Labor and Delivery

It was two weeks ago today that all of this started so hopefully I can remember everything. Here goes...

At 6:30 am Monday November 17th I was trying to get some sleep on our couch when I woke up suddenly and felt that my pants were wet. It took me a second to wake up and think about what was happening. I jumped up and went to open that bedroom door to tell Ryan that I thought my water had broken and that he should probably get dressed. Once he woke up and realized what I was saying he asked me if I was sure. Now not ever having had my water break before I told him I didn't know. He asked me if I was having contractions and I said no. He wasn't too sure that my water had broken so he went to look it up online and I called the hospital to see what they thought. They told me they weren't sure but that I should come in and have it checked out.
Now keep in mind that this was two weeks before he was actually due so we had nothing done. In fact our goal was to have packed our bag for the hospital that weekend, but with the news from the doctor the Thursday before that I would probably be later Ryan and I never found time to pack the bag. So we hurried and pulled out the list of things that we needed to pack and started throwing them together. By this point it was a little after 7 and we were out the door. I told Ryan to just go to work and that if I was in labor that I would call him, if not then he could just stay at work. So we left in separate cars.
Once I got to the hospital I had to wait for someone to check me in and then they sent me to a room to change into a hospital gown and a nurse came and talked to me. She didn't end up check to see if my water had broken for a good 20 minutes. From everything that I was telling her she was convinced that it had broken so she was filling out the nessisary paperwork. Finally she checked and it had broken. So I called Ryan and asked him if he wanted to have a baby today. He said yes and was on his way to the hospital.
By about 8:30 or 8:45 am they moved me into my labor and delivery room. They let me have a little something to eat and then my doctor came and checked me out. At this point I was not even dialted to a one (which was what I was at the Thursday before). So they started me on petosin to induce my labor. Ryan and I called our famiy to let them know what was going on. I called my mom first who didn't believe me and then my dad to tell him that I was sorry that he wouldn't be born on his birthday (the 29th). At this point I could start to feel the contractions. They were more uncomfortable than anything, but I was fine. Ryan and I decided that he should go get the rest of the stuff that we needed since we would be in the hospital for the next couple of days. So I was left watching Arrested Development and just waiting. My mom came and visited me for a while which was nice it helped the time pass and then Ryan came back.
Every once in a while the nurses would come in to see how I was doing and to ask if I wanted my epidural yet. That was such a hard question. I didn't knwo when I should get it. People just said when it hurt bad enough to get it, but that I could get whenever I wanted. So I just didn't know. And since my water had broken they didn't want to check me because it might cause some bacterial so it was all a guessing game. I think it was about 4 o'clock when my contractions were really starting to hurt that I decided to get the epidural. I was so scared for it, but honestly it didn't hurt. They put this numbing shot in first and that hurt a little, but the actual shot didn't hurt at all. Then they checke me and found out that I was only a two (that kind of made me feel bad that I was in so much pain but only a two I am such a wimp). They decided to up the petocin. All of a sudden my heart rate dropped and so did the babies. So before I knew it the nurse had me laying flat on the bed and had oxygen on me and then I had this horrible ringing in my ears. I almost didn't know what was going on and before I knew it they fixed whatever was wrong. They told me that my IV wasn't giving me enough fluids and that somehow reacted with the epidural. It was a little scarry, but I was okay.
So after that it really was just a waiting game. Ryan and I played games and watched movies and my parents came a saw me. Once the epidural was in I was fine. I think it was probably close to 11 pm when Ryan and I decided to try and get some sleep. We turned on a season of friends and turned off the lights. I think I maybe slept an hour total that night. I was bored and uncomfortable and apprently so was Ryan (I thought he was asleep the whole time). And the epidural was making one of my legs really reall y numb and the other one not so much so I could feel the contractions. By 3 am the contractions were really bad and everytime I would have one I felt like I needed to push so I called the nurse in. She checked me and sure enought I was at a 10! She told me that I had to wait for an hour before I could begin pushing. So we waited. Then finally a little after 4 am the nurse came in and said it was time to push. She told Ryan and I that for first time babies that you usually have to push at least an hour. So I started pushing ( I honestly had no idea how had and exhausting pushing was. I was too busy worrying about everything else that I never thought now pushing). The nurse made a prediction of 6 am that he would be born. I guessed 5:55 am and Ryan guessed 5:25. After pushing for over an hour the nursed called my doctor in to come help and said that she would need to use the vacuum to help. I think the doctor got there at about 5:20 so Ryan's guess was out. So I pushed some more and at 5:58 am Wilson Riley was born. Ryan and I say that I won that guess!!!
It was the neatest think when he was born and they put him on my stomach. This little person that had grown inside of me for so long.
All together labor and delivery was so much easier then I had ever thought it would be. I am so grateful that Wilson is healthy and that things are going well. I am also grateful for a wonderful and supportive husband who was there with me the entire way. We love the addition to our family.