A Birth Story

Whew! third an final installment of the letter of a birth story to my son. Part one and Part two are here.
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I expected someone to announce what sex you were, say congrats or something. I looked at your dad and he looked at you. I wanted someone to tell me what's going on.  They put you on my belly and rubbed you and shook you around a little. O Dear God- please let everything be okay. I tried to grab you but something wasn't right. The doctor asked your dad if he was ready to cut the chord. So camera in one hand, scissors in the other- he cut the chord- you were no longer attached to me and you were now supporting yourself.

They whisked you over to the incubator and I asked "What's going on?!"...

Your dad looked panicked and he rubbed my leg. I just tried to breathe and I said my first prayer for you outside of the womb.

"Our Father, who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread
And forgive us our debts, and we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
Amen."

The nurse pressed a blue button on the wall and it started flashing. The doctor got up from in front of me and went over to you. At the same time a whole bunch of people wearing scrubs came dashing into the room. O Lord, please save my child.

Then you began to wail. He's crying- please tell me that's a good thing.

The nurse said to them "never mind" then I exhaled. She invited your dad over to take pictures of you. Good, everything is gonna be okay. Your dad looked back at me and said "We have a boy!" Is he okay??

The doctor calmly explained to me what happened. "His umbilical cord was compressed while he was in the birth canal so he wasn't getting enough air. He's a little blue right now but it will be okay. You have a small tear so you're gonna need about two stitches but you did wonderful!" She made me feel a little bit better. Dad came back over to me to tell me how perfect you were. I asked him if you were okay and he told me it will be fine. I believed him- he was your dad. He leaned over and kissed me and we shed tears.

The nurse continued to work to make you better. She swaddled you and told me to hold you for a little bit but they have to take you away for observation and to make sure everything is ok. I was so happy to have you in my arms and didn't want them to take you away. It seemed like forever for the doctor to finish with me. I did feel the afterbirth (which is kind of weird because I was supposed to be numb) being delivered and a few other things went on. After I got cleaned up your Aunt and Uncle came in to meet you. We all got to spend a little time with you before they took you to the nursery. You had a slew of family and friends surrounding you and praying for you. Later that day when they bought you to me and told me everything was perfect- I couldn't count my blessings high enough. Everything after that is pretty much a blur. More family and friends came to visit over the weekend. The nurses were very helpful teaching us how to take care of you. One nurse showed us how to give you a bath while other nurses showed mommy helpful ways to breastfeed you. We are having a rough beginning to breastfeeding but I'm sure we'll both get it. We have so much to learn- which is ironic because I had to past 2 different types of test in order to obtain driving privileges but they just sent you home with us- no questions asked! Mommy did have to take a postpartum assessment quiz and I aced it! I'd say the easiest thing about this whole process was carrying you in my belly. The funnest part was a long weekend out of town in December =) and the most rewarding part is you :). Now here comes the hard part.

Every time I hold you I thank god for the precious gift he has given me. Welcome to the family!!!!!

A Birth Story

I just want to point out that it is extremely difficult to write my baby's birth story. I do not have a moment long enough to get it "on paper" and I really want to do this before I forget especially the little details. Here is part one of the letter to my son about his journey from the womb to the world.
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Hey baby boy,

So now here we are in the labor and delivery room. It's about 6:30 am and it was time to settle in for a bit. We had already called your grandparents, aunt, and uncle to tell them you were on your way- they were so excited! They decided not to come right away because these things sometimes take a while. I was having more and more pain but your daddy was helping me through it so wonderfully- I'm not sure how I would have handled it without him. The hospital staff was also approaching a shift change so they wanted to get me settled in and comfortable. The nurse hung up some IV fluids and antibiotics so that you wouldn't get any germs. The nurse asked me how I was doing with pain and I requested an epidural. Through my pregnancy I debated if I was going to go that route but I decided this was best for us right now. So they called anesthesia and asked them to come before the shift change. Sure enough at about 6:50 they were there.

They requested that your dad leave them room because administering an epidural can be really scary but the anesthesia tech stayed with me and coached me through the process. Your dad left to go and get some snacks while I had the procedure and as soon as he left he texted me that he saw one of the doctors from the practice in the hallway. The contractions were so intense I couldn't really respond. The procedure was quick and we were done in what seemed like 5 minutes (but I'm sure it was a little longer than that). As soon as they were done the on call doctor came in to break my water. This was a weird feeling. This also made me realize that you were one step closer to coming into the world. Your protective layer of fluid was no longer surrounding you and I just wanted to hold you even more. Your dad was back in a jiff and I told him everything that had while he was gone. The pain medication started to work and I was feeling some relief.

