The week had been a pretty relaxing one with me off work and Mom here staying with us, helping keep me busy and distracted as we waited for 'Bean' to be born. On Friday Alex, Mom, and I slept in, showered, hung out at home, saw "How to Train Your Dragon" with Alex's mom and brother Andy then went to Iggy's for dinner. After that we went to Andy's house to hang out and watched Astroboy. We had just gotten there when I had a weird stomach cramp. It could have been that I had just downed a Philly cheese steak sandwich, or it could have been that I was sitting twisted funny on the couch to pet the cat sitting behind me. Either way, I didn't think anything of it.
On the 25 minute drive home and I had 3 more of those weird stomach cramps.
So mom and I turned on "What's Up Doc" with Barbra Streisand when cramps turned to contractions. It's true...you know it when you feel it; and I felt it mostly below my belly button, between my hips and around my tailbone. Alex and I had been told to go the hospital when contractions were 5-7 minutes apart and lasted for at least one minute. By 2am we were there and on our way to the hospital.
Alex, mom, and I got to the hospital, headed to Labor and Delivery where I did the urine sample, changed into the lovely gown, and answered a bunch of questions. But when they did the exam I was only 2cm dilated. We waited an hour to see if anything changed, but an hour later...2 cm. So home we went with instructions to focus more on intensity rather than timing of contractions, and to wait until they were hurting up high and not just below my belly button. I hated it. I was so mad and disappointed. I had always told myself I wasn't going to be Annie Banks (Father of the Bride 2) and drag everyone to the hospital for false alarms. Nope. I would be sure before I went.
False Alarm: thought this would be my last chance to get a picture before he came out. Wrong.Saturday May 1st
We got home around 5am, slept in (some sleeping better than others) until noon, and had another relaxed day. Except this time I had contractions every 8 minutes. So we laid low, watched shows, and hung out until 5 when we went to the Drakes for hamburgers...still with contractions. Now they were getting a little stronger, but were still low on my belly.
On the way home they got stronger. I'd push my feet against the floor to get my bottom off the seat. When I got home I took a bath which the nurses had suggested for comfort the night before. It helped a little. So mom and I turned on "About a Boy" and my contractions kept getting stronger. I did fall asleep for parts of the movie which was nice, but at the end I was hurting. So I tried another bath but this one was zero help.
2am we tried going to bed, and I tried every position imaginable. Contractions were now 6-8 minutes and there was no way I would get even a wink of sleep that night. It hurt bad enough that even feeling Alex rolling over in bed bothered me. I hesitated going to the hospital again because I was afraid of what they would say. But I finally decided that even if I wasn't admitted, I could at least get something for the pain. So Alex and I loaded the car but left mom behind to get some sleep, sure it'd be another night like Friday and we'd be back in an hour or two.
So we drove the 25 minutes to the hospital IN THE SNOW. Yes, snow in May. Between the weather and the mistake of leaving mom in Bountiful I should have known this would be my night. I watch enough movies to know that important things always happen in the worst conditions.
After the gown change and pee in the cup, the big moment arrived...the exam. The nurse came in and my stomach sank as the same nurse from the night before walked in. Dang. Now i'll really be mad/disappointed/embarrassed if I hadn't made more progress. "No," I kept thinking to the nurse, "I'm not a crazy first-time-pregnant-lady or an over-anxious-cry-baby. It REALLY DOES hurt more."
She was doing her thing, checking things out, and looked at me. I swear time paused. "Do you want some really good news? You're a 6!" Somewhere between 3-3:30am I was admitted. By 4 I had my epidural, and everything was happy. I took a nap, talked to the soon-to-be-grandmas, and waited to finish the process. By 8:30am I was pushing and by 9:30 Dean Michael Drake was here. 8 lbs 7 oz. 22 inches long.
Thoughts on delivery....Epidurals are from heaven. I never realized how heavy my legs were. I think the nurse you have can make a huge difference. On shows like TLC's "Baby Story" I've seen nurses almost yell "Come on, push harder" or are loud about counting to 10 while pushing, stuff like that. I knew that would not fly with me. I needed positive reinforcement, calm counting, and someone optimistic that just explained everything that was happening. I got her. Her name was Paulette.
