Labor and Delivery

Let the story begin:
After several weeks of having contractions I had a doctor's appointment on March 30th and was dilated to 3 cm and 70% effaced. At this appointment I also found out that my official due date was April 7th, not April 3rd. I was sure that I'd need to be induced because it felt like the baby was NEVER coming, so after the appointment I called Ryan crying about that I wouldn't be induced until April 15th and how was I going to be pregnant that much longer. I forgot to mention to him that the doctor had stripped my membranes. I was convinced that it probably wouldn't do anything anyway.

I went home from my appointment and walked on the treadmill for 50 minutes. This baby had to come out because I wasn't waiting until for 2+ more weeks. Things progress throughout the afternoon and evening and by 6 I was starting to have some contractions, but not anything more than I had been having. Ryan, Cassia, and I went out to dinner, did some shopping and I had a WONDERFUL time just relaxing and being with them. It was just what I needed. Contractions still coming, but not too strong.

Hanging out with Cassia around bedtime.

By 10 in the evening I my contractions were pretty regular and getting more uncomfortable. I had so many times that I thought I was going into labor, so I just decided to go to bed and see if I could sleep. I didn't do much sleeping. I found myself laying in bed breathing through contractions. I eventually moved out to the couch so I wouldn't wake up Ryan with my tossing and turning and finally fell asleep. Ryan woke me up an hour later and told me to come to bed. As he woke me up and I felt myself breathing through a contraction. They were still coming and I was sleeping through them.

I went back to bed for a little while and by 3:00 I couldn't lay there anymore. They were getting too intense. I got up and called my Mom. She lives in Virginia, 3 time zones ahead of us, so I didn't wake her up. I describe to her what I was feeling and then decided to wake up Ryan and get the ball rolling with getting me to the hospital. I called the doctor, call our friend to come watch Cassia, and we were out the door around 5 a.m. headed for the hospital.


5:30 a.m. and we're at the hospital getting settled in our room. I'm praying the whole time that the contractions don't go away so I can have this baby.

My contractions did increase and at 7:30 a.m. I was dilated to 3 c.m. and 'paper-thin'. I had wanted to go natural with my labor with Cassia, but was really unprepared to do so. My labor with her went really fast and I dilated from 2 to 10 in 2 hours. I received an epidural with her when I was at a 10 and delivered my baby with that help.

This time I was even more determined to go natural and a lot more prepared. I read a book on the Lamaze method and MADE Ryan read it too. I tried to learn the breathing techniques and while practicing with Ryan realized he was much better at them than I was. Good thing he was my coach! My labor with Madsen gained intensity at 3:00 a.m., so I was expecting he would be born before noon. I was wrong, but not too far off. After hours and hours of breathing threw contractions they started to get REALLY strong and then I started to want to push. I hurried and called the nurse and she started to help me push while she called the doctor and other nurses to assist. Within minutes my hospital room was full of people all trying to tell me what to do. I hadn't practiced the pushing breathing exercises very well and at this intense moment I couldn't comprehend anything Ryan was trying to tell me. So I did what any other reasonable girl would do I screamed through them instead :) Kind of embarissing but true! I think I scared my husband half to death and I know I scared myself. I'm sure the nurses and doctor had seen it all. I was yelling things at them like "Get this baby out of me" and "I hate this kid", which is fairly amusing to me now, but very serious at the time. After 5 to 10 minutes of pushing I was done and our baby boy was born.


Born on March 31st at 2:45 p.m. Welcome to the world Madsen Kevin!


7 lbs 9 oz. 2 more pounds than Cassia!


Ryan so proud to have his little boy. He is so silly about having another boy in the family.


Me really really glad it was over. I took me a few minutes to calm down after labor, but here I'm finally settled and glad to have my baby in my arms.


At 5:00 a.m. before we came to the hospital we called Ryan's mom and had her hop on a plane from Boise to see us. She arrived around 4 p.m. at our front door to help with Cassia and us once we got home. She was with us for 10 days and her help was so needed and appreciated! Thank you so much for everything Mom.


Cassia with her new baby brother.


My handsome Madsen hanging out at the hospital




24 hours after Madsen was born we were done with the hospital and ready to go home. My recovery has been really amazing. A lot faster than with Cassia. Yay, I'm not pregnant anymore!