My
pregnancy with Huckson was so different than Chloe's. It started out about the
same with the sickness and hearburn. But by the second trimester I started
noticing different things. I carried a lot differently this time around, I
gained weight mostly in my belly (so hopefully losing it won't be too hard.
Yea, right.). I had this silly impression that because I had a baby before, my
hips wouldn't hurt as much. You know, because they had already done this once.
Total lies. My hips killed, and my sciatic nerve, my back, and even my feet
hurt like crazy for a bit. I was planning on going early, because Chloe came 10
days early. Everyone says you go much quicker with your second one. Well my
early date came and went, so I had to experience a fuuulll pregancy. Oh my
goodness. Let me tell you, the last 2 weeks are definitely the hardest.
At around 36 weeks I started having contractions where I would start timing them. They were consistent, then stop. At my 37 week appointment, I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. I was so hopeful (and very naive) about me going early! I had crazy contractions that week and I thought for sure he was coming soon. At my 38 week appointment, I had not progressed one bit. My doctor offered to induce me during my 39th week, but I was terrified of Pitocin, and I really wanted to go into labor on my own. Because I didn't progress, my contractions were not productive at all. My sister, Charisse, sent me a website with some stretches I could do to help position him a little better so my contractions were more productive. I started doing them, and I so wish I had been doing them all along. They felt so good! My pelvis was hurting so much, and I felt so much relief during the stretches. (Spinning Babies - if you are pregnant, go check them out) My contractions stopped completely, which was frustrating, but a relief at the same time. At my 39 week appointment, I had made zero progress once again and my doctor convinced me to just get on the list to be induced. I was put on the list for the following week. That way I wouldn't have to wait an extra week if I decided that I had enough. My little naive/hopeful mind thought that no way I would make it that far.
My Mom got into town on January 13th and helped out with Chloe. Doug was able to come to my appointment and actually meet Dr. Nance. My final 40 week appointment, no progress. I was so frustrated, but after having zero contractions all week, I figured I didn't make any progress. The hospital called me later that day and scheduled me for 6:30 the next morning. I was excited, and so terrified all at the same time. They told me I needed to call them at 5:30 to make sure they still had a bed for me. (Utah Valley delivers a lot of babies, so they fill up pretty fast sometimes.)
Maraina came down to spend the night because she was coming to the hospital with me. She was there for Chloe's, and now that she is pregnant, she wanted to watch again with a different perspective. It was an awesome relaxing night. My Mom, sister, friend Camille, and husband all there with me just to hang out, and get my mind off of the terrifying pitocin.
Doug and I didn't sleep very well. We kept waking up from nervousness/excitement. I also kept waking up from nightmares about pitocin (that it made my entire body in pain) and from what I thought were just cramps. I kept feeling like I had to go to the bathroom. I woke up at 2:30, 3:30, 4:00, then was awake at 5:00 with a lot more pain. I kept just thinking it was digestion issues and just tried to ignore it. At around 5:20, I got out of bed and called the hospital. They said I was good to come in at 6:30 and that they had a bed for me. I got in the shower, and my "digestive issues" turned into hunching over pain. In my 10 minutes shower, I had 3 different contractions. When I got out of the shower, I talked with Doug and told him that I think I might be in labor. I was laughing as I said this, and his response "you would." At this point Raina and Doug both started getting ready, and I made sure we had everything we needed for the hospital. After everything was ready, I sat down and talked with my Mom. Well, she talked at me. She was amazing. She just talked and talked to get my mind off of the contractions. They were about 3 minutes apart, but still manageable. At about 6:00, we were ready to go.
We got into our car, Raina got into hers and we stopped at McDonalds, because let's be honest, I was not about to go have a baby on an empty stomach. We got our food, and the pain was gettting worse, but still manageable. I was definitely a lot more focused. Our truck was almost out of gas so Doug asked if we had time to stop, I told him absolutely. By the time we drove the two miles down the road, and was half way filling up the tank, I started to get the shakes. (My body apparantly does this with pain/adrenaline. It's super annoying.) We finished at the gas station, and hurried off to the hospital. We got there at exactly 6:30, and I was still doing good. The contractions were terrible, and I couldn't walk through them, but I wasn't crying. (Win for me!) THEN a stupid nurse said something to me, and the tears started to flow. We got up to the 5th floor and Doug called in to have them let us in. "My wife is scheduled for an induction at 6:30" - I rudely interrupt with, NO your wife is IN labor - "I was about to say that." But she went into labor this morning." Then they buzzed us in. The nurse started asking me a question right when I was having a really strong contraction and I just threw up my hand and said Doug, then sat down as fast as I could. I was crying because of the sympathy the nurses gave me... and the pain, but she through off my concentration!
