Ever since I had hit 37 weeks in the pregnancy, I was pretty sure the baby was going to come "any minute." In fact, one night I couldn't sleep at all because I was just waiting for my water to break so I could hurry up, get in the car, and go to the hospital. Finally, instead of praying for the baby to come that night (because historically my water breaks in the night and we have to rush rush rush to the hospital) I started praying that I wouldn't be disappointed if the baby didn't come that night. He never did. On Friday the 16th I had an OB appointment and the nurse said I was dilated to 3 cent. but not effaced at all. She offered to strip my membranes right then and there, but I wasn't ready to have the baby that minute (see, I didn't really know what that meant - membrane stripping.) so I opted out. She said, well, just come in any time and a nurse can strip your membranes for you if you want. You'll probably just go into labor right after that. I set up an appointment for Monday to be stripped. I thought that was just another term for breaking someone's water. But I was pretty sure the baby would come during the weekend sometime so I figured I would never have to go to that appointment. I called my mother and let her know that if I hadn't had the baby during the weekend, they were going to break my water the next Monday so I would have the baby on the 19th at the latest. She and my step-dad hopped in the car the next day and drove on down to be here to take care of my kids for the big event.
The baby didn't come over the weekend. I was really disappointed. Well, not so much disappointed I guess as I was uncomfortable and anxious and impatient. Except I started remembering what labor pains felt left and so I was getting nervous and scared at the same time.
Monday morning came. I gave the kids a kiss goodbye and told my mother I'd call her after the baby was born. Derek and I went to the Dr.s office and my friend Denise was the nurse on call that day (I actually knew this ahead of time. She was on call at the hospital over the weekend which was another reason I really wanted to have the baby that weekend. It would have been fun to have her help me deliver the baby.) Denise explained what "stripping my membranes" actually meant and that it could take up to 12 hours for labor to start, but once it did it would start out all the sudden really intense. Or nothing would happen and I would have to wait for the baby to come on his own after all. But she did say she had a reputation for putting people into labor, and when she checked my progress I was still 3 cent. but 100% effaced so she figured I would go pretty quick.
Note to self: DO NOT HAVE YOUR MEMBRANES STRIPPED NEXT TIME. NOT COMFORTABLE.
I walked back into the waiting room and explained to Derek we didn't have to rush to the hospital right away, but I didn't want to go back to Spanish Fork. If labor was going to start suddenly, without warning, and in hyperdrive, I didn't want to be very far away from the hospital. So we went to the library and dropped off some books. Then we went to get some gas. Then we went to Derek's father's work and he and Derek's brother who also works there participated in giving me a blessing. That was very nice. And it was also nice that the contractions started after that... except they weren't strong or painful. They were just about 5 minutes apart. So next we went to Home Depot. I must have looked ridiculous and obviously in labor. Every five minutes or so I would stiffen up and walk really slowly and awkwardly. I figured we better go to the hospital since the contractions were so close together, although they didn't really hurt much, they were just uncomfortable.
At the hospital the contractions started hurting more so I figured we had timed things right. They hooked me up to the monitors and asked me all the questions the nurses asked. They checked my progress but after 2 or 3 hours of these consistent yet weak contractions, nothing had happened. I was exactly the same. The nurse said it didn't matter how close the contractions were, if I wasn't progressing, they wouldn't admit me to the hospital. Great. I couldn't imagine what in the world I was supposed to do if they were going to let me go. The contractions were bad enough that I couldn't walk or talk through them anymore - and every 4 minutes? Yeah, I figured I would just sit and wait in the little waiting area outside the front desk of Labor and Delivery until I couldn't stand it anymore and make them admit me. The Doc said to wait an hour or so and check me again. Nothing had happened. But since I am diabetic and since the delivery was an attempted VBAC and since one my water breaks I tend to delivery really really quickly, the Doc said it was ok to just admit me. Which was fantastic. An hour after that I was already at a 5.
Dr. Dayton came in and suggested we just break my water. I requested the epidural first knowing that after the water broke things would move so fast and be really painful. I wanted to avoid any super intense pain if I could. The epidural, however, either wasn't in the right place or something because even though I could feel it doing something, it didn't end up doing enough. The doc came in a little later and broke my water. I wish I could remember what time he came in to do that. In any case, very shortly after that my contractions became so intense (and with each one my back ached and ached - sometimes more than my belly, it was so awful) that I finally said, I need more of this epidural. So I got more. And as soon as they gave me more, the contractions defiantly rose in intensity and frequency. I kept telling myself to just breathe and eventually the epidural would catch up with the contractions and I would be ok. But it never did. So I asked for more. Finally I couldn't move. All I could do was lie there on my side concentrating on breathing and counting to 10 over and over again. (This was the only thing the nurse suggested to me that I found helpful. Other than the counting to 10, she just annoyed me to know end. She kept laughing! Sorry, lady, this isn't funny and I am not in a laughing mood. Just wait until you have kids!) I tried to get someone's attention but all I could do was little tap the plastic rail on the bedside. I know, pathetic. It was so awful. I could hear the nurse talking to Derek as they looked at the monitors - "Yeah, see that. No, she's not really getting a break in between those contractions." Honestly! Anyway, I could not see how anyone in this kind of pain was supposed to then sit up and push a baby out. I could not move.
