He’s here! After our long, 9+ month wait, we safely welcomed baby number five into the world on February 15, 2018. And it’s a boy!
Kip Joseph Fiely was born a little after 2 a.m. on a Thursday morning. He weighed in at 7 lbs. 7 oz. and was 19 1/2″ long. He made a late arrival, just like his siblings!
Kip’s Birth Story
OVERDUE
My due date for baby number five was February 12th. I worked up until February 9th, the Friday before. We made it through the weekend without much of a sign of labor and I can’t say I was surprised. I really never showed any real signs of labor with any of my pregnancies!
I went the my regular appointment that Friday and was checked for the first time. I was measuring around 1 or 2 cm. Our next appointment was scheduled for Wednesday, February 14th.
We made it through that weekend just fine. Then Monday came (due date!) and I stayed home with Vayda and was still feeling pretty good for being 40+ weeks pregnant! I tried to get some rest and finish up some last minute things to prepare for baby! Then Tuesday came and still no baby. The advantage here was I was able to make it to Marlee’s first ever band concert!
Wednesday came along next and I was still feeling pretty good. At this point, I really just had a feeling that baby was coming soon…I was sore, tired, a bit crampy and achy. But no contractions or other signs of labor!
Erik met me for our appointment and we went in for a NST just to make sure baby was still doing okay. He was doing just fine…after giving the nurse about 15 mins worth of fits because he wouldn’t stay still! Then my midwife came in and checked me…and of course barely any progress. I measured a good 2 cm and that was it. After 5 days…ugh. So then came the question. Do we wait? Or do we give my body a little push to start labor?!
DECISIONS. DECISIONS.
This decision was a hard one. I wanted to do what was best and give my baby and body the time it needs. But with that said, I hadn’t hardly progressed at all in about a week. Was one more day going to make a difference (the midwife wanted me back that Friday)? So after talking it over with Erik and my midwife and the doctor on call, we decided to go ahead and head in to start on some light Pitocin to get things moving. The final push for this was that the other kids were already safely being watched at Erik’s parents house and all other arrangements were handled ‘just in case’. We even had the bags in the car. Anyone who has more than one kid understands the stress that weighs on you about making sure they are cared for when baby time comes!
We headed over to the hospital then and everything set in. With all of the kids I had this quick moment of ‘Oh Lord, this is happening!’. That feeling you have after waiting and waiting for something and then it comes and it’s unbelievable!
GO TIME!
We got checked in and got all hooked up and they started the Pitocin slowly at 6 pm. But, by the time they got everything up and running, I was having good contractions on my own. I think this baby knew time was up! So as the Pitocin increased, so did the contractions!
Sometime later that night they came in and asked about the epidural. I always struggle with this decision too. I don’t want it too soon and don’t want to wait too long! The nurses checked me and I was only 3 cm so I wanted to wait. But I only made it an hour or so before the contractions were getting pretty intense. I really struggle relaxing and my midwife knew that! She decided to head into the hospital to check things herself and suggested the epidural to help me relax. By midnight the epidural was in and started to work. My midwife checked me and I was progressed to 4 cm.
DELIVERY
At this point I tried to get as much rest as possible. I could still feel each contraction but more pressure with each one. I had to keep calling the nurse back in to my room because alarms would go off and she was always disappointed that it was just that and not that something was happening!
Then finally as I was laying in bed I felt something give way…I thought my water had broke but the nurse came in and checked and said that it actually hadn’t quite yet. That was okay though because I knew things were happening!
Shortly after that I felt it again and then my midwife came in. She checked me and the baby as crowning! It was go time! We woke Erik up and everything was set up. It was SO quick after that. She asked if I wanted to push and I felt the urge so the next contraction I pushed! One more contraction later and I was holding our new little boy!
KIP JOSEPH FIELY
There are so many little moments in there that kind of seem like a blur! But the experience was amazing.
Just like with Vayda, my midwife urged me to help pull the baby out. That is something I will never forget! I laid him on my chest as they wiped him down a bit and sucked him out. And they left us alone.
The midwife finished me up, all was cleaned and put away, and it was just me, Erik and our sweet Kip. They didn’t wheel him away right away to check him, wash him, weigh him, or anything. It was the sweetest moment.
As time goes on, a lot of the little details will fade but giving birth to your children is an experience you never forget, with any of them! Labor and delivery with Kip was a breeze. He was the most perfect baby, not a mark on him and just immediately laid back. He nursed great right away too. People wonder why we have so many kids…lol! We have been SO blessed with all of our babies. Easy, uncomplicated pregnancies, smooth deliveries, healthy, beautiful babies!
My recovery has been so great with him as well. I think a great delivery, a great midwife, a great pregnancy and some herbal supplements, and a super attentive husband and family are all contribute to this!
Right now we are loving easy life and loving our new little blessing. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for our family of seven!
