Rhonen's Arrival

Rhonen Fox Holley
Born May 11th, 2009 at 3:45pm
Weight: 7 lbs 9 oz
Height: 18 1/4 inches 


It was Mother's Day when I started having contractions. I remember laying down for a nap and being awakened by a nagging pain. I ignored the first one, but then there was a second and a third. His due date was a week away, so I chalked the pains up to false labor. I thought I was right as they subsided after my nap. Dustin had to work, so I decided to take a walk to my dad's house. They were out of town in Hawaii and I was dog sitting for them. When I arrived at their house I took the dogs outside to play, and the pain returned. Again it was sporadic, so I figured it wasn't "real" labor. As the night went on the contractions became more frequent. When Dustin got off work he came to pick me up and we went home. We had some dinner and watched a movie. By nine o'clock the contractions were eight minutes apart and when the movie was over they were four minutes apart. I called the midwife but she told me to stay at home and labor as long as I could. Dustin ran me a hot bath and I tried to relax, taking each contraction one at a time. I remember wondering when I would meet him, how much longer until I could hold my son. I had waited so long and now each contraction was bringing me closer to that moment. So I welcomed the pain. I tried to become familiar with my labor, to anticipate the each contraction.

After the bath we laid down for a few hours, although I was awakened with each contraction. At 4:30am the contractions were becoming more frequent and intense. Dustin could hear my pain and asked me if we should go, and I said yes. It was a thirty minute drive to the hospital, all I kept thinking was why the roads couldn't be paved without any bumps? Was it really a difficult task? Hadn't we progressed enough to figure out how to create a smooth drive? Finally we reached the hospital. They took me to a room to see how far I had progressed. I was 4cm with contractions comming every two minutes. I was admitted and taken a room at the end of the hall. I immediatly got into the shower which helped tremendously. The hot water felt so soothing. I had a bite eat and continued to labor through out the morning. Time seemed so surreal, every second I was either waiting for the pain come or go. By 11am I was 8cm and my midwife broke my water. Instantly the pressure increased and contractions felt much stronger. I had planned a water birth for him so they began to fill the tub. I remember thinking that the tub would be where I met him for the first time so I was anxious to get in.

They filled the tub and I slowly climbed in. The contractions kept coming and now I was being instructed to try to push. Push? All I could do was float? The pain was so intense I couldn't fathome applying more force to what was already taking place. I was in the tub for a couple of hours, not being able to do any pushing. So they took me out and moved me to the bed so they could check my progress. Now I was 9.5cm. My midwife wanted my to try pushing on the bed, the traditional style complete with stirrups. That was by far the most uncomfortable position I had ever been in. Not only was the pain pulsating against my spine, but I also felt powerless. How could I push in this postion. I was being instructed to "pull my legs back and bear down"...I refused to do anything with my legs so they pushed them back for me. I was in the bed for an hour then finally they had me go to the bathroom one last time before I got back in the tub. I gingerly made it to the bathroom and sat down on the toilet. I didn't have to go so I just sat there, dreading having to move again. I pushed with each contraction and I felt like I was really moving my baby now. I told the midwife that this was the best position for me and she quickly got the birthing stool ready. Again, I moved to the room where everything was set up. I sat down on the stool and Dustin sat behind me. Having him behind me gave me more strength. He talked me through each contraction and rubbed my legs in between. As the baby was coming down he turned at the last minute, which was incredibly weird and a little scary. I remember the burning sensation and knowing I was so close. After fifteen minutes on the stool I gave one last push and he was born. I looked down and he looked up...I brought him to my stomach and cried. There he was, my son...Rhonen.