Caedmon's Birth Story {part 3}

Read Part 1 {here}

Part 2 {here}

4:00pm

My nurse came in a checked me and I was still only dilated to 2cm.  By this time the contractions were extremely painful and I wasn't getting much of a break in between them.  I was hesitant to ask for an epidural already so my nurse suggested getting Nubane.  I had never heard of it but I was willing to try anything at that point.  She said it would make me feel drunk and just take the edge off the contractions.  I wanted to stay in the rocking chair but as soon as I started feeling the Nubane working I needed to be laying down.  It did NOTHING for the pain and only made me extremely dizzy and nauseous.  As long as I kept my eyes closed, I was able to keep myself from throwing up so that's what I did.  I lasted on this for probably 20-30 minutes before I was eagerly asking for an epidural.  Thank you Dr. Samanich for saying it was ok to get it even though I was only at a 2.  I love you forever for that.

4:45pm (ish)

The anesthesiologist came in and got me prepped for the epidural.  I remember getting my spinal before my c-section with Lincoln and how that hardly hurt at all so I wasn't really nervous.  I just wanted them to hurry so I could relax a little.  FYI, having contractions while they are giving you an epidural and having to remain as still as possible is extremely hard to do!

After the epidural I started feeling relief all over my left side but only slightly on my right.  I was panicking that it wasn't going to go to both sides.  I changed positions a little and it eventually got numb on my right side.  HUGE sigh of relief.  Whew.  That was close!

After the epidural I was able to just lay back and enjoy the laboring process. (as much as one can!) I was a little surprised that an epidural doesn't make you completely numb.  Every couple contractions I could feel a little bit of them.  But if you ask me, epidurals are a very beautiful thing.  :)  Kudos to all you who can do this whole birth thing drug free, wow....how do you do it?!  

5:45pm

It was probably about an hour after I got the epidural that I started feeling pressure.  I told my nurse and the Dr. and they debated on whether or not to check me but in the end decided not to since my water was already broke and they didn't want to check me too many times for fear of introducing infection.  Plus I was only 2cm dilated an hour before so both saw the pressure as a good sign but didn't think it could've made me dilate too quickly.  

6:05pm

Tyler getting creative with the camera....I think he was getting a little stir crazy

He's thinking, "Let's get this show on the road!"  Little did he know...

Notice the time on the clock: 6:05pm

At this time I was still feeling lots of pressure but since the Dr. just said not too long ago that I probably hadn't progressed much and wasn't even worried about checking me, I told Tyler to go ahead and head down to the cafeteria to get something to eat.  He must've been starving, poor guy.  (said with lots of sarcasm, since I hadn't eaten anything since 8:00 the night before!)

At least he was nice enough to go outside the room to eat anything so I didn't have to sit there and watch him eat yummy food.

6:30pm

Tyler finally decided to take me up on my offer to let him go eat and went down to the cafeteria.

Literally minutes after he left I felt the urge to push.  I kid you not.  I frantically looked for my call button to get the nurse in there.  She rushed in and checked me and I was dilated to 10 and his head was right there.  She ran out of the room to tell someone to get Dr. Samanich ASAP and then came back in and hurriedly started getting the room ready for me to deliver.  My mom was in a taxi on her way from the airport to the hospital at this exact time as well and so Tyler had taken both our phones with him downstairs.  I was panicked and started repeating over and over again, "someone get my husband in here!" For some reason they aren't allowed to page over the intercom so another nurse came in and asked me what he looked like and what he was wearing.  Then off she went to get him.
I was using the room phone to try and get ahold of Tyler.  You have to dial 9 to get out and then the number and for some reason it wasn't going through and when it did go through I got someone else....twice.  The second time I accidentally called this random person I asked if tyler was there (thinking maybe he dropped one of our phones and someone else picked it up) and the guy was joking around saying things like, "no, but this is Tyler's friend."  I yelled at him that I was in labor and needed my husband and hung up.

While all this is going on, I'm having contractions and the urge to push is so strong.  The nurse told me I had to wait and that was probably the hardest thing to do at the moment.  I kept holding my breath and started shaking,  in order to not push and she kept telling me to breath deep breaths.  Then, what felt like an eternity later, Tyler finally came walking through the door on the phone with my mom telling her what was going on.  He literally walked in and the nurse told him to hurry over and grab one of my legs because I was ready to push.  I wish I could remember what his face looked like at that point :)

Probably scared out of his mind!

I pushed once before my Dr. got there.  He came in, I pushed two more times and sweet little Caedmon was born at 6:54pm on December 15th!  Tyler got to cut the cord and they layed him right on me.  It was the sweetest moment ever.  THAT'S what I've wanted for so long.  THAT'S what I feel like I missed out on with Lincoln.  Those precioius moments just after birth.  No one had to whisk him away to the NICU.  He was here and he was healthy.  

I relished in the moments after he was born.  Having him lay on my chest, I kept saying, "this is the best feeling in the world."  And I was SO excited that I had just had a vbac, I kept telling my Dr. "I didn't think it was actually going to happen!"  I think I was just a blubbering fool, saying all sorts of things but I didn't care.  I was overflowing with joy.  

It doesn't get much better than this.

Proud Daddy with Caedmon 

LOVE.

I told you my mom got there just in time. :)

I was healthy.

My baby was healthy.

That's all that mattered.  

God is so, so good.