This is the story of the most amazing experience of my life – and it’s long – really long. I have decided to share it for several reasons: 1) I want to have it written down because I know I will forget the little details....2) It is so very special to me that I want to share it with you (that is, if you want to read it)!!!
WARNING: There are details about labor and delivery in this birth story, so if you are not interested in reading about that kind of stuff feel free to skip this one :-)
Saturday, July 17, 2010 - DUE DATE
When we found out that we were pregnant, we calculated our due date as Saturday, July 17, 2010. I waited for 9 months in anticipation - looking forward to this day!!! Well, this day came and went. It brought some very interesting events - but no baby! On that Saturday morning, Fischer escaped Kevin's watch and knocked over an elderly man who was jogging in our neighborhood & made him bleed!!! Then, once Fischer had received the punishment due him, Kevin decided to tear apart our chimney and get rid of all the rotted wood that Fischer had so graciously exposed for us when he had chewed some of the siding off a few weeks prior.
Kevin kept telling me to avoid having the baby for just a little bit longer. Unfortunately, I didn't need to be told - Carter had no interest in making his grand entrance on this long awaited day
Sunday, July 18, 2010 - 1 Day Overdue
The next day came and went - still no baby! However, I did take my last maternity pictures to document my baby bump at 40 weeks (and 1 day).
Monday, July 19, 2010 - 2 Days Overdue
I got up and went to work - as I had been doing for my entire pregnancy! After a pretty full day at work, I met Kevin at the doctor's office for our 40 week (and 2 day) appointment.
3:30 pm -
I felt great! At my 39 week appointment the previous week, I had been 1 cm dilated, 50 % effaced, and -1 station. On this day, I was pretty excited because I thought that I would probably have progressed even more. They called me back and we went through the weekly triage routine. I wasn't really paying much attention to my stats because I was pretty tired of the whole process by now - and I certainly didn't want to know how much I weighed at this point :-)They took my blood pressure, and then took my blood pressure again - this got my attention. They told me that it was high (152/92). I wasn't sure what this would mean, so Kevin and I discussed options as we waited to see Dr. Conrad. He had offered an induction the week before because of his schedule - we had decided that we were not going to induce unless there was a medical reason. As we waited in the room, we decided that we would again refuse an induction if offered based on schedules. We wanted to wait to see if Carter would come on his own. Dr. Conrad came in, found that I had not made any more progress, and told me that my blood pressure was worrying him. He said that pre-eclampsia could become a problem if he let me wait any longer. He told us to pack our bags and check into the hospital that night after 10pm – we were going to need to induce. He left the room saying, "Are you ready? Let's have a baby!"
It took a few minutes for all of this to sink in. This was not the ideal situation that I had imagined. I really wanted to try natural childbirth, and I knew that Pitocin was no friend to natural childbirth! However, Dr. Conrad knew my wishes, so he had promised to try to do everything he could to induce labor without the Pitocin - for which I was very appreciative! I decided that, in the end, it didn't really matter what my labor was going to be like as long as a healthy baby boy was the result! However, as we left the doctor's office, I started getting nervous! It was a weird feeling. I had felt so ready for the past few weeks, and now - knowing that I was going to give birth in the next 24 hours - I was REALLY nervous!!!
We went home, ate a big supper, took showers, packed our bags, and headed to the hospital.
10:15 pm -
We checked in at Crestwood Maternity Center, and they assigned us to Labor and Delivery Room 3. I got dressed into the oh-so-attractive hospital gown and the nurse (Tracy) started hooking me up to all sorts of contraptions. The fetal monitor was very uncomfortable on my tightened tummy. I told the nurse, and she said, "Well, that's because you're having a contraction right now." My reply = "Oh! Well, I guess if that's what a contraction feels like, I've been having them for a few weeks now!" She got a kick out of that:-) They gave me a drug called Cytotec to "ripen" my cervix and (hopefully) help me progress without Pitocin.
11:45 pm -
I had progressed to 2-3 cm dilated, 75% effaced, and -1 station. Yay, for progress!!! They told me that Dr. Conrad would come see me in the morning and to try to get some sleep.
That night, I found that the IV, heart rate monitor, and fetal monitors are not conducive to sleeping, so as Kevin curled up on his little couch-turned-bed and fell fast asleep, I sat in my bed all night long awake - wide awake! It didn't really help that my finger heart rate monitor didn't want to stay on, so an alarm (AKA: the loudest, most annoying beeping sound in the whole wide world) would start going off every so often waking me from any partial sleep state I may have drifted into. I knew I needed rest though, so I laid in bed with my eyes closed for most of the night trying to rest. I knew that tomorrow was going to be a big day for all of us!!!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010 - BIRTH DAY!!!!
3:45 am -
I had progressed to a full 3 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and -1 station. The second dose of Cytotec was administered to help the progress continue.
Kevin was still fast asleep & I decided to find a really boring station on the tv to try to help myself get some sleep. I think I may have dozed off some, but not much.
While I was awake, I watched the monitors for all the delivery rooms (they are all on one screen). I figured out which one was mine….it was the one that the peaks came at the same time as the tightening feeling in my stomach (AKA: contractions:-).
