Well...almost 6 months ago he was born. A second coming, and a totally different experience from Sam's Birth almost 7 years ago to the day.
After the July 4th fireworks Jay and I went home with Sam and Eben. We put the boys to bed, and by the time it was 11pm we were for some reason wired for sound. Jay and I sat and watched Storage Wars, and Pawn Stars until around 1 in the morning. At that time I started feeling some tightening of my uterus, but thought nothing of it until it continue for a 1/2 hr. Then we timed them...TWO minutes apart. They were not painful, but definitely making my stomach tight. So we called the OB dept. They sad to come in because I was 3 cm. at my last OB appt a few days before, and I needed antibiotics for my Group B strep.
We called my Mom, and Dad (who live up the road from our house), and told them what was going on. My Dad came down to watch the boys, and then my mom would come down in the AM and watch them if I was truly in labor. I remember kissing Sam and nuzzling his little face, and telling him with tears in my eyes how much I loved him, and how that nothing, nothing in the world would change that and that I was always going to be there for him. He was sound asleep, but for some reason it felt better knowing that I had told him that. Uggghhhhhh...that sucked, saying goodby to your first born, knowing that you would be a family of 4 when you came home again, and hoping that everything would be ok!
So, Jay and I drove to the hospital, and when we got there, they took one look at me and said...you are not in labor, you are too calm and happy. So my great nurse Jessica put me on the monitor and checked me. I was indeed having contractions (2 minutes apart), and was 4 cm dilated with a bulging bag of waters. So they decided that I could stay. The put an IV in, drew some blood, and hung my first penicillin dose. Then I called my twinnie, my rock, the woman who I NEEDED to be with me. She was scheduled to work that day, and I had asked a wonderful coworker, Nancy, if she would be able to work for Julia in the event that I went into labor on a day she was scheduled to work. THANK GOODNESS I DID! So Julia was sound asleep, and I call her at about 3AM. "Hello" she says, "Hi...guess what..." "Seriously, no way!" she says. "Yup, I am 4 cm, contractions 2 min apart, and they are keeping me, go back to bed, I am going to call Nancy, and I will see you later in the morning.". Yeah right...she showed up about 1 hour later! I was so relieved to see her. Poor Nancy had to work on her day off, and for that I am eternally grateful!
My poor mother, who I know wanted to be by my side, but was thankfully watching out other boys, was checking in on and off. I can not imagine what that must have been like for her, but I am very thankful for her support and for being there in the capacity she was. She rocks too!
My poor mother, who I know wanted to be by my side, but was thankfully watching out other boys, was checking in on and off. I can not imagine what that must have been like for her, but I am very thankful for her support and for being there in the capacity she was. She rocks too!
For the next few hours we walked the halls, went up and down flights of stairs, swayed my hips in figure eights. I rocked in a rocking chair, and sat on a birthing ball to help open my pelvis. The contractions were there, but nothing compared to the pitocin ones I had with Sam. I took a jacuzzi tub, washed my hair, and visited with Julia and Jay (who napped off and on).
A super d duper thank you to Julia, who not only was my doula, but also took all of the amazing photos I have shared with you here. I do not know what I would ever do without her.
See tooooooo happy...
So Mary, MY FABULOUS MIDWIFE came in at around 8 AM and broke the bag of waters,
and told me that she didn't think things would be long. I was still about 4 cm.
The next few hours was pretty blahhhhh...the contractions slowly started gaining speed, and strength. Nothing I could not handle, but more than mild. I continue to walk, rock, etc. Mary came back in at some point before 11 and checked me again. I was about 5 cm. Around 1 pm she checked me again, and I was about 6cm, and I was getting pretty uncomfortable. I asked for a dose of Nubain, and that took the edge off. I remember dozing on and off, and sleeping for while. I think Mary came in around 2 and I was still about 6 cm. I asked her if I could do anything else to speed things up. She said to try the jacuzzi.
Julia and I went into the bathroom, and I sat in the tub. I was still drowsy, and I remember asking Julia the same questions twice...I am a lightweight in the drug dept, so that ONE shot of Nubain was a doozy. Then things picked up...holy crap did they pick up. I remember having lower back pain, like pressure, and pain at the same time. I remember having to press my back into the edge of the tub to place counter pressure where it hurt. I remember telling Julia that I didn't want another dose of the Nubain because I wanted to remember having this baby, unlike Sam, and that I would go for the spinal if I could have it. Then things went from 0-60. The rest is a blur. No time for the spinal, barely enough time to get to the bed. F#%$^@CK!!!!!!!! Julia called for the nurse (Sharon, who BTW was INCREDIBLE), I was on my knees facing the tub wall, and making ungodly noises, grunting, and moaning, and being very gutteral in my noises. I remember Julia telling Sharon that I sounded like this when I was birthing Sam. So Sharon checked me in the tub, and I only had a lip of the cervix left. Then I remember looking through the bathroom doorway, seeing the OB unit director Marilyn, Mary, and Sharon all scurrying about. They wanted me to walk to the bed. Yeah right...good luck with that. Every inch I moved I had another contraction, and involuntarily felt my body pushing. Like I had no control. It was the most amazing , painful, and weird thing I have ever experienced. I never had the urge to push with Sam.
So with Julia's support I finally made it to the edge of the bed. Then I sat there, and could not stop pushing, it was so incredible! I said "I'm pushing, my body is pushing". They got me into the bed, and Jay and Julia were there. I want to say it was about 3pm by the time I started pushing in the bed. I was screaming, and groaning, and crying out because it hurt so F-ing bad. It was so much pressure against where my urethra was. I begged Mary to cut me, and give me an episiotomy to relieve the pressure. She wouldn't and said that there was plenty of stretch left. Ugghhhhhhh....great I thought. LOL. After about 10 minutes he began to crown, and Mary told me to put my hands down, and grab him. I said "Nooooo...I can't, I don't want to do it...can Julia do it?" She said "sure, Julia, here are your gloves!" So Julia put on the sterile gloves, and got into position with Mary guiding her hands. He had a nuchal cord x 1, and Mary reduced it, then they pulled him out together. It was amazing, and emotional, and as my twinnie said...Glorious. Jay was at my side, Sharon and Marcy, another RN were holding my legs, and everything was ready. I pushed, and pushed, and at 3:13 pm Hayden made his way into this crazy world, into the hands of his Auntie Jella.
Love at first sight I tell you!
Hayden Hough
7 lbs 15 oz
21 in.
17 minutes old
17 minutes old
His other mama!
Daddy love
My new baby~so surreal
Oma and Poppy inspecting the newest addition
My two loves meeting for the first time. Sam said he smelled like a bagel! LOL
First nursing session
Proud Eben and Sam!
Same noses
And then there were four!
We went home the very next day, and luckily there were no complications. So different than Sam's Birth but just as special. No internal monitor, no pitocin, no spinal, not strapped to the bed, no episiotomy, no hemorrhaging, no drug induced amnesia. You know the funny thing...the minute I had Hayden I had a flood of memories, probably suppressed from when I had Sam, and I said to Julia "I remember, I remember!" That my friends is the best memory I have from this birth, besides my sister catching Hayden. It was like I gave birth to Sam again, I know that might sound weird, but that is how it felt. A wonderful, lovely memory of when I became a mother for the first time.
