Letters to Connor: August 2010

I know I am SUPER late posting this, but as all you new mom's know....time really does fly. I did start writing this on July 8th and it has taken me until now (Aug 18th) to finish it.

I feel like I went into labor a month before he was actually born, but I know it was just my body getting ready for this awesome experience. I had brackston hicks contractions every other day or so and they would be so uncomfortable that I would not be able to sleep. You will see in my last post about 38 weeks that I was struggling with them. Little did I know it wouldn't be 8 days later and he would be here. I think I really went into early labor on Wednesday the 16th. It was the only day I went into the office and at lunch walked down to a little pizza joint to get something to eat. While I was there I started feeling really bad and when I walked back to the office I really felt like I was having pretty regular contractions. They weren't terribly painful, but I just felt so bad (hard to describe that feeling). I decided to go on home I was feeling so bad. By the time I got home that afternoon I was having pretty regular contractions, like every 20 minutes or so. Joey got home shortly after 5pm and we decided to go for a walk. He tried to get me to eat something and I couldn't bear the thought of eating (first sign I really thought something was up). We walked for a while stopping about every block for me to catch my breath while another contraction passed. We got back home and I rested on the couch, each one getting stronger and stronger, but not unbearable. My mom called me later that night and we talked, but I didn't mention the contractions because I knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. We went to bed and I of course I couldn't sleep. Joey turned on Pandora to Nora Jones radio and I tried to just relax. About midnight I decided to get up and go to the couch and time these contractions. As soon as I did they started getting further and further apart until they disappeared about 2am. I then cried for another hour because I was so disappointed I wasn't going to get to meet my little boy yet.

In labor the night before he actually came. I was mad at Joey for trying to take my picture.

The next morning I woke up really early... I was still having some small contractions, but they were more like the brackston hicks and I was just so sure it was false labor. I had coffee with Joey on the patio and decided to stay home for the day. I sent him on to work with a promise I would rest and call if I needed anything. I went and laid down for about an hour, got up and took a shower. I was feeling really bad again and decided to lay back down. I had not been laying down for more than 15 min and I felt really crampy. I got up and went to the bathroom and as soon as I did I started having contractions every 5 min and they were sharp, very different from the other ones I had been having. I called my mom and told her to book a flight, called Joey and told him to get HOME NOW! I was writting down my contractions because I was going to the hospital as SOON as I could ;-) Did not want to miss my epidural.. haha.

We got to the hospital at 11:30 and got checked in and started on the monitor and sure enough I was having pretty large contractions every 4 to 5 minutes with some being even 3 minutes apart. The nurse checked me and I was only dilated to 3cm. This was very disappointing news because they kept telling me that they would give me some meds and labor would probably stop and they would send me back home. I looked at Joey when the nurse left and said "I don't care what you have to say to them, I am NOT going home again!!!!" They called the doctor on call from my clinic which happened to be Dr. Yuko D'Ambrosia. She was noted in 5280 Magazine as one of Denvers "Top Docs" for like 5 years in a row. If I couldn't have Dr. Walsh, she was the next best thing. She came in and told me I had two options. They could give me morphine, let me sleep, and I would either wake up in full labor or it would have subsided and I could go home. OR they could give me an epidural and start pitocin and I could have a baby that day. Well, you obviously know my choice. ;-)

I got my epidural about 2:30pm that day and was told to relax. Which I did, after I finished calling everyone, finishing up some work projects, making sure my mom and dad made it on a plane. The nurse came back in a few minutes after 5 to "check me" and I had dilated to 6cm and my water had broken. I thought it had, but then again I thought it had broken earlier and it had not, so I didn't say anything that last time. She came back around 6 and I told her I was feeling weird, like something was happening, she thought I was kidding because they assumed this would "take all day and into the night". Sure enough she checked me and I was 8cm. She then came back at 6:30 to let me know her shift was done and she would be leaving at 7 and I told her I was feeling a lot of pressure. Again, she was skeptical and left the room and said my next nurse would check me when she came in. She was gone about 5 minutes and came back in with the new nurse to "check me" just because of the pressure I was feeling and I was 10cm. They couldn't believe it. The shifts changed, I got used to my new nurse and answering all the same questions I had already been answering all day long, yet again...all the while feeling like I was about to push a watermellon out if she didn't hurry up.

Ethan had gone to get Mammaw to bring her to the hospital for the birth and then he was going to pick up my mom and dad from the airport. Joey was insistant that they were to come into the room to "say hello" before we started pushing...needless to say I told the nurse when Joey left to get them that she was to come back in no more than 10 minutes to kick them out. I was ready to get this show on the road and didn't feel like chit chatting very long. Of course, everyone was very understanding. The funny thing was when I heard Joey talking to his mom about coming to the hospital, this was about 6:30, and she said they would get there about 7:30, I told him we would probably be read to have a baby by then and they may not get to come back and to let her know that. He said to me "hun, I am sure it is going to be a while" And sure enough, when the new nurse came in right before 7 and I was 10cm, she said we would start pushing at 7:30. I backed it up to 7:45 so they could come in to visit. I think Joey was stunned that I DID actually know what I was talking about. (maybe next kid he will listen to me, but I doubt it)

Mammaw and Ethan waiting...

I started pushing with Joey and the nurse at 7:45 and the doc came in around 8:45.....and at 9:33pm a cute little redheaded boy came into this world and changed mine forever. He weighed 7lbs and 2oz and was 21 inches long. He was SO bright eyed and alert for hours after he was born... just checking out the world. I suspected then he will be a kid that doesn't just live life, but really takes in his surroundings and wants to experience all life has to offer. For some reason I think this might come with many trips to the ER....not sure about that yet, but we will see.