Madeline Grace Wills ~ Birth Story

39 weeks pregnant and I was so uncomfortable. I just kept feeling pressure down there and it was getting harder and harder for me to walk. I was whiny and DONE being pregnant. On Thursday, March 19, it was hard for me to stand for any amount of time. So much pressure that I couldn’t even make the girls pancakes for breakfast – I had to sit on the floor twice with pain!

So I prayed all day long and tried not to get too grumpy. I wiped down the crib and took it upstairs (to find out that we are missing pieces so it had to go back downstairs!) I tried to do some laundry and got the fabric washed for the diaper bag. Made plans to pick up a fabric cutting mat on Friday and was planning on spending Friday sewing the diaper bag! After the girls went to bed Thursday night I went to sleep to get ready to get through the next day!

I woke up at 1am with lots of pressure and pain, and went to the bathroom. I was having a few contractions, but I was tired and could sleep through some, so I went back to sleep. Between 1am and 3am I woke up about four or five more times with pain and went to the bathroom each time. Our toilet is picky, so I normally don’t turn on the light or flush as I don’t want to deal with an overflowing toilet in the middle of the night. So I just pee, wipe, and go back to bed. It hurt so bad that the last time I got up to use the bathroom that I flipped on the light, and I saw blood in the toilet. So I sat back down and wiped, and it was bloody. I thought, oh, okay, this is my bloody show… should I go back to sleep or call the hospital??

Just then I had a really strong contraction so I decided to call the hospital to see if they wanted me to come in, or wait some. They asked if I was having contractions, and I told them I was, but I haven’t been timing, so I don’t know for how long or how far apart. They said go ahead and come in… so I went and woke up Dustin and said, okay babe, I think we have to go to the hospital. We called the neighbor to come over and sleep on the couch as by now it was 4am, and I went upstairs to pack my bag (oops! Dustin had been after me for a week to pack it!). I was having short contractions, about 30 seconds long, but they were 3 minutes apart. Once our sitter got there we took off for the hospital.

For the whole 40 minute drive my contractions were 3 minutes apart. When we got to the hospital they put me on a monitor and checked me. I was about 5 cm dilated and my water was ‘bulging’ out. I asked if they would break my water as that is what always gets me going. They said they would admit me, but the midwife would have to break my water when they got in at about 7:30. By now it was 5am, so I just waited. I had 30 second contractions about 2-3 minutes apart for the next 3 hours. At a little before 8am, the midwives came in and we discussed having a water birth. They checked me and said I was 7 cm dilated. So they said they were going to break my water and start filling the tub. The quote was “hopefully your contractions start coming more regular after we break your bag.” They broke my water and INSTANTLY I felt all the pressure release! I said, “OH!! That feels so much better – that needed to be done like 3 days ago!”

They all left and I asked Dustin what time it was – he said 8am, and then his watched beeped (it beeps on the hour.) About 5 minutes later I felt the need to push. And was thinking HURRY UP WITH THE TUB! 5 minutes after that I started pushing and Dustin ran out to tell the nurses that I was pushing. Someone came in and said “Don’t push yet.” To which I though ‘EAT CRAP!’ She left and I felt the urge to push again – Dustin ran back out and said – SHE’S PUSHING!!!

The midwife came in and said, “We’re going to move you to Room 10, which is right across from the tub. The tub is half full, don’t push, do you think you can walk to the tub?” I couldn’t speak, I thought “You want me to WALK!?!? WHERE!?!?!? FORGET IT!!” And then I pushed again! The midwife came to end of the bed and said “OK!! WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A BABY RIGHT HERE!” Two more pushes and Madeline Grace Wills was born at 8:19 am! (For those counting, I went from 7cm to baby in 19 minutes! LOL!)

I heard someone say ‘It’s another little girl!’ They put her up on my tummy and I thought Madeline! And then I held her and said, “She’s so small!” The midwife said, “No, that’s a big baby.” And I said, “Trust me, she’s small for me!” She was 8 lbs 11oz – so my second smallest!

Everything else went smoothly. Dustin said afterwards that when Maddie ‘popped out’ he thought “Oh, this is getting too easy for Aleta, we need to stop having kids!”

I was SO TIRED afterwards, that I just wanted to sleep! Dustin went home to get the girls to tell them they had a sister and I took a nap. And now Daddy has FOUR Little Princesses!