Cole's Birth Story

So, I had scheduled my last OB appointment for Friday, Dec 17th.  I was hoping to go in, get checked and have my induction scheduled for Monday.  All that went as planned, except for when the doctor called over to L&D, they said they were all full on Monday!  So we checked Sunday. Nope, full that day too!  I jokingly asked if I just needed to go ahead over right then.  Finally we found an "opening" on Saturday night- the next day!

On Saturday we took our last trip out as a family of three to Target and Costco for some last minute Christmas shopping.  Nana and Papa Penny got in around lunchtime and we hung around the house for the afternoon.  Our check-in time was 7pm, so we left around 6:15 and headed to the hospital.

 One last picture of me and Nate as an only child!

We checked in and made it up to L&D.  A nurse showed us to our room and said it might be a little while before they got to us, as they were putting someone in for a c-section and 2 women were close to delivering.  So we settled in and relaxed for a bit...it was almost like being in a hotel!

 Modeling my pretty delivery gown-a gift from Megan 

Things really didn't get rolling until almost 11pm.  A funny story here- one of the ladies that was delivering had been pushing for an hour and then put on the brakes demanding an epidural.  Our nurse was covering her as well, so we had a fill in for a little bit- a hilarious woman who was French Canadian via Trinidad.  She told us the story of the fully-dilated-epidural-woman and then encouraged me to go ahead and get my epidural since the anesthesiologist was already on the hall.  So, I got my epidural before I even started the pitocin!  I felt a little guilty, since I know a few moms who begged for epidurals and couldn't get them until a certain point.

When I was checked at 11, I was at 3cm.  We tried to get some sleep, but that was hard with all the monitoring.  I got rechecked at 4am I think and was still at 3cm.  I started to freak a little bit, thinking maybe I got the epidural too soon, and hoping I wasn't stalled completely.  When I was checked again at 7 or 8, I was still 3-4.  I tried to stay calm, knowing that one way or another I just wanted to deliver a healthy baby.  My nurse called the doctor and got the go ahead to up the pitocin.  I really prayed that it would do the trick!

My doctor came at 11 to check me and break my water to get things going.  I was 5-6 cm and she said it's normally 1cm per hour progression.  So she left the hospital and Joel went out to get some lunch.  I called Lauren, the photographer, to give her an update that it would be a few more hours.  Then, I started to really feel the contractions and a lot of pressure.  And hitting my epidural top-off button.  I called Joel at 11:30 to make sure he was on his way back and he was in the elevator.  I had him get the nurse when he got in because I was feeling like I needed to push.  My nurse checked me at 11:30, and I was indeed completely dialated!  Crazy!  So she calls my doctor to come back and Joel calls the photographer.  And I'm lying there, trying not to push!  It was interesting to experience...with Nate I didn't feel ANYTHING.

My doctor got back and I started pushing at 12:30.  Everyone took special care not to get my "pretty" gown dirty- but at 1:05, Cole Alexander was born and we enjoyed several minutes with him, before they took him to get cleaned up.  It was wonderful and I can't wait to see more of the pictures Lauren captured of the birth--it will be so fun to see it again from a third party perspective!