Our sweet little Hiccup is here

Martha Olivia is 17 days old! She's here, finally, and her dad and I can't seem to get enough of her. I want to document my labor - not for any other reason than to be able to remember it.

It was Sunday. It was Valentine's day. I woke up at 4:55 am with a sharp pain. I wasn't curled in a funny position and there was nothing poking me. I knew it - it was labor.

I got out of bed at 5 to get a piece of paper and a pen so I could keep track of the contractions. They came about every 7 minutes and lasted for 30 seconds. It wasn't bad. I got on Facebook and tried to kill some time, continuously writing down times.

It was 6:30 am when I woke up Josh. I told him that I didn't think we'd be going to church that morning. He looked at me and I asked him to sit with me. I didn't want to be alone. The house was so quiet.

I can't remember if I had breakfast. I don't think I did, but I'm not certain. If I did, it would've been a bowl of honey nut cheerios. Those things are a staple item in my parents' house. I took a bath and took time to shave my legs. I cut myself, but it wasn't because of the contractions. I had a dull razor.

Josh called the midwife around 8. He told her I was in labor. She asked how far apart they were and how intense they were. She was at another delivery and wanted to call us back later. We agreed.

The rest of the family, excluding my mom and Josh, got ready for church. And they left for church. My contractions were still anywhere from 5 to 7 minutes apart and from 30-45 seconds long. Mom said a walk might help. I was laying sideways on a couch. I left the room for every contraction as soon as I documented the time. Mom and I got dressed and went walking to "the sign" a mile away.

It was cold. The wind was brutal. I carried my pencil and paper with me. By now, I had Josh's watch on because it was easy to read and had the seconds. My hands froze every time I took them from my pockets. We didn't make it to the sign. I asked to go back before we got there. We still walked 1.75 miles, though. I was tired when we got to the house. It was about 11 am. I ate half a sandwich and tried to sleep between contractions.

At 1:30 pm, the midwife, Candy, called and asked if I was still having contractions. I was. She asked if we would be willing to go to Harrison to her house to check the progress. We were. Josh and I took our car, loaded with a carseat, baby clothes, our clothes, and the birthing kit. Mom followed us in her car. She knew I wanted her there. Since Candy was at another delivery (and was taking the woman to the hospital for fatigue), her midwife friend Belinda was there to check progress. At 2, my progress was 6 cm dilated, fully effaced, and everyone was surprised. Belinda told me that I should go ahead and settle in because I wasn't going home without a baby.

They ran water in the jacuzzi tub and I climbed in. Mom called my dad and my sister and brother to let them know we were staying in Harrison. I remember thinking that we weren't going to be able to stop at Home Depot and pick up a part for dad and felt sorry that we couldn't do that errand for him.

I sat in the water. We talked with Belinda. I don't know what time it was, but Candy showed up. They checked the baby's heartbeat. It was a new doppler radar so it took a couple of tries, but everything was good.

Danielle called mom and wanted to know how close I was. We didn't know, of course, so Danielle and Kyle decided to come to Harrison because Danielle was able to get off of work. Mom was hungry so they got 15 roast beef sandwiches from Arby's and brought them to the house. Josh's parents were there by that time. They didn't come into the bedroom where I was. That was one of my requests.

The midwives' assistant, Maryann, arrived. I met her. I wondered what she thought of me, sitting there in the tub. She is my age. Just got married. I thought she was really nice, easy to talk to.

Everyone ate an Arby's sandwich except for me. I just ate almonds. Unroasted, unsalted almonds. I drank water.

The contractions didn't hurt too bad. I was able to breathe through them. Josh and Mom poured water from a cup over my stomach during contractions. That helped some, too. The midwives kept saying how proud they were of me. They kept saying I was doing a great job. Mom told Josh that he got lucky - most women screamed during labor.

I guess it was around 7 pm when they wanted to check my progress again. I didn't want to get out of the water, but I knew I needed to. I stood up and looked at the water, slightly embarrassed at the "show" that was left in the water. No one else seemed phased by it. I was 8 cm dilated. I didn't get back in the tub. I laid on the bed.