6:00 am -
My day-shift nurse was Rachael. She was a very young nurse who was also expecting. She would be my nurse during the delivery, and she was great!
She gave me Ancef antibiotics in my IV because at a previous prenatal appointment, I had tested positive for Strep B.
At some point, Kevin awoke from his deep sleep and took his shower. He also slipped out of the room and ate some breakfast – sneaky boy!!!! I was not allowed to shower, but I decided to get ready for the day anyway! I fixed my hair, washed my face with a washcloth, did my make-up, and munched on ice chips as my contractions came and went. They were still uncomfortable but relatively painless at this point.
7:40 am -
Dr. Conrad came in and asked how I was doing. I told him (with a big smile on my face) that I was doing great - he replied, “That’s not what I want to hear!” I guess he was hoping I’d be in more pain by then… :-) I was still 3 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and -1 station. He decided to break my water to try to get things started.
10:00 am -
Contractions really picked up on their own – and now they hurt. I had progressed to 5 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and -1 station. I was not going to need pitocin at this rate, and I was surprised at how I was able to handle the pain of contractions! I used the slow, controlled breathing techniques that I had learned in classes, and focusing on that was really helpful!
I did the vast majority of my laboring on a birthing ball (exactly the same as a big exercise ball). It was placed right beside my bed, so that I could sit on the ball/ lean on the bed/ and still be hooked up to all my contraptions :-) This ball allowed me to plant my feet on the ground and sway from side to side during contractions. It really helped me to control the pain of labor better than I expected. The movement was key in managing the pain….just think about when you hit your finger with a hammer….you want to shake it…you don’t just lay your hand down and keep it still :-)
11:45 am -
I had progressed to 7 cm dilated, 85% effaced, and -1 station.
I think it was somewhere around this point that Kevin asked if I wanted the epidural. I decided that I could manage the pain well enough that I was not going to get the epidural.
12:15 pm -
I had progressed to 8 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and -1 station.
The nurse had me get back into the bed, so that I would not have to make that transition when the contractions had worsened.
1:40 pm -
I had progressed to 9 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and -1 station.
At this point, I was so very exhausted that I was falling asleep in between contractions. I remember fading in and out of consciousness and wondering why I was doing this without meds:-) I also told Kevin to turn off the tv – Fresh Prince of Bel Air was getting annoying! :-)
2:20 pm -
I got sick to my stomach – which, oddly enough, made me feel much better!!! I didn’t realize how nauseated I had been until this relief came!
Carter did not want to move down (thus the continuous -1 station measurement), so they turned me on my side to see if changing positions would help. Well – IT DID!!! The contractions went from “painful, but manageable” to “OMG, I’m Pretty Sure I’m Gonna Die!!!” in a matter of minutes. They stayed that way – 1 min of pain/1 min of no pain – for the remainder of my labor. Lucky for me – my husband is the best labor support in the whole world and would count off the timing of the contractions, telling me when they were 15 seconds in / halfway over / & only 15 seconds left….this helped me keep my sanity!!!
I made my nurse check me to see if I was complete after pretty much every contraction at this point! I know that she probably got pretty tired of me, but I didn’t want to have to endure 1 single more contraction than I had to!
3:08 pm -
I was FINALLY complete (10 cm dilated, 100% effaced), and they allowed me to begin pushing!!! What a relief to be able to push! Dr. Conrad was called in – and he came running! It was a good thing to because at…..
3:23 pm (…just 15 minutes after I started pushing)–
Our precious baby boy – Carter James Watts – was born.
Kevin cut the cord.
Then, I got to hold him for just a few moments before he needed to be assessed and cleaned up. I have never felt so much love for anything or anyone in my whole life!!!! I wept.
There really are no words….
3:23 – Approx. 4:45 –
Kevin watched the nurses assess and clean-up Carter. He measured 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 21 inches long!
He was absolutely perfect! Kevin got to hold him and showed him off to my parents and sister while Dr. Conrad took care of me.
At this point, I got the “shakes.” I didn’t feel cold, but I was shivering like crazy. They put lots of heavy heated blankets on me - which helped! Once Dr. Conrad had finished with me, we took his picture with Carter.
Approx. 5:30pm –
I was given a post-partum room and a big dinner – and I was so very hungry!!!!
We visited with my parents (Grandmama & Papa) and sister that evening. We told them about the delivery details, and they told us all about their waiting room experiences :-) Carter was brought to our room that evening, and we ooo’ed and ahhhh’ed over him! It was pretty much impossible to take our eyes off of him!
You would think that after a full day of laboring/ delivering/ admiring / visiting, I would have been able to sleep – so not the case! I spent yet another sleepless night in the hospital; however, that night’s lack of sleep was not due to discomfort. I laid in bed replaying the events of the day over and over and over again in my head. It was the perfect day, and I could not stop thinking about it! I will never ever forget it, and I am so thankful that God blessed Kevin and me with safe delivery and a perfectly precious son!!!!
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“For this boy I prayed,
and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him.
So I have also dedicated him to the LORD;
as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.”
1 Samuel 1: 27-28
