Traveling Births

Here is a long awaited blog of my travels through sharing both my sisters births to their newest additions. I wanted to share in at least one of their babies births with them. It is such a different light on things when you're not the one in the spot light rather the one there to anticipate any and every need. With me NOT the one giving birth there were fantastic things to experience, no labor pains, no crazed brains, no recovery, no extreme exhaustion ... :)

Aimee, my oldest sister (4 years older to be exact) was going to give birth to her second baby. Her husband and her like to keep the gender a surprise and like the freedom and soothingness a at-home-birth brings so I was in for a ride all around! :) My sister had an amazing birth, she kept her control over contractions and was a champion of champs. She had 2 false type labors prior and the 3rd time her midwife gave her herbs to bring on contractions. As soon as we could finally get her water to break it was 2 to 3 hours and baby Noelle was here. She was born in a kiddie pool and had a shocker moment of not wanting to take her first breath of air, so after that blow to my heart, she came quickly came around and was the sweetest most giant baby ever! 11 pounds 12 ounces, she is one giant chunk of baby! i got to clean her/give her her first bath and dress her and snuggle her. Who gets to do that!? i did! :)

 About 3 hours later, she had a moment of not wanting to breath again while i was changing her diaper and her whole body started to turn blue. My brother-in-law and i bolted to the E.R. leaving distressed and exhausted Aimee. Jon dropped me where the ambulances arrive and here i am, stimulating this new baby, with my own belly looking like i just gave birth, shoeless, no jacket, banging on a E.R. door ... Not my finest moment but Noelle was admitted to the NICU and perked up the instant she had constant oxygen on her and she stayed there 4 days while a valve, which was slow to close, closed off and oxygen started flowing the way it needed to from the get go. She's perfect now and still quite the Chunk!

Noelle Sakari Joyanna Van Ommeren
December 23, 2011

Tiffany, my other sister (3 years older than me to be exact) was going to give birth to her third baby. I arrived the day before her induction in Minot, ND. I was excited just to make it up there to finally see where they'd been living and i had never really been on an airforce base so all new adventures for me. We went in at 9am and got Tiff all hooked up with an I.V. so around 10am she just went for her water being broke instead of pitocin and it worked like a charm. Her own contractions came on, her HUGE contractions (which typically last one minute) were lasting 3+ minutes. These really made her tense up so epidural it was! :) As soon as that started to kick in, her body relaxed enough to go from a 6 to a 10 in an hour. Tessa came out around 1:30 or so. She was perfect, 7 pounds 12 ounces. Tiff did great and it went so quickly but Tiff will say, she ended up feeling far too much at the end and pretty much wants an epidural refund :) but the nurses allowed me to go to the nursery with my brother-in-law and watch/help clean Tessa up and hold on to her. I got to be there every step of the way. Now i know what daddy's get to do when they travel off with their fresh new munchkins. Tiff, stayed 2 nights (so she could rest up before coming home to the older 2, and i believe i'll stay as long as they'll let me to rest up before coming home to my older 3) I had a great visit getting to see Miss Kaylee and Crazy Jack, I had missed them! But Tessa, such a sweet snuggler, i changed her diapers and gave her her first sponge bath. I'd have her on my chest sitting on top of my baby bump and my baby would kick her in the butt, it was war :) 

Tessa Anne Stephens
March 16, 2012

Such amazing moments, moments that are now ingrained in my heart and with my current pregnancy. I have always been fascinated with the idea of giving life to a new little being and my heart feels so full from being able to share such monumental moments with both my sisters and their families and their children. I have never had a regular birth that way (c-sections are the way body chooses to go) and to be a part of both of these births fills this strange void that I've developed that now i have no void because my heart was such a part of both of sisters. I can't thank them enough for putting up with me and letting me join the party.