It's a boy!!

Samuel Gray Wheeler was born around 5 am. He weighs in at 9 pounds 4 ounces and is a 10 on the cuteness scale.

Mommy and baby are doing great.  Melissa birthed in the tub, as she had hoped.

They won't be taking visitors until they get some recovery sleep. Three sleepless days can really wear you out.

Please wait for an invitation before visiting.


We are all over-joyed that Melissa and little Sam made it safely through the passage.

Carol

A little help is on it's way

Melissa's doctor met with Tim and Natalie and the three of them agreed on a plan for the night. A "whiff" of Pitocin will help increase the intensity of Melissa's surges and hopefully accelerate her dilation.  With the 48th hour post rupture in our rear view mirror (water broke Thursday at 8:45 pm) , it is time to get serious about helping this little treasure out.

Once Pitocin is started, the baby will be monitored continuously. Melissa won't have as much freedom to walk around, but she will definitely see progress.

Anna spent some precious time with Melissa this evening. The room has been set up with focal points, candles and other tokens to help Melissa manage the increasing waves of pressure.

We are all hoping the Pitocin does the trick and brings baby down. It will be a long night for Melissa, Pitocin contractions are no joke.

Keep your good wishes and love flowing to our Melissa and the little one.

They are both more precious than I can express.

Carol

Making progress

Melissa is making progress, still in early labor, but best guess is that she is effacing (~ 70%) and dilating (~ 4).  Checks are still infrequent and undefined since they are protecting the baby by limiting exams, but she appears to be moving forward.

Natalie and I recalled how long we labored before really getting going. Two or three days of early labor is pretty typical for our family. Our hope now is that she moves into active labor tonight and that the baby makes a move toward the outlet relatively soon.

Saturday afternoon and no baby yet

Melissa continues to soldier on. Tim is doing his best to support and encourage her. The labor surges come and go, not much change in that department.

She had a brief visit to the birth tub, but the heat was not comfortable and she decided to return to her previous position on the bed.

She walks, squats, and listens to  Hypno-Birthing in an effort to relax her pelvic floor and let the baby descend.

She has gotten some relief from counter pressure and sleep, but the march continues.

Into the Tub

Around 9:30 Melissa was told that she could move into a room with a tub! YAY! Carol has been here since around 7:30am, labor trucked along through the night, contractions every couple minutes, still quite strong. She was experiencing a lot of pressure in her back, but as the morning has progressed, the back discomfort has decreased. I arrived around 9:45, Melissa was fast asleep on her right side with the peanut ball between her legs. Once she was told she could move to the tub, her body relaxed and gave her a little break. Contractions spaced out, now about 10-15 minutes apart. She is doing an amazing job taking full advantage of the break and sleeps between each surge. Around 10:45 she decided to head to the room with the tub, it is beautiful. The tub is full with very warm water, there are fake candles all around, there is a sound machine on with sounds of the ocean. Melissa got in to the tub and smiled. Tim sat down next to her and her nurse started pouring water down her back. She will stay in the tub for as long as she wants to. We imagine she might get out and walk a little later, but for now its tub time.
-Natalie

It's a beautiful morning

Sorry about the long hiatus. There are definitely challenges to  being completely present with  Melissa's  and still try to connect to the outside world.  I am very challenged with walking that thin line.

Her labor is steady, and she moves through each wave with power and noise. Baby is shifting to a bit more comfortable position and continues to be active.

They are both entering the serious business of birth and I will repeat my request to refrain from visiting or calling.

Exhaustion and dehydration are the challenges with long labors, so Melissa naps and sips between contractions that come about every 3 minutes.

For those of you wondering what her dilation is or what interventions have been used. At this time, she is not being routinely checked for dilation because her membranes are ruptured.

She got a little kick start to stimulate contractions yesterday, but nothing since last evening.

She is moving along as women have done for thousands of years, using the rhythm of her body to dictate her progress.

She is strong and feels your love,

Carol

Time for a shower

Melissa has been contracting every 2-3 minutes, about 45 seconds long. She is swaying, breathing and Tim is providing counter pressure on her back. She has moved from sitting on the ball, to standing, to hands and knees and now is sitting in the shower. She enjoys the warm water on her back and belly. Tim sits next to her offering her words of support and encouragement. It's not easy, but she is smiling.

I arrived a little while ago and started capturing of the beauty on film. She is so beautiful.
-Natalie