A Baby Story

Well, here goes. The baby story of how Harrison Paul chose to enter the world :) He's currently swinging contentedly so I think I've got a bit of time to write, cross my fingers.

On Wednesday May 19th I had a doctor's appointment. My doc and I had commiserated over the failed induction and were planning a Plan B.
Option 1: Wait for me to go into labor naturally (which wasn't looking like it was coming anytime soon)
Option 2: Set a date for induction #2

Obviously I chose option 2. On top of that I was feeling the squeeze from an impending goodbye to my little sister who was leaving for summer work in Yellowstone on the following Monday. This baby had to get a move on if he wanted to meet her before October! And so it was decided to go for it, and we checked into Butterworth that evening. Jonathan and Katie both accompanied me. This time I didn't beg them to take me home (which happened at the first induction) I was as ready as I was going to be.

We settled into our room, which was nice and spacious. They got things going with an induction "pill" (I'm choosing to be a little vague, you don't really want to know everything anyway!). Jon set up camp on the couch and Katie put her "nest" together on the floor! She said it was more comfortable than the chair. I was on the uncomfortable bed.

May 20th came and at 6am they IV'd me with pitocin. No penicillin at that time thank goodness (that stuff burns your veins like no ones business- ouch!). No breakfast for me, but I didn't care as much that time around. The hours ticked on, Katie and Jon watched my contraction mountains on the monitor and we listened to Baby's heartbeat which usually stayed around 140.

1pm came and my doctor showed up to check my progress. What an invasive procedure, I was getting really annoyed with it! And surprise surprise I was 1cm dilated, some progress right? Doctor made the call to break my water herself to get things moving into gear. What a weird sensation let me tell you! Not painful at all, but it felt like I was constantly wetting myself- yeesh. I was so intrigued and a little weirded out by all that fluid that I made Katie google how much amniotic fluid was normal. She came up with a crazy range of a few cups to a gallon or two. Really?

3pm- OUCH. Contractions are really kicking in at this point. I came into this induction without deciding upon pain control. I honestly wanted to know how painful was this birthing pain. PAINFUL is the answer. Okay, so I had some back labor issues with made things worse but it really did take me by surprise. I am no wimp, I promise! When my doc checked again and I was holding at 1-2cm I called for the epidural. I had had enough of this painful and complicated pregnancy and gave myself the okay to get the big guns of pain meds.

Here come the anesthesiologists; sat up, curled into a C shape, gave them the go ahead to attack my back. Jon sat in front of me giving me some eyeball courage. Kate had excused herself at this point. Docs numbed my back, not too painful. They needled my back (why was I hearing popping sounds?), yes I felt "pressure" as they always say. A tad uncomfortable. Whoops, docs back out of the spot. Not a good one I guess. Ugh. Numb my back again, then came needle #2 (there's that pop again...), catheter in,  test meds go in, meds pool and don't go where they need to. Ugh. Docs numb my back AGAIN, needle #3, (POP), test meds go in, they succeed! Finally. Oh and those pops were apparently due to my tight back, ligaments moving.....gross. Little did I know then but they had gone too far into my spinal column and hit into my spinal fluid...which gave me a wicked spinal headache lasting about a week afterwards.

Whew.....that was annoying. But, now I watched those mountains on the monitors and was amazed at not feeling them. Couldn't feel my legs at all, they were so floppy!

8pm, Mom and Dad pop in to say hi. I'm checked again and at 6cm, yay! Dad cycles home, Mom stays with us.

10pm, I tell my nurse I am feeling some pressure. She checks and I'm at 10cm! Whoa! Call my doctor! Goodbye Katie and Mom, they settle nervously in the waiting room. I'm set up for delivery, Jon and I silently begin to freak out. Nurses start me pushing with the contraction mountains which I feel the pressure but no pain. Doctor gets there at 10:30. Let's get Baby delivered!

I push push push...it's been 3 hours now and we arn't seeing baby move much.... Doctor gives us the next option, vacuum. Uhhhhhhh, weird. And a bit scary. Mostly weird.

1am, after two contractions and the use of the weird vacuum Baby arrived! 1:01am Baby boy was placed on my chest and the first words I can muster are "he's so heavy!" Jon manages a sweeter "hello" to baby. I'm a mess of tears at this point, baby is crying a little but calms quickly. We cuddle as Jon and the nurses take pics of us. I got to hold him almost a half hour before they took him for his first bath and tests and such.

Mom and Katie are going stir crazy, they finally are fetched by Jon around 1:40am. They are all smiles and hugs. We are all exhausted! But we finally have our little Harrison Paul and we love him :)