Cayleigh-Grace is 5 months old today!

Wow... has it really been five months since I pushed out my 10lb 7.8oz baby girl out... it doesn't seem like I am two months postpartum let alone five months postpartum. Things are so different this time around with her. For months after I had had Colin via induction I was left feeling empty and deeply missing those sweet baby movements that I felt while he was in my womb. It was really hard for me to deal with Colin's birth. When I asked to be induced with him it never really occurred to me that I would feel empty and robbed of my baby even though I was able to hold him earlier on the outside by being induced. In all actuality that is exactly what I felt like, I was able to hold him and love him in my arms, but my soul still yearned for him to be inside me kicking and moving around. It was like I had been robbed of my baby... I know it probably sounds very weird but this is exactly what I felt like. I did not feel that way with either Kiale or Cayleigh-Grace, who were both born on the days that they and God planned for them to be born on, I felt complete when they were born. It was a feeling of utter happiness, not a mix of utter happiness and of complete void and emptiness...


I am so happy with my decision to have Cayleigh-Grace at a freestanding birthing center, I believe that it has made all the difference in how I have done postpartum. Throughout my entire pregnancy with her I measured two weeks ahead, from the time they begin measuring your stomach at around 16weeks and on. Under the care of any normal OB I would have immediately been labeled macrosomic like I was with Colin and I would have had an induction date arranged for me not even knowing that I would have no problem birthing my "huge" baby girl. I have lost all faith in Ob's at this point... well maybe not all faith their are those situations where I believe that they are needed and where their care is advisable and warranted, but for me I don't think I will (if we ever have anymore children) ever go back to an obstetrician. My birth with Cayleigh-Grace was so peaceful, even though I totally wigged out when she was half way out... but I got through it thanks to my Mom (who by the way is an amazing birthing supporter, thanks Mom!! Love you!!), Mary Anne one of the most amazing midwives, and my wonderful husband who stood by my side and held my hand (even though I was cutting his with my nails... sorry honey!!) through it all. In my honest opinion if an OB hadn't wanted to induce me they probably would have wanted to give me a C-Section... which would have been ridiculous. When I gave birth to her I had NO problems, not a tare, rip, nothing!!! She was a perfect 40week delivery of a 100% healthy baby girl.

Don't you wish you could just rewind time and go back to those days where you are holding your sweet freshly squeezed newborn listening to all of those sweet newborn grunts and gurgles... That time is so special and means so much to me... God truly gives us such a blessing and a gift with every sweet and precious baby we are able to welcome into this world... my sweet baby by the way has learned to give kisses!! She will grab your face with both of her hands and plant a wonderful slobbery baby kiss right on you. Its wonderful.

Life itself is wonderful... we could not be more blessed. We have three beautiful healthy children, two amazing sons who surprise us day in and day out with how much they are growing and thriving in this chaotic world, and a daughter that is just starting out in this world...


I will her her 5 month pictures done for you to see tomorrow, I did not get a chance to do them today.

I figured I would add a few more pictures of Cayleigh-Grace's birth, these are of (in this order) my Mom, my Dad, Kiale, and Kiale's Mom at the birth center the day she was born. My children's BIRTHdays are such a special time in my life and are a time that I hold near and dear to my heart I just love having the opportunity to share them.

Cayleigh-Grace's Birth Story

3:18 am… September 3, 2008… Two days past one due date and on another due date I am awake, and not with the laying in bed too uncomfortable to sleep type of awake. No it’s the, I am having contractions and there is no way I will be able to go back to sleep, type of awake. I decided to get out of bed and see if these were just more of the Braxton Hicks that I had been having for the six weeks prior to this day. So I decided to make my sons lunches for school that day, since I had refused to make them the night before (I just love being stubborn.) As I was making their lunches I couldn’t help but notice that the contractions were 5 minutes apart… that cannot be right I kept thinking… they don’t start out that fast… (oh sweet denial…) so I finished the boys lunches and noticed that my microwave was dirty, might as well clean that while I am up I thought. So there I was having contractions every 5 minutes that were lasting 40 seconds or so and I was cleaning my microwave… go figure. Once I had finished that I thought maybe I should see what Kiale thinks, by this time it was about 4:10, so I wake him up…

Me- “Kiale, I think I am having contractions, they are 5 minutes apart…”

Kiale- “Go ahead and call the midwife I am getting up.”

Me- “But what if it is just Braxton Hicks again…”

Kiale- “Charity, call her now.”

