Newest member of the Team!

My sweet little baby is here. Arriving July 2 at 2:19 PM weighing 8 lbs. 7 oz. Little Canon Alma Platt is my biggest baby and so far just as sweet as all the rest!

My parents were flying in town on the first and because Ben had work I was going to go pick them up. The drive is about an hour and 20 minutes and I left the kids with our friends well I made the trip by myself. On the way down I began to notice that I was having contractions about 7 to 10 minutes apart. Not too uncomfortable but noticeable nonetheless. The airport was very busy with many cars and people parking in the middle of the road and it was crazy. I made good time and was there to pick up my mom and dad as soon as they got their luggage and some food to eat. And we begin to head home. On the drive there was plenty of cars heading home after their day of work now and the freeway was full of bumper-to-bumper traffic. Now I was really beginning to notice the contractions because of how tight and uncomfortable they were, probably due to the anxiety and stress of driving in such conditions. An accident on the other side of the freeway really caused congestion, thankfully after we passed the chard vehicle and emergency response cars and policeman we were able to begin driving more steadily toward home. We made it home at 6:30 and when I was able to relax and calm down my contractions slowed down and I wasn't paying attention to them any longer.

It was nice to have my mom and dad here to help take care of the family and the night ended with putting crazy kids to bed and getting my parents settled in for the night. Around two in the morning I began to notice contractions were occurring 10 minutes apart consistently and stronger than I had remembered. I was up the rest of the night trying to relax and breathe and rest the best that I could.

Around seven in the morning Ben began to wake up and prepare to go in for work for the day. I decided that it was also time to go to the labor and delivery floor because I needed two doses of antibiotics before the baby was born. We got to the hospital about 8 o'clock checked in, changed, and hooked up to an IV line with fluids and my first dose of antibiotics. The intensity and duration of my contractions really slowed down for about an hour, but then they began to become more consistent about 5 to 7 minutes apart. When the nurse checked me I was dilated to about a four. I really wanted to have a similar experience to Brielles birth in Germany and so for each of the contractions I concentrated on breathing and Ben or my mother provided low back resistance by pushing with their hands as I pushed against the wall if standing or walking. This continued for most of the morning. The boys and Brielle and grandpa came up to eat lunch at the hospital cafeteria around 1245 and my last dose finished at 12:30. They even came in to visit me after they were done with lunch, which was hard to experience a contraction and surge while my children were there trying to give me hugs and were asking what was going on. There was a TV down the hall with cartoons that they watched for a little while and then they left around 2 o'clock. Just outside the hospital was a promotion ceremony that they watched at that time. Also, around 2 o'clock Ben made the suggestion that if we wanted to have this baby sooner rather than later that it might be wise to change positions from sitting to standing. I was trying to allow my body to prepare and do everything it needed to deliver this baby safely, while having the contractions I began to notice a movement of the baby downward, which I would tell Ben about each time. 

So I changed positions, I sat on the stool and then from there stood up after two contractions had came at five and four minutes apart respectively. Within a 10 minute period of time contractions and come right after another two minutes apart. I began to feel shaky and hot, this was hard work and the end of labor. I could feel the baby moving down and more intense pressure. When my body began to push on it's own the nurse wanted to check me. It was at that moment that I felt a large mass begin to move out and I was still standing at that time. The nurse yelled at me to get into the bed so she could check me and I told her no. I should have just stayed where I was, but the nurse had been quite aggressive all morning with me. With my eyes closed and slightly defeated I crawled onto the bed. The nurse discovered that the baby was right there and a flurry of activity began as nurses ran in and out to prepare for the birth. My amniotic sac was still intact and was the first bulge before the babies head made its appearance. Ben and another nurse grabbed each of my legs so that the baby would be born. It was heard from the other nurse that checked me with only one glove on "well there goes trying to be sanitary" as fluids and baby and blood collided together all over the bed sheets and hospital room. I was shaken and arched back, my feet trying to be grounded. when they placed my baby onto my stomach, he was bluish is color, the nurses rubbed him and were still on their adrenaline rush from taking control of the birth. It was around this time that my 0B GYN doctor walked in. He is a older funny man, and said "sorry I missed it "... It wasn't the first time Ben was the only Doctor in the delivery room!