23 February 2012
3:11pm (approx)
9lbs 7 oz 21 inches
Due Date: February 19
I have never made it to my due date before. Our first was 10 days early, catching me completely off guard, and our second was four days early..we were a little more prepared. So the third time around I never expected to see February 19 with a full belly. After our doctor visit Feb 9, we were a little worried, as Kyle was leaving for the weekend to do winter camp. We knew God was in control, but I did not want to go into labor while he was gone. Our doctor couldn't guarantee it, and in fact, was a little concerned herself. So we felt some relief when he came home that following Monday and I had not gone into labor. We continued to wait and saw the doctor Tuesday to which she said, "I don't know that you will go into labor tonight, but it will most likely be in the next couple of days." She made an appt for the following Tuesday, "just in case," but was very convinced she wouldn't see us.
Later that week I began to have some contractions. I have never felt the "can't walk talk or breathe" types of contractions so I assumed these could be the real thing. They weren't unbearable, but they were painful. They came at about 4-6 minutes apart. We needed 3-4 minutes apart to call Labor and Delivery. Finally, out of caution I called and heard what I expected..."Wait and see if they get any closer, like 3-4 minutes, for an hour and then come in. Well, they didn't. In fact they got further and further apart. I went to bed and woke up in the morning with nothing. This happened for a couple of nights. I kept wondering if this was it, only to find out in the morning I was still pregnant and not contracting. People kept saying, "When it happens I bet it will happen quick." With my second, the nurse broke my water after a few hours in labor and she was born 15 minutes later. But my water hadn't broken this time. As long as I was in the hospital when it broke I wasn't concerned.
Well, the following Tuesday came and we went to my appt. Our doctor was surprised to see us. I was now two days past my expected due date. She told us, again, she'd be surprised if I made it more than a couple of days, but she needed to schedule an induction just in case. I really did not want to be induced. I prefer to not take medicine as much as possible and knew I didn't want an epidural. Being induced would mean being put on Pitocin and probably getting an epidural so I just prayed that Carter would come before that Sunday.
Tuesday night I had some strong contractions, but again they faded away into the night. Wednesday came and contractions were on and off throughout the day. I was starting to get tired of all these false alarms. Then Thursday came. In the morning the contractions started again. I had a feeling this was going to be the day, but didn't want to get my hopes up. Contractions stayed at 3-5 minutes for a while. I decided to take a walk to see if I could get them any closer together. The walk seemed to slow them down. I got home and they gradually spread out to 10-15 minutes apart. But they never stopped. Kyle was debating whether or not to go to work and, since he works 8 minutes away, I told him to go and I could always call if they got closer again. He dropped the girls off at our friends' house "just in case." I stayed home, cut some cloth wipes from his old tshirts and began to start our taxes. All the while, my contractions were at the same intensity, 8-10 minutes apart, some even as far as 15 minutes.
My sister in law called around 1 to see how I was feeling. "Fine." I told her. Still having some contractions, but nothing close enough to go. I hung up with her and went back to my taxes. About 1:27 I had a really strong and painful one. Hmm I thought. Another at 1:37. This one caused me to stop working on my taxes, breathe through it and bend over. I texted Kyle...these are getting stronger. At 1:46 I had another, this one brought me to my knees, looking for relief. I texted Kyle again, "I'm on all fours from the pain." "Did you call Labor and Delivery?" "No, I'm waiting for the next one to come and go first." 1:54, another really strong one, like I've never felt before. Wow, these are terrible, I was thinking. I called Labor and Delivery. Struggling to talk through the next contraction I asked her to hold on. When I came back I told her the pattern I was experiencing. They were now about 5 minutes apart. She said, "Well come in and we will check you. We will probably have you walk around for a while before admitting you." "Thanks, bye," was all I could get out. I was now in excruciating pain. "I'm sweating" was all I could manage to text to Kyle. I had also texted our friend who had the girls and told her we were going to the hospital and that we'd bring the blankie over we had forgotten to send with the girls. She asked when we were going and all I could say was as soon as Kyle gets home.
2:07, I texted Kyle, "Come home." "I'm on my way." "Hurry"...and that was the last I could manage. 2:12 and 2:17 were the last timed contractions. I had forced myself to our room, barely put some cotton shorts on and thought, "I'm going to the hospital in a cami, cotton shorts and maybe some shoes. I can't get anything else on at this point. And I laid on the bed. I had never felt pain like this before. The contractions were now at approx 2 minutes apart, coming so quickly I couldn't time them, nor did I care anymore. Kyle was taking forever...where was he? I remember thinking, "There is no way when he gets here I will be able to walk to the car, sit in it for a 15 minute car ride, get out and walk to Labor and Delivery upstairs and down the hall. What am I going to do?
