Jordan Christopher's Birth

Birthdate: 05/14 Due Date: 05/12
Time: 4:32 AM EST
Weight: 7 lbs 14 oz Length: 20 1/2"

(Side note: MIL found DH's birth certificate - this is EXACTLY what his weight and length was too!)

Thursday night we got to the hospital about 8 PM for my induction - I was 3 cm and 80 percent effaced - Jordan was still at a -2 station and not engaged. Around 9:30 they started me on the pitocin. Since I wasn't having any contractions at all it wasn't bad and slow going in the beginning. (I had pitocin with both girls also - same story) My mom & step-dad had taken Kyrie and Christie home with them (we all live about five minutes from the hospital so that was convenient) and the game plan was to call my Mom when I got to about 5-6 cm and then my step-dad would bring the girls over when I would start to push so they'd be there right after the delivery.

Well things don't always go as plan ... LOL ...

I really lucked out as Beth, a nurse who I really like from my OB's office was on the 3-11 shift so I finally had her take care of me. It took 3 pregnancies for me to be in labor when she was on duty at the hospital! Anyway she told me that the Dr. wanted me to have my epidural (They already knew I wanted one - I remember from the girls just how much of a friend an epi can be!) between 11:00 and 11:30 pm. The philosphy was - and was with Christie's labor also as I was only 3 cm with her too - that when you are on pitocin often times your body gets incredibly tense due to the strength of the contractions (I can vouch for that!) and the epi actually helps you to dialate faster because you are much more relaxed.

Well the anestheisiologist was busy with a c-section so I wound up not getting one until 1 AM and believe me by then I was VERY ready. I was breathing through my contractions while he was giving it to me but they were getting VERY strong by then as they kept increasing the pitocin. Just as he was finishing the epi and heard a loud pop and felt like I got a tremendous kick from Jordan. From all of our posts on this board I realized that it was my water breaking - the gush of fluid that followed it confirmed this.

Shortly after my epi something happened that didn't with my previous labors - I started itching all over! The nurse said she'd talk to the anesth. dr and returned with a shot of Nubain. I started laughing and said "Oh no not that stuff!" I took some with Kyrie's labor before I had the epi and it made me feel incredibly drunk! Surprisingly she told me it wasn't for pain relief but itch relief in my case and it did work!

Well DH was busy watching TV and I kept saying why don't you lie down on the cot and try to sleep as I was getting tired but wanted him to be rested as well. I started dozing and at 2 AM a resident came in to check me. He reported me as being 4 cm and 80 percent effaced. From 9:30 to 2 AM I had only progressed 1 CM! DH said "Oh great this isn't going to happen until tomorrow afternoon!" to which I replied Oh I don't know about that ... I think it's going to go quickly - remember I wasn't in labor at all when we came in here tonight. Then he said ... "Yeah and you thought you were going to go BEFORE your due date too!" The one thing I was concerned about was falling asleep and not waking up in time to have my mom there.

By 3:15 I was still dozing in and out and I realized that DH was finally sleeping by the sound of his breathing. I happily shut my eyes again feeling at peace that he was resting also. Just 15 minutes later I awoke to feel rectal pressure. Now there was no big urge to push like I had with Christie and I was still way out of things from the Nubain so I wasn't concerned. I just reached down between my legs and felt to make sure there was no babie's head about to pop out (LOL .. remember I was OUT OF IT!) .... Nope ... it wasn't there ... ok ... roll over back to sleep. ZZZZZZZZZ.....

4:10 AM ... once again woken up by pressure that's gotten worse but this time along with the pressure I felt fluid coming out. UT-OH!!! I knew it must have been more amniotic fluid and the way it was coming could only mean one thing - there was a babies head pushing it out! I buzzed the nurse who came in and announced ... "Oh boy ... you're at +3 station - let's have a baby!" So in 1 1/2 hours I went from 4 cm to 10. I told Chris .. call Mom and tell her to get over here now with Barry and the girls - I don't care if they're all in the pajamas!

They arrived within 10 minutes - Jordan had the good manners to wait to make his arrival. My dr still wasn't in the room but I was having a contrax so the nurse said "Ok Holly I need you to push" I no sooner started and she said "NO STOP! The head is crowning - I've got to get the Dr" My Dr. came in and on the very next push his entire head popped out ... right down to his neck! (Ok ... visual here: picture something out of Jim Carey's movie ... "The Mask" ... POP this entire body part emerged in 2 seconds!)With one more push he was completely out. No episiotomy this time either which was a first for me - I have two little stitched from a small "brush burn" type tear though.

I feel incredibly blessed as he's got a wonderful disposition and is an excellent nurser. He has dark blonde/lt brown hair which is between his two sisters colors and big blue eyes. And DH who claimed it didn't matter if it was a boy or a girl was talking football with him already as they were taking his vitals! (9/10 APGAR)

Some of you know that I have had mixed emotions about the end of this pregnancy as it was - for all intensive purposes my last. Welp I did something at the hospital that actually made those feelings worse. They have Labor/Delivery/Recovery/Post Partum Suites that if they aren't busy you can stay in your entire time or you can move to the other wing with the nursery, etc til you go home.

Since I had opted for an early release (36 hours) I decided to just stay put. When I was waiting to leave yesterday afternoon I sat there and replayed the previous day and half in my mind. I realized that I hadn't walked out of the room I was in since I had had my baby. I looked around studying my surroundings. The monitor that had my contractions and babies heart rate on was now silent although my info from when they admitted still me still appeared on it. The chair/cot my husband had slept on sat in the corner - pillow and blanket folded upon it. I looked down at the bed on which I sat - now in my "street clothes" - and remembered how they broke the bottom of it out when it was time to push my baby into the world in that early morning hour. Well I became so overcome with emotion (a big part - HORMONES) that I broke down crying and crying and I had quite a hard time stopping.(As a matter of fact I'm kind of teary now thinking about it) This room was both the end and beginninig of two aspects of my life and once I walked out of it the memories were all I would have. Sounds stupid I know but I actually had an attachment to a hospital room! It would have been much easier leaving from another room where I had not actually labored and given birth - especially since this was my last time doing so.

Now I'm turning towards the future with DH, my happy little bundle and his two big sisters (Who have both been WONDERFUL with him) and looking forward to getting to know him!

Sorry so long - if you're still here thanks for reading my story!

Best wishes to all! Holly