Finley's Birth Story

When I woke up Saturday morning, I had no idea that the day would progress as it did.  I had slept on and off through some light contractions all night but didn't think anything of it. Around 5:00am I heard Joseph crying and snuggled next to him, our faces nice and close. I rubbed my fingers through his hair until he fell back to sleep. Looking back, I cherish this moment because I had no idea it would be his last snuggle as the "baby" of the family. When I left his room I had a few more light contractions and began timing them. They were five minutes apart consistently, but not overly painful. After an hour or so I crawled back into our bed and told Mr. Stannix. We whispered in the dark while we timed more contractions and waited on the kids to wake up. Mr. Stannix was supposed to head into work, so a decision had to be made. After a trip to the bathroom and a few more close contractions we called my midwife and headed to the hospital to meet her. Before we left Mr. Stannix gave me a blessing of comfort where I was promised joy and strength. 

Uncle Arland and Auntie Naomi came over to watch the kids for the day and we made it to the hospital by 10:00am. We were able to spend some time relaxing in the room and chatting with my awesome team of midwives. I was so impressed at the care they took to create a peaceful atmosphere to bring our baby into this world. Megan dimmed the lights in the bathroom so I wouldn't have bright hospital lights to deal with while laboring. When things weren't progressing, they decided to go for a quick lunch break. After they left I curled up in the bed and napped while the sun warmed my face as it beat through the big hospital window across the room. It was so peaceful and so needed. I had no idea how long the afternoon ahead would be. 

It was by far the toughest and longest labor of them all! The midwives kept checking the position of the baby and it looked like baby was a little off thanks to my tight right hip. They had me labor in a few different positions to help baby shift into the right spot. My midwife knew just the right spots to massage during each contraction.  The contractions were super intense, but not close enough together. After pushing for a very long time, my midwife suggested turning on my side. She sat on the side of my bed, gently rubbing my leg and encouraging me along while the other midwife sat at the bottom waiting patiently for the baby. I so appreciated the intimate atmosphere and the genuine care I felt from both of these ladies. There were no bright lights beaming down at me from the ceiling and no doctor suited up at the bottom of my bed. After a few more pushes, baby came out face up and was put right onto my chest. When I asked if it was a boy or a girl, no one knew the answer. After experiencing a stillbirth, no words can describe the relief and happiness I felt in that moment, boy or girl. Tears of joy stung my eyes as I enjoyed the sounds of our new little baby screaming away. 

The first thing I noticed was the baby's wrinkled up face. My attention was then drawn to the long fingers as baby sucked away on them. I laughed because at each previous appointment my midwife would tell me that baby's hand was up by it's head. I looked up at Mike who was proudly grinning at the sight of our new baby. I was so glad to have him by my side through the whole day. It was nice not to be rushed or pushed along. I held our little bundle for quite sometime before Mike cut the cord and we actually checked the gender. 

It was a boy! A perfectly healthy, screaming baby boy! I let my midwives wrap him up so that Mike could have a turn with him. When he was finished they weighed him in at 6lbs 15oz. After he was all wrapped up he was pretty content. He was always sucking on two or three fingers at a time and was a natural at nursing.

We enjoyed the quiet room for a few hours and then got ready to check ourselves out. I have never liked the long hospital stays and knew i would get more rest at home. We bundled Finley up for the long drive home and Mike warmed up the car for us. My midwives helped us out and we gave them each a huge hug good-bye! Finley slept the whole way home and most of the evening. The older two were waiting up for us and Joe came down as soon as he heard my voice.

 A family of SIX!

 After everyone left and the house was still and quiet I enjoyed some baby snuggles and thanked my Heavenly Father for blessing us with another sweet little spirit.