Baby Cavanaugh Number Two

Remember my homebirth in the hospital? That was how Jonah came into the world, after 62 hours of labor.

Well, a little over a week ago, on June 28 at 4:20 p.m., Julian Dean Cavanaugh was born after only 5 hours of labor (8 if you start counting when my water broke). This time, there was no castor oil, no endless walks to get contractions going, etc.

And, there was no hospital. Just me, Matthew, my midwives and doula. Dani and Marc were at work. Jonah was off on a playdate and getting ready for a sleepover with his cousin, Hugo, in Brattleboro, Vermont. (I'll admit that Jonah was never far from my mind, even after Julian was born. It was his first sleepover, I hadn't seen him all day, and I worried about his reaction when he did return home to find a new baby in the house. So far, he's very sweet with the baby, but we are all adjusting to our new family. More on that later.)

Julian was also huge, with a birth weight of 9 pounds, 8 ounces, almost 2 pounds more than Jonah. He got a little stuck at the end (shoulder dystocia), but my midwives handled it well, turned him sideways and guided him out, and neither Julian nor I had any major complications as a result. (Thanks also to one midwife being a craniosacral care provider.)

Labor this time around was a trip. My body just did its thing. It was a little scary, I have to admit, because even toward the end I still didn't believe it was happening so fast. I kept thinking, "This is too much. How can I handle this for a long time?" Then, I kind of woke up when my midwives kept telling me that my baby was coming in just a few minutes. I kept saying, "Really?" over and over almost until the very end. It was pretty painful, too, and I thought I was being a total baby about it, but my midwives and doula told me the opposite.

As I write this, Julian stirs. He doesn't like to sleep at night yet, only during the day. My family feels complete now, though I never imagined I'd have two boys, and it's great! ~ Nicole