Finally I heard the familiar sound of the front door unlocking and felt a wave of relief. Kyle said he could hear my painful groans from the front door, before it was even opened, and knew that wasn't a good sign. He came running back and said, "Ok, let's go." "I can't." "Linz, we have to get going." "I can't get off this bed." "Where's your phone?" "Out there." "I'm going to call 911." No response. "Lindsey, I'm calling an ambulance." "Ok." More painful groans. I hear Kyle talking to the dispatcher and bringing in towels, putting a pillow under my head and doing what seemed like preparation to have a baby. Is this really happening? I never imagined our jokes of not making it to the hospital would come true. I've always been intrigued by home births and loved the idea of it, but never found the resources in our area. My husband was going to deliver our baby?
And then the firemen came. They came in, checked to make sure the baby wasn't coming and gave me some oxygen. As soon as I got that oxygen I started to feel more calm. Forget the fact that I have a bunch of random people in my room with me in just a tank top, I'm having a baby. After the firemen came, the paramedics showed up. The fireman was timing my contractions and I felt like they never had a break, but they were about a minute apart at this point. The paramedics brought in a gurney and told me to get on. "I can't," I said. "You aren't having this baby here, we need to go. They had zero compassion and I could tell really didn't want to deliver my baby. I forced myself up onto the gurney and they laid a blanket over me. One of the paramedics checked me and didn't see any crowning. "Let's go!"As they were wheeling me out of the house all I could hear was our poor dog going crazy in the backyard. "Kyle, make sure you don't leave Silas out!" They wheeled me into the ambulance and shut the doors. "Wait, my husband has to come in here." "He's not here and we have to go!" "No, he's coming now!" "Well he's not here." (Remember I said zero compassion) I saw Kyle out the window and said, "Let him in, he's right there!" So they let him in and he sat next to me. The paramedic was timing my contractions, still 1 minute apart. With each one I just grabbed the side of the gurney as hard as I could. "I feel like I have to push!" "Don't push," he kept saying. "Just pant!" "Can I have some air in here and some oxygen?" "Sure." Another contraction! "I have to push!" "You aren't having this baby in the ambulance. You have to wait until we get to the hospital! Just pant!" Finally after hearing "just pant" over and over, I said, "I don't know what you mean!" He demonstrated a pant. Just like you'd expect :). So I tried my best to not push and to "just pant." They kept giving me updates, "we are 5 blocks away, we are almost there, ok we are here." I remember being wheeled through the doors of the emergency room, opening my eyes for a brief second and seeing a crowd of people, anticipating my arrival and just staring as I was wheeled through. I quickly closed my eyes again. The next contraction came. "I HAVE TO PUSH!" Splash! My water broke everywhere. "It's just your water, don't push" the paramedic told me. "I HAVE TO!" As we entered the elevator, the other paramedic said, "Check her." I watched the paramedic lift up the blanket and look, to which he responded, "Ok, push." I gave a half a push and Carter's head and shoulder came out. "One more good push" he told me and all of a sudden there was Carter lying on my stomach, in the elevator. The elevator doors opened and they wheeled me into the delivery room, baby already here. The last thing I heard from the paramedic was, "Will someone who knows what they are doing please take over now?" They lifted my baby and me onto the bed and were out of there. I was in shock. Didn't know how to react. I had a baby on my belly, not in it anymore. There were nurses everywhere but no one was rushing to take him. It was one of the most peaceful, yet chaotic moments of my life. He just laid there, calm and quiet, resting on my stomach as everyone figured out how to handle the situation.
Reflecting back that night, Kyle and I laughed at God's sense of humor. I had all these thoughts of how I wanted my baby this time around. I didn't want to be at the hospital long, I wanted to do most of my labor at home, I didn't want any medication and I only wanted it to be Kyle and myself in the room. I also wanted to wait to cut the umbilical cord because I had been reading the benefits of letting the blood run back into the baby's body, but I didn't know if they'd let me do that. But in the craziness of having a baby in the elevator, I got all of those wishes. Kyle and I (and the medical staff) had a baby in the elevator, by ourselves. Carter was attached to his cord for about 10-15 minutes before they delivered the placenta and let Kyle cut the cord. I had NO medication :) and was never even hooked up to an IV. The hospital's purpose in this birth was mostly to make sure our little man looked good and healthy. God has a funny way of giving us what we want. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. My baby boy has a great story to tell and God brought him just at the perfect time, in the elevator on the way to the delivery room.
I'm so thankful for a husband who listens to the Holy Spirit, listens to me and who recognized that I wasn't going to be able to get there and was able to make rational decisions. We would have never made it on our own. School was getting out and there was bumper to bumper traffic a few blocks from the hospital. I praise Jesus for being in control and for going ahead of us in our perfect birth! Welcome Baby Carter! May your life that started with such adventure be used for Jesus in everything you do.
