Birth Story!

Wow, I never thought it would be so hard to get my blog updated once and a while after Graydon was born! Hopefully I will get better at it over the next couple of weeks before I go back to work, I am so behind.

Anyways, on with the story!

I will start things off on Friday, October 1st. After I ate lunch that day at work I did not really feel right. I just sort of felt like I could throw up at any moment. As the afternoon went on I became SO tired. I was just sitting at my desk feeling like I could call asleep right then and there. I finally decided that I was going to tell my boss that I wanted to go home. Chris and I had a friend's wedding/reception to go to that night, and I knew that if I didn't go home and get some rest that there was no way I was going to be able to make it through the night, and I wanted to have a good evening out with my husband! When I got home half an hour later I went straight upstairs and went to bed. I slept SO hard for about two hours, it felt awesome. When I woke up I felt a ton better, quick changed and freshened up, and then we went to the wedding. It was hilarious because people kept asking me when I was due, and when I would tell them this past Wednesday they just got that bewildered look on their face like they couldn't believe it; I also got a lot of "wow I hope your water doesn't break on the dance floor ha ha ha" comments. It was pretty funny. Anyways, we had a great time. I told Chris that we were going to "dance the baby out." I even had a few sips of wine with dinner, trying to get relaxed. We got home before midnight. I got online for a while and Chris's sister had sent me a message that I needed to rest and go to sleep because she had a feeling that my labor would start soon. I slept sooooo good that night.
Saturday morning I woke up sometime after 8 am feeling super rested and really refreshed. We did the deed, because I was still trying to do anything I could to get things going. After that I guess you could say that I got my little "burst of energy". I got some cinnamon rolls going in the oven and started cleaning the house like crazy. Chris was like what the heck are you doing?! I just could not sit still. Around 10ish I started feeling some contractions but told Chris jokingly because I still did not want to get my hopes up or believe that things could really be starting! I decided to take a shower and get completely ready. When I was finished I told Chris that he had better get ready too, and he just gave me this look like really?!! At this point my contractions were 10-15 minutes apart consistently for over an hour. I could tell they were for real too because there were a lot more intense than anything I had felt prior. I called Andrea, our Doula, and canceled the massage that I had scheduled for that day, and told her to get prepared because we would call her when we felt like things really got going. Then I told Chris, we HAVE to go grocery shopping!! So we quick ate lunch and took off. It was hard to eat because the contractions were making me feel a little nauseous but all I had had that morning was some cinnamon rolls and orange juice, and I definitely wanted something with a little more sustenance in me for the energy. I ended up eating some oatmeal with an apple cut up into it. Then off to the store... I just wanted to pick up some things for after the baby was born so we didn't have to go out for a while. This was around 1ish. So we took off and went to Meijer. Needless to say we were not there for too long! I was definitely having some trouble getting through the contractions and wanted to get back home asap. By the time we left my contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart and I was having trouble breathing through them. On the ride home my SIL Emileigh called and every time I would have a contraction I would have to throw the phone to Chris to talk with her.
When we got back home I started to finish packing my bag right away and Chris got everything in the car. We called Andrea to tell her that she needed to get over soon and made phone calls to parents. Every time I had a contraction I had to squat down and hang on to something to get through it. They were getting SO strong! Then I got upset because I realized that we had not been using the olive oil and trying to "stretch" me and I had wanted to do this for a while to try to prevent tearing. We tried to do it once but things just were NOT working out, and with my contractions happening I just couldn't get comfortable enough to keep trying so we gave it up. Shortly after I told Chris that we needed to get to the hospital. I could just feel that things were progressing quickly and felt that we really needed to leave. We called Andrea in the car and just told her to meet us there. We started driving and I realized that I had not called my doctor's office! The OB on call was not my doctor, but the other female doctor at the practice I go to. I was happy that it would not have to be a male physician who would deliver. When I talked to her she acted so nonchalant about everything. I told her I thought things were happening fast but when she asked if it was my first baby, she acted like things would take a while and that the hospital would call her. I told Chris that I did NOT want to have any more contractions in the car and to get us there asap!! We only live like 5 miles from the hospital thankfully. BUT...the ramp to get there was closed. So we took a different way through the