to moan, cry out, and at the end sob through the last few.  

I went back to the bathroom and labored between my triangle of locations.  None were helping.  I kept telling myself that it was getting close.  I could feel baby's bag of waters bulging.  I waited and labored longer.  I moaned and yelled through my contractions.  I kept talking to baby, saying it was time to come out.  

**Later that day Hannah (12) apologized because she said she smiled hearing me because I sounded like I was singing opera.  She said I was hitting the notes rather well.**

I could feel the bag of waters, and knew I couldn't go on for much longer.  I was exhausted physically and mentally.  I pinched to break the sac, and a little liquid did come out, but the bag was still intact.  I labored a bit longer and tried again.  This time water splashed across the chux pad.  Things picked up from there.  

My oldest daughter Sadie (15) was hanging around outside of the bathroom.  She asked if I needed anything.  I said I needed her dad.  

They both came in, but I had kind of wedged myself into my triangular area where there wasn't a lot of room.  I hadn't wanted to move to far to change positions.  He had no space to get in by me.  He said to come to the living room where there was plenty of space to have baby.  I began roaring and said I can't move. I could feel baby's head.  At this point I was stuck leaning over my birth kit box facing the wall. 

He asked Sadie if she could get behind me.  If she would want to catch the baby.  She jumped at the chance, although very nervous since she hadn't done that before.  She had only helped with Bekah's birth, but didn't catch.  She was afraid of dropping the baby. Brent told her to be careful because baby will be slippery and come out with some force.  He then said to watch for the head. 

At this point I was feeling baby's head and knew the progress of what was going on. Unfortunately the only communication I could give them was my primal roars.  I would push through contractions and feel his head very slowly make it's way down.  Oh how I wanted this finished.  I kept thinking how close it was.  How I would meet my baby soon.  His head got close to crowning and Sadie told Brent she could see his head.  They both began encouraging me.  The excitement was in the air.  Baby was almost here. 

I pushed a couple more times and his head began to crown.  I took a break between contractions and slowly pushed him in just a bit.  I needed more time to stretch.  I pushed again on the next contraction and still couldn't get him out.  On the next, with Brent and Sadie encouraging me, I pushed and roared.  I thought his head was out, but they said to keep pushing.  I guess I stopped about his face.  It was like his head went on forever.  Then, finally, his head was out!  They said how he had a perfect head!  I found out later he was sunny side up.  

Next contraction I didn't wait.  I began pushing.  Brent readied Sadie.  I'm not exactly sure what's really going on with them, as I'm facing away from everyone.  I hear Sadie ask why baby is blue (a bit scared) and we both said that how they are, it's ok.  Then Brent said the cord was around baby's neck, but it was beyond the point of stopping.  Baby was out.  (The cord was not looped around the neck, but draped across his shoulders.)

I hear Brent say "It's a boy!".  What a surprise to me!  I felt the entire time baby was a girl!  

He asked the time.  11:20am. I said it sure felt like 4pm.  

I was exhausted.  With my others I wanted to immediately hold baby.  This time I could only drape myself across the box and rest.  After a few minutes I was able to shakily stand up and see my baby boy. I don't know how long I waited, but he was cleaned up by that time. I guess he was really cheesy.  I grabbed a towel and sat on it while I finally held my little (not so little) guy.  I stood up and felt movement.  I squatted and pushed the placenta out. We then tied the cord and Brent cut it. 

Brent then asked everyone what their guess was on his weight.  Sadie said 7lb something.  My eyes got huge.  I laughed and said I guess 9lb 10oz because his head was so big.  Brent guessed 9lb 16oz.  I laughed and said that was 10lbs.  He said it's also 9lb 16oz.  Ha ha!

They took him out and I sat in the toilet for a while.  I was cold and shaking so hard I couldn't do much else for a while.  After I gathered myself, I was able to shower.  After I got out and dressed I went to the living room and found out he was 9lb 10oz on the dot!

Brent then looked at me and asked about names.  We had thought of girls, and I mentioned boy names, but nothing was decided on.  He said "What about Zechariah?".  I was so happy!  It was one I wanted since Moses.  He asked about the middle name.  I had no idea.  Then he said (since Zechariah was a family name) what about Zechariah's middle name, Bruyn?  Perfect!

Zechariah Bruyn

Born 4/25/14 at 40w 5d

11:20am

9lb 10oz

21 1/2 inches long

15 inch head