Love At First {Cry}: Trice's Birth Story

***I spared all the gory details. However, if you are traumatized by the mere thought of childbirth, please click away.***

I loved everything about pregnancy. I thought it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. In fact, I'm quite excited to do it all again. So when the time came for our precious baby to enter the world, I experienced every emotion but I was definitely looking forward to the experience. It was something I will never ever ever forget. I've been told many times, "You just had a terrible terrible time" or "Next time you won't have it so bad." I just nod, but to be completely honest -- we had a blast and I think you'll see that in these pictures! The whole experience was really so much fun. Of course, it's easy saying that now that it's all done and over with, but I really truly enjoyed it. We talk about it all the time and all the funny things that happened and crazy things I said. My next births will be nothing like this. We'll pick a date, we'll go in, I'll go to the OR and baby will come out. I loved the suspense of Trice's birth and I really am glad I got to experience most of the process before we went to the c-section. So, for those of you who have a good hour to read.. here is how Trice's birth all went down...

Induction, Pain Meds, Epidural, and C-section - none of these words were included in my "ideal birth plan." The plan that I had dreamt up in my head about exactly how this would all go down. Well folks - sometimes things don't go quite as planned and when it all comes down to it, you just have to trust yourself, your doctor, and have a little faith that God will help you get through it. In the end, our beautiful baby boy arrived and I'm no less of a mother for how he came into this world!

Friday, July 27th

I had a non-stress test performed to see if baby needed to come out or if we could wait the weekend. Everything was perfectly fine so the doctor said we would wait until Monday and if no baby, I should plan on a Tuesday induction. Obviously, no baby came over the weekend.

Monday, July 30th

I spent a lot of time talking to my aunt Joyce about the induction and what would happen. She definitely calmed my fears. I was pretty confident that everything would go just fine but knew I had to go in with an open mind.  I prayed a lot this day. I paced a lot. I frantically cleaned a lot. Oh, and I blogged. Robyn got to my house late that night and we chatted for a bit and then it was off to bed! I obviously didn't sleep...

Tuesday, July 31st

4:45 AM - Woke up and got ready for the big day! I made both of us toast we ate on the way to the hospital.

All ready to go!

 

 

5:30 AM - Loaded up the last few things in the car and headed to the hospital (Benny said he felt like we were headed to a band competition so early in the morning)

We're having a baby today (or so we thought)! How exciting!

And terrifying!

 Side Note: We were running late to our own child's birth but I still made Benny take those pictures.

Let's get this party started!

6:00 AM - Arrived at the hospital, checked in, and headed to our room.

Avera Holy Family Hospital in Estherville

6:15 AM - Dr. came to the room to start explaining the process. I put on my gown (the correct way this time) and got ready to go. I was already having measurable contractions. He went to radiology and "stole" their ultrasound machine before the techs arrived for the day and did a quick ultrasound to make sure baby was still head down before we started anything. He almost forgot that we didn't know what we were having. I think I would have killed him if he had slipped. It was quite humorous and later that day he told us that the radiology people ended up giving him an old machine so he wouldn't take theirs anymore. The nurses started my IV (I was terrified as I've never had one before .. felt like she was poking around forever and I swore that was the most painful thing .. little did I know what lied ahead). Doctor checked me and I was 1cm dilated and 60% effaced. We were sure hoping he'd say something like, "You're a 5!" but no such luck.

I was one excited mama!

We sure hope you like us, baby!

Soon-to-be Parents!

Let's do this!

6:30 AM - Cytotech was placed in cervix, had to lie there for half an hour and then began walking around the hospital. We'd walk for 20 minutes or so and then I'd have to come back to be on the monitor.

**Insert a whole lot of watching the Olympics, filling out random paperwork, texting my aunt about everything that was going on, responding to lots of texts asking if baby had arrived, reading magazines, chatting with the family, trying to take naps, etc.**

Soon-to-be Mama and Soon-to-be Grandpa

11:45 AM - Doctor checked me - 1cm, 70% effaced. I was having contractions every 1 to 1.5 minutes apart. Dr. said that whether or not I was induced, he was certain I would have gone into labor this day anyway.

Yay Contractions ..
We just thought it was so much fun watching this all day/night.
People would say things like, "Oh that was a good one!" Ha!

Walking the halls!

12:00 PM - Had my liquid lunch (jello, popsicle, broth, apple juice). I was starving and was SO excited to eat this! Sent the family out for lunch and they came back smelling like french fries .. jealous! (Typing this my mouth is watering for a popsicle and apple juice .. yummmy!)


1:10 PM - Doctor stopped in and said he'd be back to check me in 45 minutes and would break my water if I was 2 cm dilated. At this point, I was craving an A&W rootbeer and a 3 muskateers. My dad and Tami got me those things as a source of motivation. Sadly, after I had the baby I don't think I ever got my candy bar but the first thing I said to my nurse while she was helping me get set up to feed Trice was, "Please tell me I'm allowed to have a pop."

2:00 PM - Still 1cm dilated. Doctor discussed pitocin (which I did NOT want) and said he didn't think it would be effective in my situation. Told me to keep walking briskly. At this point we had walked 8 miles in the hospital. Literally every employee cheered us on! We heard a lot of, "Go faster. Let's have that baby!" and "No baby yet? Keep going!"

4:45 PM - Came back from walk and felt a gush - I got all excited thinking it was my water .. no such luck.

 

Let's give some steps a try! Everyone got some exercise.

 
 5:30 PM - STILL 1cm dilated, 80% effaced. Dr. said my graphs were showing a textbook labor pattern. Suggested whirlpool bath to try and get my body to relax -- AMAZING! Dr. said at some point we'd have to wonder why my body wouldn't dilate and try an alternative option (aka c-section). He said had I not been 10 days over, he would have sent me to labor at home but felt baby needed to come one way or another.

6:30 PM - Ate my liquid supper, walked halls more, used birthing ball, played WAR with Robyn. Two 24 year olds playing WAR during childbirth .. classic. We couldn't think of any other games and I didn't want to have to use my brain. At this point contractions were getting painful. Every now and then we'd have to stop for a second so I could get through one. Benny took a break at this point and went and hung out in the waiting room. It was nice to be able to just have quiet and chat with Robyn. She definitely calmed my nerves!




Walked around the hospital with Benny for a long time having to stop frequently to get through a contraction. The best relief at this point was swaying back and forth and trying to breathe through them. By the end of this walk, we had walked a total of 13 miles on Tuesday (had the pedometer for proof). I'm sure that didn't help with my exhaustion after birth! We were happy when the clinic closed and we could walk more than just the little loop.


10:30 PM - Dr. presented 2 options - we could try the pitocin and see if it would do anything or he could call it quits for the night, let me rest, see where I was at in the morning - if no progress, we would try pitocin. I decided to call it quits and he agreed that was a good idea. The doctor and my family all went home. Our hopes of a July baby dwindled quickly.

Contractions became unbearable shortly after he left and I knew there was no chance I could sleep through the night. Decided to try some pain medication.

From this point on, I felt like everything was an out-of-body experience. I was so so so exhausted and barely functioning and it was the middle of the night and I just felt like it all seemed so unreal. I literally felt like I was in a movie (not sure who would want to watch that movie...)

11:20 PM - Having horrible, horrible contractions (pain meds made NO difference). At this point, statements like, "I'm not doing this - forget it" and "God, please just take me to Heaven" and "I quit" came out. The nurse checked me and said I was at a 3 (Hallelujah) and she was calling doctor. I started to realize that now it was getting real. With every contraction, I'd pop up in bed and squeeze Benny's hand.

I'm not really sure about WHEN exactly things happened between 11:30 and 5 am, but here's WHAT happened:

Doctor came back and discussed epidural. The anesthesiologist would have to come from Spirit Lake so he said I needed to decide before he broke my water as he felt it was going to go quickly after that. I knew that it was only going to get worse from where it was at, I was completely drained, and it was now or never, so I decided to get the epidural. My biggest fear with an epidural was literally the needle - and I never even saw it. I sat on the side of the bed wrapped around Benny and would tell him when I was having a contraction. I kept telling my doctor, "I can't stop shaking. I don't want him to mess up!" and the doctor kept telling me he is used to that. Ha! We talked about how one of his kids went to Iowa State and one went to Iowa and then wa-la it was all over with. Epidural was placed and shortly after the doctor broke my water (what a strange, strange thing).

