Ezekiel Jeffrey Mixon
January 7, 2013
7:53pm
7 pounds, 8 ounces
19.5 inches long
Wow - I can't believe it's already been almost 6 weeks since Zeke was born! So much has changed and there has been so much transition, but in a glorious and beautiful way! We would not have it any other way! And since I am so prone to forgetfulness and I want to do my best to preserve the details of each of my childrens births, I have to write it down. So this is really more for my benefit but you also can read about how the events of that day went and know some of my thoughts along the way :) I would love to hear your thoughts in response too!
Monday, January 7th, 2013 was my regular weekly doctors appointment with my doctor, it was the day before my due date and so was my 40 week appointment. I was ready to have this baby!! ;) I never got past 39 weeks when I was pregnant with Malachi and boy was I feeling that at the end this time!
The previous week at my 39 week appointment I was already 3 cm dilated and things were looking very favorable for the drug-free, natural delivery that I wanted. At my 39 week appointment I was already very uncomfortable but the midwife assured me that things looked good and my body was showing signs that it would be able to go into labor on its own this time around (which it did not with Malachi). I wasn't having regular or painful contractions yet and nothing was happening to make her feel like I was in early labor. So we went home after that appointment and waited. The discomfort eased up as the week went on but other "signs" of labor started to show up. I won't go into the details but I was sure that things were progressing and my body was getting ready to have a baby! It was exciting and yet scary at the same time because we had been having a good bit of snow and I was starting to get nervous with the hour drive to the birthing center. But I prayed a lot and continued to remind myself that God already knew the outcome and whatever happened He would take care of me and the baby. So all week I continued with normal life, cleaning, keeping up with Malachi, etc. and would watch the contractions I was having. Nothing was regular or overly painful during the week, I would have periods of time where I would notice the contractions and would notice that they were regular but not for very long - still nothing that I was ready to say "let's go!" to.
So Monday came and I knew I had my appointment that afternoon at my doctor around 3:30pm. Jeff and I had already discussed the possibility that the doctor might tell us to go onto the birthing center, depending on how much progress there had been from the previous week, because we would only be 10 mins from the birthing center instead of the hours drive it would be from home. I just had this "feeling" that things had progressed from the previous week and that if they broke my water I would have the baby. And I was ready! If the doctor gave the go-ahead, we agreed that we were ready to have the baby and we would allow them to "help us along" a little bit. I wasn't going to let them hook me up to any medications to induce labor but I was willing to have them break my water and see if that would send me into active labor. That is what happened with Malachi and so I was fairly confident that it would work this time as well. So we made preparations just in case, we found someone to watch Chi and told them of the possibility of staying down there, we packed our bags, etc.
We went down to the appointment in Dayton and the whole morning I had been having contractions- more regular than the previous days but still not super painful or coming super consistently so I just kind of ignored them. The doctor came in and asked me how things were going, if I was having contractions, etc. I told him I had been but not regularly but that I had been having other signs all week and I was pretty sure I was more dilated than the week before. So he said he would check me and we would talk about options after he knew where I was at. He checked me and said I was at 5-6cm dilated! I was ecstatic! I knew I had progressed and since I was so dilated I thought he might be more willing to just go ahead and send me to the birthing center. He said that based on how dilated I was, and that he could have probably even stretched me further and the contractions I was having, he thought I was in early labor and that if they went ahead and broke my water that would kick my labor into gear. I agreed! He felt like I would be at the birthing center either that night or the next day anyway. And once we started talking about how far away we lived he agreed even stronger that we should just go ahead there from the doctors office. He said he would call ahead of us and tell them I was coming and was in labor so we could bypass being assessed in triage. So we left and headed to the birthing center - calling all of our family on the way!
Once we got to the hospital (the birthing center is a part of a larger hospital but is a separate wing) we got checked in and they took us up to labor and delivery triage to wait for our room to be ready - it was about 4/4:30ish at this point. They had just had a woman discharged and were cleaning and flipping the room. While we waited in triage they hooked me up to a monitor and by this point I was having regular contractions that were starting to get kind of painful, still not bad but enough for me to notice. I said to Jeff at this point that if we would have gone home to wait it out I didn't even think we would have made it home before I told him to turn around and go to the hospital. It had been less than an hour from the time the doctor checked me at the office and I think him checking me really aggravated things and my body started to respond with labor! The nurse in triage said everything looked great, the baby's heartbeat was great and the contractions were regular now.
