Calvin's Birth Story
PART ONE: HOW WE GOT TO HERE
2014 started off with a bang! Jared and I found out the second week of January that we were expecting BABY #5!! After that test turned positive we just looked at each other and said, Ok.... Here We Go! In April, the whole family was thrilled to find out that I was carrying a little Boy! I have always felt like there was another boy meant for this family. We have been waiting for him for a Long long time.
For the most part, this pregnancy was very manageable and easy. There really never came a time of major discomfort and I was able to keep up my usual activities right til the end. We had a breech scare at 35 weeks so I spent some time in inverted positions to help the baby flip back. By the 36 week appt he was head down again only to flip back breech for the 37 week appt. How he managed that I'll never know. After another night of watching TV upside down, I felt little hiccups down low again and knew he'd flipped back.
Wednesday September 3rd was my 38week appt and he was found to be head down again. Yay! I also had my first cervix check and was a loose 2cm and starting to thin out. Great news. That day and the next were both very busy for me, and late Thursday afternoon I had quite a bit of show and started having contractions more frequently than I usually did. I started timing them mostly for fun (I haven't ever gone into labor naturally on my own, so why would I this time?) and they were about 7 minutes apart. I went about the usual routine... Made dinner, cleaned up and noticed I was still having contractions. Started timing again. 5 minutes apart. I called Jared at work and filled him in on everything. I kept timing, and they kept coming. Around 9:00 I decided I should probably pack my hospital bag and start cleaning. The house was a mess! Stayed busy until 11 when Jared got home all the while having consistent contractions. I decided to take a bath because I heard somewhere that if labor was real it would stick around even after a warm bath... Not even sure how accurate that info is but I figured it was worth a shot. I had a few ctx after the bath but they definitely slowed down. We decided to just go to sleep because if it was real labor, ctx would eventually wake me up. Well...... I woke up Friday morning PREGNANT. Talk about a letdown. Oh well.
I moved on with the weekend and didn't have much happening in the uterus dept until Sunday. Late afternoon, about 4:00 (right after Jared left for work of course) the contractions were back. 7-10 minutes apart. I was determined to ignore them this time convinced they'd die out after awhile like they did on Thursday. But after an hour or so I noticed these were getting a bit stronger and closer together. About every 5 min by 5:30. We had dinner and I cleaned up a bit.... Just in case. Texted Jared... Just in case. By 7:00, ctx were 3-4 minutes apart and though they were stronger, I could still walk and talk through them just fine. Jared came home early, Grandpa Rex came over to spend the night, we were all starting to think this was really it! I bounced on the ball, laid down, took a shower, and they just kept coming. By now it was 11:30pm. Ctx were consistent but they weren't getting stronger. I just felt like I couldn't go to the hospital until they went up a notch in intensity so we stayed home. Finally around 12:30 I called bedtime thinking once again, if this is real it will wake me up. I did fall asleep, but at 2:00 the ctx woke me up. I stayed in bed dozing off between them, but I couldn't sleep through them. Finally, I woke Jared up and said I guess we should go in. I was managing the pain just fine, but my thoughts at the time were that with 10hours of consistent ctx who knows how far along I really am? My water could pop anytime and what if things take off like a freight train after that and we don't have time to get to the hospital? So to the hospital we went at 4:00am! I've always wanted to go to the hospital in the middle of the night and ring the special after hours doorbell so I won't lie, that was kinda fun. ;) They put us in a room and on monitors to get a look at my contractions which were still 3ish minutes apart but now had backed off in intensity. The nurse came in and checked me. 2.5. Freaking. Centimeters. Wow. Immediately both Jared and I were completely deflated. The nurse suggested walking the halls for an hour to see if I could get some progress and then they'd officially admit me. Yeah. Because walking the halls is exactly what I want to do after 12 hours of progress-less ctx and no sleep. We walked for awhile and while we walked we talked about how we should just go home. I was in full agreement as my contractions were dying off even more now. We went back to the room and called the nurse in. I was "maybe 3cm now." I told her I just wanted to go home and sleep. I think they actually could've kept me and induced me on the spot but I just wasn't ready. Running on zero sleep would be hard, but also I was having a ton of anxiety about everything. Even just the smell of the hospital gown and the sound of the monitors was enough to make my stomach churn and start me sweating. I decided that I really needed to go home and mentally prepare for L&D because it was obviously coming soon. Maybe all the anxiety I was having actually prevented me from having progress?? Who knows. I went home and collapsed and when I woke up, ctx were only happening at random.
