Sofia Pearl Yates

Sofia Pearl is here and beautiful! Like I said in the previous post I had my membranes stripped Tuesday afternoon, we then went on a long walk. We got home that night, put Averi to bed and I still was not feeling much of anything! We were settled into bed watching TV when at about 830 I started to feel contractions, they were not very strong at first just noticeable but from the first one they came on every five minutes and lasted 45 seconds to a minute... we waited about an hour and a half and called our midwife to see what her thoughts were. Since this was our second baby and labor is typically quicker with your second she told us to go ahead and come in just in case.
We got to the hospital around 11pm, I was 3 cms at the office that afternoon and was now 4 cms. Since I was progressing and my contractions were consitant and getting more intense my midwife told us we were in labor and I was not going home without a baby (YAY!!!)! We spent the next couple of hours walking the halls trying to speed the process up. At 4am I was still 4cms so they broke my water. my contractions continued to be between 3-5 minutes but were getting to be very painful and harder to over come! At about 5 am they checked me again, I was about 5-6cms ... at this point I was exhausted and I think was entering transition, I began to doubt myself and told Kevin I was DONE I wanted the epidural.... God bless my husband, what a coach, as hard as it was he told me no! He knew it was not what I really wanted and that the end was in sight, he just had to push me the last few hours. I was in the jacuzzi tub and instead of breathing through the contractions I began to panic and was making it much harder on myself. Kevin asked my midwife Beth if she could come in, which she did.
I told her that I wanted the epidural and she said that she thought I had been in the bath to long and may be a little dehydrated so she wanted to give me some IV fluids (I hadnt had an IV in at this point), I told her and Kevin again that I wanted an epidural and she told me that it would take atleast an hour for the IV fluids to finish and I could not have an epidural until then (she was stalling big time!) the next hour and a half was intense. With Kevin and my midwife by my side I some how managed every contraction (3-5 minutes apart) this was the most pain I have EVER experienced! I would have a contraction, Kevin would count it out and my midwife and he would help me relax... relaxing was the key, my body just took over and somehow I made it the hour and a half it took the IV fluids to finish. I told my midwife I did not want to be checked until I had the epidural and she said it was not an option I had to be checked first.... God bless this women for pushing me, she also knew I did not really want the epidural and was doing everything she could to help push me to my goal!
She checked me, I was 8cms... and from no where a second wind came! When I heard 8 I thought once again that I could truly have Sofia with no drugs! Beth suggested we try another position so I walked from my bed to the tub, I had one normal contraction, then a contraction that I began to feel pressure with, the third I felt uncontrolable need to push... before I knew it they had me out of the tub and back in the bed... four pushes later and Sofia was here, I went from 8cms to holding my baby girl in 30 minutes!
The first thing I said when she was out was " I CAN NOT BELIEVE I DID IT" and I still can not! I could not have if it were not from Kevin he was up and awake and by my side through everything. He knew what to say and how to help, he was stubborn when he needed to be and helped me achieve probably the hardest goal I have ever set for myself. My midwife was also amazing, she stayed in our room for nearly 3 hours helping me work through my contractions and stearing me away from an epidural! God was also SO present through it all.... I kept saying through every contraction, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength... it was so true!
Sofia Pearl Yates is 6 pnds 15 oz, 20 inches long... born October 21st (exactly 18 months after her sister) at 756 am...she is beautiful and all is going well! I promise more pictures soon!