Thankfully the night before I had talked to my friend Charlotte who had a baby just a week and a half before. She is superwoman and does not use an epidural. We talked about breathing and I think just talking about it and getting ready for it mentally, I was able to NOT DIE when I actually had to try and relax(!?!) during labor. I credit her to that fact that I didn't ask them to just cut me open and take the baby out - although I did think that.
So once again I asked the nurse for more of the epidural. The anesthesiologist at this point was like, "if you are not feeling any relief at this point, we may just need to take it out and try again." The nurse says, "by the time you take it out she'll be ready to deliver," "Yeah, well even so, you have to be comfortable even if you're almost done." Finally! Somebody to help. Except I wished he had helped a little more back when he first put the epidural in. In any case, he gave me a fourth - and his strongest - dose and said that if that didn't make me feel completely fabulous he was going to take it out and try again.
Thankfully, I soon felt completely fabulous. I couldn't feel my legs at all. Actually, that is not really a fabulous feeling at all, but I was so grateful because it was time to push and now I could actually participate in the birthing of my baby instead of just breathing frantically in and out and counting to 10 with my eyes closed. I think I pushed maybe 5 times and he was born. Monday, November 19th at 3:39 pm weighing 8 lbs 4 oz and measuring 19 inches. Another big baby boy - although Kaleb was my smallest boy by 9 oz.
Anyway, that's how he came into the world. For the first time I got to hold my little baby right after he was born - well, with a blanket. The baby nurse just rubbed him and washed him up right there while he lay in my lap. The whole time after he was born I just kept thinking, "How in the world did I have another baby? Didn't I just do this? What? Now I have four?" It took a little getting used to, the fact that we now had our 3rd little boy and 4th little child. I think have 4 in 5 1/2 years will do that to you though. You know, make you lose your mind. Just kidding. Blow your mind. I think I meant to say, make you blow your mind. It is amazing. And he is adorable and we love him to pieces.
He is perfectly healthy in every way. He took to nursing almost immediately, which was a huge blessing in so many ways. He sleeps wonderfully and the kids love him. I suppose at only 2 weeks old there is always time to develop an attitude and some colic, but he's very good for now and totally adorable. He looks just like Joshua did when Joshua was a baby - except Kaleb is smaller and has more hair, which will probably all fall out, but for now it is dark and beautiful.
Anyway, here are the pics.
Here I am holding him - still a little blue.
There's my doc in the background. Dr. Dayton. I was a little nervous having one of the oldest Docs in the clinic delivering my baby - but I actually felt he was fabulous. I guess almost 45 years of delivering babies is a good thing.
touching his little foot.
This is one of my favorite pics. At home Joshua held Kaleb first, then Abigail. When Abigail held him, Kaleb started to cry. Then we handed Kaleb over to Lukas and Kaleb settled down right away. Joshua smiled and said, "look! the little baby likes... bigger babies." It was so funny as Joshua was trying to figure out what Lukas is supposed to be now that we have a "little baby." Lukas is still kind of a baby, I suppose.
The baby didn't come over the weekend. I was really disappointed. Well, not so much disappointed I guess as I was uncomfortable and anxious and impatient. Except I started remembering what labor pains felt left and so I was getting nervous and scared at the same time.
Monday morning came. I gave the kids a kiss goodbye and told my mother I'd call her after the baby was born. Derek and I went to the Dr.s office and my friend Denise was the nurse on call that day (I actually knew this ahead of time. She was on call at the hospital over the weekend which was another reason I really wanted to have the baby that weekend. It would have been fun to have her help me deliver the baby.) Denise explained what "stripping my membranes" actually meant and that it could take up to 12 hours for labor to start, but once it did it would start out all the sudden really intense. Or nothing would happen and I would have to wait for the baby to come on his own after all. But she did say she had a reputation for putting people into labor, and when she checked my progress I was still 3 cent. but 100% effaced so she figured I would go pretty quick.
Note to self: DO NOT HAVE YOUR MEMBRANES STRIPPED NEXT TIME. NOT COMFORTABLE.
I walked back into the waiting room and explained to Derek we didn't have to rush to the hospital right away, but I didn't want to go back to Spanish Fork. If labor was going to start suddenly, without warning, and in hyperdrive, I didn't want to be very far away from the hospital. So we went to the library and dropped off some books. Then we went to get some gas. Then we went to Derek's father's work and he and Derek's brother who also works there participated in giving me a blessing. That was very nice. And it was also nice that the contractions started after that... except they weren't strong or painful. They were just about 5 minutes apart. So next we went to Home Depot. I must have looked ridiculous and obviously in labor. Every five minutes or so I would stiffen up and walk really slowly and awkwardly. I figured we better go to the hospital since the contractions were so close together, although they didn't really hurt much, they were just uncomfortable.
