So I never forget...
Thursday night (1/31/13), I was working on a little Valentine surprise for the kids while James worked on his computer. I got up to go tape it onto the kids' bedroom doors and noticed that my pajama pants felt wet. I went to the bathroom, and my worst nightmare seemed to be coming true. All I could see was fresh, red blood that wasn't stopping. I called James back to the bathroom, and began to panic while he tried to remain calm. I am a dramatic, over-reacting girl, and in moments like this, I need to freak out and not be calmed. James is very different, needing things to remain calm in moments of stress. God carried us through our differences in that moment, though, and I was able to call the doctor while he called his parents to come over. The doctor on call calmly told me to head to L&D.
My mom met us up there, and we all waited to hear what was going on. I was a mess and was convinced there was something terribly wrong with Grey. But, once they checked me, the bleeding had stopped and he looked perfect on the monitor. So after about an hour of observation and some urine tests, they sent us home, reassurring us that this does happen and can be "normal" late in pregnancy. Although I found that odd, they were really insistent that he looked great and so did I so I didn't need to worry.
The next day (2/1/13), I felt normal. I went to the mall and lunch with Charlotte and some friends, and that night James and I headed to a party at the Satterfield's house. We were getting ready to leave, and I told James I needed to use the bathroom really quickly before heading home. I went back there and nearly the exact same thing happened as the night before. So after a group effort from our friends at the party, we called the on call doctor (which, sadly, was once again not my doctor), our babysitter, her mom, my sister to come watch the kids, and my mom. Then James and I headed to L&D once again. I was so much calmer this time around...I was even surprising myself at how together I had it.
Once again, the bleeding had stopped by the time we got there. I liked this nurse much better...the night before I felt like the nurse didn't believe me when I told her how much blood there was, and this one seemed to really believe me; although, she did ask me if I had bathed before I came because once again, there was no blood to be seen. So strange.
Grey looked perfect on the monitor again, but I told her that I didn't feel comfortable leaving until we knew where the blood was coming from. She called Dr. Dullye (the doctor on call for my doctor), and she decided to admit me overnight for observation and do a sonogram first thing in the morning. So they wheeled us up to antepartum, and after unsuccessfully trying to convince them (with the help of my sweet friend, Kim, who came up there at MIDNIGHT) to do the sono that night, we tried to go to sleep. I didn't sleep at all that night. Our room was blazing hot because the A/C was broken and was blowing 80 degree heat on us all night. That combined with the monitors and my nerves led to a restless night. I had no more bleeding, but did think that I may have a trickle of amniotic fluid a couple of times. I didn't want to overreact, so I told myself it was probably sweat from the constant 80 degree stream of air blowing on me.
The next morning (2/2/13) we waited and waited on the perinatologist to do the sono. Finally at 1pm, the nurse came to get us. The perinatologist was a trip! James described her as having 2 volumes...loud and louder. I'd say she was REALLY over the top. We thought she was funny, though. She said my fluid was low and that I needed to be induced (which she recommeded before even starting the sono because I was 38 weeks and gushing blood 2 nights in a row).
So we were wheeled back to my antepartum room where I took a shower, put on make up (yes, I did), and was then wheeled to L&D for an induction. We definitely weren't prepared to be having a baby that day, so it felt so surreal that we would have our third child by the next day...
I LOVED our first L&D nurse. We had several connections...her daughter had been an inpatient at OCH while I was there and she grew up in Garland and graduated from Naaman the same year I graduated from GHS, so we had many common friends. She made me laugh and laugh. I told James and my mom that I wanted to be BFF with her:) She had a student with her that day, so they put my IV in quickly and my pitocin was started at 4:10pm.
