Krysten's Birth

What an awesome, peaceful experience I wish that everyone could  have during childbirth. ~~ The first change in contractions came around 4:00 pm on Sat. though they still weren't very strong nor did they last very long.  They were not regular either.  Still I recognized the change and called my midwife, Michelle, at 4:45.  I told her there was no hurry, but she should probably get ready to come. ~~ Contractions continued to get stronger, but there was still no regularity and they remained short.  Michelle arrived around 6:15.  When she checked my progress, she said we were at 6 cm, which for me was quite a progress.  I knew that baby would be arriving very soon. ~~ I had the pleasure of having the best doula assistants in the world.  Sarah, Molly, Emily and Amanda had all taken places in my room with assignments from Michelle on how to help.  They were getting very excited to see their new brother and go through this experience with me.  Tom, John, and the two little ones remained in the family room in waiting. ~~ Sure enough within just a few minutes my water broke.  At this moment one of the girls ran to tell Dad, and he called in "ok, just tell mom to hurry up so she can get me a beer."  I found this very humorous and think that the laughing brought about the first set of pushing contractions.  Now for me, pushing is a very quick and simple task.  Not this time.  I found that I had to use several contractions to push.  After finding out how much he weighed, I understood why.  Having my girls there cheering me on will be a precious memory I will always be grateful for. ~~ At 7:09 Benjamin Joseph came into the world surrounded by the people who love him most.  Though he cried at first for just a moment, we covered him up and he remained quiet and alert for the rest of the evening.  He too felt the peace of the experience. ~~ Now we are enjoying life with Benjamin and taking care of each other.  The kids have done an awesome job picking up the slack where I am absent for awhile, and I am so grateful for them. ~~ God has certainly blessed our family.  I hope that you all will enjoy some of these pictures from the event.  Thank you for all of your prayers, they have certainly made a difference in our lives. 

Krysten with Ben...she doesn't LOOK like she just gave birth, does she??

Benjamin Snow

03/08/06 @ 7:09 pm