Harley's Birth Story

Jake has gone home for the night and I sit here while baby Harley sleeps and I decided what a perfect time to sit down and write his birth story! It may be a couple weeks before I actually post it because we hired a photographer to come take pictures for us this time, so I want to wait until we get those back. But I don't want to forget any details so I will write it now. Harley finally joined our family on August 5th, 2014. 4 days over his due date. I was actually really surprised that he was late. I had my 40 week appointment 2 days early, on the 30th of July, and Dr. Johannson checked me and I was dialated to a 3 already. I was very surprised about that, so I kind of thought it should be any day then! Which really shouldn't be too far off since my due date was in only 2 days. But we scheduled an induction for Tuesday just in case. I didn't think there was anyway I'd make it until then though.
The rest of Wednesday and Thursday were pretty uneventful. I had my normal come and go contractions that I have for about the last 2-3 weeks. Friday (my due date) I woke up and sooooo bummed that I hadn't gone yet. I was just so done being pregnant and really wanted him here! Jake decided to work from home that day and help me with the girls since I was just so tired! So that was really nice. That night we decided to go out to dinner and celebrate his birthday since we didn't know when the baby would be coming. We went to Texas Roadhouse. While we were there I started having semi-painful contractions. I started timing them and they were about 4-5 minutes apart. I tried not to get myself too psyched up and just kept timing. After about 30 minutes of that I finally said something to Jake. We finished eating, ran some more errands, and went home. I was still having them on and off, but just decided it was best to go to bed and try to get some sleep and they would wake me up once they got bad enough. I was pretty bummed to wake up at 1:30 in the morning to go to the bathroom and discover they had stopped all together....argh. So Saturday morning I woke up, hopeful that that would be the day. We headed back to the fair, spent the morning there, then Jake went to go work on the RV park and I took the girls home to take naps, and I laid down as well. That night we went to the Rodeo and by the time we got there, again I was having really bad back aches and semi-painful contractions. I told Jake we may be leaving the Rodeo early! But again...they stopped. By this time I was losing patience with the whole ordeal. I just wanted him here! I knew I wouldn't be pregnant past Tuesday, but I really did not want to be induced. Sunday came, Jake's birthday, I didn't really want him to come that day so that they could each have their own day. But that night I was really hoping that I would go into labor. But I woke up again Monday morning with nothing. At that point I just resolved that induction on Tuesday it was going to be. I spent the day just soaking up the girls, we played games, and colored, and made playdough, anything to keep them (and my mind) busy! It rained all day so we couldn't go outside. Jake came home that night we had dinner, he played outside with Emery while I cleaned and made sure everything would be ready to go the next morning. We headed to bed at about 11:30. The induction was scheduled for 9, so we didn't need to leave until about 8:15 to have time to take the girls to my parents and get there. So I fully expected to get plenty of sleep. At about 1:50 I woke up for my typical bathroom trip. I remember thinking that it was time to get up for the day and being bummed because I was still super tired! Then I saw the clock and was relieved I still had a few hours of sleep left! I fell back asleep but was woken up at 2:30 with a horrible pain in my back, it didn't really register in my brain what it was, until about the 2nd or 3rd contraction. I just assumed it was more false labor and tried to go back to sleep. But they hurt too bad, so I started timing them. Every 5 minutes. After about 20 minutes I got up and went to the living room to try to walk through them. At this point they had gone down to every 4 minutes. I knew that it was for real this time. So I decided to start getting ready to go. After about 4 more contractions they went down to 3 minutes apart. I made sure my bag was all packed and ready and then woke up Jake and said "We need to go" He said Okay! And jumped up. He loaded up my bag, we had everything else already in the car. Then loaded up the girls and we took off. We left the house about 4 AM. We drove to my parents and dropped off the girls and then headed to the hospital. We got to the front desk to check in at 5 AM pretty much exactly.

 They were surprised to see me, knowing that I had an induction scheduled for later that morning. They got me all admitted, I got changed into my fancy gown, got my IV in and everything and then checked me at about 5:25, I was at a 4 1/2. I was thrilled, but really surprised. My labor with Macie was SO LONG (14 hours) that I expected this one to be like that.

 My contractions were still about 2-3 minutes apart, and getting stronger and stronger. The nurse asked if I wanted an epidural and I said no. She said Okay and was AMAZING at helping me after that. Her name was Renee and I will probably request her for every kid from here on out. Best nurse ever. She held my hand and talked me through every single contraction. It was great.