I had been 1.5 cm dilated, 80% effaced, and he was at a -1 station since the past Tuesday at my appointment with Dr. Hunt. None of that had changed by the time they started the pitocin, so I was nervous it was going to be a looooong labor. Around 7:15pm Dr. Dullye came in, and I was 3-4 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and he was still -1 station. She broke my water, and the contractions became much, much stronger. I knew I would probably get an epidural at some point, but as I kept telling everyone, I needed to be in tears before I was ready for that. The pain has to be so bad to me that it's worth getting a huge needle stuck in my back. That point came around 9pm. I was still really nervous about the epidural, but my contractions were literally on top of each other...it felt like one was coming every minute. I had about a million contractions throughout the process of getting the epidural because the pitocin was making them so close together. It was finally over, though, and slowly the pain became less and less. I had never had this happen before, but the epidural didn't take as well to the right side of my body, so my catheter (she put it in pretty soon after my epidural) was really bothering me. Eventually, my right side felt better, but my left side...especially my leg...was pretty numb. My leg kept falling off the bed, and I couldn't lift it without help!
Around 10:05pm, I became really nauseated, really quickly. She gave me a bag and I kept vomiting. I remember it smelled like a pill bottle because of the antibiotics they had me on, which totally grossed me out. (I was positive for Group B Strep for the first time.) I was surprised because I always thought when a woman threw up in labor, it was from pain. The nurse said that it was common with and without epidural and that I was probably getting close.
So after I had recovered (around 10:15pm), she checked me and I was 7 cm, 90% effaced and he was a +1 station. Then about 10 minutes later I told her that I knew it was probably impossible, since it had only been 10 minutes, but that I was feeling a lot of pressure. She said, "No, it's your third, so it goes a lot faster. You're probably ready." Dr. Dullye walked in right then, checked me, and said, "Yep. You're fully dilated and effaced. It's time."
My mom was there to take pictures and was in the bathroom, so I yelled for her to come out because it was time! I quickly felt like I needed to push, so I told Taryn (my nurse) and Dr. Dullye. They told me to hold on while Dr. Dullye gowned up. I really had to concentrate to fight the urge to push because there was so much pressure.
When I did start pushing, it was so different from my other 2 deliveries. Instead of the nurse guiding it, they let me guide it. I counted in my head and pushed as long as I could, trying to push 3 times for each contraction. I pushed for about 5 minutes, and at 10:39pm, he was here! He started crying instantly, and so did I. I loved him so much from the moment I heard his voice...It overwhelmed me. As Dr. Dullye guided him out, his face looked just like Charlotte to me, and then we all quickly thought we saw Hunter in him, too. He definitely looked like a Brooks baby from the start!
My mom took lots of great pictures in the room, but since I was in such a hurry to push, Dr. Dullye didn't have time to cover my legs, and the pictures have just a little too much thigh for me to be willing to share on the blog for all to see. So I'll spare you all of those. James did cut the cord as usual, and we got some good pictures of that.
Things were much different even from when Charlotte was born 3.5 years ago. After the cord is cut, they immediately put the baby on top of you for several minutes...before they even wash him, y'all. That totally didn't bother me in the moment, but I admit that if this was someone else's picture I was looking at, it would totally gross me out...
It was so sweet to be able to hold him right away. After about 5 minutes, the nurse asked if she could take him to go weigh him.
She told us he weighed 6 lbs, 13 oz, which was a surprise to me because that's much smaller than Hunter and Charlotte were. Then she quickly brought him back over to me, and he laid skin to skin on me for about an hour while I thanked Dr. Dullye for helping me deliver our perfect son (and not getting completely offended that I was totally upset that Dr. Hunt - my doctor - was out of town)...
And thanked our (second) nurse, Taryn, who was with us after shift change at 7pm and stayed through the end. She was great and so encouraging...
And just enjoyed snuggling with my newest son...
Finally an hour after he was born (look! the clock is proof!), James got to hold him...
My dad drove up and arrived pretty soon after Grey was born...
And finally, it was my mom's turn...
It's hard to believe I had been apprehensive about having a third child just days before, because I instantly loved Grey the moment he came into this world. He truly completes our family, and we are so in love with him!