Within an hour they took me back to my room and we waited there for the midwife on duty to come in and break my water. I changed into the clothes I had packed for labor and we settled our stuff in. She finally came within 30 mins and we talked about why I was there, the risks of breaking the water, etc. etc. She told me that it could still be a while after she broke my water for my labor to really kick in and that since my contractions still weren't really hurting yet that it may still be early. But I told her how things went with my labor with Malachi and I just felt like things would go similarly. I was ok if it took a while but I was just excited to be in labor at this point! So she broke my water around 6pm and we just waited. And within about 20 mins I could feel a definite change in my contractions, they were stronger and were starting to hurt. Jeff and I were watching Seinfeld on the tv in our room and after a few minutes of painful contractions I moved off the bed I was sitting on to the birthing ball and just started rocking on that. I stayed there for a few minutes and noticed I was really starting to have to breath through the contractions. I really don't even know how much time went by but once Jeff noticed how much pain I was in he came over and started to time the contractions. They were only about 2 minutes apart! This was not long after the midwife broke my water! So basically as soon as the contractions started they were already 2 mins apart. This went on for a little while longer where Jeff was timing the contractions and I was rocking on the birthing ball really breathing and moaning through the contractions at this point. Then all of a sudden I felt really nauseous and I thought I was going to throw up. So I rolled off of the ball to the floor and knelt, leaning on the side of the bed. I asked Jeff to go get a nurse because I felt like I was going to be sick. So he did and she came in and helped me breath so that the nausea went away. Then as soon as the nausea went away I felt like I had to push. I told the nurse and she was super encouraging and started the water in the birthing tub. She then yelled to the other nurses that she needed help, we were ready to push! In my head I was freaking out - I did not think it would go that fast, I hadn't been checked since arriving, it hadn't been that long, etc etc. My mind was racing but I was in so much pain I didn't care.
They got the midwife back and I was still next to the bed and they were still filling the tub. She asked if she could check me but my contractions were pretty much one on top of the other at this point and I told her I couldn't be checked till the contractions stopped. So she said they would get me in the tub and she would check me there. So they moved me to the tub at this point and they asked Jeff to get in with me, so he changed clothes really quickly. The midwife checked me once I got into the tub and she said I was ready to push. WHAT?!?! Are you kidding me?!?! It's not been long enough!!! But it had been and it was time, I knew it too. Jeff slid in behind me in the tub to give me support and held onto my hands so I had something to use to push against. At this point there were 4 nurses in my bathroom bustling around and doing whatever they were doing to prepare for the baby to be born, it was shift change time - that's why there were 4 nurses. So I pushed a few times, maybe ten - I honestly don't know, and the baby was out! The midwife asked Jeff to announce the gender but he said he couldn't see past my head and she said "it's a boy!" She put him right up on my chest and they started rubbing him down and sucking and all that they do with a brand new baby. I heard Jeff behind me say "Hi Ezekiel!" And the nurses made comments on his name and how neat it was. I was just sitting there relieved that that point it was all over!
We sat there for a few minutes in the water, they let Jeff cut the cord, and then they took Zeke out so that I could get out. They found a true knot in his cord and I asked her what that meant. She said it meant that this little man was lucky that the knot wasn't tighter! I praised God right that second (as much as I could form a coherent thought) that He spared Zeke's life and that he was healthy and alive! The midwife also made the comment that his cord was really really long. I didn't know such a thing was possible to have a longer cord than normal but I thought it was interesting. She said that was probably why he had a knot because there was so much cord in there to get wrapped in.
They moved me to the bed at that point to get cleaned up and to pass the afterbirth. Jeff got to snuggle Zeke while they dealt with me. We kept asking what time he was born because we both knew it went extremely fast - 7:53pm!!! Less than 2 hours from the time they broke my water and my labor really kicked in. I couldn't believe it! God was so good to sustain me and give me the grace to get through it. It was crazy and a little scary at the time but looking back it's kinda nice to have it all over so quickly! ha! :)
We named him Ezekiel Jeffrey - Ezekiel means "God strengthens" and Jeffrey is after his Papa and a good friend of ours that passed away about a month before he was born. We pray that he will be strong and courageous in the Lord for all of the days of his life and that he will follow in the footsteps of his earthly Father who loves the Lord more than anything else.
And as is our tradition to choose a passage of scripture that reflects our prayer for our new child, we chose Ezekiel 36:26-28 -
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
Our prayer is that Zeke would be given a new heart and a new spirit and that he would dwell with the Lord all the days of his life.
And what birth story would be complete without a few pictures?
last picture inside! waiting in the triage area - 39 weeks, 6 days
moments after birth
Malachi meeting his new brother for the first time!
proud Papa :)
Until next time,
Love from the Mixon House!
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