Introducing....

Isaac Stephen Cutler
Born Unexpectedly at Home
Friday August 28, 2009
7 lbs 1 oz
19 1/2 inches long

The Story: Sorry this is so long and detailed. I want it that way for my own records.

I woke up Friday morning a little after 5 am with some contractions that were real contractions, but not very strong and not lasting very long. I lay in bed for a while trying to decided if they were anything I should keep Chris home from work about, and decided they weren't so I went ahead and got up and got Chris a lunch and told him to let me know where he was going to work that day because I was feeling a little funny and had had some light contractions that were a little more than braxton hicks.

My family was getting up by that time, but I decided not to say anything because I knew that it was just early labor that could peter out at anytime. I went ahead and took a shower, and got dressed and ready for the day, William woke up, I got him breakfast and dressed, and all through this I continued to have contractions that were between 5 and 10 minutes apart. I still didn't think anything of them however because they never lasted more than 20 seconds (sometimes less) and I could easily hide the fact that I was even having them. I decided that since I was obviously going to have a long early labor that I might as well do everything I had planned for the day. Somewhere in there Chris let me know he was going to Driggs first, then Teton, then Rigby. I was a little skeptical about him going all the way to Driggs, but figured if worst came to worst he could meet me at the hospital in Rexburg.

I had told our manager that I was going to come to Rexburg to check out of our apartment around 10, so I took William, and left about 9:45 to go to Rexburg. On the way I called Chris, and just let him know that I was still having light contractions, but nothing major. I got us all checked out of our apartment, went and talked to Elizabeth next door for a minute. I told her that I might be back to have a baby that night or the next morning and we laughed about going running to get my contractions going. Then I took William to the swings and the playground to play for a little while and talked to a bunch of girls from the ward who were out there. I didn't mention to any of them that I was having contractions and ironically we were talking about when to know it was time to go to the hospital :).

I left to go back to Idaho Falls around 11:20 because I had some friends from high school I was meeting at 12 to go out to lunch with. I got back just before they came over, and we sat and talked with my mom for a little while, then got in the car (I drove, and brought William) and went out to lunch. While trying to decided where to go, someone suggested Mexican, but I had the thought that I didn't really want to eat Mexican food before having a baby, so I suggested Chinese instead. We went to lunch, I was still having contractions, but could eat fine. However, toward the end of lunch William had to go to the bathroom over and over and over, and was being a little ornery about it. While I was in the bathroom with him I started to get pretty tired, and since I had to squat down to help him the contractions weren't quite as easy to deal with. Still nothing to worry about though :).

I told my friends I needed to put William down for a nap, but that they could come over and hang out for a while if they wanted. I also mentioned that I had been having some contractions and that I might have a baby that night or the next morning. On the way home I had a contraction, but I didn't have a whole lot of trouble hiding it. I don't think they even noticed. As we were sitting in the living room talking, however I started to feel worse, and very tired, and wanted to take a nap. So I waited until the conversation was over, and then told them they should probably go so I could take a nap. They left just around 2:00. I then called my mom in and asked her if she could put William down, and told her that I was having contractions and would probably have a baby that night. About a minute or two after she went downstairs I suddenly had a horrible contraction that made me flip off the couch onto my knees with my arms and head on the couch. I screamed for my mom, but she didn't hear me. I think I had another one, and when my mom came back upstairs a couple minutes later she went "oh no--honey, have you called Chris?"

I made a phone call to Chris and left a message at 2:11 telling him he needed to come home right away. He called me back a minute later and said he was on his way. He was in Teton, just North of Sugar City. He tried to talk to me during my contraction, but I just couldn't handle being on the phone, so I told him I had to go. As soon as I was done my mom told me that she didn't think we could wait for him to get there, but that we should just meet him at the hospital. I said that was fine, and she went to get my sparsely packed hospital bag and to call him to tell him to meet us in Rexburg. She also called my dad home from work to be with William. When she came back I was already feeling like I needed to push and it was apparent that there was no way we were making it to Rexburg. She called Chris and told him to come home after all, and offered to take me to the hospital in Idaho Falls. I didn't even want to think about moving at that point, and the thought of going to a strange hospital with a strange doctor was completely unappealing to me. I told her that she better just call Kathy or Michelle (the midwives she works with), and that I wasn't going to go anywhere. She called Michelle, who lives in Ririe, and she said she was on her way. My mom helped me take my clothes off, and said that she could see the babies head.
I had wondered if I was crazy for thinking I needed to push already, but at that point I knew I wasn't. I had a really strong contraction and pushed hard, and thought the babies head had come out, but it turned out to be the bag of waters, completely intact, and filled with water, so it felt like the head. It was what my mom thought was the head, and even though it was a huge relief to push it out, I was very disappointed that I still had to push the real head out. Somewhere in all of this, my mom had been throwing sheets underneath me, my dad had come home, and I had had the thought that if I pushed, Chris was not going to make it home in time. It was about a one second struggle, but I decided that I didn't care. The baby had to be out NOW!!

The bag of waters burst, and with the next contraction little Isaac's head came out, and on the next his whole body was born. It was 2:42 pm, only 42 minutes after I asked my friends to leave. Less than an hour of active labor and pushing. He breathed right away, and pinked up, so I knelt on the floor and my mom helped me hold little Issac. Michelle got there about 10 minutes later and they made a bed for me on the floor of the living room, and I lay down to wait for the placenta.

Chris got home 15-20 minutes after the birth, to a wife and baby lying on the living room floor. He said that as he was driving 85 miles an hour down the highway and praying really hard that everything would be okay, he had a strong feeling that the baby had been born and that he had missed it. We think that feeling came right as little Isaac came into the world. I love the fact that even though Chris wasn't with us physically, he was very connected to us spiritually.

It was such a blessing that everything went so well, William slept through everything, my Mom was there and knows what she is doing, that Michelle was able to come, and that I was able to get comfortable in bed at home and have them take care of everything (stitching, newborn exam etc.) instead of having to get in the car to go to the hospital. And it really was a miracle that nobody got pulled over on the way, since Chris, Michelle and my Dad all drove very fast to get to me :).

Next time I definitely won't let Chris go to work, even if my contractions are only light. I would much prefer to have him with me. We might however, seriously consider a PLANNED home birth.

What Chris came home to

weighing the baby