Oh goodness! It has been a very long time since I posted. It has been pretty busy here in Cleveland for us. I don't know where to begin. This is going to be a long post!
We finally got moved into the house! Yipppeee! Thank you Mom and Dad for coming down the day of the move and helping. Also thanks to Kappa Alpha for helping us get all the big stuff moved in! I was useless because I was nine months pregnant and 3 cm dilated and not allowed to pick anything up. I also have to thank G-mom for helping get the house in order. She is amazing!!!! I went to work with boxes everywhere and when I came home I had a well organized house! I was in shock...she worked so hard to help us get the house to a home.
We had an amazing Thanksgiving! We all thought that Jackson would make his appearance before Thanksgiving or during it, but he had other plans. Mom, Dad, Diane, and Dr. B all came over to the house and we had Thanksgiving dinner in our house! It was wonderful to have our family all over for Thanksgiving. We have lots to be thankful for.
Mom stayed with us until November 20-27 because we (except for day) thought Jackson would make is debut around then. I had already been put in the hospital twice for blood pressure and we all just thought that it could happen soon. Mom was constantly asking if I felt anything. We were all anxious and not too good at playing the waiting game. Anyway, she went home on Friday the 27. And I called her the 28th to come back.
Jackson's arrival.
I woke up around 4 A.M. November 28th to go to the bathroom. All you pregnant people know how that is. As I was walking to that bathroom a I felt something run down my leg. I really thought that might have waited to late to go to the bathroom. This had never happened before, but thought it might just come with pregnancy. So after I get over the shock of something running down my leg, I realize I still have to go to the bathroom. That is when the idea came into my head that my water just broke. All kinds of emotions are running through me...I was excited, scared, nervous..everything!
I still wasn't sure if it was my water because I wasn't contracting or didn't feel anything. It was also not a lot of "water". So I get the What to Expect book and start looking to see how much water there is when your water breaks. I did this for about twenty minutes. All this time Brian is in the bed and I haven't told him yet. I didn't want to get him up if it was nothing and I had just peed my pants.
Around 4:20, I wake Brian up and tell him that I think my water broke. He is still half asleep and sat there for a few seconds. He then ask "What do you want to do". At this point I was getting nervous and told him to get up. I explain what happened and he starts looking in the book.
We didn't know what to do. We didn't want to call my mom because it was 4 in the morning and didn't want her to drive 2 hours for a false alarm. We didn't want to call his mom because of the same reasons (minus the 2 hour drive). So we came up with the solutions to call the hospital and ask someone in Labor/Delivery. By this time I was having contractions, but they weren't exactly the same lengths.
The hospital told us to head to the hospital. Brian asked if I wanted to get in the shower and I told him that I didn't think I could dry my hair...I was starting to hurt!! Brian gets in the shower...this whole time he is thinking that it could be a false alarm, BUT when he gets out of the shower and sees me leaned over the bath tub he knew it was for real.
We get to the hospital around 5 and have to wait in the emergency room for about 10 minutes, felt like hours to me. Contracts getting really bad. They take me up stairs and see that I am 4 cm. They also did a test to see if my water really broke and it was inconclusive. They put me on the monitors and start to get other junk done that I really don't recall.
My contracts were really bad now and Mrs. Diane had told me earlier that week to hold out for the epidural as long as possible, because I didn't it to wear off during labor. The nurse started a fluid IV, took my blood for platelets count, and other things. I literally had my eyes closed the whole time!!
She couldn't get the IV in and told me that I was going to blow a vein if I didn't relax. I'm thinking.....how do you relax and not tense up when you have contractions? Anyway contracts keep building and I start to also have back labor. So after a contractions went away, I still had massive pain in my back, so there was never a point of relief.
Around this time (I think) Mrs. Diane and Dr. B come in the room. I really don't recall much of this, but remember them being so sweet sounding.
Around 6:30, I told Brian I thought I had to go to the bathroom. I really did, but also wanted to make sure that my bladder was empty when I started to push so I wouldn't tt. The nurse came in and helped unhook me. I thought it took like 5 minutes to get me up and to the bathroom, but Brian said it took about 20. When I got back they were in the room with some relief....Staydol (not sure how to spell it). I can't tolerate Demerol so they were going to give me that. I told the nurse that I felt like Jackson was so low...actually I felt like he was going to fall out. So she decides to check me and finds that I am 10 cm!! They start rushing around the room and finally give me some Staydol. This whole time my mom has still not arrived!!
She then tells me that we are going to have a practice push...I'm thinking..yeah right either we are starting or we aren't...I don't need any practice. This is around 7 AM
I open my eyes for the first time in awhile and look at the nurse and ask about the epidural. She then tells me it is too late. WHAT!! I look at Brian and tell him I can't do this. I didn't want to do it without meds! I really wanted Jackson to come but goodness I really wanted some meds.
Mom comes in about this time! It is around 6:50...I think.I start pushing and apparently I'm a good pusher! During a contractions, the nurse wanted to get 3 ten second pushes in. By the third set, she tells me to STOP! What did she just say?!?!
The next contraction we start pushing again, but again she tells me to STOP! She this whole time has been pushing him back in when she says stop, so that we can wait on the doctor. After about 3 times of this I ask where the doctor is, because I know that is what she is waiting for. She tells me that he is on the way...and I reply....GET A NEW ONE! I later told Brian that they could have gotten any random Joe off the street and put a white coat on him and called him DR. at that point I didn't care. Brian told me later that one time the nurse said stop and I said NO! hahaha
The doctor arrives in his Ole Miss sweatshirt! Thank goodness he is here. One cut, two pushes, and Jackson is here!! He was born at 7:24 AM. That's right I was only in labor for about 3 1/2 hours. I told the doctor next time I'm going to have to move in his house. I have also decided anytime I go to the hospital for anything (visit someone or anything) I'm getting the labs started so that I can have an epidural!
I know this is such a long post and I will update about the days that followed his arrival in a later post. Stay tuned.
