6 Weeks Ago Today...

Disclaimer: This is a really long post, but I hadn't written the story of Hayden's birth anywhere, so here it is.

I was just thinking how Hayden is almost 6 weeks old, and reminiscing about what Dax and I were doing exactly 6 weeks ago. Dax and I were watching conference on t.v. in our apartment, and I was having contractions about every 20 minutes. I was trying to cope with the fact that I could be dilated to a 2 and 80% effaced for weeks without going into labor. I also wondered if I'd really know when I was in labor because I had had painful contractions for about two weeks. I was bummed that my baby hadn't come on that Friday to make it a little easier on us. I made Dax take two walks with me to see whether I had the start of real labor or if it was false labor.

At 9:30 I called my sister Kim (who has 5 kids) and started asking her questions, hoping to get a better idea of when the big event would occur. She told me it was very possible that I might be a week or more away from having the baby. As I was talking to her my contractions started coming every 12 minutes or so, and got a little more painful, but I didn't tell her that. Dax and I got in bed around 10:30, but I couldn't sleep because the contractions got steadily more painful, however, they were still not at all regular. Finally I got up at 12:30 and ate something. At 1 I decided to wake Dax up because the contractions were really starting to hurt. He asked if I thought we should go to the hospital, and I didn't know because I hated the thought of being sent home. We decided to get ready and go. On the way there I didn't have a single contraction!

In the emergency dept. (where we had to check in) they asked if I wanted a wheel chair and I said I was fine, but a nurse has to escort you up to labor and delivery (a 5 minute trip). The nurse asked me how far apart I was having contractions, and I fudged a little and told her about every 7-8 minutes, because I didn't want her to think I was going to get sent home. I didn't have a single contraction on the way up either! By this point I was worried we'd be sent home. They stuck us in the exam room and we waited there for 25 minutes before a nurse came to check me. However, when she checked me I was at a 5 so they took me to a labor and delivery room.

I got hooked up to all the monitors and they started an IV. The nurse asked if I was planning on an epidural, and I told her I hoped not. My contractions were really starting to get painful though. I was checked at 4 a.m. and was dilated to a 6.5-7. They put me on oxygen because the baby wasn't doing so well through the contractions. I was so worried that they were going to come in, look at the monitor and tell me I had to get a C-section. I had to lie on my side a lot because they said he did better that way. Even when he was doing better they made me stay in the bed. My contractions were really making my lower back hurt; I was so grateful that Dax massaged it during contractions. They did bring me a snow cone though, which I was so happy about!

At 5 I asked to be checked again...and I was still at a 7. I was so disappointed, and I knew if I had my water broken I would progress to a 10 quickly. I asked the nurse if the doctor would come and break my water, and she said he was making rounds (there were 6 other women there that night) and that when he came by he would. Well he didn't come by until after 6:30. After he broke my water he told me it would probably be another 2 1/2 hours until I was at a 10 and then another 1 1/2 of pushing. I remember thinking, "if I have another 4 hours of this I am going to die." After about an hour the nurse told me that I would feel the need to bear down and push when it was time, and she told me I probably had another hour until I was ready. So I asked to get out of the bed onto a birthing ball, and she said ok. One contraction later I told her I really needed to push NOW, so she got me back in the bed and I started pushing. The baby was still having a hard time, so I pushed on my side most of the time. I was surprised that they were having me push without the doctor there, but I guess it can be a long process.

The nurse said the baby was coming out pretty fast, so she went and got the doctor, and he was there for the last 5 minutes of the 25 minutes that I pushed. I was surprised to find that during a contraction it hurt more not to push than it did to push. His head came out and he started crying, which surprised everyone. One more push (where I happened to tear-2nd degree-he must have big shoulders) and he was here just before 8 o'clock on the 6th of October, 2 days before his due date. I was so surprised at how pink he was when they put him on my stomach, I was thinking he'd be more white or blue or something. He was perfect and healthy.

There you have it...what Dax and I were doing 6 weeks ago.

And who could resist a few pictures of my handsome boys?

He'll be so embarrassed someday, but I love his face in this picture