The Whole Story...

Alright, mostly for my sake so I can have this recorded, here's the birth story of little Adam...

Wednesday morning I had a regular OB appointment. I was 4cm dilated and 75-85% thinned out. Not too bad, but I wasn't really feeling like I would have him early. (This was on the 5th and I was due the 9th). That day I felt a little crampy, lots of pressure, but no regular contractions. Luckily I didn't have anything going on so I just cleaned and got things ready for baby. We went to bed and I was feeling the same I had for a while. Isaac was sleeping with us that night with complaints of an earache and woke up around 1:15. That woke me up and I got up to use the bathroom, feeling contractions but not really thinking much of it since I had been having contractions every day irregularly for months. The contractions kept coming and by about 1:45 I decided it was time to get to the hospital. The drive there was long (well, only 25 minutes or so since I kept telling Jake to drive faster) but we made it there about 2:30. They took me to triage as expected and checked me and I was still 4-4 1/2 with contractions coming every 3 minutes or so. I was then informed that I would have to labor in triage and then deliver in the c-section OR. What? The maternity wing was being renovated and only the c-section side was open, but it was full. The regular side would be opening at 6:00 that morning. Go figure. So I labored (intensely) in that little tiny bed in the little tiny room of triage while Jake sat next to me in a little tiny chair rubbing my back during contractions. At about 2:55 the nurse walked out for a minute and naturally my next contraction came with the urge to push. I was as surprised as Jake and the nurse since I was just at a 4 25 minutes earlier. The nurse checked me and sure enough I was at a 9. They wheeled me to the OR with directions not to push. Not pushing when all your body wants to do is push is the WORST feeling in the world. They called my doctor on the way to OR. Another nurse joined us right before we went in and asked who the doctor was; when the other nurses told her she kind of laughed. "How long will it take him to get here?" I asked. 20 minutes I was told. I then tried my best through excruciating pain that he wasn't going to make it and that I was going to push anyways. They transferred me to the bed in the OR, which I think was even smaller than the tiny bed from triage. They kept telling me to breathe and to not push, which I really did try to follow for a while. Then it was just too much. I asked if I coulld have some fetanyl and was told that it was too late, which I knew it was, but the pain was insane. I was gripping Jake's shirt with such force that he was worried I had bruised his chest. Then I really, really had to push. They called for the OB who was already there (I think he was either there for another patient or just one that's always at the hospital). I kept pushing despite their directions and they realized this baby was coming, doctor present or not. The nurses finally told me I could push and with that, he was born with one "real" push at 3:25am. Relief! Although it was my shortest labor and delivery, it was by far the most intense and craziest. My doctor arrived a couple minutes after Adam was born and finished things up. I was wheeled back to triage and we waited there until 6:00 when we could get a real room in the maternity wing. I was the first patient in the newly-renovated rooms. (Truth be told, they looked the same to me as they did when Isaac and Leah were born!). Things went well that day and Adam and I enjoyed the visitors. Since he was born so early in the morning my OB told me I could go home the next day. Hooray! The nurses were  bit skeptical that I'd want to go home a day early, but I was sure. Thankfully Adam was as healthy as can be and recovered super quick from his circumcision so we were told we could go. The one night in the hospital was long because of all the interruptions from the nurses; Adam did quite well. Jake brought the other kids up at about 10:00 Friday morning and we were pulling out of the parking lot at 11:50 that morning. We are all glad to be home and feel so blessed to have this perfect little person in our family. Isaac and Leah love holding him and giving him kisses. I am feeling well; just a little sore and tired, but that's only to be expected. Adam is super mellow and is a great sleeper and eater. Although he was almost a pound bigger than the other two, he's still a little peanut and is wearing preemie clothes. We look forward to watching him grow and learn as he develops his own little personality.