The contraction passed and I was able to talk again. There was a couple next to us that said they were going to get bumped again. I told them not to worry because I was scheduled for this time anyway, so I wasn't taking their bed. The nurse brought over a wheelchair and asked me if I felt like I needed to push. I wasn't really sure, so I just said that I didn't think so. She sprinted us back to the room just in case.
They hooked me up to a monitor and an iv. The iv took two nurses, apparently my veins are terrible. Once I was hooked up, I was kind of stuck, but I had to go to the bathroom, so I asked the nurse. Her response, without hesitation, was "absolutely not. When you have delivered a baby in a toilet, you don't let your patients go to the bathroom." She was very nice about it though. She asked me if I was ready for my epidural, and I told her I wanted to wait a little longer because with Chloe it stopped my progress. I think I was at a 5 when I got there and the nurses just kept saying, "ok, but you don't want to wait to long." The head nurse came in, and told me that the anesthesiologist had a lot of c-sections to do, so if I wanted one, I needed to get one. I did not hesitate, "send him in."
About an hour after we got to the hospital, the anesthesiologist came in. And he was so nice! He had the best bed side manner, and he gave me the perfect amount of medicine. My doctor, Dr. Nance, came in right after my epidural took effect and he was just as excited as I was that I didn't have to be induced. He was the one that checked me from there on out. He broke my water, and could see that there was miconium in the amniotic fluid. So we already were prepared for Huckson to get his lungs sucked out as soon as he was born. But I was shocked at how quickly I was progressing. I was at an 8 and they told me it was going to be push time in about 15 minutes. I laughed. I did not think I would get to a 10 that quickly. Well, they were right. It was time to push, and 4 contractions later (3 pushes each contraction) I saw our perfect little Huckson. 8 lbs 3 oz, 19 in long. He was born at 9:41am, Just over 3 hours after we got to the hospital. They suctioned him, and he was placed on my chest, and got to nurse him right then and there. (I didn't get to see Chloe for 5 hours after she was born.) He did awesome and was a pro right from the start.
The epidural was so perfect that I could feel my legs, but I felt no pain, and I felt pressure of exactly where is head was the entire time. I had 2 little tears (perineal? and one on my cervix) that needed to be stitched up, and by this point the epidural was definitely wearing off. Felt those stitches, but I wasn't about to numb up my legs for 30 seconds of pain. By the time they were ready to bring us down to our Mother/Baby room, I could move my legs and stand on my own.
His birth was perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything different. I loved my doctor, the nurses were awesome, and I'm so glad Doug and Raina were both there with me.
At around 36 weeks I started having contractions where I would start timing them. They were consistent, then stop. At my 37 week appointment, I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. I was so hopeful (and very naive) about me going early! I had crazy contractions that week and I thought for sure he was coming soon. At my 38 week appointment, I had not progressed one bit. My doctor offered to induce me during my 39th week, but I was terrified of Pitocin, and I really wanted to go into labor on my own. Because I didn't progress, my contractions were not productive at all. My sister, Charisse, sent me a website with some stretches I could do to help position him a little better so my contractions were more productive. I started doing them, and I so wish I had been doing them all along. They felt so good! My pelvis was hurting so much, and I felt so much relief during the stretches. (Spinning Babies - if you are pregnant, go check them out) My contractions stopped completely, which was frustrating, but a relief at the same time. At my 39 week appointment, I had made zero progress once again and my doctor convinced me to just get on the list to be induced. I was put on the list for the following week. That way I wouldn't have to wait an extra week if I decided that I had enough. My little naive/hopeful mind thought that no way I would make it that far.
