"Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here an hour I would die for you. This is the miracle of life."
~Maureen Hawkins
Warning: I pretty much wrote a novel... and don't really expect lots of people to read it... Mostly for my own memory, this post is to tell my birth story: from even before contractions started until we were home from the hospital with our beautiful baby boy :)
So Friday the 23rd was my last day of school! Normally I am sad on the last day and I've always cried - but this year, I was sooo ready and after a long, tough year, I waved good-bye, gave hugs and left with a huge smile on my face! :) My parents were in town passing through on their way back to Alabama on Saturday night and stayed with us... Alex woke up sick on Sunday morning so we ended up just hanging around the house instead of heading to church. That began Alex's week of moodiness, diarrhea and throw up, fever, and refusal to eat! It was so strange though because it was so off and on again... and the fever/throw up/diarrhea only lasted a day and a half. Once that was over I figured he was fine... but he continued to not eat and was just moody. So it wasn't exactly how I imagined spending my last few days as a mommy to just one, but we did get to do lots of snuggling and at least he slept well for me so I was able to get in some good naps and sleep in!
Wednesday we went out for a "family date" because Gary thought it may be our last night to be able to go out before the baby (he was convinced all along that baby Nathan would be early!) So the three of us went to dinner at Applebees and then got ice cream at Baskin Robbins. We had great evening together! Sure enough, that night the contractions started! I was up pretty much the entire night starting around midnight with contractions every 10 minutes and bad back pain. I really thought that was it and we'd be in the hospital some time the next morning! But then around 4ish I was able to fall asleep and the contractions weren't so consistent anymore. Thursday morning Gary went on to work... contractions were sporadic and not as strong. Once Alex got up, I decided it was a good thing that Nathan wasn't coming just yet, becuase I really needed to get him checked out at the doctor to make sure everything was ok. So we went to the doctor on Thursday morning and sure enough, Alex had strep! I'm thankful that the contractions DID stop and that I finally decided to take him in - as soon as he started the antibiotic he was eating and doing so much better! By Thursday night he was acting like himself again :)
So Thursday afternoon I had irregular contractions and lower back pain, but nothing consistent and nothing strong enough to make me think Nathan would be coming too soon. When Gary got home from work we ate dinner and then decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to see if it would help! We walked for about 45 minutes, then came home and got Alex around for bed and I took a shower. By that time it was about 8:45ish... we sat down to watch TV and relax and the contractions started! When they started up they were about 7 minutes apart and got closer together for the next hour... a little before 10:00 Gary decided he should call the Bowman's (our sitters for Alex) and let them know it might be that night! A little after 10 my contractions were consistently every 4-6 minutes and getting stronger and Gary decided to call the doctor. She said to come in and get checked at the hospital! Amy came over to stay with Alex and we were off! (What a blessing to have such great friends!!)
When we got to the hospital I was still having fairly strong and consistent contractions. We had to sit in the waiting room for about 45 minutes before they had a bed ready for me to get checked. They checked me and I was at 2cm (at my doctor's appt 2 days earlier I was at 1.5cm). She said they would monitor my contractions and the baby's hearbeat for about an hour and see what I was doing then... at that point they would let me know if I would be staying or not . I was praying that things would progress and I could stay! A little after midnight they came in to see how I was doing. She said my contractions were every 4-6 minutes apart and that it might be a while... I could either go home and come back later that night when they were a little closer, or I could stay and Gary and I could walk around for an hour to see if that would help. I did NOT want to leave and have to come back, so we opted to walk. I also knew at this point in my gut that our little boy would join us soon, so there was no way I wanted to leave!
It was a looong hour of walking! I was stopping every 2-5 minutes for a contraction. The birthing floor was pretty quiet and empty though and Gary and I just walked and talked a little in between contractions. They were definitely getting more intense as time went. It was about 1 a.m. after we walked around and it was time to get back in bed and get hooked back up to the monitors. They left me for about 30 minutes to monitor my contractions again and then the nurse came in to check me. I was at 4cm! Contractions were a little stronger and about 3-4 minutes apart at this point. She said this baby would be here soon, and we were ready to get things going!