So needless to say I called her, and who to my total delight answered the phone, Mary Anne!! I could not have been happier to hear her voice. I explained to her what was going on and I told her that the contractions didn’t even hurt that bad at all and that I thought they were just false labor… and what did she say “Charity come on in, this is not false labor, how soon can you be here?” And then it hit… what I had yet to accept the whole 9 months prior to that moment, I was going to have my third child. I was fixing to bring another sweet life into this world, oh the sweet life of denial that I live in…

After several other phone calls to my parents and Kiale’s mom, we were stuck at the house waiting on my sisters to arrive and watch our boys while we went to the Birth Center of Gainesville. By the time they got to my house it is about 4:40 and were are finally on our way. During that period of time my contractions were getting closer together but they still weren’t hurting all that bad. Once my sisters pulled into the driveway my water began to break, it would leak a little and then stop. This whole time I am humming and sort of singing (I don’t know how else to describe it) to get through the contractions. Did I ever mention how much I hate having contractions, and going through transition in a vehicle!! It is horrible. Needless to say my humming transferred into humming and taping my foot on the floorboard… as well as frequently grabbing Kiale’s hand for support. I hate that 45 minute drive to Gainesville…

Finally there it was… that wonderful Birth Center. We had made it, those of you who are aware of the fast labors that I have (5 hours with KJ, and 3 hours with CH) will understand how relieved I was to see that building. It was 5:20… two hours since I had first woken up with contractions, and we were there. By this time my contractions were about a minute apart and still lasting 40 seconds. They never did get any longer than that for some reason. The pain still (Thank you God) was still quite manageable. I could not talk through them but it wasn’t excruciating. I just kept humming and tapping my toe on the floor. My Mom and Dad arrived at about this time, Kiale’s Mom went straight to our house to trade off with my sisters who had to go to school, there is no way she would have made it for the birth anyway because it takes her two hours to get from Jax to Gainesville. Mary Anne then got to water going for me in the tub, and Zoe walked in. I was so happy I had my two favorite midwifes there, what were the odds of that. I couldn’t have felt more safe or been more happy. Once I got into the tub, which by the way I highly recommend if you want the pain of contractions cut literally in half, my contractions were about 30-40 seconds apart and still lasting about 40 seconds. Mary Anne checked me and I was already 8 centimeters, granted I had been 4 centimeters for a whole month before this day. Mary Anne said that the only thing keeping the baby inside was my bag of water that had not fully broken yet, so I had her go ahead and break my water… that was at about 5:40, and then the fun began.

As soon as she broke my water I started pushing, I went from 8 to 10 centimeters within seconds… again (did the same thing with CH). I could not believe how long it was taking me to push this baby out. It took 10 minutes to push Kiale Jr. out, and 15 to push Colin Hunter out… and I was going on 20 minutes with this baby… I was also very scared and panicky. I do not do well during the pushing stage; I freak out… a lot. We knew that this baby was going to be big, I had measured 2 weeks ahead the entire pregnancy, although I was convinced that she was going to be about 8lbs because I was so comfortable during the entire pregnancy… boys was I wrong (once again DENIAL) As any woman who has given birth naturally or with a patchy or weak epidural you can feel when the baby slips through the cervix, and when I felt her slip through mine I totally freaked. This started my “I cannot do this” stage of my labors… I had my eyes closed tight, and one hand tearing up Kiale’s hand and one hand around my Mom’s hand. Once I was able to get her head out I looked down… bad idea… very bad idea. I panicked severely once I saw how big she was (she was huge!!!) and I refused to push any more. I flat out refused; I was not going to budge anymore. So I had my Mom and Mary Anne in my ear…

Mom- “Charity you have to push her out”

Me- “No! I cant do it!”

Mom- “Charity you are going to hurt her you have to get her out”

Me- “No I cant!”

Mary Anne- “Charity listen to me your body will not make a baby to big for you and you have to push her out now or you really will hurt her”

Me- “but I cant”

Mom-“Charity, yes you can no push her out now.”

Mary Anne- “Come on Charity she is almost here now push”

Finally I had done it my precious sweet baby girl was born at 6:18am three hours after I had felt my first contraction, and after 30 minutes of pushing; 10lbs 7oz & 21.5inches long. She was huge, beautiful, but huge!! Way bigger than anyone had expected. She was everything we had asked God for, and total mix of Kiale and I and she had dimples… she was perfect; our sweet Cayleigh-Grace. You know its funny... I remember looking at the clock as soon as I got into the tub and thinking to myself that she would be born at 6:18...

Her Birth Video

6-Week Postpartum Appt.

Well Cayleigh-Grace is officially six weeks old. Its horrible how fast time goes by... but that life. She is up to 12lbs 9oz!! She has KJ's weight beat by 2 full months, and Colin's beat by two weeks... Remarkably she still fits into newborn and 0-3months clothes with plenty of room left over, and weight wise she is supposed to have outgrown them by now. I am definitely not complaining though, I don't want her to outgrow her clothes yet. We had such a fun time at my appt. the midwifes at the Birth Center of Gainesville are so amazing and wonderful, and they have such a wonder place in my heart!! As soon as we got there they wanted to put Cayleigh-Grace on the scale and see how much she weighed. They call her their big girl, its so cute! Here are the pictures that I took at the Birth Center (L to R) Nellie the receptionist, Mary Anne - she delivered Cayleigh-Grace, Kristen (in the back) - one of the midwives, June - another midwife, and Zoe - she was my second midwife that assisted in Cayleigh-Grace's birth, and of course Cayleigh-Grace!


I had to take this picture, Cayleigh-Grace the entire time could not stop starring at Mary Anne. She kept smiling at her and would not take her eyes off of her, she is definitely her favorite person there!!
I am very happy I am down to 135, so 32lbs down only 8 more to go, and that was with jeans and everything else on!! Go me!!