For months we thought she might come early. But of course she was just pulling our chain, just like her siblings our little girl was nice and cozy and didn't want to vacate her comfy home. I may have been on my sixth kiddo but I have a strong and stubborn uterus and cervix, they love holding babies hostage. ( Reader Note- if you plan to tell me that I shouldn't induce before my due date, let me promise you I know my body better than you do) So when I went in at my 36week Check up we just went ahead and scheduled our induction date, knowing she likely wouldn't vacte on her own.
The days passed slowly and I stayed active, easy to do when you are chasing around five kiddos in the summer heat. For weeks we hoped and prayed she would choose to come out to see us. We went on family walks and by walks I mean two miles. I bounced on the birthing ball, I did squats, and yoga positions. I had massage that hit pressure points. The kids and I even had a dance party...daily. YES we did the thing that put her in there to try to convice her out...nothing. Oh yes this sweet girl was my child, she earned the name Benson...she was Stubborn!
I went in for my 38 week Check up on August 14th two days before my 39week mark. I was sitting at 50% effaced, 2cm and A was completely engaged in the birth canal. My body was ready to have a baby. But the problem with my body is it never goes into active labor on it's own. So I went home, knowing fully my induction date was approaching. I also knew that it was highly unlikely I would go into labor prior to induction. But I prayed for it anyhow and I whined when it didn't happen. Hey it's my sixth kiddo, give me a break I'm allowed to whine.
My induction was scheduled for August 20th ( I liked this date a lot, but it didn't mean I still wasn't wishing for her to pick her own birthday). We had childcare covered and time off for Daddy scheduled. But I kept praying for my sweet A to come on her own. Nothing. The days passed so slow I felt like time was standing still. I don't care what anyone says, it doesn't get faster with each kid. I swear it gets slower, probably because I have little monkeys asking me multiple times a day when the baby is coming.
Finally it was the 19th and Devon got home from work. I'd had the kids bags packed and ready for weeks and he loaded them in the truck. We spent the next couple hours snuggling with all the kiddos watching movies. Then 6pm rolled around and I kissed and hugged all my babies and they all kissed and hugged my belly and told A they couldn't wait to meet her. Daddy loaded them all up and took them to Grammy and Gampy's to spend the night.
Daddy came home and we had dinner and got Aria's swing set up and bouncer put together. And we loaded up the truck and installed A's carseat, and by we I mean Devon. Then we climed into bed together, where daddy promtly went to sleep and I lay awake tossing and turning. Nothing new there. 4:30am came early, but not quickly. We got up and showered and loaded the cooler in the truck and ate breakfast. Then we drove to Newport and checked in at the hospital. Check-in was quick because I pre-registered at the hospital. We were taken straight back to the room and the nurse took mine and baby A's vitals and then the fun started.
First the nurse checked me, still at 2cm 50% effaced and A was completey engaged. I was a little sad that with as active as I had been and everything I did I had no new progress but I shook it off and thought I get to meet my girl today. The Lovely Nurse ( Sue) then hooked me up to what I lovingly refer to as my pain meds...as in pain inducing medication. Now it was 7am and time to evict this sweet little girl of mine.
Sue (Our Nurse) was coming in about once a hour to up the pit. I just hung out in bed, I knew once I actually starting feeling the contractions I wouldn't be able to stay in the bed. The way I saw it there was no use wasting my energy until my body was working with the Pit (aka Pitocin). She came in about 9am and asked me if I was feeling that, I just looked at her and said feeling what. Apparently I was having contractions every two minutes. But they weren't strong so I just chilled in bed for a while longer.
By 10am I was feeling those contractions, and the good news is they were steady. The bad news is they weren't regular. I would have a strong one and then three small ones and then a strong one, and so on and so forth. I was confident that she would come between 2-6pm. This was my fourth induction and all my other kiddos had been born fairly quickly once those contractions got going. even Gracie who pulled a booger move and stalled me out at 6cm for 3hrs came within a 8hr window of starting pit. So I was relaxed and ready to hold my girl.
I could feel the contractions but they weren't painful, I would just feel a lot of pressure in my tailbone with everyone I had. So I had the nurse check me and she told me Aria was so low in my birth canal that if I was fully dilated A would be crowning. Sadly I wasn't fully dilated. I was 60% effaced and the outside of my cervix was 4cm but the inside was still just 2cm. Thankfully the change meant my body was working with the pitocin and one way or another we would be eventually having this baby girl. We were just waiting to hit the 4cm mark so my Doctor could break my water and really get things going.
