Tobias

Just a couple weeks after Will and Andie got married, our family expanded again. My due date with this baby was the 3d of October. But, on the morning of September 6, I woke up to a gush of blood. I woke Mike and he called the ambulance. When the ambulance crew got here, they told him that they had already called for the life flight. I was pretty sure we had lost the baby, but Mike kept saying, "No, he's okay. He's fine."

But, I couldn't get him to move. When the EMT's got here, one of them listened to my belly with a stethescope and told me that the baby was fine. NOTE to EMTs...*that* is not reassuring to a Mama! Maybe, perhaps if it had been someone that I know is familiar with prenatal or birth situations...but it was not. He wanted to check me, to make sure baby wasn't crowning and I told him, "NO." After 10 babies, I think I know what labor is, and this was NOT labor!

When the helicopter got here, it was so small that Mike could not ride with me, so he had to follow on the ground. I had to ride shotgun to the pilot ~ oh, and I don't like heights or flying...so that was fun. :-P I was pretty certain that once we got to the hospital, they would just send me in for an emergency c-section. However, first the Dr. ordered an ultrasound to check on baby. And they got a doppler ~ what a *precious* sound that baby's heartbeat was! I was so relieved...although by then I knew he was alive, because as soon as we were in the air, he began to move. Ultrasound showed that baby looked good and was doing okay, despite the abruption. The Dr. really preferred to do a section, but agreed that as long as everything looked okay with baby and me, we could proceed with labor and a natural birth. I was so very thankful. The one time/place I was not expecting to get my VBA2C. So, knowing full well the risks involved with both a repeat c-section and with laboring...we proceeded with labor ~ and the hospital staff prepared for worse case scenario. Which meant big needles in my arm, that were hard to place, but I was good with that.

Labor had actually started by the time I got to the hospital, and all day and into the evening, I labored...not strong, hard contractions, but just enough to let me know that we were having a baby. Finally, late in the evening, I told the nurse that if the Dr. would break my water, we would most likely have a baby soon. He came in about midnight and broke my water. By 2 am, I was pushing and pushing and pushing. After 2 hours of pushing, we had a baby! I had such a hard time...and at one point decided I was done and would go ahead with a section, but the Dr. came in and said, "No." So, I pushed. Some time during labor, the baby had turned posterior (I know he didn't start that way, because I asked when they did the u/s), and after my last couple of births, I just had a very difficult time not fighting against the pain of the contractions. After being cut a couple times, those muscles just don't work the same either. :-/ But, we were so very thankful for a healthy, live baby, and I was thrilled with having a VBAC!

Tobias James was premature by 4 weeks, and still weighed in at a whopping 8lb 15oz. Nice little preemie, wasn't he? ;-) Needless to say, I am thankful he was premature! Had he gone to term, I'm not sure I could have done it. He could have been up to 4 pounds heavier at term.

I lost a lot of blood, so we were in the hospital for a few days following the birth so that they could give me transfusions and be sure that I was good to come home.

Sweet 'little' preemie! I was so relieved to finally hold him in my arms!

Tobias is such a joy to our family, and we feel so very blessed that the Lord chose us to be his family. He is a chunky baby, and such a happy disposition! Jethro adores being a big brother and loves to give his baby kisses. :-)

Baby in a basket. Daddy took some adorable pictures of Tobias once we got home.

And here he is at 5 months. Happy, healthy and almost always with a smile on that chubby little face. :-)