Elliot Nehemiah arrived today at 3:03pm (02.12.2012) @ 38+3 via home water birth. he weighs 7lb 4oz 20in long 
The birth was another long haul!....def easier, in some ways, compared to isaiahs birth...but also harder in other aspects. My water broke at 7:35am yesterday (02/11/12). but contractions didn't even start until 3pm (and those didn' even hurt). I had to use the breast pump on and off as well as taking black cohash. When I used the pump, i would get strong contractions 2-3 minutes apart, but when i stopped everything died away to about 1 contraction every 10 minutes. About 10pm last night is when they started getting really hard (though easier to cope since ZERO back labor). They were about 6 minutes apart from 10-3am. So we called the MWs....and when they got there at 4:30am they basically stopped. I got them like every 15 minutes or something...though they were very painful and uncomfortable-even though it wasn't active labor. I used the pump a total of 4 hours over the entire last two days. Finally started getting really painful. About noon today i was 4cm. So i did some pumping and then got in the nice hot birth pool. Thats when things really picked up! I was 7-8cm at about 2pm. And the around 2:30 i began pushing...pushing REALLY hurt! It was actually painful and i did not find the relief that most women talk about....eventually i got his head out of the cervix (really felt like i was going to poo!!! ...and i did
) then finally his head came out. (He came out anterior-facing the correct direction
) The cord was wrapped around his neck 1x. But nothing scary, its googy and the MW slipped it back, so no issues-at all with that-no big deal. Next was the shoulders. usually they will just slid e out with the next contraction but the MW had to put her hands in there next to the baby (OUCH!!!!) to help move his shoulders because they had trouble fitting. It was NOT any type of emergency, but he just needed a little extra help (apparently i have a small birth canal
could be why isaiah came out posterior). Then out came my little Elliot (at 3:03pm)!
he is so teeny tiny! I still can't believe he weighs over 6lbs lol.
Technically active labor was considered precipitus as it was less than 4 hours long...but really i had been up all night and day before contracting and they were quite painful, but just not regular enough. The MWs said they have NEVER witnessed a birth like that ....with the contractions not really going. And then with the pump usually thats the one thing that women can do in labor to get things moving...for me it got them moving...until i stopped using the pump
...also, they said his umbelical cord was short...not abnormally short, but just on the shorter end of normal....personally i wonder if his labor went that way because of the already short cord, plus it being around his neck
interesting to say the least!
He nurses like a pro! And we are just so in love! Isaiah did a great job too. And he really seems to love Elliot as well
Some would say it's brave giving birth in hospital given the risks. The place you should give birth should be the place you feel safest and that's not always where people expect. 
