Sicily's Birth Story

Happy 1st Birthday Sicily!  I've enjoyed a great year welcoming my daughter into the world.

Sicily’s Birth Story

Darrell was anxious for the baby to be born and I, Heather, was finally starting to be. On Friday February 10, Darrell and I were bound and determined to have the baby that weekend. We watched a movie for a date night- after the movie was over I decided to try some laughter therapy since that pretty much induced labor with my last two pregnancies. It was getting late and we were already “punchy” so I showed Darrell a hilarious workout video called Body Flex. He had never seen it and we both laughed hysterically! It was really funny to see this lady do these weird facial expressions and also to watch Darrell roll on the floor laughing so much. :)

The boys were excited!

I woke up the next day (Saturday, February 11) and started having light contractions around 8:00 AM. After Darrell came back from his morning run and had showered, I told him about it. Salem started writing down the times that the contractions started. Some were 5-10 minutes apart, but other times they were more sporadic at 20-30 minutes apart. Darrell went to the worldwide leadership training held at our ward building but he took our cell phone so I could call if needed.

I called Cathy Larson, our midwife to let her know about the contractions and she said that she’d come see me around 11:00. I called my mom to let her know since I needed her to help with our other children. Darrell got home from the leadership training and Cathy came around 12:00 noon. My mom came and took Salem, Oaklen, and Ezril out to lunch and to the park.

Eating lunch at Subway while in labor

The contractions still weren’t consistent but Cathy decided to check me and I was 70% effaced and dilated to a 7. I realized that this was only a number and didn’t really predict progress but still it made me figure that the baby was going to come soon. I lay on the bed and just waited for the next contraction while Cathy was there. As we were waiting, Cathy suggested that Darrell and I go out for a walk while she got things ready at the house.

We decided to splurge and go to Subway for lunch for the $5 Footlongs-in-February sale. I had a few contractions during lunch. They were getting stronger but still very manageable. After the lunch, we did our “walk” in stores since it was nice weather for February, but not warm enough for me to walk around outside for very long. We went to Whole Foods and Smith’s Grocery to pick up some last minute things. When I had a contraction, I just stopped in the aisle and held onto the cart to breathe. We saw a few people we knew but  no one could tell I was in labor. The contractions were still pretty manageable.

Shopping for our walking labor

A few last minute errands during labor

When we arrived back home around 3:00 PM, Cathy and her apprentice Laurisa were there waiting for us. We told them my contractions were still not at a steady rate. Cathy checked the baby’s heart rate and things were fine. They decided to leave us for a few hours to labor on our own. She said to call if needed and that she’d stay in the area so she could come quickly. Before Cathy left, she showed me a bottle of a blend of essential oils to breathe to help with labor, as well as suggested to walk the stairs with a wide stance when I had a contraction to help bring the baby down, or hold up my belly and push it back down into the pelvis. I tried climbing the stairs during one contraction and it was a lot of work! After trying that, I opted out of climbing the stairs since I felt like I needed to conserve my energy for when I really needed it.

Darrell’s parents called and wanted to come see our new kitchen and so they came without knowing that I was in labor. We visited with Eric, Elaine, Natalie, Adam and Zeke. I had a few contractions while they were there but I was able to just walk (waddle) around and things were fine.

After they left Darrell started making chicken for dinner. We had to use the crockpot since we still didn’t have an oven or stove ready for use in our almost-finished-newly-remodeled kitchen. (The fridge and oven were still in the dining room.) Around 5:00 PM, my mom brought the kids home, they had been hanging out at Uncle Cabot and Aunt Jen’s house waiting for us to call with an update. It was decided that my mom and John would have dinner with us, and then take the kids up to their house to be there until bedtime.

Last dinner before Sicily was born

I kept thinking that things would be picking up speed and didn’t want Cathy to miss anything so I had Darrell call her around 7:00 PM. She arrived and checked the vitals again; things were fine. She showed us how to do “the baby dance.” I’ve always seen that in birth/labor videos yet I never thought I’d be doing it since labor had been relatively fast for my last 2 births. She wanted us to have our privacy so she said she’d be downstairs waiting at our beckon call while we labored upstairs. Becky, another apprentice midwife came to be with Cathy downstairs.

Darrell and I decided to watch a movie. We had already watched Steel Magnolias (my favorite chick flick) a few nights before, so we pulled out the latest DVD that I borrowed from the library: American Graffiti. As we watched the movie, the contractions got stronger. Darrell and I got up each time from the couch to do the baby dance. It helped to lean on him while walking and swaying.

About 9:00 PM my mom brought my boys back home and we put them to bed and told them we’d wake them when the baby came.

