M's Arrival: A Labor of Love

As I said in my previous post, I began to have contractions at around 5am on Tuesday morning.  They were stronger than those I had had the previous week, but still not bad and varying in time.  They continued for a few hours that morning and then mostly disappeared.  At 9:30 that morning, I had another appointment.  Again I had made progress (up to 3.5 cm dilated), but still had no idea when labor would begin.  At that point I was pretty convinced that I would have to be induced on Thursday morning, but to be on the safe side we asked Eric's dad to come back that evening (after leaving the day before) so we'd have someone here with Asher if needed.  Eric took me back home to work and then headed to work himself.  Before I got onto my computer though, I decided to take a nap as the rough night of sleep I had had the night before combined with the morning's contractions had exhausted me.  I slept comfortably (& contraction free) for about an hour and a half and woke around noon.  Not long after I woke up, the contractions started again.  This time they were at pretty regular 10 minute intervals and got stronger as the day progressed.  By about 4:00 that afternoon, they were averaging 7-9 minutes apart and were quite strong, so I texted Eric and told him he might want to head home early.  Not having gone into labor naturally before, I wasn't sure how quickly things would progress.  We also worked it out for Asher to stay at daycare until around 7, when Eric's dad would be able to pick him up, in case we had to leave earlier.  Like the previous Thursday though the contractions became much less intense and more spaced apart after Eric got home (I guess having Eric around must relax me), so after an hour or so, he headed out to get Asher and pick up some dinner.  In the meantime I tried to get a little rest, but then (of course) the contractions started up again and sleep would not be had.

Eric and Asher got back home with dinner at around 7:00 pm and arrived with Grandpa.  We ate a dinner of Qdoba around the table while I sat and awkwardly tried to inconspicuously have contractions (not exactly possible).  At this point they had gone back to 10 minute intervals and were far too strong to conceal.  As soon as I had finished my dinner, we took one last photo as a family of three (assuming I wouldn't make it to morning) and then I headed back upstairs to lay down and "enjoy" my contractions alone.

Our last photo as a family of three.

As the night went on, the intensity of my contractions continued to increase to full blown, mind-stopping pain.  Unfortunately, the time intervals did not change.  At around midnight, I called the on-call doctor to see what my options were.  Having never done this before, I wasn't sure if my contractions HAD to be at 5 minutes apart to go into the hospital even though the pain of my contractions was already at a point the I couldn't think.  The on-call doctor (Dr. Ambro) sleepily told me that it was up to me and a I could go in whenever I felt like I needed to go in...big help.

I went back to bed determined to bite the bullet (and at that point wishing I actually had a bullet to bite down on) and make it as long as possible before going in to the hospital.  Eric and I tried to get some rest for a bit, but again sleeping through contractions isn't actually an option.  At 3am my contractions were at 6-7 minutes apart and I couldn't take it any more.  I told Eric that I was ready to go.  We got our things together, informed his dad that we were leaving and then headed to St. Catherine's Hospital.

One last picture before heading to the hospital.

My chauffeur

When we got to the ER (where you need to go during the evening hours), I was wheeled up to the fourth floor and places in an observation room.  There I was checked and told that my contractions were actually about 4-5 minutes apart (despite my own timing) and I was now 5cm dilated and 90% effaced, which meant that I would indeed be admitted and could get an epidural right away.  They brought me to my room and got me situated in bed while we waited for the anesthesiologist to administer the epidural.  

When the anesthesiologist showed up I was a little freaked out to see that he was most-likely younger than Eric and I.  He also was wearing a Bears, which despite my disinterest in pro football, growing up in Packer country, gave me pause.  I was also afraid to get the epidural because of everything that happened with my epidural during Asher's labor.  Because I was quite anxious about getting another epidural, they let Eric stay in the room behind the curtain (the hospital's policy is that no one but the patient and hospital staff can be present for the epidural).  The nurse was great and held my hand the whole time and talked me through it.  Before I knew it, the epidural was in and surprisingly it was working!!  Within a minute or two my blinding contractions completely disappeared and I wasn't even aware when they were occurring...a working epidural is a wonderful thing!!  I was so relaxed at that point and so happy that the epidural process was over, that I answered a few more questions for the nurse and then Eric and and I attempted to get some rest before the show began.

Eric attempting to get some rest as the sun comes up over Kenosha/Pleasant Prairie.

Enjoying the pain-free moments of my epidural.

A few hours quickly went by, and soon it was 8 am.  This meant the my doctor was now working and as long as the baby came in the next 8 hours, she would be able to deliver him or her instead of an on-call doctor.  She also informed me that I was now 7cm dilated and things were coming along nicely. 

Waiting for M with my best friend by my side.

A mini stethoscope...so cute!

After that, the timing of everything got pretty fuzzy.  At some point, my doctor came back for another checkup and informed me that I was now 8cm.  Around that same time, the medicine began to wear off as I felt more pressure and more pain, letting me know that the time for delivery was drawing close. Time continued to pass and eventually it was time.  I won't lie it was tough, painful, exhausting work.  I had been told that the baby would be big (8.5-9 pounds), but no one was prepared for how big 'M' actually was.  At one point Eric said that it seemed like the doctor and nurses looked a bit panicked as they realized how big the baby was and were not sure that we would be able to get it out.  Eventually though, the baby was out (born at 11:54 am) and we heard the doctor proclaim, "It's a Boy!".  They handed him right to me and I snuggled him on my chest while the doctor handed Eric the cord and some scissors.  He hadn't been so sure that he had any desire to cut the cord, but since he didn't do it for Asher and there is a good chance that this will be his last chance, I am glad he did it and took on an experience that only comes a few times in your life if you're lucky...even if it is kind of gross.

As I held our new baby boy in our arms I looked at Eric and said, "Avery?" And he nodded in agreement.  Despite our recent hesitations about the name (after a conversation with a friend, we realized that Avery could be a girl's name as well) we felt that it was the best name for this new little man in our lives.  Thus, Avery (which was chosen simply because we both liked the sound of it) Michael (Eric's middle name which means "Gift from God"...perfectly appropriate as Asher's name means blessed and also as Avery truly is an unexpected gift) Migrin was officially named.

After a little snuggle, the nurses took him back to clean him up and measure him.  Everyone could tell that he was a big boy, but it was then that we found out just how big.  Avery measured a whopping 10 pounds 5 oz and was 22" long!  Since then most people that I talk to assume that I had a c-section when they ask how big he was.  When I tell them that I didn't, they are shocked!  Well, Eric and I were surprised by the size of our "little" guy as well, but that just means that we've been blessed with more to love!  :)

Once they had Avery cleaned up and measured they gave him back to me and we were able to have our first long snuggle and Avery's first meal.  I wasn't sure how nursing would go the second time around.  Asher did fairly well, but it was still a painful process.  However, Avery knew what to do right off the bat and latched immediately, with his first nursing session lasting over an hour...I guess he needed his calories!  Eric and I were thrilled at how well everything had gone that day.  It was a totally different experience than Asher's delivery, with calmness and everything going smoothly rather than complete chaos from start to finish.  

Now, with the delivery behind us, we were able to focus on the newest member of our family that God had gifted us and enjoy the rest of our day with him.

Eric finally getting to hold his littlest man for the first time.