The Birth Story

This may be one of the last times I have "free" time for a while and since Levi's tummy is nice and full I thought I'd explain how exactly we got to this point! Thursday morning, at 5 days till my scheduled C-section, I lost a certain something that can mean the beginning of labor..I'm trying not to be too graphic but that's the best I can do. Most preg books say when this happens that it can mean labor is eminent but it can also mean it's days or even weeks away. So I tried to think nothing of it and went on with the day. I had the same type of contractions that I'd been having for months, though I did notice that occasionally, I'd have quite a few at 10 minute intervals. Still thought nothing of it. Around 2 ish that afternoon, I started to not be able to control the liquids exiting my body. (I can just imagine some of you laughing at how I'm trying to explain things without grossing you out.) Still though, it wasn't like I was gushing...just seeming to not be able to control it at all times. I think I began to be in denial at this point, so much so that Shawn and I spent the next few hours in the back yard assembling our new outdoor canopy and moving a very heavy picnic table. Around 5 we all came inside for dinner and I opted out....just in case I was truly in labor. When you have a C-section, unless it is extremely urgent, they will make you wait no less than 6 hours after you've eaten before they will do the surgery. This little decision was very wise as I later learned. Around that time, the contractions began to be less benign and more crampy. At this point, I called my mom who was suppose to be coming here on Friday night and told her to get her bags packed a little quicker and then hang out till I called back. We still weren't sure what to do. About 10 minutes later, a decision was made....the contractions were still coming, they were getting regular, and the liquids were coming out faster! We called our lifesaver, Sue Nell who's house my baby shower was at and asked if she could come watch the girls while we went to see if I was really in labor (still in denial.) She was there within 15 minutes. At this point, the contractions were about 4 minutes apart and getting pretty uncomfortable, to the point where I'd have to stop moving and would start bending forward. So we did the next logical thing we could think of...Shawn finished a lot of the honey-dos that he was suppose to have done by Tuesday, like vacuuming and stuff like that. Shawn took a shower and even gave the girls a bath and laid out clothes for the next day. I attempted to finish packing the last few items in my hospital bag but I could barely get my brain to function. It had pretty much frozen with disbelief! We called my mom and said to get down here quick! We headed to the hospital, a 15 minute drive from our home, and by this time, the contractions were exactly 3 minutes apart, on the dot. It was a very long 15 minutes. We immediately headed to the fourth floor and the contractions were picking up! It was really surreal at this point. They took us to a room and checked me. The nurse said that Levi was low and I was 1 cm dilated, but that I'd have to have more progress for them to admit me and call a dr. about the C-section. My contractions were beginning to get out of control at this point.....faster and MUCH more uncomfortable, all within about a 15 minute period. The nurse that had checked me was going to give me an hour and see how things went, but after seeing how often I was contracting, how big the contractions were, and the sound of my moaning, she decided to check me again. She didn't even attempt to check me because she could tell immediately that my water had for sure broke. This is when things started moving at warp speed. My contractions were now coming one right after the other, with just about no rest in between. The nurses started getting frantic to prep me. They blew 2 veins before getting my IV in and had to try twice to draw my blood. They called all the necessary doctors and also gave me a shot in my arm to try to space out my contractions since they were non stop. I was started to lose my grip and ability to control myself because of the nonstop pain of the contractions. They handed Shawn his scrubs and started wheeling me back to the surgery room asap! I could not think of anything except trying not to die from the pain!!! The anesthesiologist had my epidural in within about 3 minutes and about 2 minutes later, I was finally feeling relief. All of this had occurred in less than 2 hours. By 9 pm, they were cutting me open, and 7 minutes later, my sweet baby boy made his debut. His cry was love at first sound. It was so innocent and pure sounding. I started crying from the moment I heard that sound and didn't stop for a good 10 minutes. I was in a state of euphoric shock. I couldn't believe that I was really done having my last child and that we were healthy. Things moved SO unbelievably fast that my brain had not even had the chance to process the event. Truly, for the rest of Thursday night and into Friday, I would look at Levi, then at Shawn and shake my head as if to try to clear the unbelievable that it was all done! I would look at Levi and my brain truly could not process that he was mine and that I was no longer counting down to Tuesday the 13th. Looking at the situation, I truly could not have planned it any better, and I love to plan. I am so very thankful for the unexpected and exciting way that all of this came to be. (okay I could have done without the extreme contraction pains). This has been the pregnancy that has left me saying over and over "I'm definitely going out with a bang!" I am thankful with every single beat of my heart that Levi was to be and that God has blessed me FAR beyond what I could have asked or imagined.