I could still see my toes!
My mom bought us this cute bassinet. We have a little apartment so the hallway was baby Noah's temporary bedroom. I love the way this turned out.
Getting our nails done before the big day! This was very relaxing, and a lot of fun!
Sunday we went to church. I made a pot roast for dinner which was yummy,and the last time I would cook for awhile. After dinner we just hung out until we had to go into the hospital. Around 7:30pm the time we were to leave for the hospital, I received a message from the hospital saying we couldn't go in yet. They had 6 women giving birth, and they didn't have room for me. I of course was very disappointed. The nurse said she would call me when they had room for me. We all decided to go to bed, and wait for the call.
I could not get comfortable! I laid in bed with my mind racing, and feeling a lot of pressure in my lower parts. (Little did I know that these were contractions). The nurse finally called at 1:30am and we headed to the hospital. Many people asked me why I chose to be induced, it was simply for convenience. I am not really big into the whole natural thing, and I like to know when to expect things. Rhett also had spring break during this time, and so for us to have the baby at the beginning of the week, he would have all week with us. Anyway, we checked into the hospital at 2:00am. They did a check up, and started getting my pitocen in at 3:00am. The nurse said I could not get an epidural until I was at a 4. Things started happening really quickly. I started having hard contractions about 4:30am. When I got to the hospital I had already been having contractions, but just not very big ones.
Getting things going!
2:00 am is early!
Ready to do this!
After the epidural :)
At 7:00am I was to a 4, and ready for that epidural. While I was having contractions, Rhett would hold my hand on one side with my Mom on the other. I would close my eyes, and think of the ocean. I would breath in and out with the waves. I know that sounds really cheesy, but anything to help you get through labor. Visualizing really helped me to stay calm, and feel the contractions. With pitocen the contractions were coming about every minute, and strong. I was definitely ready for the epidural. I had to get through two bags of fluid before they would give it to me, and I was already through one. I had to wait for the other one! I was a little ticked about that, but tried to keep my cool. They do that because when they give you the epidural sometimes your blood pressure can drop. Luckily the anesthesiologist was in the hospital already, and it didn't take him long to get to the room.
The epidural was something I feared my whole pregnancy. I knew I didn't want to feel the pain, but I am also afraid of needles. So this was terrifying. While they were giving me the epidural, Rhett was holding me so I wouldn't move. I will admit that I cried big tear drops, because I was so nervous. While they were giving me the epidural I was having a big contraction so it was hard to sit really still. It was over in a few minutes, and within ten minutes I felt relief. I could still feel a little bit on one side, but the medicine eventually covered the whole area. I could still move my toes and legs. I was able to relax, and sleep a little.
Around 10:30am I was starting to feel ALOT of pressure on my left side. It started to scare me because at this time I was at about at a 7. I asked the nurse if we could get more of the medicine to help with the pain I was feeling. She infused me with more, but it just was not covering it. The anesthesiologist came in and gave me more medicine. The pain went away, but what I was not expecting was to be numb from my ribs down. It scared me a lot. Not being able to move your legs is one of the most terrifying experiences to me. I started panicking, and feeling like I couldn't breathe. The nurse came in and assured me that everything was all right, but my blood pressure was dropping just a little. They gave me oxygen to calm me down. I may be a little bit of a drama queen when it comes to pain, and hospitals.
After I calmed down, and felt like I could control my breathing things started moving. At 12:00pm I was at a 9, and almost fully effaced. The nurses said they would be back to check me at 1:00pm. They didn't come check until 1:30pm and I was complete. They wanted to do a couple practice pushes with me before they called the doctor. I was nervous because I didn't know how I was going to push if I couldn't feel my legs. They explained how to push, and within four practice pushes they called the doctor. I could feel the pressure of his head, and the nurses told me to put my legs down. Yep, put my legs down to wait for the doctor to get there. It took him 30 minutes to get to the hospital! We were all waiting for him to come, and my mom was getting inpatient so she went down the hall looking for him! Ha Ha.
He finally got there, and within 45 minutes little Noah was born! While he was being born they said "look at all that hair!" I was so excited to have a baby with a lot of hair! They asked me if I wanted to touch his head to feel his hair. This kinda freaked me out so I declined, but then the nurse just grabbed my hand, and made me feel his head. It was pretty crazy and really slimy. TMI? They laid him on my chest, and I got to meet my cute little guy. He wasn't crying much so they were worried that he had swallowed some of the meconium that had come out with him during birth. They called the NICU nurses in, and luckily he started crying, and they were no longer needed. Rhett was with him the whole time they were washing him, and checking his vitals. It was crazy to look over, and see that I had a baby boy! Delivery went really well, and faster than everyone expected for my first kid.
Noah was born at 2:37 pm. Weighing 8 lbs even. 20.75 inches. Lots of auburn hair. April 14, 2014.
Proud Daddy.
Dr. Swainston
Noah had a serious cone head when he was born from waiting in the birth canal so long, but within a couple of hours it was a cute little round head. Rhett went to the nursery with him while he got his shots, and my mom waited with me while they were taking care of me.
After they brought him back to me we got a little time to bond just the three of us. My mom gave us some time to be with just our little family. It was really special, and so fun to finally have Noah with us.
Overall, birth was a crazy experience, and no one can really prepare you for what happens. I am grateful for my amazing nurses that helped me get through it, and most importantly my sweet husband and Mom. I don't know what I would have done without them. I am so thankful for the support of our families, and for the support of our ward family.
I love our little Noah David. I couldn't imagine my life without him now. Motherhood is very tiring, but so worth it. Nothing could describe how much I love this little boy. He truly is a joy to have. He is going to be so loved. Happy Birthday my Little NOAH!