Monday was hard. The night before, I was sure I'd be holding my baby the next morning. I spent a good part of the day talking through my fears with Jared. I really didn't want to go anywhere near the hospital still full of anxiety and dread about labor. I was so worried about how tough labor can be, and how hard it is to mentally get through it. I've always gone without pain Meds, and while those experiences have been great to look back on, they are a mental and physical marathon when I'm there. Jared gave me a blessing that night, and I spent some time in prayer too just to get a clear head. I finally decided that I just couldn't deal with anymore false alarm labor. Jared was scheduled to work all weekend and I could just see me having to call him out of work another one or two times while my body figures out how to go into labor. Can't deal with that. So I called my midwife and asked her for the earliest induction I could get: September 11th.
PART TWO: THE REAL DEAL
I had one last appt on Sept 10. I was a loose 3cm now and water bag bulging. My midwife did a really good membrane sweep saying we'd either have a baby later that day or the next day for sure. I felt great about all of that... Definitely ready to have a baby. Since this was our last day as a family of 6, we spent it having fun. We Ran a couple of errands and took lunch to the park. I felt totally ready for whatever was ahead.
September 11th. The day is finally here! I woke up to.... Contractions!! *Rolls Eyes* I'm sure the membrane sweep triggered them. Today though, they were in my back and stronger than they had been on Thursday or Sunday. I honestly think I would've been back at the hospital in real labor by Thursday night had the induction not been scheduled. Calvin was ready to come.
We got the family ready, dropped the kids off and grandmas and had a quick breakfast date at McD's before heading to the hospital at 9. It was a perfect fall day, and I was completely at peace. Not a hint of nerves in sight. We got admitted, I got gowned up, got the IV and monitors. My contractions were still coming, And actually getting fairly uncomfortable. We started pitocin very low around 10:30 and I got the first check of the day: 4cm. The nurses asked me if I wanted an epidural that day and for some reason I said maybe. I've never said that before. I spent awhile talking to them about the side effects and things that worried me the most. I decided to just kinda think about it for awhile. Jared and I talked after they left and I asked him what he thought about getting an epi. He said just with the fact that I'm thinking about it maybe means that I should get one because getting one has never crossed my mind with the other kids. With all the anxiety and the false labor all week, and the nasty back labor I was currently feeling.... I decided to go ahead and have a different experience this time around. I called the nurse in at 11:30 and we got the epi on its way. It was seriously the easiest procedure ever. Getting my IV was far worse. Meds were in full effect by 12:15ish and I was 5cm. The epi took more to my left side than my right, but that was fine by me because my left side was where I was feeling ctx the worst. I wasn't feeling them anymore though!! I was able to relax and "be the patient" for once. Around 12:45... Whoosh! my water broke!! Total Hollywood style gush haha... We called the nurse back in. There was meconium everywhere. :( It was bad enough that she called the charge nurse in and they gave each other that "look". This wasn't regular meconium. It was thick and there was a lot, and they were worried. They let us know that NICU would be here for delivery in case they were needed for respiratory issues. In good news though, I'm now 7cm! They slowly started setting up for delivery assuming I'd go quickly now. They were right. By 1:40, I was 9cm, but thanks to my epidural I was feeling only mild ctx on my right side. Pretty impressive! The mom next door to us was ready to deliver so I had to wait my turn. That was new for me. I'm so used to that intense Push or Die feeling that I always jump to the top of the list haha....
2:00 came and so did lots of equipment, the NICU team, and my midwife. We were READY! I still wasn't feeling much in the way of pain or pressure but Calvin was right there, almost crowning. My midwife said not to sneeze or laugh... She was still getting ready. Pushing was a breeze. I think I only had to push three times and there he was! Perfectly Pink and Screaming his head off at 2:09. NICU did a quick assessment and found him completely healthy. So thankful for that. He weighed in at 7lbs 9oz and 19 inches long. My heaviest baby. :)
All in all, the day was fantastic and totally anxiety free which is a huge blessing. I really got to just chill out and enjoy his birth. Perfect ending to a nearly perfect pregnancy. Calvin is such a sweet boy already.... He loves to snuggle. I'm so glad he's here and part of our forever family.
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