Within the next 45 minutes they got my IV plugged in. My nurse started putting out all these drop cloths under my arm, and I'm thinking, what is THAT for? She tells me she is pretty messy with IVs and scares me to death! (nurses always have trouble with my veins and I often get stuck twice and end up hurting and bruising from the IV) She took a look at my arms and said she didn't think she'd be able to do it after all and called their "pro IV nurse". She came in and took her time marking my arms and finding the perfect vein - then she got it on the first try! They took blood for testing and hooked me up to fluids. I had to go through one bag of fluids before I could get the epideral, and the blood testing had to come back. She said they'd get it taken care of as soon as possible. At this point I was beginning to feel ready for the epideral... it was about 3 am - I was handling contractions and breathing fairly well but they were definitely strong and I had a lot of back labor going on, which is very painful! Gary was very supportive the whole time, encouraging me to breathe and asking if I needed anything and what he could do. I have a fabulous husband :)
About 4:15 am my bloodwork was back and my IV fluids were in... I was about 8cm at this point. It was time for the epideral, thankfully - I was ready! Gary left the room and the anesthesiologist (sp??) came in. It took about a half hour to get the epideral - which was much different than last time I had one because I was having STRONG contractions at this point and they kept telling me not to make any sudden movements and not to startle if he touched me. I like when they tell you what they are doing step by step... but this guy was just like " assume I'll be touching you and doing stuff back here, and don't startle when I do things"... luckily my nurse understood that I wanted to know when he was going to do something and what and she was very supportive and helpful. (It was the same nurse we'd had all night - Dana - very nice and encouraging.) It was stressful trying not to move when the contractions would come but soon enough it was over.
I numbed up pretty quick but the back labor was still strong on the lower left side and I was still having to breathe through contractions. They decided to up my dose a little more. After the anesthesiologist upped the dose, I had only slight back pain and was comfortable. The nurse checked me again and looked over the contractions/baby heart beat (which all along she said was looking fantastic!) It was about 5:45 by this point and she said I was fully dialated and ready! And right as she checked me, my water broke! She called Dr. Moore (my doctor was home sleeping through the whole thing... getting updates every few hours. she said she was just 5 minutes away) and told her I was ready. Dr. Moore said to go ahead and start laboring down and she was on her way. Dana and another nurse sat me up (my legs were completely numb and I couldn't even help sit up) and then they called the anesthesiologist to cut down my dosage so that I could feel a little bit more to be able to push. He cut my dose in half.
As we were waiting for the doctor, Dana and the other nurses were getting things in the room ready. Dr. Moore arrived (looking like she JUST got out of bed!) about 20 minutes later at 6:20ish. She said she was going to go ahead and check me and we'd get the show on the road! When she went to check me, she didn't even have to finish checking becuase she saw our baby's head! She was like, wow, you're ready!! About then, the nurse accidently knocked all of the doctor's tools off the cart and they had to get all new stuff! It made me a little nervous everyone rushing around the room... several nurses were in there doing stuff at this point and Dr. Moore was getting things ready.
So everything was ready and it was time to push (the hardest part of my delivery with Alex - 3 long hours of pushing before they used forceps to get him out... I was so sore and exhausted - so I was geared up for a long process...) -- well, ONE push and Nathaniel was out!! Gary cut the cord and they handed Nathan to me. He looked perfect - he was absolutely beautiful and all I could think was "thank you, thank you, thank you for this precious gift!!"
~Maureen Hawkins
Warning: I pretty much wrote a novel... and don't really expect lots of people to read it... Mostly for my own memory, this post is to tell my birth story: from even before contractions started until we were home from the hospital with our beautiful baby boy :)
So Friday the 23rd was my last day of school! Normally I am sad on the last day and I've always cried - but this year, I was sooo ready and after a long, tough year, I waved good-bye, gave hugs and left with a huge smile on my face! :) My parents were in town passing through on their way back to Alabama on Saturday night and stayed with us... Alex woke up sick on Sunday morning so we ended up just hanging around the house instead of heading to church. That began Alex's week of moodiness, diarrhea and throw up, fever, and refusal to eat! It was so strange though because it was so off and on again... and the fever/throw up/diarrhea only lasted a day and a half. Once that was over I figured he was fine... but he continued to not eat and was just moody. So it wasn't exactly how I imagined spending my last few days as a mommy to just one, but we did get to do lots of snuggling and at least he slept well for me so I was able to get in some good naps and sleep in!
