Bexley being the second child, my husband and I thought we could handle this all on our own. When Cora was born we had a Doula, and thank goodness, I ended up in back labor for 24 hours and we labored for 36 in total. I could tell Cora and Bexley would be different by they way they moved in the womb. Bexley’s labor was only 7 hours total. We applied everything we learned from the Doula the first pregnancy. We labored at home as long as I could hoping we would get to the hospital with just enough time to push. That’s exactly what happened…
I started having sporadic contractions early in the morning. I lay’d in bed watching my husband sleep, I knew he would need his rest to coach me through. I only lasted an hour before I just had to wake him with the good news. Our baby sister would be born today! When we got out of bed with the toddler my contractions jumped to 8 minutes apart on average, but were still inconsistent. My husband had to go to the courthouse for Jury Duty, lucky him, he had a great excuse, so I called my Mom to come get Cora packed and lend me a hand. By the time he got home we were at a consistent 5 minute contraction.
My husband helped me through each contraction with counter-pressure. He eventually had me sit on an exercise ball to help stretch my hips and relax between contractions. The next contraction the counter-pressure didn’t work. The following contraction I felt Bexley drop deeper. It was time to go! In my head I thought this baby might come in the car. The hospital is literally a few blocks from our house, and we caught every red light. We arrived at the hospital and within 30 minutes Bexley had arrived. Two pushes and, POP! Baby sister was here.
I am so glad there was no time for an epidural. Recovery was a breeze. Bexley arrived the day before Thanksgiving around Noon. The hospital discharged us in time for Thanksgiving dinner at home with the Family. My husband and I kept looking at each other in shock that it was over. We felt like there was still so much work to be done since Cora’s birth is the only other one we had to compare to. Recovery for Cora was equally as difficult as her labor. I had an internal tear and was in a similar recovery as a c-section. My husband and mom were waiting on me hand and foot for days. Both births were an experience. They each had their challenges, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Both girls arrived healthy and strong. I’m one lucky Mama.