They kept uping the pitocin and soon they had me at the max limit, my body never really gets going until we hit that. My contractions were still not strong enough in my opinion so I got out of bed and onto the ball. Lunch time came and went and still I bounced away.Finally I got those contractions going and boy were they good. Sue came in to check on me and I was just smiling away. I told her ha my daughter is so my child, but she forgets I have 26yrs of stubborn on her and I am winning this battle. My next cervix check I was 3.5cm and 75% effaced and the contractions were a freight train now, there was no stopping them. So doctor broke my water, but it did what it did with Gracie and wasn't a big gush. Just a little trickle, and then a contraction hit and I would loose some more. About 20minutes later I had a strong contraction, heard a pop and had a huge gush of fluid. I had a second bag of water, that's when the contractions started to get to where I couldn't sit through them. So I didn't, I got up and walked and bounced on the ball and worked through the pain.
By 3pm I was feeling a little frustrated I wasn't feeling close to pushing so I got in the tub to relax a little and take my mind off it. Before getting in the tub we checked my cervix and I was 100% effaced and 4cm. At this point I was ready to cry but I shook off my frustration and got in the tub. An hour later I got out and we checked my cervix again, 5cm. Deep breathe mama and focus, think of holding baby A. On the ball I went again and bounced bounced bounced. That wasn't helping my body so I got up and walked, I just wanted to hit 6cm because that's usually my turning point where I go fast.
Then 6pm hit and I was getting wore out and frustrated, My labors were never this long and I felt ready to cry. So I did what I always do and I pushed the feeling of frustration to the side and focused on getting my baby in my arms. Finally I hit the 6cm mark at 7pm....I was offically at 12hrs. And that's when the normally calm and collected me went bye bye. That 12hr mark on Pit is, well to put it midly, brutal. So trying very hard to get through it I got back in the tub, after 30minutes in I couldn't even stand the tub so I got out. And I did something very rare, something I have never ever done with any of my other labors. I climed into bed and sat there. I didn't lay, but I sat indian style. Finally I was at 7cm. I had progressed about 1cm a hour since the doc broke my water. I could feel A so low that all I could think of was wanting to push her out, I swear it felt like if I was dliated she'd just fall out. But I wasn't so I didn't push, I just laid in bed and I well I don't know what to call it. I wasn't actually crying, but I felt like I should be. I was pleading, and begging. My poor nurses, doc and hubby didn't know what to do because I am never like this.
They were all trying to distract me and calm me down but I was fed up. I was literally saying " I am so close A please Just Crown" " I beg you baby let mommy dilate, come out to see me" I was in bed and at this point I was crying and begging and pleading. I am probably the only person that begs for transition. But beg I did, I knew that was a pain I could embrace. I knew once I felt that pain I would be just two pushes from holding the world in my arms. And I was so beyond ready that my emotions were a wreck and my body was exhausted.
Finally I felt the pain, I knew that burn and I embraced it fully. I cried in joy and said do you see head I feel her she's crowning. Doc said not yet and then just as quickly went there she is mama push. And push I did and finally my sweet girl came into this world. At 8:01pm on August 20th, 2014 after 13hrs of tiring labor with the most stubborn child I have ever met I finally got to welcome my baby girl. Doc put her right in my arms and said she's good size mama and look at the umbilical cord holy cow mama what were you eating. I looked down at my sweet girl screaming her little head off and I said shhh it's okay Gracie mama's right here and then I realized what I said I said I mean Aria. And then it dawned on me, this sweet girl could be Gracies twin, holy cow did they look alike. They took her and weighed her and measured her. She was a healthy 7lbs 15oz and 19.5in long. She was perfect. (I'll save you from all the gory after birth details, because honestly I hate remembering them. Let's just say Doc and hubby would kick my ass if I entertained getting preggo before A hits a year, at least. Because my body likes to bleed and clot...a LOT) Apparently A's Umbilical cord was so healthy and thick that they almost couldn't clamp it.
She was a pain and stubborn the whole time I was pregnant with her so I shouldn't have been suprised when she was just as stubborn and as much of a pain when it came to her birth. But just like all my other stubborn kiddos she was worth it. Please join our family in welcoming to the world our Beautiful and Perfect daughter Aria Lynn Benson. And then there were six <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
Much love the Benson Bunch
And then there were six <3
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