Today is your 2nd birthday and I have decided it is time to share your story.
Even when Liam was still a little baby I had a longing for another baby. It felt like there was someone missing from our family. When Liam was 17 months old and Micah was getting closer to 4 years old, I was ready to get pregnant again. I heard God say “July”. We tried in May and June but I always had July in mind. On July 1st I went to the doctor because I had symptoms of an infection in my uterus. I started antibiotics. Still with symptoms, I took a second course of antibiotics. It seemed crazy to get pregnant while taking antibiotics for an infection but I tried and that month you came to live with us ❤️.
I knew I was pregnant before I even tested. I was soooo excited and happy when I got a positive test. I was very sick in bed for a couple of months while you grew. The 24/7 nausea was almost unbearable. One day I was at the beach and I looked up toward the sky and heard God say “Owen”. I wrote it in the sand. I was 14 weeks pregnant that day.
I wrestled over the idea of having a third baby boy. One day God said to me very clearly about it, “I know the plans I have for you, not you know the plans you have for me.” It was firm but I could take it.
I didn’t want a morphology scan for you. But I felt that I needed to know your gender for sure because I’d spent 36 weeks completely convinced Liam was a girl. I decided to have a short scan (5-10 minutes?) just to make sure you seemed okay overall and chose the free hospital one. I came out of that scan in tears. The lady was awful to us and argumentative because we wanted a short scan. She had a 1 second glance at whether you were a boy or girl, handed us a slip of paper with the answer on it and said with attitude,
“Well I can’t be totally sure because it was so quick”. 🙄
I didn’t trust the answer so I chose not to find out what she wrote. Your Daddy knew what was on there and managed to keep it from me until you were born! I was keeping my mind very open to you being a boy or girl.
I had my midwife changed a few times over the pregnancy which was super unsettling! Would the new one be good?! Otherwise everything went so smoothly. Being an experienced third time mum, I had begun the pregnancy by lying to the doctor about my dates to give me an extra day before they pushed induction 🙈. Your official due date was April 1st.
Micah had been a home birth transferred to hospital and emergency assisted delivery. Liam had been an induction in hospital where they didn’t realise I was in fast labour until it all turned dramatic. Both had been traumatic in their own ways. I remember being afraid to birth you at the hospital but that was the only option I was allowed.
We made it to 41 weeks pregnant and like your brothers, you were sitting posterior (with all your limbs poking out of my front). I felt like you were lower and more ready to come out than the other two though. I was booked in for induction on April 10th but I didn’t actually intend to do it because I felt like you were going to come out on your own! (Micah got stuck at 41+6 weeks so I did want you out ASAP.)
I had an osteopath appointment scheduled for 4:00pm on April 9th. At that appointment she agreed that I was REALLY close to labour. She set my body and mind up for your birth and at 9:30pm that night I lost some mucous plug and started having labour contractions.
I laboured in my bed for a few hours while your brothers slept in the room (we all shared a room at that point). Your Daddy was rushing around downstairs preparing things for us to leave. I would lie down in the quiet between contractions. I had to jump up for the contractions because you were posterior so they were all back pain.
At 1am we called the hospital and they said to come in. I worked out I could lie down to space out the contractions though and when I asked God, he said “3am”. We called our friend to come and watch your brothers while we went to hospital. I’d never had to choose when to go into hospital before and Liam’s birth had only been 2 hours long! I had to trust the timing. I knew Liam would wake and I wanted to be there with him to say goodbye. At 3am Liam woke as usual and had his snack, we said bye to him and left him with our friend. It was perfect.
We drove down the highway and thank God it was ghost town because it was the middle of the night. We stopped on the side of the road for every contraction (every few minutes) so I could get up to cope with the back pain.
You were born during Covid lockdowns so your Daddy needed a permission slip to get back into the hospital after he moved the car! At the pregnancy assessment centre they said I was clearly in labour and didn’t need a check 🥳. I never was asked for a cervical check the whole birth which I was so happy about because of my past infections.
I was told I had to go to the delivery room because I’d had a baby with shoulder dystocia (Micah). No one had ever told me this! I’d been told I would have a normal birthing suite. I rolled with it though. Unlike Liam’s birth I got to go to the room early and calmly. I had a shower which I remember felt like an amazing experience that I’d never had in labour before!
I got dressed and continued with contractions with a heat pack and your Daddy pressing on my back for every contraction. My midwife arrived at 4:15am. I remember the moment of relief that we were all there in the birthing room together and everything was sorted 😍. It was the best. I got to stand on a soft mat and sit on a fitball between contractions. I declined any offer of pain relief. I had done this two times before with none. I knew it would be intense but fine. When the contractions started to get too intense in my back my water broke and the midwife told me to get up on the bed because, “This baby is going to come fast!”
The next part was as fast as Liam’s birth but it was so different. In Liam’s birth I’d been forced by a random midwife to lie on my back and push as soon as I was 10cm dilated. With you I got to stay up on my knees and feel the contractions forcing you down. The pressure was SO SO strong, you can’t imagine it unless you’ve been there. Liam had turned during labour but you were totally posterior and I felt like I was going to split in two with the pressure! I was scared because I’d never birthed like this before. It was so unknown.
My midwife was amazing. I hate being touched during labour and she was kind and gentle, again unlike Liam’s birth.
Your head was right there visible and they were trying to avoid intervention but it was not going to get through without tearing. I was asked to turn onto my back for a third episiotomy and instead of being disappointed I was actually relieved 😅. I knew how to do this! Instead of feeling forced like Liam’s delivery, birthing you felt natural. Your head came out and you were wriggling face up with big lips! The staff realised why your head was so hard to birth! With the next contraction you were guided out and handed to me. It’s funny because on the video there was no time between you coming out and me saying, “It’s a boy! I knew it was a boy the whole time 😆.” But for me time stood still and it felt like ages between those two moments!
You were born at 5:10am on Friday April 10th. It was Good Friday!
You were super pink and healthy and big!
Four minutes after you were born, Daddy cut your cord. You lay on my chest while I birthed your placenta. They had only given me the weaker (and less sickening) oxytocin drug! 👏🏻
I got the smoothest most intervention free birth possible. I am thrilled. It was so healing.
It really struck me later on how at my most vulnerable and raw I was told how amazing and strong I was by my midwife and other staff. I always put so much effort into how I come across to people but when I couldn’t put on a face I was admired. That was so healing too.
You were 4.36 kilos. My smallest baby 🤣.
We spent 5 hours at the hospital doing all the usual post birth check ups/tests/paperwork and then we put you in the car and drove home. Your brothers were so excited to meet you!
The next day we named you “Owen Matthew”. The name Matthew came to me after you were born. I remember thinking it would be cool if a card could confirm it like one did for Liam’s middle name. Your Daddy had put a card from friends in my bedroom and as I looked at it over there, I sensed God saying the confirmation was in it! I opened the card and there was a bible verse from Matthew! 🤯
Yours and Liam’s first names both mean warrior. I thought that was really cool.
You are amazing and we love you so much and you’ve been so perfect for our family!
