Li'l Sebastien

Li'l Sebastien. Not just a little horse. Also a fully developed fetus turned baby.

Sorry for the fuzzy pictures. We forgot the camera as we left for the hospital.

So Sebastien's birth story is pretty short and sweet. Just the way I hope all my future deliveries go save for a few minor details, but I will get to them. First off: Here is our official announcement.

Sebastien Fraser Robertson was born at 7:59 am on March 20th. 8lbs, 9 oz and 20 inches long.

Around 4:00am I started to get very mild contractions. So far apart they weren't worth timing or anything so I laid in bed ignoring them as I have been doing during the past 3 weeks of false labour. 

At 4:30 Elliot woke up and I sent Kevin a text: "This kid has the worst timing. I'm having false labour contractions again and Bean is so wide awake. Bah. I'll keep you posted on the contractions but it's probably nothing since I am never having a baby ever."

It took me about an hour to get Elliot back to sleep, and by then it seemed like my contractions were starting to feel like it could become something. I put Elliot in his crib and went to take a bath and time contractions. They were about 7 minutes apart and 1 minute long. I knew it wasn't good enough but I decided to have Kevin come home then. And its a good thing he did.

Rachael: "Ouch, okay so these hurt. Ugh. I hate not knowing if you should come home or not. Would you be upset if I told you to come home and then it turned out to be nothing?"
Kevin: Nope
Rachael: Ok, come home. Elliot is wide awake and I want a bath.

Kevin arrived at home at 6:30, and he waited with me while I finished up my long bath and got changed. I had been trying to contact my midwife for the past half hour to let her know that I was calling Kevin home and this time the contractions might actually mean something. She wasn't answering texts which was fine. I figured I had loads of time... until 7am hit.

All of a sudden contractions were about 2-3 minutes together and some piggybacking on the other. I called my midwife and explained that I really would like to get in that birthing tub about now and when I was allowed to go to the hospital. Being the very wise woman she is, she told me to meet her at the hospital at 7:45, and if I started feeling worse to head in earlier. 

About 15 minutes later I started mildly feeling like I had to poop with each contraction. If I knew one thing from Elliots birth, poop = baby! I told Kevin "we need to leave NOW". 

We packed the car with the water birth supplies and drove the few minutes to the hospital. I couldn't sit so I faced backwards with no seatbelt on and hugged the chair of the car through each wave. As we were driving I kept verbally saying out loud "Don't poop, Rachael. Don't poop, Rachael!" Kevin must have thought I was going insane. Or he was worried that I would poop on the leather seats. Either way, he drove really fast. 

We landed at the hospital at exactly 7:45am. My midwife sent me a text saying she was stuck in traffic and would be there at 8am, but to head to labour and delivery as she already called and told them I was coming in. 

I had one contraction on the floor of the elevator (yup, hands and knees and probably face on the dirty elevator floor) before we got up to labour and delivery where they had a room waiting for me. Bless their hearts. 

I immediately stripped myself of the clothing which held me captive and barely allowed those girls to stick their hands feeling around  to see where I was at. They announced "you are at 9cms!" And I just thought, great! Go time. Lets push this dude out. I got up on my hands and knees on the bed and  announced "I'm going to start pushing now!" They said "no no, you have to wait till you are 10 and the doctor is here". Pardon my almost french, but the only words that went through my head at that exact moment was F*** THAT! 

I started pushing and I broke water with the first contraction, had his head out within the next, and third time we had his body following behind. It was so glorious that moment. Its kinda the best thing when a baby slides out and you hear him scream and all the former discomfort of pushing is gone gone gone. ( i should mention the doctor got her butt in the room right after the first contraction so I wasn't breaking any sacred/stupid hospital rules)

It was in this moment that my beautiful midwife came in the door at 8:00am. 1 minute after the birth of the baby. It took only 14 minutes from arriving at the hospital to the baby being born. I couldn't believe that it had gone so quickly, and that all my water birth supplies were useless, and I didn't  have the midwife assisted birth I had envisioned myself having again, but it was freaking amazing anyways! 

Sorry about the nudity. This is taken just a few minutes after he was born while the doctor (who Kevin refers to has Dr. Robot) stitched me up. 

Kevin was such a good husband through the whole 1.5 hours he was home for. Constantly rubbing my back through contractions and saying "I know, it'll be fine" when I repeatedly told him "Kevin, I dont think I'm going to get a water birth today." 

We stayed at the hospital for 2 hours after the birth to get cleaned up and stitched up (I had second degree tears apparently. And apparently stitches hurt like a thousand times worse than having a baby. Whats up with that!) Now we are at home resting and watching our wee baby sleep. Elliot had met him and keeps saying "BABY!" And pointing. Its cute for now, but I am sure it'll be less cute when he realizes that the baby is here permanently and going to take up a lot of my time. 

But we are happy. And healthy. And in love with the squishy asian-eyed potato-head gremlin that just decided that he was fed up with eating pizza and doughnuts for every meal in my belly. (don't know what is so wrong with that)

Cheers!