I was 39 weeks and 2 days when Sawyer was born. This was the longest I had ever been pregnant, so I was ready. I went into labor at exactly 39 weeks with Aiven and exactly 38 weeks with Carson, so I was completely ready to have this baby…at 37 weeks. My body had been showing plenty of “getting ready” signs since 37 weeks. I had freezer meals made, the house deep cleaned, home birth stuff out and ready, and baby things bought (and by ‘baby things’, I mean one pack of newborn diapers). I had never really experienced prodromal labor with the other boys, so this was new to me. I must say it wasn’t very fun having several sleepless nights full of contractions every 10 minutes that I couldn’t sleep through, only for morning to come, the contractions to stop and still no baby.
The morning of Wednesday, August 6th the boys and I went for a long walk and then later in the morning I took the them to the library to pick out new books for story time. Then I mostly rested that afternoon while Carson took a nap and I tried (and failed) to get Aiven to take a nap. As I was resting I texted Taylor (my friend & doula) this: “When am I going to have this baby?! How long will labor last?! How will labor start?! What time will labor start?! I want to know the answer to these questions!!! ;)”.
At about 4:25 pm both boys were awake and playing and I went to the bathroom. I had lost more than my normal amount of mucus plug (which I had been losing since 37 weeks), so I went to the living room to get my phone to text my midwives. Although, I fully expected to text them saying “This probably won’t amount to too much today, but I lost a more-than-normal amount of plug just now”. But when I got to the living room the boys were taking all the cushions off the couch and I reached to throw one back on the couch and my water broke. I ran to the bathroom with phone in hand and called James first. He was still at work and I had told him earlier that the kids were driving me a little crazy. When I called him I told him to “go ahead and come home now” and he just laughed. Then I said, “No, really. My water just broke.” He said, “Oh, okay! See you soon!” Then I texted my midwives and called my mom and Peggy to come hang out with the kids. I also called our photographer and Taylor. As I was sitting on the toilet (because of water still coming) I could hear the kids destroying the house and killing each other. Then at one point they both came into the bathroom and Aiven tells me he pooped in his underwear…awesome.
Finally James got home and gave me some sexy Depends. I then started picking up the destroyed house, switching out laundry and doing the dishes. James started getting our bedroom ready and airing up the birth pool. Peggy came and vacuumed for me and occupied the kids. Contractions started at about 5:00 PM, 30 minutes after my water broke. I had another contraction probably 7-10 minutes later. Then they quickly picked up being 5-7 minutes apart and more intense.
I texted Taylor that contractions had started – she told me she would be there in about 45 minutes unless I needed her sooner. I told her I thought 45 minutes would be fine. But about 20 minutes later I wrote her back saying, “I’d love you hear :)”
I think my mom and my dad showed up around 5:30 pm. My dad was so funny and cute and I think in disbelief that I was in labor! I loved having him there! He didn’t know what to do, so he started folding some laundry, which is always awesome and welcome!! My mom helped occupy the kids – her and Peggy put a show on and had one boy in each lap.
I had been talking back and forth with my midwives. One was on her way and would be there shortly, the other was on her way too, but in traffic. Because of my history of fast labors they sent one of the student midwives my way, knowing she’d get there before either of them. When she got there I think she was under the impression that I was ready to push. When she found me back in the bedroom I greeted her with a smile and she sighed with relief and said, “Oh good, so your not feeling like pushing or anything yet?” I laughed and told her ‘no’. I showed her all the homebirth supplies and she started getting things ready, while James continued to prepare the birth pool in our room.
Taylor got there around 5:50 pm and immediately was a great relief and comfort to me. She had also called Casey, our photographer, who then got there at 5:55/6 pm.
Donnellyn, my midwife, got there around 6 pm, as well as 2 other midwife students. Needless to say, at the time, we had a full house! Once they got there they checked my blood pressure, checked baby’s heart rate and checked my dilation. At 6:15 pm I was 8cm, +1 station and 80% effaced. Donnellyn said I could get in the birth pool whenever I was ready. So I went to tell my family how far along I was and to kiss my boys goodbye in between contractions! 🙂 
The character on their show was really feeling for me. 🙂
When James was done getting the birth pool ready, he was able to help me through each contraction and he never left my side from that point on! 🙂
Poor Hudson was put outside when all the people came and that’s where he remained till the baby was born 😦 It was so sad, I could hear him barking almost the whole time! I wish we would have let him in. 