Cathy helping through a contraction

We finished watching the movie then Cathy came upstairs to do a vital check for me and the baby. Things were still fine, just the same as hours earlier. She sat and chatted with us for a while. Once in a while I’d have a contraction and Darrell would walk around with me, but still the contractions weren’t coming any stronger. By about 11:30 PM, Cathy suggested that we try to get some sleep. I was anxious but Darrell was quite tired so I agreed to try to go to bed. We got me comfortable with pillows and a heating pad on my lower back and went to sleep. The contractions were still coming but they were manageable for me to just lay on my left side and relax. Darrell was fast asleep so I didn’t wake him whenever I had a contraction.

I managed to get a little bit of sleep but slept very lightly. Cathy came upstairs to check on me a few times through the night but saw I was sleeping and didn’t awaken me. She, Becky, and Laurisa slept on the couch and floor downstairs awaiting any further progression.

Happy couple

We were awake by 8:00 AM (Sunday February 12). The boys wondered what happened in the night but nothing did. Cathy said that something like this happens frequently and not to worry. The baby will come when we’re both ready.  Our vital signs were still fine. She asked if I wanted her to do any interventions, but I thought we could still wait a bit since we were fine, just annoyed that it was taking so long! :) As I was having a contraction, she pressed on my lower back and it felt very comforting. Cathy suggested that we just live life normally and passively wait for labor to pick up speed. Becky and Laurisa left, and Cathy said she was going to leave to go to church (in West Jordan) but to call when we needed her.

The boys got ready to go to church and Aunt Marie picked them up and took them to church. Darrell stayed home with me. I ate, showered, and curled my hair. I figured I’d indulge in a nice shower and spending time doing my hair since I wasn’t sure when I would be able to pamper myself again after the baby was here.

Contractions finally started getting stronger, I liked the lower back compression that Cathy did before she left so I asked Darrell to press on my lower back. He was doing his best, but I didn't like the way he was pressing on my back, I wanted Cathy. I had Darrell call Cathy about 10:00 AM, she said she’d come. I was getting anxious for her arrival and irritable with the contractions. Darrell happened to enter the bedroom eating a bowlful of Chinese pot stickers. The cabbage was smelly and I didn’t like it. I was mad at him for eating in front of me, and for not making any food for me. I snapped at him about the food and asked where the heck Cathy was. At that moment, Cathy was right on queue and entered the room. I sheepishly said hello. :) I’m sure it’s quite normal in her line of work for verbal offenses like that; it’s often a sign that the mother in labor is nearing the end. (Halleluiah!) Darrell told her that I wanted her to press on my lower back, so she did and I didn't like it! :) It wasn't helpful anymore and Darrell smiled since his previous work wasn't in vain.

By that time it was about 11:00 AM. I was tired and decided to lie down on the bed on my left side. Cathy and Darrell were there and Becky arrived soon afterward. Cathy said that I could start pushing whenever my body told me to push. I started having a contraction and felt the need to push. Between contractions Becky gave me some Emergen-C drink that gave me the needed energy and electrolytes. It was very good and was just what I needed.

It's a girl...ignore the blue towels :)
The rest of the pics are too naked!

With one of the pushes I heard a burst. “What was that?” I asked. It was my water breaking. After more pushing, her head was out then at 11:58 AM I finally had the beautiful sensation that her whole body was out. Sicily was finally born. They laid her on my chest skin to skin and quickly covered us with warm towels. I didn’t cry with emotion but was relieved that the hard part of labor was over. Since we were covered with towels, I asked Darrell and the midwives if our baby was, in fact, a girl just to make sure. Yes she was! :)

New family of 6

Laurisa, Heather, Sicily, Cathy, Becky

Within 10 minutes of her being born, Laurisa came, and the boys arrived home from church. They ran upstairs and met their new sister. (Aunt Marie came in the room too and took a peek at the newborn before leaving.) We were excited for the fact that the boys arrived in such a timely manner so the family could share this special moment. We had been prepping Oaklen for weeks telling him that if all worked out and he was there at the time of the birth that he could cut the umbilical cord. As Oaklen was cutting the cord, I got emotional and shed a few tears. It was bitter sweet seeing my baby finally being separated from me. Sicily now had her belly button brother Oaklen. (Salem got to cut Ezril’s cord, so they are belly button brothers.)

Oaklen cut the cord

We kept Sicily on my chest, skin to skin, as I delivered the placenta. Afterward, my mom came in to meet Sicily to see the baby. Then Darrell got to hold her for the first time and he and the midwives weighed and measured her. 8 lbs 2 oz, 22 inches long. Her vitals and apgar scores were great, and she was a healthy baby! Welcome to the world Sicily Haven Hendriksen!