Finally getting around to writing out her birth story, it reminds me a lot of Judah's.
My due date was April 20th, and that day had come and gone. My mom was at our home from Iowa to help me after the birth, but her time with us was limited and I Really wanted Ruby to be born before my mom had to leave. I had tried castor oil twice earlier in the week with very little results so I had resigned myself to just wait. After a very emotional Sunday (1 day over due) Joe suggested i try taking castor oil before bed in a Sonic shake. His theroy was Judah had come after i had taken castor oil at night in a shake so maybe girlie would follow suit. I had been following the midwives suggestions with the two previous attempts and putting it in my breakfast and then my lunch. Since I was in desperation mode and my mom was needing to leave in 3 days i sent him to Sonic at midnight.
So we doctored it up and I finished it off and was asleep by 1 a.m. I woke up at 4a.m. with some cramping so I used the bathroom, laid back down and tried to sleep. I was have some contractions and just decided to go down stairs (at 4:20) and walk and see if that would help things get moving. I started timing contractions and praying thanking the Lord she was coming as I walked and used the bathroom a few times. The contractions were 4 minuted apart for about 1 minute, I had a very hard contraction that I had to stop and breath through so I decided to go wake up Joe. I woke him up at 4:50 a.m. and he called the Birth Center. I was having another contraction on my knees and braced on the ottoman in our room. Then I needed to go potty so I went to the bathroom followed by a concerned husband thinking I was having her in the toilet. I assured him I was not pushing her out and he went down stairs to tell my mom we were leaving and put some things in the car.
While I was washing my hands I had a very hard pushing contraction at the sink and I knew she was coming. It was a flash back to Judah's birth. I stripped off my bottoms and pulled the bath mat up and stood in the tub waiting for Joe as I said to myself "okay okay okay". All he said when he came in was, "Oh honey." I responded tearfully with, "she's coming, we aren't getting there." So Joe ran, got a heater, plugged it in got a towel and a bulb syringe. He got back into the bathroom as I was having another pushing contraction, I grabbed him around the neck in a hug and my water broke. I reached down and felt her head starting to come Joe bent down and got ready to suction her and my mom walked into the bathroom (it seems kinda funny now "hey mom just having a baby"). Her head was out Joe suctioned her and I reminded him he needed to turn her (through my crying and moaning). I had two contractions after my water broke and then she was delivered safely into her daddies arms.
After she was out Joe gave her to me, we did skin to skin and he filled up the tub with warm water and covered us both with a towel, then called the midwife to tell her the baby was already born-it was 5:01 a.m.. After he handed her to me I asked him if she was a girl :) he had kept saying through the pregnancy that it could be a boy so I wanted to make sure I called her by the right name :) It was a whirlwind labor and delivery. The midwife came delivered the palcenta, checked us both over-i needed one stitch and then we were good to go to bed. Also the older boys had been awakened by all of the commotion and had heard the delivery :) the funny thing is they kept telling they were not going to sleep after her due date because they knew they would hear her crying when she was born. So they did get to hear her cry when she was born!
Ruby was 8 lb 10oz and 21.5 inches long.
We feel vey blessed to have had a safe labor and delivery and a healthy baby girl. I am very thankful for a very competent husband who is very calm under pressure and has delivered two of our children at home :) The midwife said if we have another baby we should go ahead and plan on a home birth :)
