Birth Story

Warning: This is really long and maybe boring. :)

So, I'd say it all started Saturday May 28th. My Grandpa passed away about 1:30 that morning. He had been suffering with dementia for almost five years. Donovan and me went and visited him the Thursday after he had a stroke the day before. Friday he went into a coma and passed away early Saturday. I'm sharing this for a reason, I promise. Sometime that night Contractions started coming regularly. They were coming 10 to 15 minutes apart for over two hours. Jason was at a concert and we were worried he was going to have to leave early. However, contractions continued coming but never got any closer that night. It wasn't until the next night that they got under five minutes. My Mom was visiting, so Jason and me headed to the hospital. They monitored me for over an hour and said contractions were coming 2 to 7 minutes apart, but there was no change in my cervix, so back home we came.

This was a pretty tough weekend for me. I had many emotions going on that were hard to process. I was saddened by my grandfather's death, but very excited about the baby coming soon. It was hard for me to know how to feel, especially because I thought the baby was going to come on the same day of his passing. I also wanted the baby to come so bad that weekend so we could make it to the funeral on Thursday. The baby had another plan though. Contractions continued coming regularly for days. My Mom and me even went on a 5K walk that didn't help, but make me more uncomfortable. I tried to just keep moving and staying as active as I could. This was very different from my last 12 week activity. I find it interesting that there was all this worry about me having the baby early, then when I try to get him to come....nothing. I was very frustrated.

As Thursday came closer I was torn between wanting the baby to come or not. I really wanted to make it to the funeral, but also really really wanted the baby out. Keep in mind that I'm still contracting, and I'm very uncomfortable and in pain. Every night of this week was horrible. So, Thursday came and the baby was not here. I was really glad that I was able to go to the funeral. It was very special. I was glad I got to say goodbye. I also got to see some family that I hadn't seen for awhile. About ten or so that night contractions started getting closer and more painful. Jason and me debated on going in, but neither of us wanted to be sent home again. We even read in our books about labor to help us decide. I finally just decided to try to sleep about one in the morning. I woke up about four from a pain. I timed the contractions and decided to wake Jason up at 5:30 to tell him that I thought it was time. We called my Mom and got to the hospital about 6:30.

At the hospital we were finally told that I was in active labor. I was dilated to a 6. I had been debating on having an epidural during my whole pregnancy. I hated the way I reacted to the one with Donovan. I believed that I had to push for four hours with him because of it. I think we were there for about six hours before I finally decided to get one. It wasn't because of the contractions. I was dilated to an eight at this point and my water had been broken, and I was handling the contractions fine. It was talking to my doctor that swayed me. I've always been worried about the stitching up after without an epidural. I have a little fear of stitches for some reason. Not needles, just stitches specifically. My doctor said that for her, the stitching up after would be the reason for an epidural. So, I got one and immediately my contractions stopped. They gave me that drug that gets contractions going and we waited for almost another two hours for him to come. So, I still hate epidurals and just don't think they mix too well with my system. Maybe I won't chicken out the next time.

Dexter was born at exactly 2p.m. with about ten minutes of pushing. They put him on my chest, and I knew immediately that he was a big baby. He seemed so huge. He was 8lbs 6oz and 19 1/2 inches long (which we think is wrong).

I find it interesting that my contractions started the day my grandfather passed away, but I didn't go into labor until after the funeral. It's gone through my mind that, that is for a reason. Maybe my grandpa wanted me there. Maybe he wanted to spend some time with Dexter before he came to us. Who really knows, but it's a nice thought.