 After about another hour, at 6:30, I was in so much pain. She had told me that every single patient once they hit a 7 starts asking for an epidural. At this point I joked with her that I didn't think I was going to even make it to a 7 before I started begging. I was hurting. So she said well let's check you again, so she did and sure enough I was at a 7. I couldn't believe how fast I was going this time! But my contractions were getting stronger and stronger every time. She called my doctor to tell her I was at a 7 and Dr. Johannson said she was on her way. She got there about a half hour later at 7 and checked me, I was at a 9. Again, Jake and I were shocked. But thrilled. By this point my contractions were really really strong and painful. There is absolutely no way I could have made it through with out Jake and Renee. I had one of their hands in each of my hands squeezing the death of them. I did stand and do some swaying, and some exercise ball, but at this point the most comfortable position was in my bed, breathing through each one. Dr. Johannson broke my water and said she'd be back in a few minutes. Renee and Jake helped me through more contractions. After another 15 minutes, at 7:15, Dr. Johannson checked me again, I was still at a 9. She said I was so close though that she thought a couple small pushes would take me to a 10, so we tried it and sure enough, she said we are ready.

They all scrambled to get everything set up and we were ready to go. I started pushing at about 7:20 and after 3 pushes baby Harley was born at 7:21. As soon as he came out it was like all the pain just melted away. It really is the craziest thing how it just disappears. I just started to cry mostly because I was so happy he was here (and gorgeous by the way) and relieved that it was over.

After a few minutes on me they took him to get cleaned up. Dr. Johannson said there were some small tears that she needed to stitch up. She gave me a shot of some local anesthetic (thank goodness...did not want to feel the stitches) And gave me a few stitches. It seemed like about 3-4 of them. But she said it wasn't too bad. I was so happy about that too. I tore really badly with Macie and I thought I would never recover. It was days before I felt like I could really walk again. But I feel SO good after this delivery. I have very little pain, I have been up walking around, and sitting in chairs instead of being in bed all the time. I do have quite a bit of swelling, which is expected. But really I feel so good. Which with knowing that I am going home to two toddlers and a newborn, I am incredibly grateful for. I am really happy with my decision to go natural. I had planned that with Emery, but with everything that happened and having to have the C-Section, I obviously wasn't able to. So I planned it again with Macie, which I did do for about 5 hours, but after only 1 cm of progression in those 5 hours, after already being awake for 30 hours...I knew it wasn't going to happen. So this time I was determined that it was going to happen, and I am so happy that Jake was supportive of the decision, and my nurse was an answer to my prayers in helping me, and convincing me that I could do it. She just kept telling me how good I was doing. She even told me afterwards that I could be on the "going natural labor movies" haha! I don't know about that, but she did make me feel very empowered. There is something very empowering and special about pushing your body to (what feels like) it's absolute limits, where you don't think you could do anymore and succeeding. The question I keep getting asked now is "What about next time..." Well considering Harley isn't even 24 hours old yet, it's way too early to be thinking about that ;) haha! But I will do natural again.. It was really amazing. And I feel like Harley did better with it too. I never had to have oxygen, his heart rate never dropped, and I feel like he has been very alert, as opposed to being a little bit drugged from the epidural.

After they got him all cleaned up and I was all stitched up Jake brought him to me to hold. I just couldn't believe all of his hair! It was still pretty matted down and he had a hat on, but I could tell he had a lot. But it wasn't until after he had his bath a few hours later that we saw how much hair he really has! It is incredible! SO gorgeous. Later last night we went on a walk around the halls and every person we passed had to stop and look and comment on his gorgeous hair. At this point every one left us in the room with our new little babe!

After about 2 hours my mom, dad, and Shayli brought Emery and Macie to come meet "baby brudder" And boy oh boy, you have never seen more sibling love in the world as when Emery came in and met that little guy. She jumped right up on my bed and just kept repeating, "oh he is so tute! I wuve him Mom, I wuve him so much, he is so tute!" She wanted to hold him and kiss him and "pet" his head. She couldn't leave him alone. I know I am going to have to keep a really close eye on him with all this love going around! Macie was interested in him, but really could take him or leave him, haha! She doesn't really know what the heck is going on. She looked at him and would smile and laugh and try to poke his eyes out. haha! But I think she likes him, she really likes babies and dolls, so once we get home she will be really excited about him. Between her eye poking and Emery's lovin', I'm going to have a job on my hands just to keep the poor kid safe throughout the day! But I am so glad that they love him so much. He is one loved little guy. They hung out with us for a couple hours, had lunch, and by that point Macie was very ready for a nap, so they took off.

 My nurse came in to give Harley his first bath. It took a while before we could start because he would not warm up. He had to a certain temperature before we could start. But he was too cold. So they put him on this warming bed for a while. He loved it. He laid there still as a mouse and just fell asleep. He was comfy! After about a half hour or so he finally was warm enough so we started. He loved it. He didn't make a peep the whole time. He just sat back and enjoyed it. It was really fun that since I was feeling so great and up and walking around, she let Jake and I do most of it. After wards she gave me a little comb to do his hair, I realized I have no idea how to do boys hair! haha! But we figured it out. How many people have to actually brush and do their 6 hour old babies hair?! So much fun.