city. And the road in front was completely closed for construction. I was freaking out. I was feeling tons of pressure and felt like I could start pushing soon. Chris was doing illegal U-turns and almost going the wrong way down one-ways. ArtPrize was going on downtown, and there were people everywhere. We were hitting every single red light. It was like a bad scene out of a movie or something, I was like AHHH!!! I remember thinking oh my gosh...we waited too long. I am going to have this baby in the car!! Finally we got there and got to the Emergency room. I couldn't get out of the car right away because of the contraction that was happening. The security guard was by my door with the wheelchair and goes to my husband: "Is it her leg?" I wanted to scream at him..lol. I was like uhh I am in labor!!! It was hard to sit in the chair. Once he got me inside I immediately stood up and they told me someone was coming from the Triage area right away to get me. Chris was parking the car and I was just trying to get through each contraction. At this point it was about 3 pm and my contractions were about 3 minutes apart. Everyone in the ER waiting room was staring at me because I was squatting down and moaning. Another male nurse came up from behind me and asked if I was OK and once again I had to tell him I was in labor (HELLO!! Couldn't these people see my huge stomach?! Looking back I find this all pretty funny.) Then Chris came him and found me around the corner by following my sounds...he said he could hear me when he came in but didn't see me at first, lol. The nurse came down and got us and made me ride in the wheel chair again. I just remember being so incredibly uncomfortable. They got us into the Triage room and another nurse came in and told me to change, push the call light and get up on the bed and then left the room. I was like freaking out at this point and just wanted the nurse to come and check me. Chris kept trying to reason with me to take my clothes off and change but I was NOT having it. Finally he literally ended up ripping my clothes off of me and helped me get the robe on. He pushed the button and I finally got up on the bed. My vitals were fine and when she checked me I was already 7-8 cm. dilated. This explained why I was being so uncooperative...I was already in transition! I was sooo happy that I was that far along because the contractions were so intense. But it was so painful. I kept telling them that I thought I wanted an epidural but I wasn't sure. Chris kept saying are you sure? I just did not know what I wanted. All I knew was that I was in A LOT of pain and wanted it gone fast, but kept going back and forth. The nurse told me that I would need an IV first and I was like uhhh NO I do NOT want an IV and she was like Well then you can't have an epidural because you need fluids first so your blood pressure doesn't drop. I just kept looking at Chris, crying on and off and telling him that I did not know what to do. The anesthesia people came in and I signed the form, but she reminded me that I was progressing fast and there probably wouldn't be time. I signed it, but told her that I didn't know what I wanted. The nurse once again was like things are happening so fast.... I pretty much knew that I wouldn't get one, but in my weakness at the moment it just felt good to express how much pain I was in and that I wanted one to let people know how bad it hurt. I knew that there wouldn't be time, things were just happening too fast. I also kept telling them that I was feeling tons of pressure and that I felt like I maybe needed to push. They kept referring to me as "feeling pushy" and kept telling me to wait because I wasn't full dilated. They quickly got me over to the Birthing Suite. I went into the bathroom to go pee because I had realized it had been a while. Once again I was completely uncooperative and didn't want to listen to anyone! Ahh the joys of transitioning. :) I sat on the toilet and did not want to move for anyone and anything. Chris was getting so frustrated and at just the right moment Andrea finally arrived! She does not live right in the city like we do so she didn't know the streets as well and had trouble getting around all the construction. She was lost for over an hour and so worried that she was going to miss the birth, but she made it right on time! She came down to my level and talked directly at me and was able to talk some sense into me and finally I got off the toilet and back to the bed. I remember the nurse saying " Has anyone got a hold of the doctor to tell her that this is happening now?!" The male doctor on call at the hospital had come in and was just hanging out until she got there and I remember saying I do not care, you can deliver me!! Once you are in labor and in so much pain, I just really didn't care about any of that.
At one point I got on my hands and knees and my water broke. It was full of thick, dark meconium. The nurse told me that we would not be able to wait for the cord to stop pulsating when we cut it, because they would have to take the baby to make sure he was OK. Once again, I got over it quickly because I didn't care anymore. They also kept monitoring him with the external fetal monitor, which I only wanted that intermittently but was so out of it, I just kept it on. It was annoying though because it kept moving and they kept picking up my heart rate instead of his and they kept freaking out but every time, he was totally fine. He handled it like a champ!