My other midwife, Margie, got there at about 6:20 pm. Once the boys left I got in the birth pool (I think around 6:30 pm), which felt SO amazing and really slowed down my contractions which were starting to come every 3 minutes, so it was a great relief to me. 
Although it was a little cramped to have the pool in our bedroom, it was so cozy, the lighting was perfect, and the support I had was incredible. During each contraction I would put my head down and breath out low/deep tones while James poured water on my back, Taylor would rub my back and one of the midwives would put counter-pressure on my lower back. After a few contractions I asked Taylor to turn on the “relaxing” playlist that I had made. It was nice to have those songs on in the background.
In between contractions there was talking and a lot of laughter! We laughed about the text message I had sent Taylor earlier that day and how I was getting my answers to all the questions! 🙂 
At one point, Donnellyn asked me what the last thing I ate was. I knew this questions was coming and I immediately started cracking up because for lunch that day I had Ramen Noodles! Probably the worst thing you can eat…ever! I had went grocery shopping earlier in the week, I was hungry and craving something, so I grabbed a bag of those but of course didn’t eat them until right before I went into labor! Even while I ate them, I thought to myself ‘Oh my gosh, what if I go into labor tonight?! Donnellyn will ask me what I ate last and I’m going to have to say Ramen noodles!! She would kill me!’ So after she asked me, I was laughing so hard and whispered what I had eaten to James. Then I told Donnellyn it was something so bad for you and she said, “Either Ramen noodles or Hot Pockets!” So since she guessed it, I confessed. 😉 This story explains her face in the following picture: 
The laughing was such a comfort and joy in the midst of increasingly intense contractions. James, as with all our births, was the best support. He made me laugh, was strong and comforting, and so helpful. I LOVE that man. 🙂
At some point I began to feel the baby really move down, which is when things got really intense for me.
Poor James… 
I know he said some joke, but now I can’t remember what it was!! 🙂
I soon started pushing…
And then reached down and pulled my sweet baby boy to my chest!! It was so intense and SO incredible. 
I love Taylor’s happiness in this picture!
He was born at 7:42 pm, just about 2.5 hours after my first contraction. I was so happy to have him here!! He had a lot of vernix, just like Carson did, and he felt quite big and squishy!! Soon after he was born I got out of the pool and into our bed. I laid there just holding him and James I looked him over and took a picture of him to send to the grandparents. Then I birthed the placenta and Donnellyn checked for any tearing, which there was none!! He was so content just laying on my chest.
As they were preparing our herbal bath, Daddy got some alone time with baby 🙂
Then baby and I got in the herbal bath. During this time my parents (all 4 of them) and the boys came over to meet baby boy. 🙂 During the bath the boys came in to meet their new baby brother.
Then we went back to our bed for his newborn exam. Big brothers were very interested. 
Then we weighed him. Everyone, including me, kept commenting on how big he looked and felt – he just seemed so chubby! And he was…9lbs 1oz!! We laughed because I said Aiven was 7lbs, Carson was 8lbs 2oz, and now our third was 9lbs 1oz…if we have another it’d be 10+lbs probably!!! 
We had a wonderful birth team and before they all left Donnellyn prayed for us. 
The older boys stayed the night at Nana & Poppy’s house and we got to “sleep”. It’s so hard for me to sleep after something so incredible happening!! So I mostly just snuggled our newest baby boy while listening to his newborn coos. 🙂
This birth was so wonderful, peaceful, fun, quick, and intense! It was pretty similar to Carson’s birth with having my water break before contractions and then contractions coming quick and strong and to have a fast birth, but the atmosphere was a little different. I am so thankful to have had a doula and a birth photographer this time around! I was so thankful to have had a home birth again and that everything went so smoothly.
Below is a slideshow of Sawyer’s birth 🙂
It took us a week and a half to name our sweet boy – we were so indecisive!! But we finally settled on Sawyer Wesley. 🙂
Sawyer Wesley Faske
August 6th, 2014
9lbs 1oz
21.5 inches
My Everyday Adventure 