Garths Birth Story!!

I think my contractions started at about 16 weeks. Must have been because this was my fourth baby. I actually thought you were going to come on the 11th. I had contractions that were 5-10 minutes apart for about 5 hours. I took the boys to the park and walked like 3 miles while the boys played. We came home and I started dinner and the contractions went away. Well not totally away, as I continued to have between 5-10 each day until you came!! On the 20th at about 4:00 I noticed that the contractions were getting a little more breath catching. I called Wade who was in the middle of a bike ride and told him to get home. Mostly because I was sick of the kids and I was feeling really nauseous. He came home and got dinner ready while I took a hot shower. After dinner which I didn’t eat we watched TV for awhile. My contractions were still only 20 minutes apart but they were defiantly getting harder. We went to bed about 9:00. Well Wade went to bed; I laid there wishing I was sleeping. Between 9-12:00 my contractions were pretty regular like 5-10 minutes apart. I must have slept a little, but finally I got up and packed bags for the boys to take to Grandma's and finished packing my bag. It seems funny but even though this is my fourth time, I kept feeling like I was missing something, like I needed to print out “what to take to the hospital” list. Well I never did, and we were ok!! I walked the halls a little and watch some Oprah, my contractions got a lot harder but were more like 20 minutes apart again. Finally I called the Dr. & Mom and we set out for the hospital. We checked in at 2:40am. I always hate the drive to the hospital. The braking, the turning, the accelerating it just hurts!! I sat in the ER for about 15 minutes before they came to take me up to Labor & Delivery. I guess I had just missed the shuttle, as two ladies had gone up just minutes before I arrived. The nurses were all surprised that I didn’t know if I was having a girl or a boy. They wished us luck and hoped for a girl for us. I smiled, but I knew you would be a boy. L & D was full so I hung out in an examining room the first few minutes. I got changed into my cute nursing PJ’s that Leslie made me. Wade took some pictures. I was still feeling pretty good, and the contractions were not to close together. I really wanted the epidural, but I didn’t have any faith that I would actually be dilated enough to get one. Since with Gavin I dilated from 2-10 in 30 minutes. But the nurse came in and checked me and said I was 6-7. Yea Yea. I asked for an epidural and how long it would take. 30 minutes she said. Yea again, I could wait that long!! Meanwhile I was still feeling nauseous. So I asked for a throw up bin. Really that tub they use could not be more awful. But anyway as I was choking and spitting & trying to keep it in the tub, my water broke. About that time the contractions defiantly started to get worse. And then I had to move to a room. That was sweet. Kind of like the car ride 50 times worse. Ug. We made it to a room, I puked some more. A nurse came in and put an IV needle in my arm, I was a little out of it, but it sure seemed dumb as I was practically ready to push the baby out!! A nurse checked me again and muttered some technical term to the other nurses. Automatically Wade is like what the heck does that mean. Well it meant I was dilated to 10 and I was defiantly feeling it. Meanwhile the nurse comes in with the epidural-dumb lady, she was too late!! Dr. Martin, hadn’t shown yet (If only you could have waited a couple hours then Lynette could have delivered you!!). I told the nurse to just get whoever was on call at the hospital, I had never met Dr. Martin & I didn’t care who delivered the baby, I just wanted you out!! A few minutes later the on call Dr. came in & sorry I didn’t catch her name, but she was nice. Although she took her sweet time getting her scrubs on. All the while I was dying to push and honestly I did a little!! Finally time to push. I was ready; I pushed, after a couple minutes the Dr. told me if I wasn’t having a contraction then I shouldn’t push. Hump I waited a little while and then pushed again. I would say about 15 minutes and then you were out. Little stinker you were posterior as well. That accounts for all the delightful burning as you came out. It was a little weird but I could feel your little body slithering out of me. I have never felt that before. Dad cut your umbilical cord and then they laid you on my tummy. You were perfect. You didn’t cry to much. I held you for about 10 minutes & you peed on me! They took you to weigh you; I guessed 8lbs 9oz. I was close you weighed 8lbs 7oz and you were 20 ¾ inches long. You were born at 3:58am. Just a little over an hour after I got to the hospital!