A few weeks before Kade was born, I was having false labor almost every night. I'd wake up to some semi-intense contractions (which means they weren't intense at all I just thought they were, until I remembered what the real things felt like) and think, this is it!! So, I'd hop in the shower to get ready to go up to the hospital and they would stop. I'd get back in bed and finish out the night in a deep slumber. The night before one of my appointments I was having contractions for several hours, even after the shower I kept having them. It was then that I thought, this is it!! I decided to wait it out until my appointment which was early the next morning. Not to mention I was nervous about calling the friend that was going to watch Maya if I did go into labor before my mom came in the middle of the night. That's the last thing I want...to be woken up in the middle of the night just to return to my bed because those folks had false labor.
So at my appointment the doctor said I was dilated to a three and effaced 75%. I thought that that must be good. This appt was three weeks before my due date. I went in the following week and was told I hadn't made any progress and to sit tight. So that's what I did, I sat very tight because this kid didn't seem to want to come out anytime soon. At my last appt, which was on the 6th, the doctor stripped my membranes and said, "I can't imagine you'll make it to tonight. Hopefully we'll see you in the hospital a little later." He also mentioned that if I didn't go into labor that night, I should make an appt to be induced. So we did and it was for Monday the 10th at 7:30am. Arthur and I left that appt thinking, wow, we could have our new baby by tomorrow. If not tomorrow, for sure on Monday. It felt a little surreal. We've waited these past nine months to welcome this little thing and he was going to come any minute.
Well, he did not make his entrance that night...or the next night...or the next! My mom came on Saturday night and that was a relief because now she could spend some time with Maya and we wouldn't have to bother anyone in the middle of the night to watch her. By Sunday, his actual due date, I was ready to meet him. I headed to my meetings for church and the light contractions started. I came home and hung out with my mom and urged the contractions to get more frequent. That did not happen. In fact, that night I prayed for the contractions to stop so that I could get some much needed rest before this kid came. Yeah for answered prayers...I slept like a baby that night.
The next morning we were up bright and early and headed off to the hospital, which is a five minute drive. It's really nice knowing there is a fully capable staff five minutes away to take care of our emergencies. We got all our forms signed and I was laying in the labor and delivery room by 8:30am, hooked up to an IV by 9 and started labor. They wanted me to have a few contractions before they started me on Pitocin just to be sure I was going to progress with the labor efficiently and effectively.
Let me go back...once they hooked me up to the IV, I totally passed out. It was crazy. I was feeling a little warm, which got me sweating and then the IV was put in and I felt super sick to my stomach and I leaned to my left and the nurse said, "I think we lost her." I could hear everything that was going on but I was completely out of it. Arthur had stood up to see what I looked like and he said that I looked like I was coherent. My eyes were open and he felt there wasn't any indication that I was passed out. Awesome!! After I came to, I couldn't believe I passed out. I laughed about it the whole rest of the day.
This was me right after I came to.
Moving right along, I had several contractions and they hooked me up to the PIT. From there things happened really fast. When I got to the hospital I was dilated to a four so they said once everything was hooked up, I could get the epidural whenever I wanted. So I opted to get it as soon as I was hooked up Pitocin, and that was around 11:15am and I was at a five. I did not want to feel anything and nothing I did feel!! It was amazing.
Me right as the epidural kicked in.
The nurse came in to check me at 12:30pm and I was already to nine cm. Then the nurse told me to be aware of pressure and the urge to push. So I was very aware of what my body was doing and let her know each time I felt pressure and wanted to push. At 1:30pm, the nurse came in and checked me and I was fully everything. The doctor showed up soon there after and I started pushing at 1:40pm and four pushes later Kade was born...1:47pm!!
Our new little family of four
With the experience we had with Maya, we decided to stay at the hospital as long as my insurance would let us so we could be close to her. This time, they said "you can leave tomorrow if you'd like." Arthur and I were both surprised and relieved. It was nice to have a baby in our room that night and to be able to put Kade right into his car seat the next evening and head home. We were greeted by my mom and Maya. Maya was so excited to have us home. This experience has helped me know just how aware Maya is and how much we love her and she loves us.
Adding one more kid to the mix has definitely been an adjustment, but a worth while adjustment. We are running on fumes and hope that this little man decides soon if he'd like to sleep a little longer than just a few hours at a time. He's a great eater and is chuckin' out faster than we thought possible. He's a joy to have and watching him grow is a blessing. We love him and now that he's here, we can't imagine life without him.
2 comments:
Great story! Perfect amount of details! Love the new family picture.
i love your story amy! you guys all look great!
Post a Comment