New BABY!

Here are some pics of A's birth. I guess those crampy contractions I felt on Saturday night into Sunday were the real thing after all. I went to the hospital to get checked. I was worried because I had a little bloody show and I realized I had not felt kicking for a number of hours. I drove myself to the hospital to get monitored. At that time the contrax were frequent but mildly crampy. That was around 9am.

Got there and when they checked me, I was 2.5 to 3cm dilated with some thickness left in the cervix. That was a big change for me from long, closed and 3cm thick just 3 days prior. The nurse suggested I walk the hallways for a bit and see if things changed. They did. Next check I was 3+cm dilated and fully thinned out. I did more walking, and the contrax came closer and harder. I called DH to get the kids with grandma and get over and meet me in the hospital.

I also decided to get medication. I think I was really not in the mood to be in labor. It was a complete surprise. I didn't want to be there, at that time, going through all that pain. So I got an injection of Nubain when I was about 4cm and that really helped. The lingering pain between contractions completely went away. I continued to make progress quickly and as the Nubain wore off 2 hours later I was 7cm and asked for an epidural. It went in easy and the contrax totally went away, except I got the shakes. That was annoying, but a lot easier to deal with than unrelenting, painful contractions one on top of another. I decided that I had done all natural birthing in the past and I didn't have anything to prove. ;-) The nurse said to call her when I felt the contractions in my bottom. I thought I felt something on one contraction, then called her on the next one. They checked me and yelled for the doctor, the head was *right there*. I pushed exactly 1/2 push and the head was out, followed by a gush of water that soaked the doctor's clothing and the body came out with the gush. The baby came out so smoothly that when they put him on my he was a light gray color, not the deep purple many babies are. He had a full knot in his cord. He must have swam through it at one point in the pg. I was glad that I declined to have my water broken. I think it broke accidentally on my last cervical check at 9 to 10cm. But there was plenty of water up there until the end, giving him a nice cushion. He cried right away and pinked up quickly. He weighed 6 pounds 4 oz., at 3:05pm, at 36w6d gestation. He nursed there on the delivery table and I'm already in love with him. He is so small and sweet. He is quiet and good, too. He barely even squeaks or cries when his diaper is changed.