My Mom got into town on January 13th and helped out with Chloe. Doug was able to come to my appointment and actually meet Dr. Nance. My final 40 week appointment, no progress. I was so frustrated, but after having zero contractions all week, I figured I didn't make any progress. The hospital called me later that day and scheduled me for 6:30 the next morning. I was excited, and so terrified all at the same time. They told me I needed to call them at 5:30 to make sure they still had a bed for me. (Utah Valley delivers a lot of babies, so they fill up pretty fast sometimes.)
Maraina came down to spend the night because she was coming to the hospital with me. She was there for Chloe's, and now that she is pregnant, she wanted to watch again with a different perspective. It was an awesome relaxing night. My Mom, sister, friend Camille, and husband all there with me just to hang out, and get my mind off of the terrifying pitocin.
Doug and I didn't sleep very well. We kept waking up from nervousness/excitement. I also kept waking up from nightmares about pitocin (that it made my entire body in pain) and from what I thought were just cramps. I kept feeling like I had to go to the bathroom. I woke up at 2:30, 3:30, 4:00, then was awake at 5:00 with a lot more pain. I kept just thinking it was digestion issues and just tried to ignore it. At around 5:20, I got out of bed and called the hospital. They said I was good to come in at 6:30 and that they had a bed for me. I got in the shower, and my "digestive issues" turned into hunching over pain. In my 10 minutes shower, I had 3 different contractions. When I got out of the shower, I talked with Doug and told him that I think I might be in labor. I was laughing as I said this, and his response "you would." At this point Raina and Doug both started getting ready, and I made sure we had everything we needed for the hospital. After everything was ready, I sat down and talked with my Mom. Well, she talked at me. She was amazing. She just talked and talked to get my mind off of the contractions. They were about 3 minutes apart, but still manageable. At about 6:00, we were ready to go.
We got into our car, Raina got into hers and we stopped at McDonalds, because let's be honest, I was not about to go have a baby on an empty stomach. We got our food, and the pain was gettting worse, but still manageable. I was definitely a lot more focused. Our truck was almost out of gas so Doug asked if we had time to stop, I told him absolutely. By the time we drove the two miles down the road, and was half way filling up the tank, I started to get the shakes. (My body apparantly does this with pain/adrenaline. It's super annoying.) We finished at the gas station, and hurried off to the hospital. We got there at exactly 6:30, and I was still doing good. The contractions were terrible, and I couldn't walk through them, but I wasn't crying. (Win for me!) THEN a stupid nurse said something to me, and the tears started to flow. We got up to the 5th floor and Doug called in to have them let us in. "My wife is scheduled for an induction at 6:30" - I rudely interrupt with, NO your wife is IN labor - "I was about to say that." But she went into labor this morning." Then they buzzed us in. The nurse started asking me a question right when I was having a really strong contraction and I just threw up my hand and said Doug, then sat down as fast as I could. I was crying because of the sympathy the nurses gave me... and the pain, but she through off my concentration!
The contraction passed and I was able to talk again. There was a couple next to us that said they were going to get bumped again. I told them not to worry because I was scheduled for this time anyway, so I wasn't taking their bed. The nurse brought over a wheelchair and asked me if I felt like I needed to push. I wasn't really sure, so I just said that I didn't think so. She sprinted us back to the room just in case.
They hooked me up to a monitor and an iv. The iv took two nurses, apparently my veins are terrible. Once I was hooked up, I was kind of stuck, but I had to go to the bathroom, so I asked the nurse. Her response, without hesitation, was "absolutely not. When you have delivered a baby in a toilet, you don't let your patients go to the bathroom." She was very nice about it though. She asked me if I was ready for my epidural, and I told her I wanted to wait a little longer because with Chloe it stopped my progress. I think I was at a 5 when I got there and the nurses just kept saying, "ok, but you don't want to wait to long." The head nurse came in, and told me that the anesthesiologist had a lot of c-sections to do, so if I wanted one, I needed to get one. I did not hesitate, "send him in."
