One year ago....

One year ago, our precious boy was born! It was March 6th 2009, my long awaited due date, and boy was I ready to have my baby! My mom has a friend who is a labor and delivery nurse, and on this day I asked her to check me to see if I had dialated any more since my last doctor visit 4 days before. I went over to my mom's house early in the morning so she could check me there, and then go to work. She checked me, and said "oh you are a good 4 cm....oh, and there goes you bag of water!" My water broke while she was checking me! WOW! So, luckily we had my packed bag in the car, and we headed over to the hospital to have a baby! I had taken a Lamaze class, and wanted to try going without medication. We got to the hospital at about 7 AM, they put a monitor on me to see how he was doing, and I wasn't really contracting enough to let me try on my own, so they ordered pitocin for me. They started pitocin around 8:30, and boy, did my contractions start! Those are painful! Almost to the point where I couldn't breathe! It feels like a charly horse you get at night, except over and over and over again! I did all my breathing excersizes to try and stay relaxed, but my body felt like it was ripping in half. I made it about 8 hours, and finally couldn't take it anymore. I was not disappointed to ask for the epidural, because I knew I had done the best I could. After I got the epidural, they checked me and found out that I had only dialated 2 more cm in 8 hours, and that was because I couldn't relax! But finally, relief came, and I was able to relax, and let my body do what it needed to do!

Paul was so great, he held me through my contractions, let me lean on him and squeeze him, held my hand while I was trying to stay still through contactions while they were putting the epidural in, just was such a trooper! My nurse Kim was awesome too! She really helped me by talking to me and telling me that I was doing a good job, and that I could do this. After I was relaxed and pain-free, Paul was able to go eat, and he also got me flavored ice chips! I had green apple, grape, and cherry! That was so fun, better than no flavor! While we were eating ice chips, Kim, Paul and I watched Brian Regan, our favorite comedian, and we got her laughing and quoting him too, it was so hilarious! We actually gave her a copy of the DVD we were watching so she could watch it at home. I was able to dialate the last 4 cm in 2 and a half hours, thanks to the epidural, and at 6:40, they wanted me to try some "practice pushes". I asked for a mirror, I wanted to see the action! They got me a mirror, and I started pushing. Kim left at 7, her shift was over, and I was really sad that she wasn't going to be there for the birth, but the new nurses came in (2 of the 4 that were in there were pregnant).

The only problem was, the epidural worked so well that I couldn't tell when I was having a contraction! They had to look at the moniter to tell me when to push. I pushed and pushed, and the mirror was so helpful. I could tell what was working and what wasn't by the mear fact that I could see his head! Wow, it was so cool to see his head come out a little, then back in, but not as far, then out a little more, and back in just a little. Finally, I heard the doctor say, "ok Hailey, give me one more big push, I need everything you can give me!" so I did, and I actually felt his body leave mine! They put him on my chest, and he stayed there for a good 10-15 minutes! I had asked them to do all the shots and eye drops and everything in my arms, because I knew that they could, and I had worked so hard to bring this life into the world, and I wanted to hold my prize! I just held my new baby, and looked at him and cried and said happy birthday, and just basked in the moment of this brand-new life with my husband. They finally had to take him, because he was blowing bubbles, and that is a sign that he had inhaled some amniotic fluid. The doctor who had delivered Heath had told me to give it all I had, because his heart rate had gone down due to the cord being around his neck, and getting squished by his head coming out, so he wasn't getting oxygen, and so she told me to push as hard as I could, and she pulled on him too, to get him out. Paul was a little worried at seeing the doctor pull on his head so hard. When he finally came out, he took a big breath, and swallowed some fluid, so after I got to snuggle him for a little bit, they took him and in the same room, put a tiny tube down his throat to suck out the fluid. He recovered just fine, and then they weighed and measured him. They tell me " he was born at 7:46 PM, he is 9 lbs 5 oz and 21 inches long"....HOLY COW! No wonder I was so uncomfortable! And all this time, I am still spread-eagle, and at this point I look down, and the doctor is sewing me up, I had tore pretty good trying to get my big baby out! After I had recovered enough to walk, we got to go to our room, and enjoy our precious son! Now, because we did not have maternity coverage on our insurance, we were only able to stay 24 hours after he was born. But those 24 hours were packed with visitors! We didn't sleep at all, because we wanted him in the room with us, and we just relaxed with him in our arms. But the next day we had visitors in and out all day, it was fun to show him off! He was a little bruised up from his trip down the birth canal, but we were so in love with him!

The cutest boy ever!

Daddy holding him for the first time

Mommy holding her beautiful boy

one of the pictures we got of him the next day

I just can't believe its been a whole year since this day, and we look forward to many more birthdays! I love you Heath, you are my world!