I think (hope) the third time is a charm for us and our kiddos. It took us NO time to get pregnant and NO time to deliver this baby (relative to the other two conceptions, labors and deliveries). MAYBE he will be super chill too!!! ;)
I was due on November 4th and I was bound and determined I would NOT make it to my due date. I tried so many different ways to get my labor started. I was walking and running on a daily basis, bouncing lightly on the trampoline, rocking and bouncing on an exercise ball, membranes stripped, dancing, ate spicy food, used the breast pump. I didn't do anything TOO extreme...but I was just about to that point!
The 4th came and went and I was a G.R.U.M.P. (Drew will certainly back me up on this). Every single night I would have consistent contractions for about 2 hours, get excited, fall asleep while timing them, then wake up...still pregnant! GRUMPY.
The night of the 5th was no different. Until I woke up at 12:30am in some serious pain. I timed just 3 contractions (Drew asleep next to me) before I knew that this was the real deal. 6 minutes apart and mega painful. I started sending out SOS texts to find someone to come stay with our kids. Many thanks to Bo who came over at 1:00 in the morning to sleep on our couch.
We packed up, and headed to the hospital. On the way, my contractions slowed WAY down. I was almost certain they were going to just send me home. I had only been dilated to a 2 at my last appointment and I knew I'd need big changes for them to keep me. I texted all my fam and told them to stay in their beds and rest because we all know I have LONG LONG labors.
The triage checked me in, with my contractions still slow and less painful and I was dilated just to a 3. Bummer. Luckily they agreed to keep me, but I still told my family we had a LONG night/day ahead...stay home and sleep!! We got all checked in, and they started on my antibiotics. I could have my epidural as soon as I got through 2 out of the 3 bags. It went quickly and I still wasn't in terrible pain, but gladly took the epidural so we could get some rest through what was sure to be a long 12+ hours. They checked me again 2 hours later and I was still at a 3. More rest and sleep for Drew and I.
Around 7:00 the nurse came in to ask me to roll onto my side because baby's heart rate kept dipping. She noticed that I was also shaking like a leaf (I had attributed it to normal epidural side affects). She said sometimes you shake when your body is dilating and sometimes the heart rate dips when dilating. So she decided to check me. I was a 7! That's a LOT of change for my very slow body in a very short time. So, I start texting Mom, Dad, Kasey, Wendy, Jessica, all who I told to take their sweet time and would likely be delivering closer to afternoon or later! Everyone starts heading out the door. While on the phone with my mom, my water breaks (it has never broken on it's own before). My mom is panicking because they are still far and stuck in morning traffic...as are Kasey, Jessica, and Wendy.
The nurse told me just to let her know when I feel "the pressure" and call her back in for delivery. I was still not worried because Maddux required 2.5 hours of pushing (yes...that is NOT an exageration), Reese was 30-ish minutes. I knew they would all make it. About 5 minutes later "the pressure" hit. We decided NOT to call or text family as their safety in driving would go out the window if they knew they would miss it.
The doctors and nurses filled the room and I started pushing. Kasey RAN (literally) in the door just as I started pushing. Lucky for us too, because we hadn't brought a camera and she did!
3 pushes later, my mom RUNS (literally) in the door, out of breath (she had lost my dad in the hallway as she was running and he got lost trying to find the room...missed the whole thing). At this point, Dr. Greyson says something to me about forceps and how they are on hand and could be a danger to baby and me, but "we will try to avoid it unless we absolutely have to". I really was in such shock at this point that everything was happening SO stinking fast, that I still have NO idea what the problem was. On the last push, there was a lot of whispering and chatter between doctors and nurses. I could tell there was some sort of a problem, he had me push, then stop...mid push. Then I heard "cord...blah blah blah" then "ok, keep pushing". And out he came! No crying, he was silent. My anxiety ridden self panicked for a quick moment even though Dr. Greyson assured me over and over that he was ok. The cord had been around his neck, but he fixed it with no problem. They didn't WANT him to cry until they could clean out his mouth because there was meconium and they didn't want him to breathe it into his lungs. Just moments later I got to hear that first sweet cry! Love.
They got him cleaned up and brought him over to me for some skin to skin time. Then the little stinker pooped on me. A ton. A TON!!
No tears, no stitches, only 4 pushes, 6.5 total hours of actual labor, with only 2.5 hours of pain (props to modern day medicine! I love me an epidural!!!!), and unexplainable happiness as we welcomed this sweet boy into our family.
* Holden Allen Ingram was 6 lbs & 9 oz and measured 20.5" long *
The name Holden is from Catcher In The Rye, which is Drew's all-time favorite book. (I sheepishly admit to never reading it. Probably used Cliff Notes in HS). Allen is Drew's middle name.
I can't wait for the world to meet him! He's going to be someone important!
I'm always so envious of people who share their hospital pictures and they look like a million bucks. I'm not so lucky, here's what you get from me.....
;)
