Asher's arrival

I'd better get these memories down before they're lost.  It's hard to know where to start.  The end of my pregnancy with Asher was much different than any of the other ones. While I've always been sick (nausea)  for the first 20-25 weeks of pregnancy, I have had healthy pregnancies.  My blood pressure has always been stellar, minimal swelling and very few aches and pains.  At about 35 weeks my blood pressure spiked and my midwife was a little concerned.  I was monitored closely and it came back down.  Also at 35 weeks I had a final ultrasound to check the weight, position and fluid levels.  The baby was measuring quite large at 7lbs. 3oz. (+/- a pound).  My original due date was January 5th but after the ultrasound the midwife looked at the other two ultrasounds and the size of the baby and settled on the 27th of December as an adjusted due date.  This was December 2nd and so I went into Christmas overdrive and got everything decided on and ordered for the boys.  Later at my checkup on December 16th my blood pressure was elevated again, I had some unusual swelling and there was protein in my urine- all signs of preeclampsia.  The midwife came in and told me that she thought it would be best for me to have the baby that day.  She walked me right over to the hospital into labor and delivery.  I called Nat and my mom and was started on a pitocin drip.  This was about three o'clock in the afternoon.  I started labor dilated to a three.  The pitocin started some mild but regular contractions.  I kept thinking though that none of the contractions were strong enough to really do anything- I would not have even come into the hospital with any of those contractions.  I went on contracting until about seven o'clock when the midwife came in and checked.  I was only at a four.  She told me it was time to break my water.  She broke my water at 7:20.  The contractions immediately picked up and got serious.  I went into that quiet zone of concentrating and relaxing through the contractions.  She came back and checked me at 8:00 and I had progressed to an eight.  There was a pause in the contractions and I knew that I was through transition and about to push.  The next contraction I could feel the baby start to crown.  I tried to get into position to push but while I was moving the next contraction started and I could feel that he was on his way out.  I yelled, "he's coming out!"  Vivian told me, "don't sit on him" and pushed me backwards, Nat caught me and I looked down to see a squirming pink baby on the bed.  He was perfect.  He cried right away, was placed in my arms and I couldn't get over how amazing he was or how funny his arrival had been.  He was born at 8:19 just an hour after she had broken my water.  He weighed in at 7lbs. 1oz and measured 20 inches.  He latched on to nurse right away. There he was, another perfect baby boy to add to my collection.