Jack Lipke’s Birth Story

08

Feb

In this series we share birth stories of all kinds from mothers around the globe — with the hope that they inspire, educate and inform expecting mothers. Interested in sharing your birth story? Email us at info@themamanotes.com  Read more birth stories here.  

BABY NAME: JACK LIPKE KENNEY
MOTHER NAME: MEGAN KENNEY
BIRTH SIZE: 7 LB, 11oz, 21in
LOCATION: BOSTON, MA
BIRTH DATE: March 27, 2017

We got pregnant with our second on our first month trying, which was a slight surprise seeing that we tried much longer for our daughter, Charlotte (Charlie, 3). My early pregnancy was filled with morning sickness and overall icky-ness, but after around 15 weeks, it was smooth sailing! It was definitely a change chasing around a VERY active toddler this time around, but overall, I was lucky to have a pretty easy pregnancy.

My daughter was two weeks early, so I fully expected baby #2 to be the same. But as 38 weeks came and went, and then 39…I was so anxious to get labor started and meet this baby boy. Because I’d had a precipitous birth the first time around (six hours start to finish), the midwives warned me my whole pregnancy that this one would go quick! This definitely made me nervous, but I was ready to go. 

The morning before my due date, I had an appointment with my midwives to sweep my membranes. The baby was really low and I’d been SUPER uncomfortable for a few weeks with so much pressure and lots of, what I now know, pre-labor. After my appointment, I ran a few errands and started noticing a bit of cramping, but nothing major. Around noon, I went to my parents house to give Charlie a kiss before her nap. I started having some pretty notable contractions and decided to take a shower and try to relax. I was hoping this was (finally!) it! 

I should mention, my husband worked in DC at this point (we live in Baltimore), and it could be up to a two-hour commute at times.  I had already had two fake-outs in the weeks prior, so I was nervous to call him again to head home! At around 2pm, my mom made me call my husband to get him home. I was clearly in labor and we all wanted him to make it for the birth! From 2-3pm, I paced up and down my parents street, walking through contractions and doing a lot of yoga breathing. At 3:15, we made the decision to head to the hospital — mind you, my husband still wasn’t home! — and my mom gave the midwives a heads up that we were on our way. 

The hospital is a 10 minute drive from my parents house, but it was honestly the longest 10 minutes of my life! Every bump in the road was unbearable. We got to the hospital around 3:30pm, and walked right up to L&D. I was having a really hard time concentrating on anything as the contractions were really strong and very close together. We finally got into the intake room where the midwife came to check me and get the vitals of the baby. 

She checked me let me know I was a 3 (WHAT?!??!) but was clearly in very active labor, so they wouldn’t send me home. About two minutes after we got there, my husband rushed into the room! For some reason or another, I demanded that he change his clothes. As soon as he came back from changing, my water broke — all over his shoes. After that, I felt an IMMEDIATE need to push! I honestly don’t remember actively doing anything, my body had basically taken over. 

I remember the midwife telling me to take deep breaths and not to push, but I really wasn’t in control. She hopped on the bed, slammed up the side rail, and they started pushing us down the hall into a delivery room! It took about 30 seconds to get down the hall, and by the time we arrived, the baby’s head was out. They wheeled me in (with my mom and husband running behind), and before the nurses had even gotten set up, at 4:27pm, baby Jack was here! 

After he’d been delivered, I moved onto the delivery bed, and he latched right away. We snuggled while they cleaned and stitched me up. The midwife and nurses commented that my delivery was their excitement for the day! It was fast and furious, but we got what we’d wanted…a healthy baby boy. 

Motherhood

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