Then another doctor from the practice came in to check on me. I was so happy to see her because I wanted her to deliver you. I'm sure you already know this but her dad delivered me while Big Momma was carrying me- so I thought it would be a little special if she delivered you. She made the trip even though it wasn't her day to be at the hospital. She checked me and said I was 8 cm and progressing at a rate of about a centimeter an hour so she would be back in 2 hours. She left and your dad and I were excited that we were getting closer but decided to get some rest. I closed my eyes to sleep and suddenly starting feeling contractions but only on the right side of my belly. I was afraid this was going to happen- the epidural wouldn't work fully and I would have to concentrate on the pain rather than your actual birth. I told the nurse about this and she tried to reposition me  to get the medicine to travel to the other side of my body. After several more contractions I knew something had to be done- so she called anesthesia for another dose of the epidural. By now my legs felt like they weighed about a ton each and I really couldn't move them on my own. I am not sure who checked me but I was now 10 centimeters dilated and that means it's time to push!

I was getting a little concerned that none of the family had reached the hospital yet but I had no time to fret because in walked Dr. P. She suited up while the nurse set up the table for everything the doctor would need. You see two hours hadn't quite passed like the doctor originally thought and so they all had to rush a little to set everything up. The nurse had told me not to push because they weren't ready so I had to lay there and hold you in just a little while longer- it was the final moments before we would be separated. Your dad grabbed my leg and the nurse grabbed they other and finally they told me to "PUSH"!!

So, I began pushing...

... "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10"

"That was good let's do it again"

"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10"

"Great! you're almost there! One more time!"    "hand me the vacuum"      "okay go!"

"1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, 10"

I felt you pass through my birth canal and my tummy deflate. Now, sweet baby boy you are a part of the rest of the world.

Then there was dead silence....

Happy Birthday Baby!

My sweet little boy,

I can't believe we welcomed you just two days ago! What an experience for mommy and daddy! Let me tell you how it went.

It all started at mommy's 40 week appointment at the doctor. Since we were at your due date, mommy's doctor performed a procedure called membrane stripping to kind of jump start labor. At first I didn't think it would work- your dad however knew you were coming and made no plans besides getting ready to become a dad. Contractions started right away during the procedure- I think it kind of shocked you because your heart rate was a little shaky. The doctor put you and I on the monitor to make sure you were okay and sure enough you were doing fine in there! My contractions were fluctuating between 2 and 4 minutes apart and varying in intensity. After about 30 minutes of monitoring she told us to go home and get some rest because she'll be seeing us real soon :)

When dad and I got home we started preparing for your arrival just in case. Our hospital bad was already packed and in the car- just in case we had to go straight from the hospital. So we straightened up the house and made sure everything was just perfect. Eventually our excitement was too overwhelming and I decided to take a nap just in case I would be labor for a long time. I layed down about somewhere between 9:30 and 10:30 at night. I was still having contractions so it took me a while to get comfortable enough to go to sleep. Your dad was watching the season opening game of football Green Bay Packers versus New Orleans Saints. This was very important to him because the Packers is his favorite team (which is what's up with all the green and yellow stuff you are gonna come across) and they won the Super Bowl last season. He was so loud cheering them on and he can't wait to have you help him cheer them on (despite your grandfather's attempts at making you cheer for the Dallas Cowboys). I was actually able to get a little rest even though your Dad was being so loud... until about 2:15am.

Sometime during my nap, your dad joined me in the bed although I'm not sure how he was able to close his eyes because Green Bay won the game. I was awoken by the sharpest pain ever! I got up and went to the bathroom and was hit by another contraction. I went back to bed and tried to fall asleep but it wasn't working. I decided to get up and try walking. Your dad immediately got out the bed and said this is it! I wasn't so convinced just yet. I didn't want to go to the hospital to get my hopes up of seeing you and then get sent home. Your dad helped me time my contractions with my handy dandy contraction timer app and they were on average 2-3 minutes apart. I was finally convinced to go to the hospital. We grabbed your car seat, dad brushed his teeth (this is a very important detail) and we were off!... to McDonald's!

Since the doctor swept my membranes I had a very insatiable hunger. I didn't want to eat anything too heavy (even though your dad did fix me a steak and cheese sandwich at around mid night) in case we we had to deliver soon. Labor medication and food don't really mix well. At McDonald's I ordered a fruit and yogurt parfait and a fruit and walnut salad. I ate the parfait right away and saved the fruit and walnut salad in case we were in for a long haul.

When we arrived at the hospital, we knew the routine from our last visit and were pros at checking in. This time was a little different though- there was some discomfort with each contraction. We immediately got into an evaluation room and got comfy. I, of course, had to change into the hospital gown and dad tried to find something to watch on TV. Time crept on and my contractions kept getting stronger. After nearly two hours we were finally seen by the resident. The PET unit nurse said they had two delivery emergencies so it took him some time to see us. By this time I felt like life was nearly over- but it was just beginning. The resident said I was 5 cm dilated! We were making progress :) So now we get to go to labor and delivery! They called patient transport to wheel us down the hallway. When the transport lady got into our room with a wheel chair I could not believe it! "You want me to get out of this bed?!" I don't know why they couldn't just wheel the bed I was in down the hallway but whatever- I had to wait for a contraction to pass then got up and wobbled to the wheel chair. That lady zoomed me down the hallway like there was a fire behind us :/ Didn't she know that I was in pain and all that whizzing was uncalled for!?! Then when we get into the L&D room she looks at me like okay now you have to get into THIS bed. "O, Dear God... fine" ...