Wednesday June 10th I stayed home from work. I felt crampy and just "blah". Mark was home, as it was the start of his vacation time, which he had to use before the end of June or he would lose it. But he had signed up for an overtime shift that night 11pm - 7 am. By nightimte I was feeling OK and told him to go ahead and go to work, I was fine. Hehe Famous last words. So 1:30 a.m. I am still awake and having contractions about 20 minutes apart. Called Mark and let him know, but told him to stay at work. Then 3:30 a.m. rolls around and contractions are down to 5-7 minutes apart, so he gets someone to come in and cover for him and gets home about 4:00 a.m.
OK, first of all: contractions SUCK. And we called the doctor and she said to stay home until them are consistently 3-5 minutes apart. I'd be "more comfortable at home" There is NOTHING comforting about it!!! So about 8:30 we had gone for over an hour and a half with 3-4 minute contractions. Called the Dr. and she said go to the hospital. So off we go......
We park in the Stork Parking, get me in a wheelchair and up to the maternity floor. Check in to this triage-like area for my vitals, etc. Get all hooked up to the monitors..........the baby goes to sleep!!! Contractions go back to 12+ minutes apart. Tried drinking apple juice to wake him up, but no avail. SO THEY SEND ME HOME. GRRRRRRR.
So back home to suffer "comfortably". LOL First we stop at Duchess for some breakfast. heheh Then once we got home I actually got to take a little nap since I'd now been up since about 4:00 p.m. the day before. But that only lasted about an hour..........then the contractions came back hot and heavy. By 3:00 they were back to 3-4 minutes and now they were lasting for 1-2 minutes, which did I mention that this part SUCKS!?!?!? So call the Dr. back and away we go BACK to the hospital.
But this time we're not messing around. We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for Mocha Coolatas - not letting the baby go back to sleep this time!!!!! And chocolate always made him active.
So bcak to Stork Parking, wheelchair, etc. Hooked up to monitors, Dr. came in and I was 3 cm dialated, so I get to stay!!!! Whoo hooo! Head upstairs to the birthing suite........
Hook me up to more monitors and put in my IV - after three attempts they finally got a good vein that didn't "curve" or swell up when the needle went it. That was fun as well.
Once that circus was done and my vitals all recorded for the 13th time I get to get up walk around "the track". Which actually was better for me than laying in bed. So Mark and I did our laps stopping every few minutes for me to grasp the railing with all my might while I breathe through a contraction. Then back to bed.......
Now it's about 8:00 and my Dr. has FOUR other women in labor tonight. So she checks in on me and the nurse then tells me I am good to go for the anesthesiologist. Thank heaven! So he comes in and explains all the dangers to me and blah blah blah. Tells me to sit up and gives me a pillow to hold onto - and Mark - and he's telling me to arch my back.........just as the nurses station comes on my speaker system: "Mrs. Pastor, you have a visitor and I need you to verify their identity.....it's your sister". Are you kidding me?!?!? Nice timing. So Mark responds to them and just as I am getting my epidural put in Diana walks in. I'm sure she wasn't expecting that! (Sorry Di!!!)
But that wasn't really bad. Didn't really feel anything, was more anticipation than anything.
So now Di is here and Mark has been up for over 24 hours, so he heads downstairs to get some food.
I still cringe every once in a while and the nurse say I am not supposed to feel anything, am I feeling pain or pressure? How the heck do I know? Seems like the same thing to me! She says the epidural blocks pain, but not pressure. Pressure could be the baby's head pushing. OK I think that's it. Then i said to my sister that my back was sore. And the nurse said I wasn't supposed to feel that EITHER - is it pain or pressure? OK, now I"m on to her and I answer PAIN. So she calls the anesthesiologist back so he can up my dosage. Dr. comes and gives me pitocin (sp?) which makes me have contractions on a steady basis, but now I don't care, I'm not feeling anything!
About 10:30 my other sister Stephania arrives and the Dr. said I was 7 cm dialated and to rest up to get ready to push. Mark still isn't back with his food. So Diana gets to locating him (he was just on his way up).
Everyone starts getting in place and I'm getting my instructions and about 11:30 I start pushing. Oh yes, another fun joy of childbirth! It wasn't painful, just tiring. I am really bad at breathing in through my nose anytime, let alone during a situation like this! LOL
And then at 12:18 am on June 12th our precious angel Cody Owen came out screaming with his arm up next to his head and the umbilical cord wrapped around that arm. Same way he was in all his ultrasound pictures! Loves having that arm up. Hehe.
He weighed in at 7lbs. 8 oz. and 21 inches long. Absolutely beautiful with a full head of hair! Mark and I couldn't be happier and we both instantly fell in love with this little boy:
