I am so incredibly excited to share our sweet Maisie girl’s birth story today on the blog. Having our little girl here has filled our hearts with more love and given us a joy that we didn’t know was possible. It feels like my heart has expanded to double it’s normal size.

I will try and do a follow up post soon with the differences between Caden and Maisie’s birth and post delivery because there are several that even surprised me. Time is already moving so quickly and I am happy to have been able to write down her birth story before I forgot the little details. Honestly, it is crazy what you can forget in even a week, but her story is here and it is typed up – which is what matters. Enjoy…

On the afternoon of Tuesday May 27th, I had my 39 week appointment with my OB, Dr. Brass, at 5:45pm. Before I continue telling this story, if you are local and looking for someone to deliver your baby or are wanting to get pregnant I highly recommend her. She is just awesome and I am so thankful she was able to deliver Caden and Maisie.

Caden came with me to the appointment and we listened to little sisters heart and measured mommy’s tummy. I had a vaginal check to see how far dilated I was and was a little disappointed that I was only 1cm dilated. I had fully expected to have had the baby by 39 weeks, so to hear that there had been little change in my cervix wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear.

While I was having my cervix checked Dr. Brass started explaining how she was going to try to encourage my body to keep the contractions I was feeling coming in more frequent and consistent intervals by doing a membrane strip (also known as a sweep).  After she had finished checking me I asked if I needed to get in any particular position for her to be able perform the sweep and was told it was already done. I had hardly felt anything.

I left the office with some light spotting and was told that if my body was ready to go into labor the membrane sweep would help to get everything started. I was excited but also cautiously optimistic because I knew I could still be days or even a week away from having this baby.

Josh was on shift at the fire station and I had told Caden we would visit Daddy at work before we headed home. I was super eager to tell Josh what had happened during my appointment which made him even more excited that this baby might be coming very soon. Caden and I stayed at the station for about 40 minutes and left to come home.

While I was driving home I started to feeling a little achy and was very happy when I pulled into the driveway. I got Caden out of the car, carefully carried him upstairs, which at this point proved to be challenging because my back was hurting, and got him ready for bed.

By 7:30pm I was struggling to eat my dinner and had lost most of my appetite because my stomach wasn’t feeling that great. For the next hour I sat on our exercise ball, walked around the house, used a heating pad on my back, and visited the bathroom several times. I debated if I needed to call Josh at work and tell him that I thought my labor might have started but I kept putting it off thinking it could be a false alarm. I can’t tell you how many times during this pregnancy I thought I was or could be starting labor and I didn’t want him to come home from work until I knew it was the real thing. I decided to call him anyway just to let him know what was happening. During that phone call we decided to wait a hour and then I’d call him with an update.

By 9:30pm the contractions were coming in 5 minute intervals. I then called my Dad and told him that I thought I might be in labor and would call him in 30 minutes on whether he needed to come pick up Caden.  I made the call to Josh – come home. While I waited I took a hot shower and was elated when I heard the garage door open because I knew at this point I was in labor and needed my husband.

When Josh came home he helped me get situated upstairs with the exercise ball and heating pad in our bathroom while he packed up the car and called my Dad asking him to come get Caden. I decided to take another shower and was lunging and squatting as the water poured down my back. I was sad when all the hot water was gone because it felt so amazing. I wrangled myself out of the bathroom and got dressed and was able to make it back downstairs. My Dad came shortly after and Caden was packed up into the car to spend the night with Grandpa and Grandma and we were off to the hospital.

The drive to the hospital was awful! I was so glad we didn’t wait much longer to leave the house. With each contraction I felt every tiny bump and dip in the road. Sitting was the last thing I wanted to be doing. Poor Josh had to listen to me scream and cry in pain during that car ride. I was praying that I would be far enough along that I would be admitted and not have to endure another ride in the car back home.

We checked in a little before 11pm and were quickly taken back to a triage room to be seen. I got into my hospital gown and was hooked up to the monitors. With every contraction I had to stand up and lean over the bed with my chest and head resting on a pillow while Josh pressed on my lower back. Although I could tell my contractions were getting closer, I was shocked to hear the nurse say they were 3 minutes apart.

The nurse did a vaginal check in between my contractions and told me I was 3 cm dilated! I was so ecstatic! The nurse went to call Dr. Brass but she said that I might be sent home to continue my labor unless my water broke. The thought of going home was disappointing but soon a new contraction hit which didn’t give me a lot of time to dwell on it.

Josh was pressing on my back as I stood in front of him leaning on the bed. With each contraction Josh would remind me to relax my shoulders, back, belly, and cervix. It sounds so funny but it really did help me to remember to breathe and let go of the tension I was holding in my muscles.

With another contraction coming on Josh went into his role as my own personal relaxation coach and when he reminded me to  relax my cervix my water literally broke and gushed out all over the floor surrounding his feet. We both burst out laughing! It was so funny and the laughter did us both a world of good. As my water continued to gush out onto the floor Josh went to find the nurse. I was so happy because this meant we were staying and having this baby girl soon!

Pretty quickly after that I was soon walking with Josh from the triage room to the room where we would deliver our baby in. We also made a phone call to my mom telling her she should make her way to the hospital now. Once we arrived in the room the only thing I wanted was a birthing ball. I had another vaginal check and was dilated to 5cm. Compared to my labor with Caden this was progressing much, much faster.

My plan was to remain on my feet, sitting on the ball, or on all fours until I could deliver. I knew gravity was my friend and the more upright I could stay the better. As soon as the ball was brought in I planted myself near the edge of the bed and hunkered down leaning my upper body on a pillow and the mattress.

The contractions were coming very quickly and I would catch my breath only to feel the pressure and back breaking pain building up again. My Mom thankfully arrived at 1:30am to offer additional support and encouragement and soon after I remember the nurse saying that if I felt the urge to start to push or more pressure in my pelvic floor to let her know. I didn’t realize until that point that I actually was feeling more pressure and starting to feel the urge to push.

With the added pressure and more intense contractions it was time for another vaginal check. I hate these things. Not because they hurt but because the last place I want to be when I am in labor is on my back. I painfully climbed up into bed and assumed the position.

I was so happy and relieved when the nurse said I was dilated to 8cm. Hallelujah, praise Jesus! Since I was already on the bed I maneuvered myself onto all fours to ride out the remaining contractions before it was time to push. My upper body was flung over the birthing ball, Josh was behind me digging his elbows into my sacrum (I know this sounds painfully but the counter pressure was one of the only things making the contractions bearable), my mom was in front of me holding my hands and letting me know I was doing a great job and reminding me to breathe, and the nurse was on my right side monitoring the baby.

My OB was called during this time and once I knew she was on her way I started to give into the pain. Screams, tears, and whimpering about wanting to push and would someone please let me squat were the only things coming out of my mouth. Dr. Brass arrived quickly after this and when she walked into the room told me that I needed to calm down and try not to scream. The squat bar was setup quickly and the end of the bed was lowered.

My lower body was shaking so bad as I made my way into a squat. The pain and pressure were very intense during the contractions but at this point I knew we were going to be meeting our baby soon so it was easier to try and ride out the contractions than to fight them. At 2:30am I began pushing. As Dr. Brass applied back pressure against the baby’s head, Josh suited and gloved up to prepare to catch, and my Mom was by side as I started to do the most intense workout of my life. In six short minutes, at 2:36am, Maisie Elizabeth Buschel entered the world by being scooped up into her fathers arms and we were filled with an overwhelming amount of joy, thankfulness, and love.

Maisie and I cuddled while I delivered the placenta and was stitched up. I had very mild tearing this time and Dr. Brass said that Maisie looked much bigger than Caden. With my baby in my arms I was a happy mama. I don’t think I can ever fully explain the mix of emotions I have felt when my babies have been laid on my chest after their births. It is a mix of awe, amazement, relief, joy, and unconditional love. Babies truly are a miracle and I feel so blessed to have been able to experience this amazing process twice.

The time came for me to let the nurse borrow Maisie so she could be checked out. Imagine my surprise to hear that she was 8 lbs 9 oz., that was a much bigger baby to birth (Caden only weighed 6 lbs. 6oz.). Dr. Brass said that she could understand why I was screaming more this time, Maisie was 2 pounds larger.

I am so grateful that I again was able to have the birthing experience that I wanted. I was able to labor at home for several hours, arrived at the hospital just before my water broke, labored and delivered unmedicated, and had a great support system around me.

 Maisie’s Birthday May 28, 2014 at 2:36am | Birth Weight 8 pounds 9 oz. | Length 21 in

Thank you again for all your sweet comments on the blog, Facebook, and Instagram. We have been enjoying the new routine of being a family of four and I am looking forward to sharing more photo’s and thoughts as the weeks progress.

xoxo, Tamara

PS…If you are new to the blog you can read about Caden’s birth HERE.