Well, first off...let's pick back up where we left off.
I was supposed to be uploading my 39 week update on Wednesday, September 2. I had it all written up and ready to post. And I was excited to share what I was hoping would be my last bump picture of this pregnancy, as I was anticipating scheduling my induction day that afternoon at my 40 week appointment.
But my baby boy had other wonderful plans for me. As I woke up at 6:30 in the morning on Wednesday, September 2, to my surprise and delight, my water broke! I immediately decided I liked this little guy already. Nice and prompt. One day before his due date! I called for Greg in the other room, who was already up and going for the day. We squealed with excitement and immediately sprung into our action plan. I hopped in the shower while he tended to the pets and made sure they were set. Once I finished showering and got dressed, I packed up the last few items into our hospital bags and Greg loaded up the car while I made the bed and did a final once over of the house; because I couldn't just leave to have a baby until I was sure the house was clean & tidy ((rolls eyes at self)). By 7:15 we were pulling up to the hospital and headed into labor & delivery. Yup...I just waltzed right in.
Coincidentally, my doctor was already there finishing up a c-section when we arrived. We no sooner got settled into our room, I slipped into my delivery gownie, and she was already there. She checked me, and again to my surprise, I was already at 3cm! I was actually shocked, considering I was still closed at my last appointment and I had felt absolutely no contractions or pain whatsoever. Even so, she decided it would be best to start me on pitocin (a labor inducing drug), since I wasn't contracting and we were on the clock. (They won't let you go more than 24 hours from the time your water breaks to the time of delivery to prevent infection.) She recommended that I opt for an epidural (because pitocin is known for making contractions much worse than natural labor), and told me she would be calling to check on my progress up until delivery.
So they got me all hooked up to my IV and pitocin drip (and an internal baby monitor...one thing I was really hoping to avoid) and it was time to get down to business. I knew the contractions would be kicking in soon and the reality started setting in that this was it...the big day! I started feeling increasingly anxious, and decided it was time to make the call to have my mom come sit with us during labor. The plan had been that she would be 'on call' in case I decided I needed my mommy...and I did, because she calms me down. I knew it was so important that I relax and allow my body to do it's thing, and I knew my best chance of doing so was to have her there too.
Ready to take on these contractions & meet my little man
Greg ready to become a dad
It took until around 11am for me to start feeling as though I was in active labor. I could feel the contractions getting stronger as they continued to kick up the pitocin little by little. My nurse had already been asking if I wanted the epidural, but it was nothing I couldn't handle yet. I just breathed through the contractions, using the technique we learned in our childbirth prep class. At noon, my nurse checked me and said I was at 5cm. This was the golden number I wanted to hear before allowing myself to get an epidural. So since I reached it, I went ahead and gave her the green light to put in the order. I think I asked for it at just the right time, because by the time the anesthesiologist got there and got it working, I was just starting to really labor through contractions. He and the nurse complimented me saying how impressed they were with how centered I was and how well I was handling the contractions. But, I am so happy I decided to go ahead and get the epi. By 12:45, I was all hooked up and laughing as they asked me if I could feel the contraction I just had. Those things are truly unreal.
The rest of the afternoon, Greg, my mom and I just relaxed and chatted as we waited for my labor to progress. My nurse checked me again around 3:00 and I was at a 7. She decided to go ahead and just turn off the pitocin as she hadn't increased it in a while, and my body was doing the work all on it's own! Around 4:30/5, I finally started getting uncomfortable and feeling a slight urge to push. They checked me again, and sure enough I was at a 10! They officially considered me 'complete'.
The nurse explained that we would then start a process that they call 'labor down'. Instead of starting to push right away, and wearing myself out...they would have me wait and only push when I felt I wanted to, needed to, or could no longer control my body from doing so. As this part of the day progressed, I got more and more uncomfortable pretty quickly, and it was time for my mom to leave until after delivery and our 'golden hour' with our newborn son.
Saying goodbye to my mommy before I became one myself
Last picture as a twosome! Anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby boy.
Ready to push and still smiling!
Ready to push and still smiling!
The last hour and a half up until Mason's delivery was the most uncomfortable and definitely the most unglamorous hour and a half I've ever had. I am happy to say that I never did lose my cool and become that lady you could hear screaming down the hall. I just breathed and pushed. (Okay, there may have been a moment where I yelled at Greg to stop telling me to "push! push! push! push!") My labor may have been a breeze, but delivery was no joke! When all was said and done, I ended up with a pretty serious episiotomy and having to agree to a vacuum extraction to help Mason out. But finally, at 7:43pm, Mason Gregory officially made his entrance into this world.
09.02.15. 7:43pm. He is here!
Because of the vacuum extraction, Mason had to be fully checked by a neonatologist before I was able to hold him or do any skin-to-skin. The entire day seemed to fly by until those moments, which seemed to take an eternity. I laid there getting stitched back up and could do nothing but stare in amazement and awe at my little man laying there in the warmer. I cried as he cried his first cries. Thankfully, Greg was the best advocate I could ask for and kept pushing for them to get him to me as soon as possible. I could not wait to hold my baby boy in my arms. Once I did, I knew my world would never be the same. Mason's birth was the most wonderful, incredible experience. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
The moment I've waited my whole life for
The new love of our lives. Our perfect baby boy
My family. My world.
I am beyond blessed.
The next hours and days we spent in the hospital were the most precious and best days of my entire life. I am so happy we have these pictures to bring us back. I can't even look at them without tearing up (yep...I am that mom now.)
"How wonderful life is, now you're in the world."
Since Mason's birth, we have been soaking up every single moment together as a family of three. Our lives are forever changed for the better, and we are all doing wonderfully.
