Two For One Wells: January 2015

OOOOHHHH......WOW....my child is almost 3 months old and I'm just now updating my blog with his birth story. (There are A LOT of reasons for this, but I will get around to that later.) Let's pick up where I left off almost 3 months ago with my final few bump pictures........

37 Weeks

38 Weeks

39 Weeks...didn't make it to 40!

So the Tuesday of my 38 week appointment I went in for my usual check up. My "usual" checkup actually included a sonogram each week because I had an issue with my thyroid levels during pregnancy. Long story short, they would check 8 factors in each sonogram (heart rate, fluid levels, etc.) and I had to make an 8 out of 8 each time to avoid having an immediate C-section. Like every other week, I made the perfect score and then met with the doctor. I had not "progressed" naturally at all, but he was a little concerned with Greyson's growth (or lack thereof-at that point, babies should be growing a half pound each week). Soooo......he pretty much told us to come in the following Monday and we would pick a day to induce. (He insinuated that I would probably have progressed on my own by then, too.) His exact words were "Baby's coming next week!". So after a brief panic attack, J and I call our families and get all hands on deck. We were actually super excited to know that we'd meet our baby boy the next week.

I tried to keep myself as busy as possible that week waiting on Monday. Monday finally came around and J and I giddily put our bags in the car before the appointment, just in case they wanted keep us in the hospital. I passed the sonogram with flying colors again and pretty much skipped (as much as a 9 month pregnant person can skip) into the exam room to find out what D-day will be. Unfortunately, I had STILL not progressed at ALL and the doctor didn't feel like there was any reason to induce that week since my sono looked great. So he delayed the induction until the next Tuesday. We walked (I waddled) out of the office like whipped puppies, like someone had cancelled Christmas. We had to call our parents (who also had their bags packed) and told them unless something major happens, no baby that week. Well.....something major DID happen! I decided to try every wives tale in the book, including eating greasy food.....on Wednesday I scarfed down some chicken and waffles with 3 strips of bacon with my fellow 9 month pregnant friend. We both joked about how it was gonna send me into labor. When I got home, I leashed Manny up and we walked for probably 3 miles.....well....low and behold.....at 2:30 a.m. I felt something odd, like I had to go to the bathroom...or had I already?...I think I had forgotten I was pregnant in my sleep and then it hit me like a ton of bricks....MY WATER BROKE! So just like in the movies, I had to wake Jeremie up, who was actually sleeping upstairs in the guest bedroom because of my pregnancy induced snoring habit. Mr. Sleepy did not hear my first few yells for him, so I actually had to waddle (with water breaking) up the stairs, shake him and tell him "Um, babe, I think my water just broke!" And just like the movies, he FLUNG those covers like they were on fire and said "Are you SURE?!" (As if this has happened to me before.) He was running around like a mad cat, loading the last couple bags while I striped the bed, straightened my hair, etc....I knew I still had a good 24 hours. Jeremie finally yelled "We need to GO!!!!" So off we head to the hospital, speeding down Parker Rd. at 3:00 a.m. I had absolutely no contractions at this point. The front doors to the hospital were actually locked, so we had to page the maternity floor for them to buzz us in. Once inside, they established that I actually was in labor and the adventure began. I got all hooked up and checked in and we finally had a moment to call our parents---I was SHOCKED that my mom didn't answer her phone on the first ring, but I eventually got a hold of them and I think they were on the road 90 seconds later. Labor started off all smiles and giggles but quickly progressed. The doctor (of course mine was off that day) came in and it was established that the cord was possibly wrapped around Greyson's neck. (We had heard before that this was a possibility and that it is more common than you think.) This still made me nervous though. My contractions were a little too close together/not consistent, so they administered some Pitocin to help them along. Now that stuff is for real. The contractions started getting pretty tough and J had to help me count through them. So I told them I was ready for the "juice" (an epidural) and they told me it'd be coming right up. Well.....after an HOUR, I wasn't so polite and was pretty much like "WHERE ARE MY DRUGS??" and they told me the anesthesiologist had an emergency C-section and a girl who needed it more across the hall. I finally got my turn. PSA: GIRLFRIENDS. If you are remotely questioning whether to get an epidural or not GET.IT. I didn't even feel it go in and it was amazing. I didn't feel "drugged" by any means, in fact, it relaxed me SO much more to be able to concentrate on everything else going on around me and what the nurses were telling me about labor, Greyson's condition, etc. If I hadn't gotten it, I don't know how in the world I would've been in my right mind to push efficiently and correctly when it was time.

Our parents all arrived around 1:00. Never been so happy to see all of our parents; I felt like my "prayer team" had finally arrived. My mom put a little bit of makeup on me, so we were ready for Baby Greyson now! But the wait lasted much longer than I expected! Also, Greyson's heart rate started dropping fairly frequently (possible result of the cord around his neck ) which really started to scare me and earned me an oxygen mask. (Not because of anxiety, but to make sure he was getting enough oxygen because of the stress of labor.) The doctor kept coming in the room and staring at the monitors saying things like "Hmmm...and Come on"...which REALLY started to make me nervous. They adjusted me into different positions to find where Greyson was most relaxed and told me NOT to move! Around 5:00 p.m., they told me I could start pushing in an hour! Finally! The doctor came back in and told me "I'm SO SORRY, but I have a family engagement I HAVE to be at, so I'm going to introduce you to the next doctor on call". I LOVED the current doctor, so this totally freaked me out that at the ninth hour (well, actually 15th hour) I was getting a new doctor. I tried to be calm and just said "Ok." She watched the monitors a few more minutes, left the room, and came back saying that she had worked something out with her family and she was going to stay to deliver Greyson. Praise the Lord!!! She also said that because of the dropping heart rate, I didn't get an hour to wait to push, that we really need to go ahead and get Greyson out. If Greyson didn't come within the first few pushes, I'd be rolled straight into a C-section. So the next few minutes were absolute chaos! A million people (including a respiration guy from NICU) rushed into the room, the nurses described how to push, and they threw J some scrubs to put on in case I went into a C-section. J was holding my hand and just praying over everything; he was amazing. Even though my main concern was a safe delivery for Greyson, I really didn't want a C-section after 16 hours of labor! So as I breathed some oxygen, I looked J in the eye and told him I was about to push like no one has pushed before. Everyone was in place and they told me to start pushing. It was seriously like a movie, people counting and all! After about 4 sets of counting to 10, Baby Greyson made his debut!!! The sound of his cry was THE BEST sound Jeremie and I have ever heard. It is a feeling I cannot describe when they hand you your baby for the first time. After waiting 9 months to meet him, this moment was one of complete fulfillment. Greyson was born at 6:00 p.m. and was 6 pounds and 19 inches! He was perfectly healthy and the cord actually was just draped over his shoulder, no issues.