If you missed Part 1, you can check that out HERE.
We got back upstairs to the bedroom where our two midwives, Charlotte and Jackie, were hanging out. I apologized for labor not moving more quickly and told them I hoped they weren't bored. They laughed lovingly at me (obviously waiting is something they are used to with labors) and asked how far apart contractions were at this point. When I said 4-5 minutes, they reminded me I had progressed a lot in the past hour and encouraged me that I was doing great. I instantly felt better. I had mentally prepared myself for a crazy fast labor, so even though I was progressing well (and fast by many people's standards), I had felt as if I was doing something wrong. Their encouragement was just what I needed.
I asked when I could get into the birth tub (that was finally full by this point) and Charlotte told me she could check me to see where I was. She did and I was 7 cm. From that point, my contractions got even more intense. I had a few more while leaning over the bathroom vanity and I remember Tyler reading me scripture cards I had printed out for that very purpose. He was also pressing my hips together as he read them and I remember trying to listen to the words of the scriptures and let them resonate, but also just wanting him to squeeze my hips harder. He squeezed so hard at times that his hands were shaking, but it still felt better than the pain from the contractions. Birthin' ain't easy, y'all ;)
I decided to get into the water and the moment I did, it felt SO good, a feeling I remembered from my birth with Brody. It was about 5 pm at this point and Christy, our sweet nanny, showed up shortly after I got into the birth tub. Christy does birth photography as well (she is a woman of many talents) and since she is basically family to us (and definitely even more so after all that she saw that day!), I decided to have her take pictures at our birth. I knew this was our last birth and I wanted to remember every piece of this amazing process. I had considered birth photography in the past, but Tyler wasn't a fan so I didn't push it. This time, I pushed for it... and I won :) I'm so thankful I did because I am in love with the pictures we have from that day. They are real and they are raw. All the emotions were there that day and the pictures emulate that perfectly.
The contractions ramped up to their peak within a few minutes of being in the tub, which is when I knew I had reached the transition phase of labor. That's the hardest part of labor for me, even more so than pushing. All I wanted to do was move and FREAK OUT every time I reached a peak of those transition contractions, but I remembered from the past two births that only makes things worse. I stayed as still as I could and just breathed through them. Tyler held my hand for each one and later told me how hard I was squeezing :) Sorry, babe. He did an awesome job of coaching me, as always. He reminded me I was doing great and that we would be meeting our daughter soon. I just kept replaying in my head that each contraction was one step closer to meeting our little girl. I also remember thinking a couple times, "soak it up, this is the last time you get to do this." And to be 100% honest - at the time, I was MORE THAN OKAY with that being my last labor. Now I look back with nostalgia and a tinge of sadness that I never get to experience labor again, but that's not what I was thinking at the time ;)
I started getting the urge to push and asked Charlotte if I could. I remember her saying, "If you feel the need to push, yes, push." So push I did. They routinely checked baby girl's heart rate in between contractions and she was doing well, but she wasn't in a hurry to get out. I felt her drop a bit, but when I reached down hoping to feel her head, I didn't. This went on for probably 15-20 minutes. Charlotte had checked me again to make sure no cervix was left and there wasn't. She wasn't sure what was holding baby girl up, but I remember her saying we may have to get out of the tub to let gravity work. That's when I knew I got my game face on and knew I had to get this baby out. I did NOT want to get out of the water and I was determined not to :) Tyler continued doing an awesome job, telling me take deep breaths before pushing and to tuck my chin (at first I wanted to extend my head back when I pushed, which definitely was not an effective pushing method). I would close my eyes and rest between contractions and when I felt one coming on I would just say "Tyler" and reach my hand out for him to find. He always found it by the time the contraction started and holding his hand gave me the sense of security and strength I needed to get through each contraction.
After one big push, I felt my water break and I knew we were close. At one point, baby girl's heart rate slowed just a bit and Charlotte instantly had me do some pelvic tilts in the water to see if the change in position would resolve things. It did, thankfully. As always, I'm so thankful for my rockstar midwife. I'm pretty sure she has seen it all throughout her years as a midwife and I feel 100% confident putting my safety and the safety of my baby in her hands.