Time seemed to crawl from that point on. It because 7:30, and then 8. Then it was 8:30. John Kyle met friends in Harrison and went to a movie with them. He kept texting Mom, wondering how close I was to delivering. She didn't know. I didn't know. (The next day, I looked at my phone and he had texted me as well, wondering when I would deliver. I don't think he realized that we weren't trying to withhold information) Belinda had to leave within this time. She received a call from another woman, 3 hours away, who was in labor. She delivered two hours after I did - Belinda only had an hour to spare. Josh took a small nap - about 15 minutes - on the bed next to me. My mom called my dad at 8 and told him that it would be soon so he came to Harrison.

At 8:30, the contractions were stronger, closer together. It felt like there was only 30 seconds of "relief" between each one. I remember wanting to cry out, but I didn't. I writhed in bed, murmured to myself. I tried to reposition. I asked if it would help any, and Candy said the baby was so low that everything would be uncomfortable, but I was welcomed to try. I stayed how I was. Candy checked me again - I was about 9.5 cm dilated with just a little bit more to go. She kept asking me if I felt the urge to "bear down" but I hadn't yet. After she checked me, I wanted to, but I had to hold off because I wasn't completely dilated yet. Candy then broke my waters. I asked if it would hurt, and she told me I would just feel a big gush and that it would keep going. Those contractions were the worst. I was so close, but I couldn't do anything to help.

I started pushing just after 9 pm. It was weird. I knew it would help in the end, but I think I was a little scared. Mom was on my left, Josh on my right. Each were holding my hands and supporting my legs. I don't know if I liked pushing. A lot of women enjoy it because they can concentrate their energy into doing something instead of just waiting out a contraction. I remember Candy telling me that my baby had hair. She could see her, but she wasn't here yet. She asked if I wanted to feel her, but I didn't. I couldn't concentrate if I did. I remember Candy helping me stretch. I said that I was hurting. Maryann rubbed my shoulders or my legs - I can't remember. She told me I was doing a great job. I remember two hard pushing contractions, and then there was a baby on my stomach, just like Candy told me there would be.

I said hi to Livvy, and then asked if it was a "Livvy" just to make sure it wasn't a boy. Everyone laughed. I asked if I could move her up closer to me, but the cord wasn't long enough. Mom said it was a short umbilical cord. Josh kissed my forehead, my hands, my cheeks. Candy and Maryann clamped the cord and Josh cut it. That surprised me. Then Olivia was set on my chest. I only pushed for 20 minutes.

I don't remember her crying. I think she did for maybe 10 seconds as she was born, but then when she was on my stomach, she stopped. Josh said his favorite part is when I looked at him and said "we did it."

I remember feeling "light" contractions, comparatively, and they told me it was time to deliver the placenta. It took about 5 minutes, and I had to push hard, they said. Just like I did when Olivia was born. Maryann is the one who delivered the placenta. Later, Maryann showed it to us, where Livvy was inside of it, how it formed. It was neat.

She pooped on me. Twice, before they weighed her and diapered her. They let me nurse her. It wasn't very long, but it was enough. Mom helped me change shirts, they covered me up, and everyone was welcomed in to see Olivia. Everyone held her except for Phil. John Kyle was holding her as they stamped her feet.

Candy offered to let us stay the night since it was so late - almost 11 - by the time everyone else was leaving. I wanted to go home. She said I had to urinate first, but then I was free to leave. We left about 12:15 am and had to wait in traffic for a bad accident on Hwy 412, but made it home by 1 am.

Danielle fixed me leftover meatloaf when we got home because I was hungry. There were no roast beef sandwiches left after Olivia was born. No one saved one for me. Danielle, Josh and Mom helped me as I nursed her that night, in the dark.

There was just a soft glow from a lamp as Livvy fell asleep in my arms our first night together.

Martha Olivia Meals was born on February 14, 2010 at 9:30 pm. She weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces and was 21 inches long. Daddy's named her Hiccup because she gets the hiccups around 3 times a day.

Present for Olivia's birth:

Shelia - MooMoo
John - Papa John
Danielle - Aunt D
John Kyle - Uncle Kyle
Sara - Oma
Phil - Poppy
Josh - Daddy
Kelsey - Mommy
Candy & Maryann