A Christmas Surprise

Wynter Olivia Whiting, 8 hours old. (Photo by David Sanders/Arizona Daily Star

)

Our daughter surprised us by being born on her due date at 5:48 in the morning on Christmas Day.  The whole process of pre-labor, active labor, and delivery went so quickly.  Part of that is due to the fact I didn't realize I was in pre-labor, and only recognized this fact as I was transitioning into active labor.

During pre-labor I ate a bit of dinner at my Mom's house on Christmas Eve before they headed off to church, though not much because I wasn't feeling well.  Pre-labor for me felt like indigestion and constipation and I simply thought I was experiencing a random bit of pregnancy discomfort, not anything that would lead to labor.  I also whipped up two batches of fudge during this time, took a bath to ease the increasing discomfort, and tried to go to sleep (which was impossible because of how icky I felt).

At around 9 in the evening, 4 hours after I first started feeling sick, I began to realize that I may actually be in labor.  I searched the internet to see if others had felt this way at the beginning of labor, or if perhaps it was just some Braxton-Hicks contractions.  By 10pm I was fairly certain I was in labor.  The discomfort was beginning to feel more and more like contractions.  I contacted my sister and asked if she'd be available to come stay with Oliver when we needed to head to the hospital, and I started making sure everything was ready to go.

I was determined not to head to the hospital until absolutely necessary because I wanted to avoid as much hospital intervention as possible, and at midnight I decided it was time to call my sister and have her come over.  At 1am Christmas Day we headed to the hospital where they said I was about 7cm dilated and admitted me.  I spent a lot of time walking the hospital despite the increasingly painful contractions.  I ended up having my water broken by the doctor because I was fully effaced, and 10cm dilated, and they thought the only reason I wasn't ready to push was because there was too much fluid keeping Wynter from dropping low enough.  It wasn't long after my water was broken that I began to push.

It was so different this time around.  With Oliver the urge to push was very strong and I was unable to resist it.  I also didn't experience the "ring of fire", and felt only relief when delivering him.  This time there was only a faint urge to push, but I was determined.  Though it felt like much longer to me, I'm told by both my Mom and Andrew that I pushed for a total of maybe 15 minutes before Wynter was born.  This time I felt everything, the ring of fire, the stitching up afterward, the pain of after-birth cramps... everything.

Wynter Olivia Whiting was born at 5:48am, December 25th, 2011.  She weighed 8 pounds, 10 ounces at birth, and was 19.75 inches long.  Due to coming through the birth canal so quickly her head was perfectly round, not cone shaped at all.  She had some bruising on her face, but it went away quickly, and a small hemorrhage in her eye that the doctor said will fade with time and won't affect her eyesight at all.  She was born perfectly healthy, with only one minor thing we do have to diligently watch, a herniated belly button. (A herniated belly button is due to the abdominal lining not closing fully before birth and normally fixes itself.  The only way to fix it if it doesn't resolve itself is with surgery, but that is normally not considered until 4 or 5 years old as it can take that long for it to resolve on its own.)

Today marks 2 weeks since her birth.  The time is flying by and we are savoring every moment.