My epidural did not work on my left hip area so the pain was unbearable and I couldn't get any sleep. I rolled back and forth and cried all night.  I kept saying, "I didn't get this stupid thing to have it not work!" 

Wednesday, August 1st

5:00 AM - Dilated to a 9, called family to head to hospital. Doctor believed it would go quick (I told him that apparently nothing with me goes quick...)

Waited and waited and waited. They got everything set up for baby and told me who would be responsible for what and what would happen once baby came out. Went through the pushing process. Talked a lot to the million nurses in the room with me. We actually had quite the time chatting!

FINALLY - I was dilated to a 10.

I began pushing and was doing amazing .. even saw hair at one point! The doctor said they'd get the bed set up for delivery if I progressed any more. Doctor went back to clinic and said he'd be back to check on me. He came back an hour into pushing and said he'd give me another hour but that 2 is normally the maximum they will allow. That hour passed but both baby's heart rate and mine as well as my blood pressure were perfect and it was so close that he said he'd give me a little more time and then we'd have to discuss options. Benny did a fabulous job counting for me. I never once punched him, but I did in the middle of one push say, "Do you think you could count any faster?" The nurses reminded me my job was to breathe. I laughed and joked with the nurses up until the last half hour/hour (I wasn't keeping track of time) and then the pain became too much. I became so completely exhausted toward the end of the 3rd hour that I couldn't even lift my head off the bed and all I could do was sob. I even started falling in and out of sleep.


Meanwhile, down the hall the family waited and waited and waited...

Doctor came back and said we could either try the vaccuum to see if that would get baby out or go to c-section. At this point, my epidural had completely wore off and I could have sworn the contractions were going to kill me. I said a few more times how I really would have appreciated an epidural that worked .. ha .. and begged the doctor to let me push one more time. I pushed one more time and then we both threw in the towel .. I could not do it anymore. After all those hours, I was beat. I felt defeated - not because I had to have a c-section - but because I had put in all that effort and thought for sure I was going to do it. I think I made a comment about how maybe we could have figured this out yesterday? I cried and cried and cried and cried some more (okay, sobbed uncontrollably is a better way to describe it). All the nurses were very kind even though they were probably extremely annoyed at how much of a baby I was - and kept reassuring me that baby would be here soon.

I begged Benny for my glass of ice water and the nurse rapid fire grabbed it and yelled, "NOOOOOO" because I couldn't have anything before I went into c-section. I thought for sure I'd die right then and there. People started poking and prodding me and explaining what would happen while I screamed and sobbed uncontrollably. I apparently was uneducated about c-sections because I assumed like most surgeries they put you to sleep. The second I found out I would be awake, I was about to get up and walk out of that hospital (if I could've felt my right leg). I asked for my dad and Robyn to come in the room and told them my goodbyes as I was also convinced I would die on the operating table. Okay, so I really just told them I loved them but later Benny said, "I know you did the because you thought you would die." He knows me too well. (Yes, the nurses probably still talk about how crazy I was). I ordered Benny to not tell ANYONE if baby was a boy or girl and that he was to be the only one in the nursery with baby until I came back and to take LOTS of pictures of our little one. I repeated these instructions several times.

As they wheeled me to the OR, I told the nurse I felt like I was on an episode of ER or Grey's Anatomy. I hated being moved from one bed to the table to the bed on the board because I would have preferred to just get up and walk. I was so relieved when Benny arrived and was by my side (I even commented on how cute his scrubs were..ha!). I was shaking uncontrollably from the hormones and was so afraid that would make them mess up even though they kept reassuring me it wouldn't affect them.

