Stratton Apito Jelley

Born: May 14, 2009

Time: 9:04 am

Weight: 10 pounds 8 ounces

Length: 22 inches

Due Date: May 19, 2009

Predicted Birthdate: Now would be good. Maybe May 12? Aunt Beve says May 10, hope she is right. The ultrasound on 5/1/2009 indicates he is already 9 lbs - that scares me!

Birth Story: On May 10, Aunt Beve's predicted date, I woke up very early in the morning convinced I was in labor. I'm not sure what I felt but by 6am I realized I wasn't really in labor. Technically labor hadn't started but my body was getting ready for the real thing. Unfortunately I was starting to feel "leaky" the way I had with Sam. I was afraid it could be amniotic fluid and I was risking infection, but I didn't want to rush to the doctor just to have them suggest inducing. Even if it wasn't amniotic fluid I still had a very big baby that they would want out sooner rather than later. Instead of going to the doctor, I talked to my doula, Sarah Skelton, about my symptoms. She reassured me my body was just getting ready for labor to begin.

On Wednesday, May 13 I awoke at 5am with what seemed a never-ending contraction. A little after 6am I decided that I wasn't being delusional, something was really happening. Contractions were coming close to every 5 minutes though they did not last long and were not very painful, especially compared to what I now know a contraction to be. I waited a bit to call Sarah but by 9am she was at my house monitoring contractions.

Early labor did not go as planned. This was baby #2 and I planned to start and finish labor in a few hours. But by 11pm I still did not feel ready to go to the hospital. Contractions seemed stronger and sort of regular but they still weren't too bad. I tried to rest during the day and tried to go to sleep at night but with a contraction every 5-10 minutes I couldn't rest. At 2am the contractions seemed to often be at a higher pain level and I decided to go to the hospital. I didn't want to wait too long and be in too much pain and then have to enter the hospital during busy hours.

I knew going to the hospital would change things but I was surprised by how much. Labor at home was calm and peaceful; now I had questions to answer and papers to sign. It turns out I was at 7cm, not bad progress. At some point the doctor came in and wanted to break my water to move things along. It turns out amniotic fluid was leaking but not enough to make a difference with labor. I agreed but right after they broke the water the doctor feared the head might not be down. Soon they realized the head was down but he had his hand on his head. At this point the hand emerged and the doctor had to put it back or there would be an emergency c-section. Fortunately the hand was returned and I was soon left to continue my labor and recover from that unwanted excitement.

Another potential problem with this birth was Stratton's size. On May 1 an ultrasound indicated he was 9 lbs. From measurements taken my doctor did a calculation to determine the risk of shoulder dystocia. While in labor the doctor said the results of the test indicated I was low risk today but intermediate risk tomorrow. At intermediate risk they recommended c-section, what did I want to do? I said I just wanted to see what happens. I'm glad I didn't have the added pressure from some calculation. Stratton was coming not a moment too soon!

By 8cm I begged for an epidural. I felt I was progressing enough and would continue to do so but I couldn't bear the thought of 1 more contraction. I was happy with how far I had come without medication. By around 8am I was fully dilated and supposedly ready to push but as with Sam I was exhausted. If I could get a good night's sleep I would be ready to push but that was not an option. I was told Stratton's head was high but it would just require extra pushing. Extra pushing? Just do a c-section I thought to myself. Inside I was discouraged and ready to give up but Mike, Sarah, and my nurse were there to help me through. With encouragement I continued to push. I felt more exhaustion than progress but their words indicated pushing was working. In the end, there was only a half hour of pushing and then there he was - Stratton.

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Earth Ox - children born in this year are believed to be reliable and sincere with modest ambitions. They are willing to tackle the workload when it becomes overbearing for others and are loyal and compassionate with family and friends.