Our journey to parenthood began November 1, 2011…
I was supposed to have an appointment with our doctor at 8:15AM and after making the trek-in was told she had a delivery so that I would need to come back at 11AM. Being that I was on bed-rest that made my body balloon up more than normal – takes 30 minutes to drive there…. so lots of driving and little sitting down in the morning. After I arrived to my new appointment they checked my labs, weight, and BP… drumroll please….. my BP had literally skyrocketed to 173/100 and the doctor calmly announced that well, looks like Baby is making an ‘early’ appearance- to which I immediately began shaking uncontrollably- after my doctor told me what was going to happen… protocol… I immediately stopped shaking and felt ‘ready’ – my doctor told me to call Gabe while she made arrangements with the hospital. So I got to make the “IT’S TIME!!!” call. Which I always thought just happened in the movies- Gabe was so much more calm than me-thankgoodness.
As I was getting off a phone call at work I saw my cell phone light up from Holly calling me. I was relieved when she called because she usually calls right after her doctor appointments and it had been 45 minutes later than usual. The only thing Holly said at first was “it’s go time!” I had to have her repeat it before I understood what she had said. I told her I was on my way and almost hung up when Holly said “you’re meeting me at the hospital.” This was key because I would have gone to the Doc office or even home to get Holly. I told my boss that “it was time” and she knew right away what I was talking about (guess it was written on my face). I kept reminding myself to drive slow and subdue my excitement until i arrived at the hospital safely.
We got to the hospital around the same time- thankfully I had thought ahead of time and made Gabe pack up my car before he went into work in the morning- Mom intuition? Who knows.
We were checked-in and had the same room as the previous week’s visit- felt pretty comfortable with the surroundings : ).
They immediately gave me an IV and pumped me full of more fluids- like I needed to be more puffy and full of water-hahah. My blood pressure went down within the first hour of arriving at the hospital- I contend because I finally felt like I was ‘safe’ and that Mommy and Baby would be okay. The hospital was almost going to release me when my BP skyrocketed again. I told my doctor that I had a bad feeling and that something was wrong and she totally agreed and said she was feeling the same thing. (So nice to have a doctor listen to you and your body).
At this point we started gels… a nice way to say that they were going to shock my cervix into having stronger contractions. When I arrived my contractions were strong and running 10 minutes apart- totally bearable. After three sets of gels… spaced 4 hours apart I was having very, very strong contractions. We knew we were in for the long haul and although I was unable to sleep due to the pain- I literally had to force Gabe to lay down and get some naps in because I knew I needed him to be awake, alert and on top of his A-game for when the going got tough(and boy did it ever).
After my nap, Holly and I began to do the things to get the baby moving along. Holly was a trooper and made 17 laps around the maternity ward! Holly and I talked about the possibility of a C-section and Holly was sure she wanted the experience of a regular birth, so on we walked.
November 2, 2011 5AM
Pain relief finally came! In the form of a giant needle-no less. At this point I was shaking almost uncontrollably due to the pain and boy did I say my share of thank you’s after the wave of medicine hit my body. My water was broken accidentally when the doctor was checking on my progress… felt like a water balloon exploding- actually really cool sensation. BP steadily climbed each minute at the hospital which put me at risk for an emergency c-section.
For the next 10 hours I was able to withstand contractions that went off the charts-literally- with the help of my friend- medicine(and loving husband). Around 3PM the medicine wore off and I was told that they couldn’t give me any more because I was sooooo close to having baby-lies I tell you- complete and utter lies.
Shock and AWE! My body went into immediate shock from the amount of pain that I could now clearly feel. I begged(maybe twice) for some sort of medicine because they continued to give me meds to make my contractions larger so that baby would get out before they my health failed.
I was at a crossroads at this point. Holly was in so much pain and wanted more meds and I wanted to stop her pain. Then I remembered Holly was determined not to have a C-section unless absolutely necessary. I then decided to trust that our doctor knew what she was doing and Holly wasn’t in danger… So I cheered Holly on and on. we had the greatest nurse there as well (Nurse Christina) who kept giving me fresh cool washcloths for Holly’s head. All three of us knew Holly could do this.
At this point in time everything gets hazy… Gabe my coach, husband, and best friend was by my side and never stopped talking or cheering me on. I <3 positive reinforcement and positive coaches = I contend that he is the reason that I didn’t give up when my body started to go into convulsions(scary stuff). After an hour of pushing without pain meds, I had to close my eyes and just listen to Gabe. The clock was staring me in the face across the room and my mind couldn’t stop doing the math of how long I’ve been pushing/contracting/without pain meds. After two and a half hours of pushing the most glorious event in our lives happened = our BABY BOY WAS BORN!
It was incredibly surreal. Everything went into slow motion. I was stunned and relieved that the hard part was over and that my body made it! He was immediately put on my chest and to my surprise baby was blue- of course now it makes sense why he would be- but at the time, I was like “I’ve read at least five baby books and none of them talk about a blue baby! What’s wrong??? Did I not push him out fast enough???” Well, the cord was wrapped around his neck and apparently, duh, all babies are blue when they are born. Gabe cut the cord, magical moment between Baby and Dad and he stayed by my side until I said, ” Go be with our baby!” He was so worried- so sweet!
I was with Holly until she told me that she was ok and to check on our son. I was able to hold his hand while he was first cleaned off. I will never forget how he stopped crying as soon as his hand grasped my finger, he then looked at me and opened his mouth (which I believe would have been a smile if he was able to) and squinted his eyes. It was the greatest feeling I have ever felt.
Gabe was able to document the first hour of Baby’s life- weighing, health screening, shots, first bath and I am so glad because everything was really fuzzy- around 4AM we talked about what we remembered and shared our favorite moments <3. I got sewn up, was given meds to make my blood pressure drop and cleaned up- WE HAD THE BEST NURSES AND DOCTOR!
48 HRS without sleep
26 HRS without food
24 HRS of active labor
2.5 HRS of labor without meds
Having our Baby Boy- Dirk Raymond = PRICELESS
My heart has more love than I know what to do with!!! We are so completely blessed! <3
I will post about the hospital stay and first days home soon. Right now Gabe, Baby and I are getting to know each other and ENJOYING EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!