The rest of the day we just relaxed and cuddled our little man. We tried to get a little bit of rest but it didn't really happen. I got about a 20 minute nap but that was about it. It was pouring rain. So we spent a lot of time watching the storm. The parking lot outside my window flooded up to the base of the car doors. So we were watching people try to get to their cars and get it! We heard later on that the basement of the hospital had flooded as well. It was just storage down there though. Around 5 Colton and Haley came by to meet him. Then Jake and I ordered some dinner. They let Jake have a free meal, we had some yummy steak, potatoes, and blueberry cheesecake. It was delicious! Around 8:30 Jake left. We decided that it would be best for him to go home to the girls and let them sleep in their own beds. They had had a really long and exciting day, so the least we disrupt their schedule the better. Jake will take them back up to my parents in the morning and then come back here with Harley and I. We are so happy he is here and can't wait to get him home! We love you baby Harley!! Welcome to our family!

Harley's Birth Story - By Jake

I was sleeping peacefully and dreaming about being in the middle of a gun battle against a horde of enemies when I suddenly heard, "Jake, we need to go."  I awoke to see Kara hunched over on her side of the bed. Within a few milliseconds, a flood of thoughts rushed through my head about why in the world we would need to leave at that moment, while it was still utterly dark outside and nowhere near time to leave for her induction (it was scheduled for 9:00 and the clock said 3:30).  I immediately came to the conclusion that Kara must have gone into labor and that we, indeed, needed to leave at that moment.  I began getting dressed and helping Kara get her bag and everything we would need at the hospital and for the girls to be able to stay with Kara's parents.  She asked me to make her a piece of toast with peanut butter and jam, so I popped two slices of bread into the toaster and got out the toppings.  Kara continued having regular contractions as I finished preparing the toast and getting everything loaded into the car.  We ate our toast and then Kara got into the car to wait while I got Emery and Macie loaded into the car.  They, of course, woke up before they were even in the car and were awake for the drive to their grandma and grandpa's house.  Emery talked for the drive while Macie remained silent the whole time.  After we dropped them off with their bags and their car seats Kara and I got on the road to head to the hospital.

We got there at about 5:00 and checked in.  Luckily the receptionist was quick to get everything taken care of and Kara was in a room in no time.  I had to wait in the lobby for a few minutes during the whole 'we have to take your wife back alone to ask her if you beat her or your kids' portion of check-in (which I have gotten used to and have never had a problem with, for the record) so used the opportunity to relax and get ready for the delivery.  The nurse came and got me and we were together again in the delivery room.  Kara was all hooked up to the machines that monitored her and the baby and I stood next to her while she squeezed my fingers during her increasingly painful and fatiguing contractions.  When the nurse checked where Kara was at and said she was at a 4 - 4.5 we were both pleasantly surprised that she was that far along already compared to how long her labor was with Macie.  Still, we figured it would be several more hours before anything serious started.  Well, after only an hour of contractions that continued to increase in intensity and an amazing nurse to walk Kara through them (eternal thanks, Renee) they checked her again and she was at a 7.

Now was the hard part, they told us.  Kara breathed through the contractions like she had done it hundreds of times before and with each one I gained more respect for how strong she really is.  Sure she asked the nurse for something to take some of the pain away, understandably (I would have too, long before she did), but her nurse kept saying, "You're almost done.  You're doing perfect," and she really was.  Before we knew it the doctor was there and Kara was at a 9.  This began the longest (seemingly) part of Kara's labor.  From 9-10 took about 20-25 minutes, but again Kara showed those contractions who was really the boss.  When the doctor said it was time to push it took one push and she said she could see the head.  Another push and I could see the head beginning to emerge.  One final push and our little boy was in the open air screaming for someone to just let him be comfortable.

I couldn't believe it.  Little Harley was here, and Kara had just masterfully delivered a baby completely natural.  I couldn't have been more proud of her or to have my son here, safe and sound.  I cut his cord, then the nurses cleaned him up, weighed and measured him, checked his vitals, then put a diaper, beanie, and blanket on him, all while Kara got tended to by the doctor and her nurse.  They handed him to me when Kara was all done and I, then, handed him to her.

Although he is our third child there is still no way to avoid an altogether sense of wonder and amazement about bringing a child into this world.  Nothing can possibly compare to the joy of holding your own newborn baby for the first time and watching them take their first look at the world.  His life (and the lives of Emery and Macie) are invaluable to Kara and I, and I thank our Heavenly Father that He has given me the opportunity to be the father of these little wonders.  I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to make covenants that allow me to be with my family for all eternity.  I love them without reservation and wouldn't change anything.  I am so blessed to have Kara in my life and that she chose to be with me.  I am so blessed that she is the mother of our children.  She is truly an amazing woman with an incredible sense of motherhood.  She is a million times better at being a mother than I am of being a father, and I think I'm a fairly decent father although I am far from perfect.

Harley is now a few days old and he and his Mommy are both at home.  His older sisters think he is pretty cool, especially Emery, who keeps saying, "awww, he's so tute.  I love him!"  She is so adorable with him and wants to hold him at every opportunity.  Macie just likes to look at him and point at him, with an occasional attempt to poke his eyes, but what can you expect from a one-year-old.  Kara is doing well recovering and I am still so impressed with what she was able to accomplish.  I am so proud of her.  I love my little family!