The Story...

So I better write this all down before I forget all the 'oh so fun' details of Kaleb's birth.

It was only a few hours after last weeks post of me complaining how overdue I was that "real" contractions finally started coming a bit regularly about 10 minutes apart early Friday morning. I never thought I'd be so happy to be so uncomfortable but I knew things must be close at hand.

I had a doctor's apt that morning at 9am. By the time I got there the contractions had gone away. I was bummed. At my apt we had talked about some symptoms I was having of toxemia and my blood pressure was only slightly elevated so the doctor wanted to have me monitored in the hospital for a few hours. At my apt I was dilated to 1 cm 50 % effaced (at least it was something--better than a week earlier).

While I'm being monitored contractions came back. My blood work came back normal for toxemia and my blood pressure was pretty good during that time as well...which meant no induction...boo. (Actually I was glad not to be induced for toxemia. I wouldn't want to have that.)

The doctor came back to check me and I had progressed to 2 cm 60% effaced.

I was pretty excited about that so I went home thinking "only one more centimeter is all I need for when I want my epidural. (With Brayden it took hours of painful contractions before I ever got to a 3 to receive my epidural...I hear so much how almost everyone I know gets what I call "free labor" and are dilated at least 3cm or more long before labor starts...I'm not that lucky).

On my way home I called Brandon and told him to get home since school was over for him that day and all he was doing was studying.

It wasn't long after being home that the contractions started coming closer together and stronger. They were consistently 3-6 minutes apart for the next three hours and getting pretty painful. Since it didn't seem to take much to progress a whole cm earlier I thought things must be moving along and we went back to the hospital.

We get there...they check me....no change. (Actually the nurse tells me I'm at 1 1/2 according to her...subjectivity bites sometimes).

"Oh great...here we go again," I thought.

It's just cruel to have pain like that and nothing to show for it.

Of course the minute I lay down on that hospital bed the contractions space out a ton.

Two hours later...no change...(well the nurse decided to be a little "generous" this time and says she can see how the doctor would say I'm at 2cm...oh thank you for your graciousness....the nurse wasn't very nice to me...treating me like I was faking this or something...it really ticked me off) They send me home. By this time it is 10pm. I knew the minute I walked out of that place the contractions would come back and of course on our walk to the car they come back.

I was beyond frustrated because this was the same thing that happened with Brayden. The thought of having to just endure pain with no relief in sight for who knows how long was just dreadful to me...and having no idea when I should come back to the hospital.

Before we left I had a little talk with the nurse asking her why I couldn't just be induced. I'm a flippin WEEK overdue and I have a scheduled induction in TWO days anyway. Just induce me now (what's the difference?) and help things move along. She pretty much said...because the doctor doesn't want to if she doesn't have to.

Nice.

After we get home I had Brandon give me a blessing.

It wasn't long after that that the pain was so intense that I was in a cold sweat and started throwing up. The contractions came every 2-5 minutes apart. We monitored this for another hour and a half and it was pretty consistent. After watching what I was going through Brandon said that he was taking me back to the hospital.

I was reluctant because of how they treated me and I felt hopeless that I had progressed at all, but I remembered the blessing I received and I had faith the He was going to help this move along.

We got in the car for the most awful and painful 20 minute car drive to the hospital.

We get there and Brandon wheels me in a wheelchair and the nurses look at me and say,

"Oh you're back," and give me looks like "you think you're in labor, huh? We don't think so, we just sent you home."

They hook me up to the monitors again. I had a different nurse this time...who wasn't any better. She checks me and says I am between 2 and 3cm.

I don't know what it sounds like to you but to me it looks like I'm in labor and progressing. I went from 1 to 3 cm that day and I'm in obvious pain and the monitors are showing I am contracting regularly every 2-5 min.

What does it take for them to admit me already!!!

Let me remind you at this time that my doctor is still on spring break and some other doctor is on call that night different from the doctor I saw that morning.

So pretty much I'm nobodys patient and everybody can care less...especially at night on a weekend.

The on call doctor says to monitor me for another THREE hours. (hmmm...three hours would give her enough time to have a decent night without being disturbed)

In the meantime Brandon is trying to talk to the nurse about what it's going to take for them to admit me. She says that I need to progress from 1/2 to 1 cm within the time they are monitoring me and then proceeds with the very encouraging words, "this could take DAYS...some women go through this for DAYS. She's saying this to me while I'm throwing up from pain and ready to die.

She was a gem let me tell you.

I couldn't believe I had barely progressed during these last hours, but I continued to have faith that SOMETHING would happen. It's all I had to hold on to.

The nurse brings me some water and tells me my pee looked "icky" and I need to drink. She scolds me telling me my pee should be so clear you shouldn't be able to see it. Thank you for insulting my intelligence. I'm well aware what my pee is "supposed" to look like...and I've spent nine months seeing many cups of pregnant women's pee in the doctor's office and it's rare anybody's is ever clear. I doubt hers is either. Anyways, I kind of had a busy day...drinking wasn't the first thing on my mind.

She comes to check on me a little bit later and asks,

"Are you going to drink or do I need to hook you up an IV?"

I'm barely coherent while she's talking to me and I try to speak and tell her I'm too nauseous to drink anything so hook me up to whatever you need to.

She gets the IV out and says,

"I'm hooking you up to an IV but this doesn't mean you're going to stay."

Those were her exact words.

Thank you for making that super clear...thank you.

Talk about kicking you while you're down.

Okay...so an hour passes from the time we came in and then it happened....

My water breaks!

Hallelujah

Brandon gets the nurse and she checks and says,

"Yup, you're right. Looks like you're in."

It's 2am at this point.

They get all this paperwork out for me to sign which I had already pre-registered so I don't understand why. They wheel me over to my room.

At this point I'm between 4-5cm so things were moving along finally. I'm thinking now I can get my epidural...be comfortable for the next 8-10 hours before he is born.

The nurse goes to get the anesthesiologist and comes back to tell me it will be another 10 minutes because the rule is it can't be administered without the doctor on the premises. The doctor was on her way.

Well, something different was happening and so I decide to tell the nurse that I feel like I have to push. She checks me and lo and behold...I'm at 10cm!

So looks like I don't get an epidural.

It took all I had to hold the baby in there. It was pretty terrifying feeling like he was coming and having no doctor there.

The doctor arrived and with one push he was out...

...20 minutes after getting settled in the room.

Ever since he's been born I've thought "what if" we were at home when my water broke?

What a terrifying thought having your baby at home (unplanned) with no help or in a car.

We're just glad that didn't happen and that he arrived healthy as can be.

Brayden loves her little brother so much. She has been doing so well....mostly thanks to

my mother

I just wish I could keep her here for another few months. Brayden loves spending time with Grandma. It is really helping her with the adjustment. I just don't know what I'm going to do when she leaves.

It takes a lot of time to keep a baby fed and happy. It's a full time job in and of itself.

We love this little boy. Other than a little sleep deprived. We're all doing well.

We'll see how well I can keep this blog updated over the next little while.

I'll do my best.