A Baby Story.

A week ago tonight I was in a hospital bed taking doses of Cervadil every 4 hours. I had gone in for a BP check at the Doctor's office earlier that morning and much to my surprise, she saw that it was 147/92 and said, "I want you to go to the hospital tonight at 7:30 to be induced."

So, that's what we did.

Mom brought me to the appointment because Husby had class. We wondered if something like this might happen, but thought they would probably wait through the weekend. Mom and I ran a few last minute errands, stopped for my favorite chicken salad and then went home to fold some laundry and grab our bags.

Husby came home, we ran through Chic-fil-a for some nuggets and then off to the hospital. I didn't get the lavish delivery room that I had once before, but that was okay. After all, it was the room I would see my baby in for the first time. My precious baby.

The night was long and drawn out. I had monitors all over my stomach to keep up with contractions and Levi's heart rate. I couldn't sleep since they were inserting cervadil so often and I was hooked up to so many contraptions. I prayed hard that I wouldn't have to have 3 rounds of cervadil. I prayed hard that my water would break on it's own. I prayed hard for my precious Levi.

I woke up around 4, which was supposed to be my last round of cervadil and as I walked to the restroom, my water broke. Praise Jesus! I informed the nurse and they started my pitocin quickly after - four hours sooner than planned.

After the pitocin pumped through my body, the contractions started coming harder and faster. I requested my epidural around 9am, and as he pricked my back I felt a shock go through the right side of my body. He had hit a nerve and had to go more to the left. As he did, I still felt every single thing in the right side of my body. Minutes later, I felt everything on BOTH sides of my body. I asked the nurse if my legs were supposed to go numb and she said yes. I told her that they hadn't and I could feel every contraction and every pain. She told me "some women feel more pain than others - even with an epidural."

Great. Of course I was one of those women.

Three hours later, as the contractions got closer together, I was in immense pain. I felt the intense need to PUSH. With every contraction, I had to fight my body from pushing. I told my nurse and was in tears. I wanted to SCREAM! I had Husby by both hands and was trying with everything I had in me NOT to push because they told me I wasn't ready. But I could physically not help it. At that point, she called in a different anesthesiologist and he took a look at my epidural. It hadn't taken, and I had been experiencing NATURAL CHILD BIRTH FOR HOURS!!!

It was awful.

He fixed me right up and gave me a new epidural and almost immediately my legs went numb. What a fabulous feeling!!! I was finally at ease and ready to get the show on the road.

At 12:15pm, it was time to push.

They backed my epidural off a little bit so that I could feel the need to push, as I had before, just not as intense. I pushed. And I pushed. And I pushed. For two and a half hours.

Husby had talked to the Doctor before hand and asked if he could help deliver. She told him of course, threw him a gown and some gloves and immediately started shouting out orders to him. Push this, twist that, turn this, catch that, suction this, cut that - whew, he works well under pressure! How preciously sweet that he got to deliver our son. What a moment.

Finally, the Doctor decided we would need the suction device to get this little guy out. She had to suction his sweet little head four times and with a few more pushes, he was out! They threw him on me and I was in complete awe. I could not believe I was finally meeting the little boy of my dreams that I have prayed for, for so so long. I was overwhelmed with emotion and could not believe how absolutely precious he was! I held him, kissed him, and thanked God for him. What a little miracle baby - my love, my love.

The suction really hurt his little head. It looked so bad for a while, but now is just a round bruise on his little noggin.

I can hardly believe he is a week old tomorrow. It makes me so sad. I am not kidding when I say I want him to stay like this forever. He is absolutely precious and I can not get enough. Never in my life have I ever felt this way about another person. The love I feel truly can not be explained. It is incredible.

Happy week birthday little boy. Your daddy and I are head over heels for you.