About an hour after we got to the hospital, the anesthesiologist came in. And he was so nice! He had the best bed side manner, and he gave me the perfect amount of medicine. My doctor, Dr. Nance, came in right after my epidural took effect and he was just as excited as I was that I didn't have to be induced. He was the one that checked me from there on out. He broke my water, and could see that there was miconium in the amniotic fluid. So we already were prepared for Huckson to get his lungs sucked out as soon as he was born. But I was shocked at how quickly I was progressing. I was at an 8 and they told me it was going to be push time in about 15 minutes. I laughed. I did not think I would get to a 10 that quickly. Well, they were right. It was time to push, and 4 contractions later (3 pushes each contraction) I saw our perfect little Huckson. 8 lbs 3 oz, 19 in long. He was born at 9:41am, Just over 3 hours after we got to the hospital. They suctioned him, and he was placed on my chest, and got to nurse him right then and there. (I didn't get to see Chloe for 5 hours after she was born.) He did awesome and was a pro right from the start.
The epidural was so perfect that I could feel my legs, but I felt no pain, and I felt pressure of exactly where is head was the entire time. I had 2 little tears (perineal? and one on my cervix) that needed to be stitched up, and by this point the epidural was definitely wearing off. Felt those stitches, but I wasn't about to numb up my legs for 30 seconds of pain. By the time they were ready to bring us down to our Mother/Baby room, I could move my legs and stand on my own.
His birth was perfect. I couldn't have asked for anything different. I loved my doctor, the nurses were awesome, and I'm so glad Doug and Raina were both there with me.
But
because I forget a lot of things, I had Raina write up an account of her
perspective of getting to the hospital.
Cait was
nice enough to let me be a first hand witness to the entire process of having a
baby, so I went down to stay in Springville the night before she was scheduled
to be induced since she was scheduled at 6:30am. That night, she was
laughing (even crying from her laughter) and moving around just fine like it
was any other night (at least that’s how it looked from the outside). We all
went to sleep around 10:30. The next morning I woke up at 5:45 to
get ready to leave so that we could be to the hospital by 6:30. When I
came upstairs to make sure we were still on schedule for 6:30, I found out
that Cait had started having real contractions! They weren’t too bad though, so
nobody rushed too much. Right as we were leaving, Cait started giving my mom
(who was staying home with the Chloster) instructions and guidance for the day
on what to feed Chloe, etc. (or something along those lines). We all teased her
saying that we will all have our phones and that mom can just call if she has
any questions about anything. Then, right before stepping out the door Cait
remembered a rebate letter that she had been meaning to mail. She grabbed it
and asked me to stick it in their mailbox on the way out to my car (Ha! You
would think a woman going into labor would have other things on her mind).
Cait
decided that she wanted a fruit and yogurt parfait from McD’s before going to
the hospital, so I followed Doug through the drive thru. I remember thinking,
‘Wow, this is the least-rushed get-to-the-hospital-someone’s-
We
finally got to the hospital (right on schedule at 6:30), and by now Cait
couldn’t even walk while she was having a contraction. A nurse made a comment
to her about going into labor, and that’s when the tears started coming. We
went through the whole check-in process (which was funny since they were
expecting Cait, but weren’t expecting her to actually be in labor yet), and her
room was all ready. How convenient is that? When we went upstairs, Doug picked
up the phone so we could be buzzed in and started saying that they were
scheduled to be induced at6:30. Cait cut him off right away to clarify that she
was already in labor. Doug quickly added that little detail in, then they
buzzed us in and brought us to the room.
It was
probably about an hour before Cait got the epidural. As soon as she got that,
she was much more relaxed. One of the nurses asked them what the name was going
to be. When they replied ‘Huckson’, the nurse said, “not Doug Jr.?” Doug
responded and said that it was going to be ‘Huckson Douglas’ to which Cait
quickly retorted “No it’s going to be Huckson Wayne!” They went back and forth a
few times, but in the end, Cait got her way.
The
nurse/doctor was coming in about every 20 minutes to check Cait by this point,
and she was progressing each time. I think it took 4 contractions with 3 pushes
per contraction to push that little boy out. It was pretty quick. They had to
clean him up really fast because of the meconium, but then mom and dad got to
hold him and cuddle him as much as they wanted. Hooray! Huckson weighed 8lbs
3oz, same as his favorite aunty (me!). I don’t remember how long he was, but he
sure had giant hands and feet. He was an instant champ at nursing and just the
most precious little thing!
Raina took all of these pictures, and I love every single one of them. Thank you!
Raina took all of these pictures, and I love every single one of them. Thank you!
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