The doctor did his little poke and prod thing to make sure I was numb. I wanted to be certain that I was numb, so I kept saying, "I think I feel it." (I'm sure he wasn't even touching me when I said that). I remember knowing that they were doing something to my stomach and hearing them talk but it definitely didn't hurt - just felt very odd. I just kept waiting and waiting to hear baby's cry. I closed my eyes, imagined hearing the cry for the first time, and dozed off. I guess I was asleep through the procedure after all!

At 12:15pm, our beautiful baby finally entered the world just 10 days after his expected due date. The second I heard that cry, I lost it and so did Benny. I heard some "he's" and "she's" and then they brought baby around and said, "Here's your little boy." Benny and I hugged and kissed and bawled .. I kept saying, "He's perfect. The most beautiful baby ever. Look at all that hair" over and over. My wonderful nurse (and neighbor) took lots of pictures! I got to lie there with baby for a few minutes and then they finished sewing me up. I told my doctor his pink glasses were pretty cool and gave him a High-5. Have to love those pain meds! I thought I was going to be sick and remembered the anesthesiologist saying that might happen so I screamed for him - his nickname is Woody - so here I am yelling, "Woody, Woody, I think I'm gonna puke!" Luckily it was a false alarm.

Those lungs work!

Doesn't he look handsome in scrubs?! Hubba hubba..

Staring at the two loves of my life!

Already best buds!

Our Family!

The happiest moment of my life. Already completely in love with him.

Guys, it's really bright out here. Where are my shades?!

I kept asking, "How much did he weigh?" The nurse called up to OB and then hung up. The phone rang and the nurse said something about a fractured hip and I went crazy. "My baby has a fractured hip? Omg! Omg!" Once again, I was about to jump off that table. Turns out they were making plans for a surgery the next day. Phew.

When I got to recovery, Benny and my doctor showed up with baby and I was in Heaven. Trice was holding a little note from the doctor about how he should be a Nebraska fan (you can see it on my shoulder in one of the pictures). The doctor informed me that I could have pushed for 10 hours - that baby was not ever going to come out. His head was stuck! It's all those brains he has in there. I was very scared from not being able to feel much and I was still shaking and freezing. I remember having a hard time opening my left eye - it felt lazy - and I thought I'd never see with it again but I didn't say anything because I just wanted to get back to my baby. The nurse that took care of me in recovery truly was an angel. She came and visited us the next day and I could've hugged her. She was so sweet.

 

 Don't I look gorgeous?!

Hanging out in Recovery

I wasn't in recovery for very long and they wheeled me back to my room. As soon as I was moved back to bed, Benny came in with our baby and I just held him and cried and cried and cried. The nurse said they had held him off on eating so I could feed him (poor baby couldn't even have a binkie because I told them they better not give him one!) but that I had some very anxious family members waiting. We decided we'd let them come in just to meet him and then I'd feed him. They all walked in the room and I lost it and just said, "We have a beautiful baby boy!" I will never ever ever forget the look on my daddy's face. He lost it as well.

So much love in one little room...

I felt like the pain and exhaustion of labor immediately disappeared. I can remember it being painful and the notes I took helped, but I don't think of it and feel the pain so I think that's good. I think it helped that I can only remember the pain from recovering from the c-section (and now I really don't even remember that pain too much!)

Trice is here. He's healthy. He's adorable. I'm healing. We're happy!

Welcome to the world, Trice Steven Edwards. 7lbs 9oz 22inches

"They placed you in my arms tonight; I can hardly believe that you are mine. Tiny fingers, tiny toes, a tiny life that's gonna grow. I've waited so many years for this day--I want to make it stay. I want to remember this -- every smile, every kiss. Every moment's like a promise, and I want to remember this. We brought our bundle home tonight, half scared to death but on cloud nine. And as I rocked you in the dark, I could feel your tiny heart; I said a prayer as I kissed your sweet face, "Lord, keep him safe." Every season, every age will be beautiful in its own way, from preschool through to prom, even your wedding day. And we'll celebrate and walk with you, each step that your life brings, but there's something that's so sweet about beginnings… I want to remember this. I want to remember this -- every tear, every touch, I just can't believe I love you this much and I want to remember this." -Beth Champion Mason, Remember This