The morning started out pretty normal as any other morning in the Macmanus Family. McKenna was off to school early, my husband and I took Kambry to VPK and then we headed over to the OB clinic with Aislynn for what I was hoping to be my last appointment until the baby arrived. You see, I was actually scheduled for an induction on November 17th if the baby had not come by then. I saw my midwife and asked her to check me and try stripping my membranes to see if that would make anything happen. In the past it never worked. With Aislynn she stripped me three times before I actually went into labor with her so I just thought this wouldn't work either but it was worth a try. Let me say, it was very uncomfortable but it was for a good cause in my mind...to have a baby. After the appointment we grabbed some breakfast and then Bart left for work and I went home and decided to go ahead and try to get my bag somewhat packed just in case something happened that night. It was my last day of work and I knew since it was a Tuesday that it would probably be busy so I needed to go in unless for some reason I just couldn't. I was having a few contractions off and on but nothing different than the previous days. So, off to work I was. As I was getting report I was noticing that I would have a decent contraction every now and then and they seemed a little stronger than earlier in the day. I just blew it off thinking they would go away. I was pretty busy at work that day, no time to relax as I had nine patients to see. I ended up walking the halls a lot that evening because I was assigned the two farthest rooms on the floor. It wasn't on purpose, that's just how it worked out. As the next couple of hours past I noticed that my contractions weren't getting any better, in fact they started coming closer together. But since we were busy and I had work to do I don't think it really came to my attention just how close I was contracting and that I would actually have to stop for a minute during some contractions. By 7pm I was pretty sure that labor was upon me. As I sat at my computer trying to get all of my charting done I know I had a few tears running down my face. It was partly the fact that I didn't know if I was really ready to be in labor, partly the contractions were getting much stronger, and partly because I knew how busy work was and I wanted to finish the shift. Well, that was not going to happen. I finished up my charting as quickly as I could and then went and laid down on a triage bed. I got hooked up to the monitor to see what was going on and then I realized just how close to having a baby I could be. My contractions were coming every 1 1/2- 2 minutes and not slowing down. I quickly made the decision that I needed to get to the hospital where my midwife was, where all my charts were, and it was closer to my house. I left work and drove straight to the hospital I was planning all along on delivering my baby at. It took me about twenty minutes to get there but as I pulled up in the parking lot, a friend and family practice doctor happened to be walking to her car and she grabbed a wheelchair and took me up to labor and delivery. I went straight to a labor room, they were waiting for me and started the IV and admission papers right away. I was checked and found to be 5 cm dilated and 80% effaced. I was in active labor and was having a baby that night. My husband met me at the hospital along with my photography partner, Ryan. It was good timing as they got there just a little after my arrival. Once I got all settled in it was just a waiting game from there. I had already planned on having a drug free birth. Since I did that with Aislynn I figured I could do it again. I think I was handling the contractions pretty well for the first couple of hours. Around 10pm they became much more intense and by 10:45pm I remember saying to my husband, "this baby better be here by 11pm because I am done." I believe within the next 5 minutes I felt the urge to push. The nurse checked me and I was 9 with an anterior lip. The doctors came in, the corpsmen came in, I felt as if it was a show I was putting on for them. You see, I was at a military teaching hospital so everyone and their granny came on in for the birth of my baby. I started pushing and the head came out pretty easily. Then I remember everyone telling me to push, push harder. It seemed like forever and I was pushing as hard as I could and the nursed started adjust my legs and the angle of my body and I think I realized in a brief moment that he was stuck. I had a mild shoulder dystocia with Aislynn and prior to delivery was concerned that it would happen with this baby too. Sure enough it did. But what seemed like forever was probably less than a minute and I gave it my best push and could feel him budge and then slip on out. Branson Edward Macmanus was born at 10:57pm weighing 8 lbs, 9 ounces and 20 inches long. I remember being relieved as soon as he was out and then asking....what is it?? They had to look and then gave us the news we were hoping for that it was a baby boy! We were all so excited to finally have a boy in the family. This was our last baby so it was the last chance we had. Of course we would have been just as happy with a girl, they are precious too. He was the biggest of all of my babies and was also the earliest. He was born at 38 weeks and 2 days. Because of the rapid decent and quick delivery he was a little bruised on the face but it resolved quickly. I went home a couple of days later and have had no problems so far. We think he is the perfect baby boy and couldn't be happier.
Here are a few pics of him over the past week.
