My Birth Story....action, adventure, it has everything!

Let me start off by saying that my first son was induced at 41 weeks. At my 40 week appt and at induction I was not dilated, effaced or ANYTHING at all!! I was induced at 7pm and gave birth the following morning at 11:48am after 2 hours of pushing for about 17 hours altogether.

Then we have my second son:

At my 39 week appt I was not dilated, effaced or anything?I was sure this was going to be nearly identical to my first son! At my 40 week appt I was actually 2-3 cm! The following few days I started to slowly lose my MC. At 40 weeks 5 days I started having these dizzy spells and twice during that day they were so bad I thought I might throw up and fall over and pass out. After the second one I went to L & D to get checked out,?they said it was related to my usually elevated blood pressure and to make sure I kept food in my tummy at all times, make sure I sit down etc. So I was released and went home.

The very next morning was Sunday, May 9^th (at 40 weeks and 6 days AND Mother?s Day) I awoke at 3:30 am to a contraction. It felt like Braxton Hicks except that it woke me up. No big deal I went back to sleep. Woke up to another one about 5:30 and at 7am since I was continuing to have them I started timing them with an application on my iPhone. I continued to track them all day long, but there was no obvious pattern except that I was having them and they were getting more painful. I would have one for 20 seconds five min after the last and then have one for a minute that was 15 minutes after the last one. They were ALL OVER THE PLACE! (As an afterthought?that app was the best 4.99 I ever spent?plus it gave me something to focus on during my contractions!).

Around 1pm we decided we would go to the local outside mall and get smoothies, lunch, and do some walking! We finally leave the house around 3pm (with bags in tow just in case since hospital is 40 minutes away) and make a quick stop at my DH?s work. By the time my DH comes back to the car I am having them to the point where I have to not sit on my butt during them. We are driving down the road and I am insisting we go to Sonny?s for lunch when my DH finally puts his foot down and says he thinks we should go to the hospital because he doesn?t want to chance anything (plus he knows how terrified I am of not getting an epidural). I finally agree, talk him into going through the Drive Thru Window at Sonnys, and call my mother for the 6^th time that day. I called L& D, they said come on in! We are on our way to the hospital!

It was my secret wish at this point that I would get there and the Doc would say ?Okay you can have your Epi now!? I really do not handle pain well at all!

At the hospital about 4:30 they lead me to an actual room (not observation like the day before) and I say ?Oh they must think I am serious this time?. To which the nurse replies ?Oh Honey your doc is here and if you are not serious, she will make you serious!? It was then I knew I would not be going home that night! The Doc comes in and checks me and I am 4 cm! I was disappointed because I was not certain if my water had broken or not, and was hoping to be further along (also I was not sure how early I could get my epi). The Doc says not to worry; if I give her an hour for my blood work I can have the Epi ASAP, and that I more than likely will deliver before midnight!

About 30 minutes go by and the nurse tells me that my blood type has changed?.?????? So the lab sends someone up to personally redraw and retype my blood just to make sure. Turns out it was correct. It is a rare thing but I guess the standard by which they determine o+ or o- has been changed and I just happen to fall within that range that shifted over. I thought it was very strange but I had more important things to worry about at that moment!

The Anesthesiologist comes in to give me my Epi. Of course the point where they say ?Don?t move at all? is when I am having the worst pain I have ever felt in my life! I did well though and it was over very quickly. Before I knew it I could hardly feel anything except pressure. They pushed some Pitocin to regulate my contractions and we are on our way! The next few hours flew by. I was checked approx twice more and the third time I was told the Doc was on her way back in and we would start pushing when she got there!

And my water STILL HAD NOT BROKEN!

Apparently my nurse was from North Carolina, and she told me a story about how the ?Hill People? used to say that a baby born en caule (with the water sac intact) was said to be a prophet of sorts. That sounded okay with me but I still thought it strange that I was 10 cm ready to push and my water had not broken. Apparently it does not happen very often the Doc told me.

So the Doc arrives, and we start pushing! I push through maybe 6 contractions (on which the 4^th my water finally breaks) and then the doc has me breathe and poof the baby pops out! He took a small gulp on amniotic fluid, but other than that he came out screaming and was perfect! He was not born in his water sac but it was close enough for me since the Doc would have broken it soon if it did not go on its own anyway.

Garrett Edward was born on May 9^th, 2010 at 9:51 pm. He weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces and was 20 inches long!

The last few weeks before delivery I was really freaking out. My last baby I felt the last ten minutes of delivery and was scared about that. I was scared the Epi would not work, about being away from my 2 year old for the first time for several days, and a myriad of other things. I have to say it was a good experience! I actually went into labor on my own and that made me very happy!