I remember feeling my baby girl descend through my pelvis (one of the coolest feelings ever) and I knew it was go time. Charlotte said she saw a head full of dark hair and I was so happy to hear it. I pushed hard with the next contraction and her head was out. I was on my hands and knees and had to wait for another contraction to push the rest of her body out, but I did so and then immediately rolled over to meet my baby girl. It took a few seconds to get her into my arms because, like her brother Brody, she was wrapped up in her cord. It was around her neck twice, her body once, her arm, and her leg. Apparently she's a gymnast. And we then knew what was taking her so long to descend. That cord. But Charlotte knew just what to do and simply unwrapped the cord from her little body. And then she was in my arms at 5:38 PM.
I was holding my baby girl. She was here. She was perfect. My sweet Keelie Marie.
I enjoyed my mommy bliss in the water, holding my baby girl. I couldn't stop staring at her. I remember looking to Tyler, bawling my eyes out, and saying "we did it." To which he replied "YOU did it." But I really do feel like it was a team effort. Birth is a bonding experience for any couple and I'm thankful I had such a wonderful coach again. I couldn't ask for a better person by my side during one of the most difficult, emotional, and beautiful days of my life.
Tyler started pumping water out of the tub until it was low enough to breastfeed. Keelie latched on immediately and started nursing. Soon, I had more contractions and was able to birth the placenta during one of the contractions in the tub.
I got out of the tub and moved onto the bed. I was getting some pretty intense after pains, which are those awful contractions no one warns you about and that apparently get worse with each birth. I can attest to that. I literally had to breathe through them for the next 3 days every time I nursed, as breastfeeding makes them more intense. I felt like I was in labor all over again, except this time I wasn't going to get a pretty baby as a reward. The after pains do serve a purpose, as they help the uterus shrink back to size, so I tried to keep thinking of that every time I got one. Easier said than done, but I tried.
Since the cord had stopped pulsating by this point, Charlotte lined it up for Tyler to cut it. Let me pause here to talk about my crazy long cord (if you're not a birth junkie like me, this won't interest you in the slightest). An average umbilical cord is 21 inches long. Mine was 44 inches long (!). I knew it was abnormally long when the midwives lined it up to measure it - ha. What does this mean? Thankfully, in our case, it means nothing except for the fact that there was a whole lot of cord in there with our sweet Keelie for all those months. I have known women who have lost babies due to a cord incident in the womb and I'm so thankful that Keelie had no issues with my/her extra long cord. I'm also thankful for Charlotte's expertise. I believe every baby is a miracle, but Keelie defied a few extra odds just like Brody had. I know God was watching over her and protecting her through all of it and for that we are so grateful. Charlotte had even made a joke at my last prenatal visit that we weren't going to have any cord issues this time around like we did with Brody. Apparently Keelie wasn't listening :)
I actually didn't tear this time, except for (be prepared - TMI) one of my lovely vulvar varicose veins that decided to burst during childbirth. So I still needed a few stitches this time around. I was determined not to tear and technically I achieved my goal, but I still had to endure that "stitching" process, which is never fun for someone with a phobia of needles.
Charlotte performed Keelie's newborn exam right there on the bed beside me. She weighed 8 pounds and 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. Everything looked great. We are incredibly thankful for a healthy baby!
Tyler put on her first diaper and outfit, we let Charlotte do her famous swaddle, and we took a picture of her to announce her birth to the world. This picture went out at shortly after 8 PM to our immediate family members.
We wanted Tanner and Brody to be the first to meet Keelie, so after I had showered and attempted to reapply mascara and eyeliner that I had sweated/cried off, we let them come upstairs. Christy was still with us, so she documented the sweet moment. I planned to have the boys in their "Big Brother" shirts, but as you can see, that didn't happen. The first of many "I had good intentions, but it just didn't happen" moments with three kids, I'm sure.
To say the boys were in awe of their baby sister was an understatement. You can see it in their eyes. It was such an awesome moment.
Our first picture as a family of five. We are so incredibly blessed.
I would like to repeat some of what I said at the end of the boys' birth stories. As I look back on that 4 hours of contractions (I had more earlier in the day, but it was really only 4 hours of intense labor), I am so in awe of the birthing process. My body knew exactly what to do and when to do it. Little miss Keelie knew when it was time to make her entrance into the world and she chose to be fashionably late by our terms, but also perfectly on time. I am so thankful I got to experience birth three times the way God designed it. It is SUCH a miracle and something that I don't know how you could experience without fully knowing there is a God - and that He is so, so good. I know natural birth is not always possible for everyone, but I encourage you to try to experience it if you get any chance at all. Giving birth in the peacefulness of our home was ideal for us and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. The pain may have seemed unbearable at times, but the gift we got in return was worth it. Times a million.