(this is the very detailed story...feel free to skip to the pictures)
Throughout the end of my pregnancy I had braxton hicks all the time I was just waiting for them to become regular and slightly stronger! On Wednesday at school there were several times that I had to stop and hold the wall while walking my class to different places. I decided at recess that I should start timing my contractions. They were about 7 min. apart but not painful at all. I laughed when one of my students saw my timer on my phone and asked if I was timing them at recess..."why, yes, that's exactly what I'm doing...timing recess!"HA! After school I was supposed to meet Chris at the car shop to get my windows fixed. (Did I tell you about getting a ticket for my windows having too much tint...apparently we roll gangster here at the Dowdy House and we didn't even know it!!) We decided to keep the appointment and just play things by ear. We walked over to the golf store while we waited the hour to get the windows fixed and the whole time I was joking to the workers that only in my family would I be in labor at a golf store! (Chris bought new irons by the way...who buys new golf clubs when their wife is in labor...my husband that's who! And here I thought it was the wife who got the "push present") We had already told the kids that we were going to Olive Garden and since I wasn't sure I was actually in labor we went on to get a quick dinner. When we sat down I told Chris that I thought this was the real deal....we started timing them for real and right when they brought out the salad I started feeling nauseous (then I knew I was in labor). We let the kids finish their dinner and then headed home about 6:30. When we got home Chris said I was a mad woman packing last minute things and getting the kids ready. Aaron came to get the kids and after last time hugs and kisses as a family of four Chris and I sat back to time the contractions again. They were 4-5 min. apart so Chris called the on call doctor and he told us to head on in. We joked about how laid back we were, Chris was even making a fantasy trade as we were headed out the door! When we got to the hospital (around 9) we had to wait in triage for an hour and a half! While we were waiting they hooked me up to the monitor and my contractions starting hurting and they were every 2 minutes. They were just 4 minutes at the house, and given the fact that I went with Charley with no pain and was already dilated to a 7, I told Chris to call the parents and tell them they might want to head this way. I just knew I was going to have this baby in triage. To my surprise when Dr. Swisher checked me I was only 4 cm and 80 percent dilated. There went my hopes of not getting an epidural...I knew I could possibly be in labor for several more hours and the contractions were really getting stronger. For about an hour, while we moved from triage and met up with my delivery nurses we debated about whether I should get the epidural. Chris kept encouraging me to "stay the course" but I told him I was "Christopher Columbus and I was veering off course"...because when I was in active labor that made complete sense! Needless to say I got the epidural! Around midnight I got the epidural and when they checked me a little before 2 I was already 7-8. He broke my water and there was meconium :( so I knew he wouldn't be able to come right to me after delivery. They said they would come back to check me at 4 because they wanted me to rest. I feel asleep for 10 minutes and when I woke up I yelled at Chris to get the nurses because I knew I was ready to push! Sure enough they came in and I was 10!! Once I get an epidural I progress fast! When the Dr. got there he checked me and sure enough Max was "sunny-side" up...Sam was sunny side up and a very hard delivery, Charley was not and I pushed 2 times (the nursery nurses weren't even down in the room yet)...I knew I was in for a hard delivery (they say sunny side up is like adding 2 lbs to the baby and the contractions are more painful). After 30 min. of pushing Dr. Swisher decided he was just not going to turn (just like our Sam) and he choose to use forceps. He only had to use them for less than 30 seconds and once he did little Max was here only one push later! He was taken over to be checked out and given the all clear. (He also had his little cord wrapped around his whole body!) Even from across the room I thought he looked like Charley and could see his blond hair. Once they brought him over my heart melted all over again...he was perfect, he was ours, and he was here!
1 comment:
So sweet! What a pretty little family of five:)
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