birth story

September 14 started out as every other morning...although the husband let me sleep in and gave me a foot massage with clary sage and rose when i woke up. i know, he's the best. well, we got ready and headed up the mountains...like we always do. except this time as i was driving i started noticing some uncomfortable cramping going on. nothing too much to make me think that i was in labor though. we headed up the provo canyon trail. my three year old rode his balance bike and i decided to just walk it out with my dog (usually i rollerblade to keep up with the three year old;)). we got to a spot on the trail where there are old crashed cars on the side of the hill and my little boy really wanted to go down and see them. we slid down the hill and stood on the old cars. but by this time i was feeling a lot more discomfort and when it would come on it was getting harder for me to walk. my little boy was begging me to keep going up the trail, but i immediately got the feeling to go back to the parking lot. i was still in somewhat of denial that i was actually in labor. i listened to my gut though and headed back to the parking lot even though we had only been going for about thirty minutes. both my dog and child were not pumped to be turning around and that made my discomfort even harder to get through. by the time we got back to the car i had to kind of lean over and breathe to relieve some of the pressure. somehow i got everyone in the car and headed back home....but i quickly made a pit stop to the car wash. haha. i don't know why. i was contemplating vacuuming out my car, but then another surge of pressure came on and i decided to call my husband instead and told him we were coming home. good thing. the pressure was coming on more than ten minutes apart so i still wasn't feeling like i was really in labor. by the time we got home my husband met us in the parking lot and told me he had already called our doula and midwife. i was like, "why did you call them so soon?" ha.  i told him that i was going to jump in the shower and see how i feel. it was hard for me to get in a calm state or wrap my head around everything and i just wanted to get in the shower and try and breathe and get more relaxed. well, i got out of the shower and things only seemed to be progressing. i am glad my husband doesn't listen to me, because he had already called my sister to come over and watch our kids (the dog and the child;)).  she was there by the time i got out of the shower and dressed so we headed over to the birth center. so thankful for her! i gave my little boy a big hug and kiss and told him he can come see his baby sister soon. we tried timing my surges in the car ride over. they were about five minutes apart but would come in pairs or piggy back each other. everything was so different than my first experience. much quicker and more intense.

we got to the birth center right as my midwife, Katia pulled in too. we caught her up with everything going on and i was still hesitant to get checked. i knew if i wasn't too far along then i couldn't get in the tub, and thats really where i wanted to be. we decided to go outside and breathe through a couple more surges. my husband said a little prayer too and we went back in and got checked. i was dilated to an 8 and 90% effaced. woohoo. getting checked is such a mental thing for me though, because now that i knew i was at an 8 i knew i was getting closer and things were going to progress pretty quickly. i didn't feel mentally prepared. physically i knew i could do it though. they started the bath and my husband got a diffuser going, turned on my birthing affirmations, and got me a cold coconut water. that helped me get more relaxed and i was able to breathe through the surges so much better. my doula, Meagan, arrived shortly after. they were so great..getting me cold rags, doing lots of counter pressure on my hips, and keeping me hydrated, calm, and positive. we didn't have a doula with my first birth and i am so glad we went ahead and found one because she made such a huge difference in the labor. she was not only there for me, but my husband too. it was really great.

anyway, things definitely picked up and i was getting the urge to start pushing through my breathing. after awhile though my water still hadn't broke. i tried a couple of other positions, but i was starting to really push now. after a few more surges my water finally broke. my husband really wanted to catch our baby girl, but i decided to change positions. my legs were getting tired on my knees. i leaned back against him in the end. then a few more surges and her head came out. it was pretty intense at this point. her little body was kind of stuck (that happened with my first birth too) so the midwife guided me through a few more surges and eventually she had to kind of wiggle/pull her out. the cord was wrapped around her neck and she was a little blue, but they immediately brought her to my chest and she began breathing and crying. it was th most beautiful sound. 4:16 pm. a moment that can not even begin to be described in words. when i was in labor i had no concept of time. things only seemed to be moving pretty rapidly. i was in the tub for about two hours and labored for a little under five hours total. i was just so happy to finally hold my baby girl, and she was here healthy and as beautiful and as strong as ever. my husband cut her cord after it had stopped pulsing and he jumped in the shower. baby girl and i stayed in the tub for awhile longer and just cuddled and breastfed. my husband got her out of the tub and did skin to skin while i rinsed off and then we all got in bed. it was so nice to just be there three of us. the midwives and our doula were so awesome. they were aware of our birth plan and requests, and were so positive and supportive throughout. my husband is my rock and i know i couldn't do any of it without him. he is right there in the action and so supportive, he also gives the best counter pressure...like i should hire him out for birthing women because he is that good;)

my husband had her name picked out clear back when we were thinking of names for our first baby (so whatever beyonce). he names our kids and i am so glad because names are really hard for me. with river, we didn't know what his name would be even after he got here. the husband literally wrote it down as we were leaving the birth center, but with baby girl, we knew her name the second we found out she was a she.

Rumi Rey Campbell

September 14, 2017

 4:16 pm

7 lbs 7 0z

21 inches

we measured and weighed her a couple hours after, and i had to get a few stitches as well...not the best part...it is actually probably the worst part. but after we got all cleaned up my sister brought my little boy over. this was the moment i was anticipating for awhile and i couldn't dream up a better scenario. he came tip toeing in the room and was so excited. he came right over to the bed and sat by us. he kept saying in a sweet voice, "awe she's so tiny." i was holding back the tears. this is heaven. my babies. he held her and my heart pretty much leapt out of my chest. my heart grew and the love for my babies is hard to put into words. i am so extremely grateful. grateful for my babies, my husband, my support team, and just in awe over here of the human body. the whole process of creating a life, growing a life, and birthing a life is so miraculous. i am so grateful for my experience. i will admit i wasn't as mentally prepared as i was for my first birth. it was harder for me to get in a zone and stay relaxed through the end. practice really does make a difference. so does knowledge. i learned even more than i thought i knew the second time around. i am grateful for both of my experiences though.

we finished our night eating ice cream in bed and river opened a present from rumi. a doctor kit (he loves pretending to be a veterinarian or a doctor). he gave us all shots and took our temperature and blood pressure. haha. it was a moment i will hold in my heart forever. then we all headed home. all four of us. i just kept thinking how surreal this all felt as we drove home. mowgli was there waiting to meet his new baby sister. he was so excited. this girl is sure loved by some pretty awesome boys, and i am one happy mama.

we love you baby girl. 

xo

"you are not a drop in the ocean. you are the entire ocean in a drop"  ~Rumi