Angela is on the left, Valerie in the middle, and Merissa on the right.
coming out! yay!
right after he was born
Eliza meeting her brother for the first time
we have 2 kids!!
Our Baby Will is FINALLY here!!!
Born Sunday, September 23 at 4:34 pm weighing 8 lbs 13 oz!! big boy!
So here's my birth story!
I had 2 due dates. One was Sept 18th, and the ultrasound due date (which I really should have gone by because it measures him) was the 23rd. Eliza was a week over due (and still induced), so I should have known I wouldn't be early, but I was still hoping for it. 2 weeks earlier I was at 1 cm, and my last appointment a week earlier I was 2 cm, and I think she said 75% effaced.
So between 8:30-8:45 am I was woken up by my water breaking! I thought I was peeing my pants, so
I ran out of bed to the bathroom. I tried to stop it, but I couldn't, so that's how I knew
it was my water breaking. I yelled for Billy, and told him I thought my water just broke!
He went out and told my sister Merissa who was staying with us that weekend hoping I'd go into labor!
Then he called my midwife Valerie Hall and told her what was going on, she said it was definitely my water, and to get ready to have this baby today!! yay!!!
So Ang came and picked up Eliza, and we got all ready. Merissa and I had started canning Pear Harlequin (a Bagley family favorite jam) , and she was finishing that up real quick! all during this at about 10 or 11ish I felt like I was starting to have small contractions, but I wasn't sure. So we told Valerie, and she said to meet
at the Birthing Center in Rigby at noon. My Mom and Dad came over and Billy and my Dad gave me
a blessing before we left. The drive was just fine with light contractions lasting around 30 sec. every 5 or so minutes. I had a couple right before we got there that I could tell were getting stronger.
Valerie was there and got all my vitals. My Mom predicted then that I would have him by 4:15. Then we all sat in the main room and had some lunch (it was about 1 ish). I sat on the ball, and the contractions weren't bad at all. I decided to walk around and see if they would get stronger, and
they did. I now had to lean over onto things and really concentrate and breath through them.
Angela, Valerie's assistant came and put pressure on my back during a contraction, and wow, that really helped. So she showed Billy and he would do it most contractions, but everyone seemed to take a turn
doing it. Angela put some essential oils on me, and said it would probably get things going even more.
I decided to get in the tub. That was a little before 3. It felt nice being in the warm water. Billy got in with me and rubbed my back the whole time. He was so great to do whatever I needed him to do!
Valerie was often checking Will's heartbeat, and she said it sounded great every time. My Mom said encouraging things and helped me get through the contractions, which were getting Very intense. I don't remember a lot of what people were saying, but I remember either my Mom or Valerie saying
how the veil is very thin right now, and I was getting help from the other side. I got teary when my Mom said my Gran was probably there by my side. The contractions kept getting more and more intense, and
I really wasn't liking it, so I knew if I wanted it to stop, the next thing to do was to push. So
I was trying to push, but it wasn't the feeling everyone tells you that you'll know, and that you won't be
able to not push. So I was probably working against myself at that point by trying to push. So I tried to relax through them, but it was so hard! I remember being Soo tired. So finally it was really
time to push (maybe around 4:15). They said they could see him coming out a little bit more every time I pushed. Valerie had me get into a squatting position, which she said would open up my pelvis just enough for him to come down. It helped a lot, cuz he came down a lot. (And she said that their heartbeat will usually drop when they're coming through the pelvis, but she said his never dropped! she said probably because I have a nice open pelvis. she said she also thinks that because he wasn't really cone headed. so that's good!) Then I laid back on Billy to push. When the head comes out they describe it as a Ring of Fire, and that's definitely how I would describe it! That part was definitely the hardest part, but of course at that point you know he's almost here! His head was half way out but I had to wait for the next contraction. So I pushed my hardest and got his head out, Valerie said the cord was loosely wrapped around his neck so she unwrapped it, and I pushed his body out! He is HERE!!! He only cried a little, but I remember thinking
it sounded just like Eliza's when she came out, and it is the sweetest cry I've ever heard. I love that
first cry. He looked up and around with his dark eyes. So relieving to be done!! I did it!! I could still feel small contractions, so Valerie said we should deliver the placenta, so I pushed once and it slid right out! Billy and I held the cord in our hand and felt it pulsing! It was such a cool feeling! She said the cord was
very thick and healthy, and she said it pulsed for a long time. I fed him for the first time, and he
already seemed to latch better than Eliza did. So after about a half hour or so
Billy cut the cord. He loves that part. and I just held him skin to skin for a while. Then we all got out and got
cleaned up. Valerie said I only tore just a tiny bit, and didn't think it even needed a stitch! Thank heavens!! I was so worried about that, because I had an episiotomy with Eliza and that was the worst part
of recovery. So now I knew this recovery would be a lot easier! I held him again for a while skin to skin, then they did all the measuring and checks. I couldn't believe he weight almost 9 lbs!! Eliza was only 6'9. So I thought maybe he'd be 7 lbs or so. Then Beth Ann, Eliza, Ang, Andrew and Brian came to see him. Eliza said he was very cute, and immediately loved him. So they all got some time with him. I tried to sleep,
but couldn't. I couldn't stop thinking about what just happened, and that I really did it! It felt
amazing! I never want to forget it....well I do want to forget the hard parts! but I don't want to forget the whole experience and how amazing it felt to do it all myself! We Love Agape, the midwives and all the staff! Our experience there compared to the hospital was night and day. I can't rave enough about how awesome they are!! I'm going to really miss going to see them all the time.
He's 3 weeks old now, and he really is a good baby. We somehow get lucky with good sleepers. Eliza would sleep most the night right from the start, and he seems to be the same. he'll sleep either between 10 & 11- 4 or between 12 & 1 - 6. then sleep again till 8 or 9. So we can't complain much about
losing too much sleep. Well Billy really can't complain, because he hasn't been here the last 2 weeks
except for weekends. He's been over in Hailey, ID for work. and he'll be there again for the
next 10 days. :( Makes me really sad that he's missing out on the first part of Will's
life, but at the same time, I'm so glad I have a husband that wants to support our family. and it
won't be for much longer, and then he'll be working for the CPA office in Victor and we'll see him
every day!
We Love our little growing family! Eliza has been really good with him. She hasn't ever been mean, she just loves to pat, kiss, pinch his cheeks, hold and pet him. She loves to check on him, and is always wondering where he is if I put him down to sleep in his crib. But she does seem to have a hard time with the fact that
she's not getting as much attention. But we're really trying to keep a balance. I can't believe we have 2 kids now!! We're still trying to figure out who he looks like. Some people say he looks just like Billy and Eliza and others think he definitely has more Wilson in him and say they can see my brothers in him. Who knows. I guess we'll see!!
Life is great!
