Day 1: The Very Beginning

On Thursday, August 26th, two days before my due date I started having contractions around 2:30pm.  Chris started timing them and they seemed to pretty close together but weren't very regular.  After 2 hours, we decided to call the doctor.  The nurse on call told us to go ahead to the hospital.  Neither of us were convinced that this was "it."  I'd had regular contractions a few times before and was afraid to get my hopes up that this would be the day.

We arrived at the hospital around 5:30 and of course, as soon as I checked in and was hooked up the contractions were less intense and even more irregular.  The nurse checked my cervix and I was 4 1/2 cm dilated...which I had been for almost 3 weeks now.  She told us to walk the halls for an hour then come back to be checked again.  So off we went.  Me in lovely hospital garb and flip flops.  The longer we walked, the more contractions I got and the closer they got together.

When it was finally time we went back to the nurse, who checked me and said I was now 5 1/2 cm.  Chris asked, "so she's going to be admitted?"  The nurse responded that we would be having this baby "tonight or tomorrow."  We were both giddy with excitement!

After a couple hours, my support people arrived, along with a few other anxious family members.  The doctor checked my cervix and I was still around 5 1/2 cm mentioned the possibility of pitocin which I had hoped to avoid.  A little while later the doctor came in and said she was going to break my water.  I knew from watching Baby Story that things would pick up after that.  Sure enough, the contractions got stronger and closer together.  It wasn't much long after that I decided I wanted the epidural.

The nurse told me that she was pretty sure I was having the baby soon.  After the epidural, which wasn't near as bad as I was afraid it would be, I was checked again and was 8 cm.

About an hour later (I wish I remembered all the times, I'm not sure how people do...), I told the nurse I was  feeling a lot of pressure.  She checked my cervix and I was completely dilated!  I started pushing around 1:30am.  Caleb was sunny side up so the doctor turned him after about an hour of pushing.  Finally, at 3:02am I felt more pain then I've ever felt in my life.  I screamed out as I pushed as hard as I could.  When I looked down I saw my baby.  I was so overwhelmed.  I sobbed.  I could not believe that the perfect, crying beautiful baby boy was mine.  The doctor laid him on my belly for a few short seconds and I rubbed his back.

Caleb swallowed a lot of amniotic fluid so the nurses did deep suctioning to get as much fluid as they could out of his lungs.  The doctor told me that they were going to take him to NICU to look at him, but that he was okay.  I wasn't worried.  He was beautiful with a sweet, healthy cry and very alert.  I knew he would be just fine.  The nurses handed Caleb to Chris to carry over to me and the moment I had been dreaming about for over three years was finally here.  My baby boy was placed in my arms.  My heart swelled and I was overcome with joy and pride.  I became a mother.  Chris and I both cried happy tears.  And a lot of them.

Caleb was taken to NICU until 9:00am.  They did a chest x-ray and blood tests to make sure that he didn't have pneumonia or an infection.  I did get to go see him as they wheeled me from the Labor and Delivery room to the Mother/Baby Room.  I held him and stared at his face.  The nurses in NICU told me that he was doing great and that worst case scenario would be that he would stay for a week and be given antibiotics.  Thankfully, all the tests came back normal and Caleb didn't have to go back to NICU for the rest of our hospital stay.

 We are so in love with our sweet baby boy.  It's hard to believe that he is finally here!  Caleb was 7lbs. and 20.1 inches long.