Evelyn Caroline Wolf!

Here she is!  
She entered the world on January 18, 2011 and weighed in at  7lbs 8.5 oz and 19.5 inches long!

Sigh. of. Relief.

Labor started weeks ago, with contractions at 8 minutes apart. Head to the hospital, dilate to 3, and stop.
Oh. Nevermind then.
Then over the course of 3 weeks or so, with contractions keeping in between 4 and 8 minutes apart 24-7, throwing in nausea, upset stomach, and a head swimming sensation, I dilated to a 4 1/2 and effaced to 60%.
That's all?!?   Great!  FOUR WEEKS of early labor!
So, on January 18, we got up to prepare for a scheduled appointment to discuss induction, and who should call at 7:00am? Why Dr Benko herself!
Clinic's busy, and L&D is not. She is worried that I might "suddenly" go into active labor and not make it to the hospital.
For good reason, as that seems to be how I roll.
So, our appointment is turned into our induction, so kids go off to a friends to stay the night, and we head to the hospital.
Once there, I am, of course, stripped, prodded, poked, and monitored for the first hour or so. My contractions before pitocin are at 4 minutes apart and growing closer together, but not painful enough to stop me from getting comfortable.

Our nurse looks like Princess Diana, and she has a beautiful smile.

Pitocin is started at 11ish am, and we are ready to go. Being on my back is HORRIBLE, and the monitor is uncomfortable and tight. I get permission to walk around and Erica arrives from Portland around 12:30-1. She and Tod head for some lunch and I wander the halls of L&D listening to other women's labor, and wondering what the hold-up is in mine. I can still walk through the contractions, although I've effaced to 80ish%, I'm still only at a 4. Shouldn't it be me asking for an epidural by now?
Seriously, kid. Come out! Unbelievable, that I should scold myself for being jealous of another woman's pain.  Le sigh.  The monitor will not consistently pick up both contractions, AND baby's heartrate, so we just forget about the contraction monitor.
They brought me a pumpkin muffin, yummy! And although my nurse raises her eyebrows at me,  I am not lectured when caught eating it.After another hour of walking the halls, and hearing the neighboring room's remarkable transition from a woman's primitive screams of pain to a baby's first cry ( totally cool)
The pitocin had been turned up to 16 (from 4) and the contractions are every 2 minutes and intense, but not horribly so. I've gotten to the point where noise bothers me, and I'm tired from a night of little sleep, so I'd like to try to relax, and see what that does to my cervix.  Tod and Erica leave the room, and I ask the nurse to, as well.
Of course, the nurse comes back in every 5 minutes to check things or fiddle around, and I can hear the Dr & resident outside the room discussing me. After about half an hour, they come in and announce that they are breaking my water, now. I'm not given a chance to call Tod back in, and because the baby's head is so far down ( 100% effaced, but still at 4 cm) The procedure is painful.
Very little fluid, thick dark meconium.

Time- 5:50pm

I know the procedure for this, and am not worried. The NICU is informed, and the cart for "baby checking" is set up.
WOW things start to happen. 2 Two L&D nurses are assigned to stay in our room and I find a good position. Sitting up and leaning slightly back, takes most of the pressure off my tailbone, even though my back is in agony. I don't know how or why this position is what I wanted, but once there, I COULD NOT be moved. The nurse kept suggesting that I get onto the birthing ball because the baby was posterior. That would take the back pain away.

Don't care.
Not moving.
NO. Can't move.
Staying here.



I am able (somehow) to remain calm and whisper to Tod what I was feeling. I'm able to recognize when I began to panic, and tell him so.

The contractions were back to back with no break between in less than 40 minutes. It took everything I had to breathe out to my own Princess Di that that was happening, and she turned the Pit back down to 6 so that I could focus.
I began to feel pushy, to hear the moans and long sighs were becoming groans, and breath holding. I told the nurse this, and was dismissed. I'd been checked and was at 7 cm. If they keep checking me, they could risk infection. So I breathe, and breathe and breathe.
No. I do not want the ball.
I do not want the birthing ball.
Fine. I'll sit on the ball, but I am unable to move from this spot without support, my legs do not work. As soon as my butt leaves the sitting position I am in- HOLY CRAP I NEED TO PUSH NOW.
The nurse agrees to check me and I'm only at a 9.

" But, I really need to push now"

She starts to pull her hand away, and seems to have inspiration.
"Why don't you give a little push, and I'll feel what happens? Maybe I can feel where to stretch your cervix."
....
"Call Dr Benko in here now, her cervix, just disappeared."  " Try some tiny pushes til she gets here, that will help the pressure"

This lady is smart, and I love her.
Dr arrives with resident, and NICU staff file in bringing total count in the room to 10, including me.
She starts to put on full gown, gloves, extra gown, and river waders. I actually take a moment to think " How messy is this going to be?" The resident, who is apparently supposed to deliver the baby is taking her sweet time getting dressed and I don't have a choice, and I HAVE to push.

I felt her descent. From my abdominal cavity into an unknown region of my body deep inside where there is no pain, only a pressure and an intense need to move. I don't know what sounds I made. Tod assures me that I never screamed. I only knew that sensation, with my head back, I was surprised at how there was no stretching sensation, no burning. Just need. And in 3 childbirths, this was the only one where there was no fear.  I thought with a rational mind, that this...was interesting.

How....primal.

One push, where I'm only coached to close my mouth in order to bear down, and Evelyn Caroline is born completely, rather than in stages, followed by a river of amniotic fluid, and meconium that coats the Dr from the shoulders down.
Time 7:32pm

 The baby's mouth is open wide for her first breath, and her eyes are squeezed tight, and her lips are swollen from the pressure my body had exerted on her. And she was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. After being examined and declared fine, she is given to us, and immediately wants to nurse.
The Dr and resident take SO LONG to deliver the placenta, which is stuck in my cervix. Dr Benko declares is the largest placenta she's seen and it is healthy and a deep burgundy. She shows me the calcification proving my overdue status, and proceeds to feel around to make sure that no tissue is left behind.
Erica snaps away, and my Tod, of course, cries. Evelyn Caroline is healthy, pink, and perfect. dark hair and dusky skin.
In my ONE moment of uncontrolled emotion, after 10 minutes of childbirth, I (not very politely) tell her to
"Get your hands OUT. Of. ME."

I think much of it is funny now.
I feel pride and relief. All together, the experience, while not what we'd expected, was not unpleasant.

After a not very pleasant hospital stay, I was happy to go home, and have settled into a "sitting on the couch nursing" routine.  Wesley is coping well, Morrigan is definitely acting out, as we expected.
Tomorrow marks her one week and we have a pediatrician appointment, and I'll get a referral to lactation consultant.
We'll post pictures this week, and I'm working on our birth announcements today.

Thanks to Erica Ann Bader for Capturing this experience through her art.
Link up with her here: http://www.ericaannphotography.com/
Her facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/ericaannphotography

Just so thankful for every blessing in my life.