Here are the pictures. Chronological order even.
We got home around 5am, slept in (some sleeping better than others) until noon, and had another relaxed day. Except this time I had contractions every 8 minutes. So we laid low, watched shows, and hung out until 5 when we went to the Drakes for hamburgers...still with contractions. Now they were getting a little stronger, but were still low on my belly.
On the way home they got stronger. I'd push my feet against the floor to get my bottom off the seat. When I got home I took a bath which the nurses had suggested for comfort the night before. It helped a little. So mom and I turned on "About a Boy" and my contractions kept getting stronger. I did fall asleep for parts of the movie which was nice, but at the end I was hurting. So I tried another bath but this one was zero help.
2am we tried going to bed, and I tried every position imaginable. Contractions were now 6-8 minutes and there was no way I would get even a wink of sleep that night. It hurt bad enough that even feeling Alex rolling over in bed bothered me. I hesitated going to the hospital again because I was afraid of what they would say. But I finally decided that even if I wasn't admitted, I could at least get something for the pain. So Alex and I loaded the car but left mom behind to get some sleep, sure it'd be another night like Friday and we'd be back in an hour or two.
So we drove the 25 minutes to the hospital IN THE SNOW. Yes, snow in May. Between the weather and the mistake of leaving mom in Bountiful I should have known this would be my night. I watch enough movies to know that important things always happen in the worst conditions.
After the gown change and pee in the cup, the big moment arrived...the exam. The nurse came in and my stomach sank as the same nurse from the night before walked in. Dang. Now i'll really be mad/disappointed/embarrassed if I hadn't made more progress. "No," I kept thinking to the nurse, "I'm not a crazy first-time-pregnant-lady or an over-anxious-cry-baby. It REALLY DOES hurt more."
She was doing her thing, checking things out, and looked at me. I swear time paused. "Do you want some really good news? You're a 6!" Somewhere between 3-3:30am I was admitted. By 4 I had my epidural, and everything was happy. I took a nap, talked to the soon-to-be-grandmas, and waited to finish the process. By 8:30am I was pushing and by 9:30 Dean Michael Drake was here. 8 lbs 7 oz. 22 inches long.
Thoughts on delivery....Epidurals are from heaven. I never realized how heavy my legs were. I think the nurse you have can make a huge difference. On shows like TLC's "Baby Story" I've seen nurses almost yell "Come on, push harder" or are loud about counting to 10 while pushing, stuff like that. I knew that would not fly with me. I needed positive reinforcement, calm counting, and someone optimistic that just explained everything that was happening. I got her. Her name was Paulette.
Here are the pictures. Chronological order even.
"My Happy Place" by Epidural
Love love love Alex's face
Grandma Suzy
Grandma Lori
Grandpa Ken
Nicole & Rob
Our Family
Zach & Aly
Uncle Andy
Kelsey (also notice amazing flowers from my friends at work)
My favorite way to nap
Skype with the Carters in CAThings that stand out
-How good the first shower felt
-Most beautiful flowers sent by the girls at work
-Labor was easier than nursing
-Alex's dad bringing Einstein bagels that first morning, Andy bringing Rumbi, Lori bringing pasta salad, Zach and Aly bringing cookies! Yum.
-Not all nurses are created equal
-The necessity of pain killers during recovery
-how glad I was to have my "just in case I want them" pjs from home
-how much I hated nurses taking Dean out of the room for check-ups, even if it was for 10 minutes
-how much my mom enjoyed the cookie of the day (chocolate chip), how much I enjoyed the lime sherbert
-how long you can go on very little sleep
-me AND alex could fit and sleep in my hospital bed
-how quickly Dean took to nursing
-how much I enjoyed grape juice
Just wanted to say thank you to all of our family and friends who have supported us through my pregnancy and now with the arrival of Dean. You guys rock!
