Mr. Lincoln Is Here!

Well, this little man has been a surprise for us twice! First was his conception and second was the time he came into this world! He decided he wanted to come four weeks early. I’ll give you two options to read my birth story, the short version and the detailed version. Here’s the short version…

    7:10- water broke

                9:00- got to the hospital

                12:00- got to L&D room

                1:00- 3cm dilated

                2:15- called Joe to come to the hospital

                3:00- started the process to get the epidural

                3:30- got the epidural

                3:45- 9.5cm dilated

                5:00- started pushing

                5:10- doctor came into the room

                5:38- Lincoln was born!!

Here’s the detailed version…

                

 I had a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday, it all looked good. I got very lucky and my pregnancy was really easy. My weight gain was right on track, I was always measuring to date and really no problems. This appointment I was measuring a week ahead, which was fine. I saw the PA this time and she checked me (my appointment before that the doctor checked me as well) I was 1.5cm and that’s what I was at the last appointment. But I was more effaced.  After each time I spotted a little bit, again, which was normal. Well, I continued to be spotty for the rest of Wednesday and a lot of Thursday. I started getting a little worried. Friday morning, I woke up at like five. I went to the bathroom and I was still spotting. Then, I was really worried. So I googled it… Haha and then decided to call the doctor. I did feel bad because it was five in the morning but I didn't care, that’s why they get paid the big bucks! The on call doctor said I was fine and it was normal. So I started getting ready for work.

               

     The day before Joe’s truck decided to break down. The radiator blew. So, we were down to one car. Joe has to be at work at eight, I have to be to work at nine. So he was going to take me to my mom’s work so I could get her car. I was trying to decide if I just wanted to go into work early or if I wanted to get my mom’s car. First, I was going to get my mom’s car but then decided to have Joe take me. We were just about to leave, Joe was talking to me about a dream he had and then I felt this gush, and I ran to the bathroom. (That happened at 7:10) I didn’t know if I had peed myself or what. Joe decided that I should get the car just in case something else happens. So I called my mom and told her what happened and told her to watch for me and she said that my water broke. Well, I got off the phone and just started crying! I was so freaked out! The unknown is always scary!

                

     I got to my mom’s work and she was all sorts of excited. I continued to cry. My doctor always said if I had a gush of fluid I needed to call. They opened at eight so I was waiting to call the office. I didn’t want to call the on call doctor again. Seriously, that was the longest twenty minutes ever! I called told the receptionist that I think my water broke, she got a nurse on the phone, I answered a few questions and she told me to go to the hospital. My mom got even more excited and I had stopped crying, still however freaking out. We got to the hospital around 9:15. They took me back and I got to change into my beautiful gown and sat on a chucks pad. I was continuing to leak and it was gross! They had to do a few tests to make sure that my water had actually broken, and it had. They hooked me up and I was having contractions about every six minutes. I couldn’t feel them though. Since my water had broken first I was at a higher risk to get an infection, so they started me on Pitocin to get things rolling. Only took two sticks to get my IV in. (I have horrible veins) Then I walked over to L&D. This was around 12:00.

                

     Apparently it’s a slow baby season, funny since everyone I know is pregnant! There was only one other person there. So I got to pick my L&D room. I was in room 2405. It had a really good view and lots of light. It was freezing that day but the sun was out. The sunlight was really nice. At 1:15 they checked me and I was at 3cm. I still wasn’t feeling contractions so my mom and I decided to start walking. I was starving. I thought that since I was in labor I couldn’t eat anything. Well, I was wrong! I could eat! I was sooo excited! I ordered lunch and we walked some more until it go there. When I was done, we walked a little bit more but this time I could start feeling the contractions. We only did one lap and then went back to the room. They started getting more and more intense. I text Joe at 2:15 and told him he needed to come. I figured I would wait until I was in pain. He could share in the pain with me. He got there just before 3:00. Right after he got there the nurse came in and was talking to me about my pain options. At this point I couldn’t talk through my contractions. She asked me if I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do the epidural. I told her no, I knew I wanted one. She told me that there was no need to wait so I could get one now. So I did! The anesthesiologist got there at 3:30. I was kinda scared that it was going to hurt but I didn’t at all. I knew the processes of getting an epidural and I knew what he was actually doing. So it freaked me out a little. I had never sat so still in my life! It pretty much kicked in right away. It was so weird not to be able to feel my feet. But I could still kinda feel them. It was just the weirdest feeling ever! Shortly after I got it, I threw up my lunch. The drugs will do that to you! It didn’t take as much to my left side so I could still feel my contractions on that side but they aren’t as bad or intense. But I still had to breathe through some of them. They decided to check me shortly after I got it and I was at 9.5cm!! That was at 3:45.

                

     They had me lay on my side to let the epidural take its full effect. It was nice to just lay there and hold Joe’s hand. We talked and joked around. It was just really nice. So the nurse came in and told me it was time to start pushing. This was around five. So I pushed.            

               

     Our beautiful baby boy, Lincoln Tiberius White, was born on January 4, 2013 at 5:38pm. He was 7lbs 2oz and 20.5 inches long.

               

     They had warned me that since he was still a little early his lungs might not be developed all the way. So the nurse wanted to do skin to skin right away because it can stimulate them and help them cry. Once he was out, Joe cut the cord (he had said he didn’t want to cut it so I was really surprised that he did) and they laid him on my chest. He wasn’t crying, he was grunting. So she took him to try to get him to cry but he just wouldn’t. They called in the NICU nurses and they decided he needed to go down to get some oxygen. One of the nurses swaddled him up. I got to hold him for like a minute and they took him away. L I’ll get into his NICU stay in another post.

                

     This was not anything like how I excepted birth to be. I thought I would wake up in the middle of the night in horrible pain. We would rush down to the hospital and there would be screaming and cursing. I had none of that. Even Joe thought there would be screaming. But at one point I was laughing while pushing. I guess I have watched too many movies. I’m glad this wasn’t a traumatizing experience. I may just do it again! Well, let me back up, the birth part wasn’t traumatizing but the part after I never want to do again!!

                

     I could really just look at his sweet little face all day. Sometimes it still hasn’t hit me that he is mine. I have a baby. I’m a mother! It’s just so crazy. He may have been a surprise but most diffidently the best surprise ever. I love you Mr. Lincoln. My little dude J