Finally I was fully dilated. This was around 5ish. I tried squatting for a while but that didn't seem to be working too well. The nurse kept wanting me to put my feet in the stirrups but I wasn't having it. I was determined to not push just laying on my back. We ended up putting a towel around the squatting bar and every time I had a contraction I would pull on that and for some reason this is what was helping me make the most progress! I remember getting mad because I thought that once I started pushing he would crown very soon but this was not the case. I ended up pushing for about an hour and a half. Andrea and Chris were awesome. They talked with me, gave me drinks of water, and cold wash clothes. Andrea also did hot compresses to help me not tear, which didn't work completely but still, it felt good when I would push. Once his head was finally coming down and you could see it we started using the mirror. It was really encouraging because I could see my progress and it made me want to push harder to get him out quick. You could see that he had a ton of dark hair, I was so happy!! Grandma Dottie, Grandma Jeanne, Chris and Andrea were all in the room with me. I did not mind at all. But then again I was so out of it and focused on pushing that I didn't really care at that point. A lot of nurses came in and out, and the Neo-natal people were right there too waiting because of the whole meconium thing. The doctor did end up getting there shortly after I started pushing too. She was surprised....I told her things were happening quick! Anyways, when I was crowning, I guess she kept playing with his hair. Like making it into a little mohawk. Weird, I know, lol. At one point, his head was just sticking out of me like two inches. I remember looking into the mirror and thinking WOW...wow...this hurts.....lol. And then I was like Ok, I know what people are talking about when they say that you can feel the "ring of fire!" Everyone just sort of laughed. Once his head was out completely they started suctioning him right away. A couple more big pushes and he was out! He was born at 6:38 pm and weighed 8 lbs. 7 oz. I pushed for about an hour and a half and it definitely felt that long! I only got to see him for a couple seconds and they took him away to get him cleaned up and suctioned. They worked on him for quite some time, but it worked out because all the while they were working on me. I kept asking is he ok? Is he alright? They assured me things were fine. We also got it all on video. Not something that I go around showing random people, but I like to have it for me to watch. It was just a special moment for us! I ended up bleeding pretty badly and the OB had some trouble getting it to stop. They kept pushing on me which wasn't fun since I could feel EVERYTHING. They ended up giving me a shot of pitocin in my thigh which I fought at first because I didn't want it, but then realized how bad the bleeding was once Chris gave me this UHH you need it NOW look. She also shoved a Cytotec up my butt. Yeah, I am scarred for life because of that. Chris said she stuck her finger up there pretty far (OWW!!) Anyways, it all helped because finally the bleeding stopped. I guess people were starting to get a little freaked out. I had a 2nd degree tear on bottom and also tore a little on the top so I got some stitches. Like I said, none of this was fun, but I just kept focusing on the baby and asking if I could have him soon. Finally they were all done and they gave him to me! He was sooo awake and so alert. His eyes were huge. Chris was like, he looks just like you! I couldn't tell who he looked like yet, but I was happy he was finally here, and that my labor was all over with. They told me that he was totally fine and not to worry about the whole meconium thing. I had planned on keeping the placenta to encapsulate it but it was covered with the meconium inside and out so we ended up just throwing it away.
The nurses were really great. They let me take a shower pretty much right away. I was surprised that I didn't feel faint at all when I walked to the bathroom. I was just super shakey, which I guess is normal! I was pretty emotional in the shower. I was just so happy that our little guy had finally arrived, and was totally healthy. Also that I had had a pretty good labor, just like how I had wanted. I just felt incredibly thankful and kept thanking God!
I got to eat dinner pretty much right away too, I was hungry! After a while everyone left and I just spent some time alone with Graydon. He was hungry right away and latched right now. I was also thankful about this, I had prayed that our baby wouldn't have issues with latching on or nursing. He was a strong sucker, and the nurses convinced us to let him have a pacifier even though I didn't really want him too, but it wasn't even an issue. I felt so blessed. Overall my labor was only about 8 1/2 hours. Not too bad at all for a first baby!
Around 10 pm we finally got moved into our room that we would stay in for the rest of the stay at the hospital. Chris was exhausted, but I was so high on adrenaline, I could barely get myself to sleep. Graydon was sleeping and so I got right online and posted some pictures and an update right away!
We finally named him the next evening. We had been going between Collin and Graydon, and finally settled on Graydon. That name was Chris's idea, and now I love it!!
The first couple days were rough. I was really sore and it hurt to sit down. Thank goodness for ice packs and Dermaplast! Also every time Gray nursed the cramps were not too fun, but I just kept reminding myself that compared to the contractions I had felt that it was nothing!
We finally got to go home early Monday afternoon. Thankfully things have come pretty naturally since then. We have had our rough moments here and there, but things have been good and we are happy.

I know this is a long story, and I do not really expect anyone to read all of it. It is for my benefit so I can hopefully remember everything and look back on this when I want to!
And that was how baby Gray came into the world. :) Love that little guy.