At the hospital the contractions started hurting more so I figured we had timed things right. They hooked me up to the monitors and asked me all the questions the nurses asked. They checked my progress but after 2 or 3 hours of these consistent yet weak contractions, nothing had happened. I was exactly the same. The nurse said it didn't matter how close the contractions were, if I wasn't progressing, they wouldn't admit me to the hospital. Great. I couldn't imagine what in the world I was supposed to do if they were going to let me go. The contractions were bad enough that I couldn't walk or talk through them anymore - and every 4 minutes? Yeah, I figured I would just sit and wait in the little waiting area outside the front desk of Labor and Delivery until I couldn't stand it anymore and make them admit me. The Doc said to wait an hour or so and check me again. Nothing had happened. But since I am diabetic and since the delivery was an attempted VBAC and since one my water breaks I tend to delivery really really quickly, the Doc said it was ok to just admit me. Which was fantastic. An hour after that I was already at a 5.
Dr. Dayton came in and suggested we just break my water. I requested the epidural first knowing that after the water broke things would move so fast and be really painful. I wanted to avoid any super intense pain if I could. The epidural, however, either wasn't in the right place or something because even though I could feel it doing something, it didn't end up doing enough. The doc came in a little later and broke my water. I wish I could remember what time he came in to do that. In any case, very shortly after that my contractions became so intense (and with each one my back ached and ached - sometimes more than my belly, it was so awful) that I finally said, I need more of this epidural. So I got more. And as soon as they gave me more, the contractions defiantly rose in intensity and frequency. I kept telling myself to just breathe and eventually the epidural would catch up with the contractions and I would be ok. But it never did. So I asked for more. Finally I couldn't move. All I could do was lie there on my side concentrating on breathing and counting to 10 over and over again. (This was the only thing the nurse suggested to me that I found helpful. Other than the counting to 10, she just annoyed me to know end. She kept laughing! Sorry, lady, this isn't funny and I am not in a laughing mood. Just wait until you have kids!) I tried to get someone's attention but all I could do was little tap the plastic rail on the bedside. I know, pathetic. It was so awful. I could hear the nurse talking to Derek as they looked at the monitors - "Yeah, see that. No, she's not really getting a break in between those contractions." Honestly! Anyway, I could not see how anyone in this kind of pain was supposed to then sit up and push a baby out. I could not move.
Thankfully the night before I had talked to my friend Charlotte who had a baby just a week and a half before. She is superwoman and does not use an epidural. We talked about breathing and I think just talking about it and getting ready for it mentally, I was able to NOT DIE when I actually had to try and relax(!?!) during labor. I credit her to that fact that I didn't ask them to just cut me open and take the baby out - although I did think that.
So once again I asked the nurse for more of the epidural. The anesthesiologist at this point was like, "if you are not feeling any relief at this point, we may just need to take it out and try again." The nurse says, "by the time you take it out she'll be ready to deliver," "Yeah, well even so, you have to be comfortable even if you're almost done." Finally! Somebody to help. Except I wished he had helped a little more back when he first put the epidural in. In any case, he gave me a fourth - and his strongest - dose and said that if that didn't make me feel completely fabulous he was going to take it out and try again.
Thankfully, I soon felt completely fabulous. I couldn't feel my legs at all. Actually, that is not really a fabulous feeling at all, but I was so grateful because it was time to push and now I could actually participate in the birthing of my baby instead of just breathing frantically in and out and counting to 10 with my eyes closed. I think I pushed maybe 5 times and he was born. Monday, November 19th at 3:39 pm weighing 8 lbs 4 oz and measuring 19 inches. Another big baby boy - although Kaleb was my smallest boy by 9 oz.
Anyway, that's how he came into the world. For the first time I got to hold my little baby right after he was born - well, with a blanket. The baby nurse just rubbed him and washed him up right there while he lay in my lap. The whole time after he was born I just kept thinking, "How in the world did I have another baby? Didn't I just do this? What? Now I have four?" It took a little getting used to, the fact that we now had our 3rd little boy and 4th little child. I think have 4 in 5 1/2 years will do that to you though. You know, make you lose your mind. Just kidding. Blow your mind. I think I meant to say, make you blow your mind. It is amazing. And he is adorable and we love him to pieces.
He is perfectly healthy in every way. He took to nursing almost immediately, which was a huge blessing in so many ways. He sleeps wonderfully and the kids love him. I suppose at only 2 weeks old there is always time to develop an attitude and some colic, but he's very good for now and totally adorable. He looks just like Joshua did when Joshua was a baby - except Kaleb is smaller and has more hair, which will probably all fall out, but for now it is dark and beautiful.
Anyway, here are the pics.
This is me pretty sure my belly is going to rupture. I know I look so tranquil and at peace - but it's because I couldn't move for fear of exploding.
touching his little foot.
Fantastic post :) love birth stories, tho maybe i shud have waited until number 3 arrives to read it,lol. i'm so glad he came ok & you're all doing well now! so cute!
ReplyDeleteCongrats!!! What a sweet family! We love you all! :)
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