The birth story

I debated for a moment about whether I should share the whole story in detail or if I should just say, "hey, we had a baby and I hurt and that is it."

But you all know me better than that and you also know that this blog is also my diary. So, I will just say what I do and if you don't like to read about labor and delivery or see this kind of stuff than just skip to the end or come back another week. 

Just warning you.

So here is how it went this time.

It was one of those nights.

You know the ones where you go out to a shoe party and have a fantastic time chatting it up with friends and pork out on cheesecake and nachos. One of those nights that you wish your feet weren't so swollen so you could buy shoes instead of toe rings and a wallet. One of those nights that you feel pretty darn good and figure you will be pregnant forever.

One of those nights that your husband says, "Hey hon, please don't go into labour until Thursday or Friday. This is my good money week and we really need it!"

Ya, it was one of those nights.

I came home late, put kids to bed, watched a few shows with Dave and then settled into bed with a book on childbirth that I had just gotten from a friend that evening.

She had kindly marked all the good spots in the book figuring I probably wouldn't have time to read the whole thing. (Brilliant!)

I read and read until I had read all that she had marked and a pile more. I was finally feeling tired, closed the book, turned out the light and laid down. Despite all that I had read I knew that every labour and birth can be different and that having a plan doesn't always work. I had resolved earlier that day that I would just go into the whole experience with an open mind and just go with the flow. Let it work itself out. No stress. 

Two minutes later I sat right up. Was that a contraction or was someone standing on my hip bones?

I checked the time. 2:00 AM.

I laid back down but noticed that I felt a little wet.

A few minutes later another pain and more wet. I got up. Yup, I was trickling and those were definitely contractions. Three minutes apart and keeling me over.

I looked at my blissfully sleeping husband thinking, "he is not going to like this!"

I gently shake his shoulder or poke him, (I am not so sure anymore) and he rolls over opening one eye.

I say, "I am sorry. It is time."

He says, "Oh. Really? uuu...." and rolls back over.

I say, "Yes, I am leaking and contracting and we have to go!"

We get our stuff together, call my mom (who happened to be sitting in her bed waiting for the call) get my sister settled with the kids and get out the door.

No time for candles, no time for reading, almost no time in between contractions.

We get to the hospital and they want to ask me questions. Hello! I am in labour, and climbing the walls! There has got to be a better way! 

Up and into labour and delivery we go. I am seeking my happy place. Climbing mountains in my head, diving into pools and rivers, swimming in beautiful freshwater pools in exotic places, I am trying to escape.

However it feels like someone is jumping on my hips trying to break them and then digging daggers into my lower back.

I get changed for them to check me. 

Contractions are now 1.5 minutes apart with barely a breath in between.

4 centimeters.

4!?

I am in agony, why aren't all my happy place thoughts and peaceful thinking working.

I try to drink water, I am so thirsty but it keeps sticking in my throat. I want to throw up, I am weak and shaky and my vision is spotty.

BODY! Why are you failing me?! 

I was mad at myself and frustrated, only 4 cm's and I feel this bad already!! 

What if this labour was going to be like Katilyn's and I stay at 4 cm's for 10 hours? But what if it is like Ethan's, oh, ya it already wasn't. I was 9 cm's by the time we got to the hospital with him.

I called for the epidural with horror stories flying through my head.

I didn't care. I wanted to escape. I wanted to breath.

Ahhhhhhh......epidural.

Only thing was that the guy administering it didn't tell me until after that he gave me an extra dose of something to deaden the pain more. He said it would freeze my butt but it would work right away, then I could rest. It would only last an hour an a half. 

I was a little miffed. I still wanted to feel things. Have some control.

The nurse checked me again.

8 cm's.

Oh, this is going faster than we thought.

She left for 15 mins and came back.

9.5 cm's.

She left again and came back with the doctor and an intern.

We would be his 5th delivery.

Time to push. 

Ten minutes later it is 5:49 AM.

And Dave is cutting the cord.

We had a baby!!! 

9 lbs 13 oz of all boy.

The first of ours to score 10 out of 10 on the Apgar test.

Dave was awesome. He coached and encouraged and pounded his fists into my back while I was laboring. I am so proud of him. 

My mom was so excited. She had wanted to be there so bad and couldn't have been happier. Can you tell? Her first birth that she wasn't delivering at.

We then rested. I got stitched. Yes, this was my first real tear. A 3rd degree tear. Just like I had had an episiotomy.

Not nice.

I went for a bath and then we moved over to the mat ward. Dave went to pick up the kids. I couldn't wait!

They couldn't either, although Kaitlyn had insisted they stop to buy the baby a balloon, and flowers for mommy.

It gets me all choked up when I see them with Hudson. They love him so much already and the look of sheer joy on their faces when they hold him is something I hope I never forget.

The giggles over gas and burps and coos. Priceless.

I had requested an early discharge and my Dr said it would be fine. Whenever I was ready I could go. However my baby was under another Dr and despite calls throughout the day we never connected.

I had checked into a public room thinking I would go home but ended up staying the night.

The room had 4 beds but it ended up that there were only 2 of us there. The other woman had endured 2 hours of stitching after her birth and was on a catheter and in a load of pain. 

I realized that what I went through was nothing in compare to what she went through.

I felt ashamed for being angry at myself. I had vowed to let things go and just go with the flow and here I was disappointed in myself. I think it was the Lord giving me a knock upside the head. He is in control, not me!

I am glad for a safe delivery, a quick labour and a healthy baby. I couldn't ask for more.

I spent the night but slept little. I could hear the baby across the hall cry all night and of course with all the excitement of the day I was still high on endorphins or something.

So I am guessing that some of you are wondering about my hospital experience. I was so worried about it up until a few days before going in and had finally just let it go.

I am glad I did. Turns out I was pleasantly surprised. The nurses were amazing!!

They listened to me and when I was demanding and wanting to do my own position during delivery they just stepped back and said I could do whatever I wanted. They ran me a bath and were so kind.

Being moved around wasn't as bad as I thought it would be and I even shared a toilet.

That was gross though.

The lady that I shared the room with had a lot of visitors who did not respect the 'patient only' sign on the door and I had to clean the seat after careless dudes peed on it.

I HATE doing this!

The only other thing that I noticed right away was that the nurses rarely checked in on me. They came when they were called on and when they were scheduled to ever 8 hours. I could see how busy they were though and didn't mind not getting bugged.

So in the end the experience ended up being quite fine. I wouldn't want to spend another night (the bed was awful) but I felt like I was treated with care.

 Hudson's Dr then came by in the early hours of the morning and checked him out. We were free to go!

Home at last. Home to a clean house, thank you Dave!!! (minus the floors, he doesn't do floors but I don't care)

And we are settling in just fine. Hudson is getting non stop love and I am sitting on a donut.

Feeling pretty good otherwise though. Thank you for all the facebook comments, comments here and e-mails, you guys are amazing! Oh, and this reminds me, I got an e-mail informing me that I am featured over on NewParent right now. They have some pretty cool giveaways and a lot of neat features too. Worth checking out!

Back to my story....My milk came trickling in yesterday and then tonight hit with a vengeance. I lost 5 lbs today....I think it came out my boobs!

And that is the tale of Hudson's entry into the world. If he ever reads this I am not sure what he will say but I have a few years to think of what I will say.

I hope I didn't gross you out too much unless you are a teenager and doing things you shouldn't.

If you are an expectant mom I hope I didn't freak you out. Really, no matter how your baby comes into this world it is soooo worth it!! 

After giving birth I thought, "I never want to do that again!" But here I sit just a few days later holding my baby to my breast thinking I would do it all again in a heart beat.