Bruno Devin Belnap

My pregnancy with Bruno was everything BUT enjoyable or smooth. I was nauseous consistently for the entire duration and experienced fatigue and body aches and changes like I never could have anticipated. 

The last month of my pregnancy I tried everything imaginable to try and prepare my body for labor with hopes of even inducing labor from some of the techniques. 

Seriously, you name it, I did it.

I was dilated to a 4 at 39 weeks (this was huge for me, I never dilate on my own). 

My Dr wouldn't induce me until I was one week overdue. At 39 weeks and a couple days, I showed up at the hospital pretending my water had broken. That's how desperate I became. I was on my fourth child, dilated to a 4 and experiencing so much pressure I could hardly walk. They couldn't possibly send me home, right? 

Wrong!!!

I had to be in active labor or my water really had to be broken to be admitted. They sent me right home. This destroyed me. 

I let a couple more days pass and then I turned to my last option... 

Castor Oil 

I ignored the pleads of others who feared how sick it would make me and I was well aware of the side effects but I didn't care.

I threw the Castor Oil down, called Devin to have him come home and prepared for contractions to start. Three hours after I took the oil, while Devin had the kids at the park, my contractions started. Right off the bat they were super strong and every minute and a half apart. Thirty minutes into my contractions Devin came home, we called our babysitter and we were off to the hospital.

I am more than pleased to note that the Castor Oil successfully started my contractions and I did NOT have any other side effects. It was a miracle.

When I arrived at the hospital I was dilated to 5 1/2. Thrilled with the news that I was in active labor and dilating on my own, I decided to forgo the Epidural. A natural birth is something I had always wanted to experience but never had the chance to with the others because I was always induced.

So for the next four hours I would lay in my hospital bed with my eyes closed, in complete concentration and meditation mode and prepared for Bruno's delivery one contraction at a time.

At 11:15pm on Friday, December 5, 2014 Bruno Devin Belnap was born.

He weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and was 21 inches long.

He came quickly and painfully and was more amazing than we could have ever dreamed.