* The West

Josalyn Holly West

June 30, 2010
About 2:40 am
6 lbs 13 oz & 19 3/4 inches

Thanks for all the love concern and support that we have had over the past week it has been a pretty exciting time for us. We were obviously a little unprepared for all that this past week had to hold for us but all the helping hands and even just the comments, support, prayers and love have gotten us through. Here's the story:

I woke up about 12:30 am because like most pregnant women I couldn't sleep plus my little blond haired beauty of a 3 year old and I were having a slumber party in my bed and her feet kept finding their way into my back. Sometime after 1:00 am I felt a contraction or what I though was a braxton hick. With Carter I went to the hospital 3 times with false labor that in all aspects of what they tell you to look for looked like real labor but I just wasn't dilating. I had sworn off repeating the same path again, so I didn't think much of it since it usually happened every night anyway. I laid there and was hurting a little and I was annoyed because I just wanted to sleep. So I got in the shower because as I have been told that is supposed to stop false labor. Well while in there and hurting a little I noticed my "contractions" were about 4 minutes apart. Right well real contractions don't start out at 4 minutes apart so I for sure thought they weren't real. Realizing sleep wasn't coming I went downstairs to do something. I honestly can't remember what I did during this time I think I just walked around a little concerned but kept thinking something else would happen (like seeing blood or my water breaking) so I would know if this was real or not. Besides it had all just started so I was confident I had time on my side. All I can remember is getting to a point were I knew I needed to make a decision about what to do I said a prayer asking for a little inspiration and felt that I needed to call Chris. This was at 2:20 am. It had only been an hour! I called him and told him to come home "please!". He said "Are you in labor?" I said "I don't know I just know I'm in a lot of pain and I need you here." I had an hour to wait for him to get home so I tried to get something done. I got about three dishes unloaded from the dishwasher and I could tell something wasn't right. All the sudden everything went from zero to sixty in about a five minute period. I called my neighbor and couldn't get her so I went over and knocked on their door while I called my doctor. They told me I should probably get ready and come over and then I got a hold of my neighbor and she came over. My wonderful neighbor Jade came over and went upstairs to get our baby monitor and while she was up there I had this urge to push. Now mind you at this point I was beyond any ability to make decisions or think very clearly. All there was is what was happening in my body. I was shaking and sweating like crazy. At this time I was in unbearable pain and all I was thinking about was how it was going to take forever to get to the hospital and how I still had a long way to go before this would be all over. I didn't feel like I was capable of moving one inch. Jade came back down and I said "Jade I feel like I gotta push" and so she went to get her hubby out of bed to help me get to the car. Well she walked out the door and that was when I knew it was coming. I could feel her coming out so I sat down and ripped off the necessary clothing and I could see her head coming out slowly. As she was coming I could see that her cord was wrapped around the back of her neck and around her body so I had to hurry and unwrap it and then she pretty much just slid out and I caught her. I held her close to me and felt a huge feeling of relief when she started to cry. I didn't know what I should do but I knew if she was crying then at least she was alive. Kate and Carter slept through the whole thing which surprised me because there was a bit of scream on my part during this last act. So I was sitting there in my living room by the front door when my neighbor and her hubby walked in. They said "oh my gosh, the baby is here". I said "I think we need to call 911, don't we?" Jade took over the phone call while Mark, her husband, got towels for the baby and I. Jade got a shoe lace and Mark tied off the cord. They were amazing. My only job was to hold that sweet little girl in my arms and keep trying to tell myself that this is not a dream. I asked them to call Chris and Mark called and held the phone up to Josalyn who was screaming away. Chris thought it was a joke but too bad for him it wasn't. The paramedics showed up and they were wonderful too. The paramedic came in, came right up to Josalyn and said sweetly "Well Hello!" It took a lot of stress out of the air. We were there for a while and then they loaded us up. Right as we were getting ready to leave Chris pulled up. It was pretty surreal watching him walk up and wave from the outside of the ambulance while I was sitting inside with our new daughter in my arms.

The ironic part was the doctor on call for the night at the hospital was the doctor I had seen that day at my doctor appointment. When they checked me I wasn't dilated at all. She was pretty surprised to see me rolling up on a gurney with my baby in wrapped in my arms.

I was in shock as I was being wheeled from the ambulance to the ER and then down to labor and delivery. There were a bunch of people asking me questions about what happened and telling me congratulations. I was sitting there thinking this is crazy I shouldn't be here my kids don't even know I'm gone and my husband isn't here and she isn't supposed to be here for another 10 days. Then I had a moments pause were I thought this isn't what we planned but this is Josalyn's story of how she was born and I'm going to enjoy it....and I did.

The nurses told us for a home delivery that Josalyn looked really good. She wasn't too cold and she was pink. I felt so blessed.

From the first contraction to delivery I was in labor 90 minutes. We figured the birth time by the 911 phone calls and the calls I made to my neighbor. Between the time I called Chris and she was born it was only 20 minutes. Between the time I called my neighbor and then they called 911 it was 7 minutes. She was fast. Luckily my doctor told me next time they will induce me....I would really like Chris to be there next time.

This was an amazing experience. The one thing I treasure and memory I am trying to keep clear in my mind is of her coming out and how I was the very first person who got to touch and hold that little girl. If someone had told me this was going to happen before hand I think I would have cried. I would consider myself completely unable to endure something like this, however, now I really think most woman could. That is why we are the ones who are given the opportunity to do it. Think about it....that is how mom's are. When their child is in urgent need they don't stand back and say "nah! I'll just sit here and let someone else catch you." They get in there and get it done no matter the obstacles or how inadequate they feel to the challenge. I also learned that giving birth isn't as technical as it can seem. Your body pretty much knows what to do if you just trust it. Don't worry though if all goes as planned next time our baby will still be born in a hospital with all their trusty medical equipment. It is just nice to know that I can.