The End

Or I guess I should probably say "The Beginning." This birth story has been a little harder to write and I don't know for sure why. It seems like every time I get ready to do it I avoid it. Maybe it's because it all happened so fast, so different, and so well, fast.

I was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon after two full days of bed rest. My 24hr urine came back + for protein and my pressures remained moderate to high. I was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, but allowed to go home and continue my bedrest there. I was thrilled. The King and I actually laughed because I told him that I thought it was just too hard to be in the hospital when you're sick. I guess what I meant was it didn't really feel like a break from everyday life. My ear got better at the pace of a snail race and I developed a sinus infection as well. The two days I was there were spent laying in bed praying for sleep which was very intermittent. It was also difficult to be away from the girls at such at transitional point in our lives.

Once home I pretty much resumed a normal pace. The day after I was released I reported back for my biophysical profile. I had the weekend off and we just hung out. Sunday was a long day. I didn't feel well at all and I was really beginning to wonder how this was all going to end. The longer I was sick the more anxious I became about labor and delivery. I've mentioned it before, but anxiety about the end was a running theme with this pregnancy.

First thing Monday morning I had an OB appointment. I really had no idea what to expect. I rushed around to get ready, take the girls to my Mom's house, and make it to the appointment on time. That morning my urine in the office was +2 for protein and my blood pressure was high. He checked my cervix and I was 1-2cm dialated and 50% effaced. He told me to hold tight and left the room for a few minutes. When he came back he had paperwork and told me I would be induced the very next morning. On top of that I still had to go back to the hospital that afternoon for another biophysical profile. Even though I knew this was all a possibility I felt shocked.

I went straight to my Mom's house to get the girls and call the King. He decided to come home and just start his week off so that we could get everything in order. My Mom offered to keep all of the girls on Monday night so that we could be at the hospital by 5:45am. We spent the rest of the day getting things ready. The girls were so excited. It was nice to be able to tell them what was going on.

That night the King and I went shopping to get a few last minute things and to dinner. It was nice to have some quiet time and I was feeling pretty nervous. Later I finished packing our bags, charging batteries, and cleaning up the house. Surprisingly I slept well and didn't have any trouble getting up at 4:30. Something changed about my mindset that morning and I was more determined. I was still anxious but I guess I just focused on the fact that he was coming and very soon.

Once at the hospital things moved faster than I had anticipated. I was admitted right away, an IV was started, and my doctor was there by 7am. I was still dialated 1-2cm and 50% effaced. He broke my water and things got to rocking and rolling. I knew I wanted an epidural and he said I could have one right away but there were some bumps in the road. Apparantly due to the pre-e I had to have special blood work done in order to get the epicural. The blood was drawn and it was approximately 10 am when I finally got it. It took two tries. The first time the catheter was put in my spine and the "windows" were all closed causing a block. No pain relief. The second time was the charm and I started to feel a little bit of relief. It was very short lived though. After about 10 minutes it was clear the epi wasn't working. My nurses were great and got Dr. right back up there. He explained that sometimes it's hard to catch up with the contractions and you need more medicine. He gave me some and finally things were okay.

Feeling better I tried to quietly rest. I could feel the pressure of the contractions and I silently waited for more significant pressure. By noon I knew it was time. Without saying much I pressed the nurse call button and told them I felt like pushing. They were very responsive, it was the same nurse that delivered Bradlynn without a Dr in the room, and turned on the baby warmer. The Dr. was called and I was determined to be complete. Things felt surreal at that point. I could hear casual conversations going on around me but couldn't focus. I remember the nurse telling me to pretend to blow out candles and oddly that helped. The second the Dr said I could push I did. The baby came right down. Another push and he was crowning. Apparently the cord was tight against his shoulder and I had to pause for a painful moment. Then one last push delivered my sweet baby boy. He was born at 12:17 pm weighing 6#6ozs and 18 1/4" long. He was placed on my chest right away and I can't describe the emotions.

Once put in the warmer he proved his lungs were healthy by wailing away. His apgar scores were 8/8. I felt amazing. Such relief. It was over. He was healthy. I was alive. We stayed in the hospital that night and he of course roomed in with me. The next day I requested to go home and we've been here ever since. The girls LOVE him. I think Chiggie said it best when she said, "Mom, we've done this so many times now and it just never gets old." No it doesn't.