Wednesday we went out for a "family date" because Gary thought it may be our last night to be able to go out before the baby (he was convinced all along that baby Nathan would be early!) So the three of us went to dinner at Applebees and then got ice cream at Baskin Robbins. We had great evening together! Sure enough, that night the contractions started! I was up pretty much the entire night starting around midnight with contractions every 10 minutes and bad back pain. I really thought that was it and we'd be in the hospital some time the next morning! But then around 4ish I was able to fall asleep and the contractions weren't so consistent anymore. Thursday morning Gary went on to work... contractions were sporadic and not as strong. Once Alex got up, I decided it was a good thing that Nathan wasn't coming just yet, becuase I really needed to get him checked out at the doctor to make sure everything was ok. So we went to the doctor on Thursday morning and sure enough, Alex had strep! I'm thankful that the contractions DID stop and that I finally decided to take him in - as soon as he started the antibiotic he was eating and doing so much better! By Thursday night he was acting like himself again :)
So Thursday afternoon I had irregular contractions and lower back pain, but nothing consistent and nothing strong enough to make me think Nathan would be coming too soon. When Gary got home from work we ate dinner and then decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to see if it would help! We walked for about 45 minutes, then came home and got Alex around for bed and I took a shower. By that time it was about 8:45ish... we sat down to watch TV and relax and the contractions started! When they started up they were about 7 minutes apart and got closer together for the next hour... a little before 10:00 Gary decided he should call the Bowman's (our sitters for Alex) and let them know it might be that night! A little after 10 my contractions were consistently every 4-6 minutes and getting stronger and Gary decided to call the doctor. She said to come in and get checked at the hospital! Amy came over to stay with Alex and we were off! (What a blessing to have such great friends!!)
When we got to the hospital I was still having fairly strong and consistent contractions. We had to sit in the waiting room for about 45 minutes before they had a bed ready for me to get checked. They checked me and I was at 2cm (at my doctor's appt 2 days earlier I was at 1.5cm). She said they would monitor my contractions and the baby's hearbeat for about an hour and see what I was doing then... at that point they would let me know if I would be staying or not . I was praying that things would progress and I could stay! A little after midnight they came in to see how I was doing. She said my contractions were every 4-6 minutes apart and that it might be a while... I could either go home and come back later that night when they were a little closer, or I could stay and Gary and I could walk around for an hour to see if that would help. I did NOT want to leave and have to come back, so we opted to walk. I also knew at this point in my gut that our little boy would join us soon, so there was no way I wanted to leave!
It was a looong hour of walking! I was stopping every 2-5 minutes for a contraction. The birthing floor was pretty quiet and empty though and Gary and I just walked and talked a little in between contractions. They were definitely getting more intense as time went. It was about 1 a.m. after we walked around and it was time to get back in bed and get hooked back up to the monitors. They left me for about 30 minutes to monitor my contractions again and then the nurse came in to check me. I was at 4cm! Contractions were a little stronger and about 3-4 minutes apart at this point. She said this baby would be here soon, and we were ready to get things going!
Within the next 45 minutes they got my IV plugged in. My nurse started putting out all these drop cloths under my arm, and I'm thinking, what is THAT for? She tells me she is pretty messy with IVs and scares me to death! (nurses always have trouble with my veins and I often get stuck twice and end up hurting and bruising from the IV) She took a look at my arms and said she didn't think she'd be able to do it after all and called their "pro IV nurse". She came in and took her time marking my arms and finding the perfect vein - then she got it on the first try! They took blood for testing and hooked me up to fluids. I had to go through one bag of fluids before I could get the epideral, and the blood testing had to come back. She said they'd get it taken care of as soon as possible. At this point I was beginning to feel ready for the epideral... it was about 3 am - I was handling contractions and breathing fairly well but they were definitely strong and I had a lot of back labor going on, which is very painful! Gary was very supportive the whole time, encouraging me to breathe and asking if I needed anything and what he could do. I have a fabulous husband :)
About 4:15 am my bloodwork was back and my IV fluids were in... I was about 8cm at this point. It was time for the epideral, thankfully - I was ready! Gary left the room and the anesthesiologist (sp??) came in. It took about a half hour to get the epideral - which was much different than last time I had one because I was having STRONG contractions at this point and they kept telling me not to make any sudden movements and not to startle if he touched me. I like when they tell you what they are doing step by step... but this guy was just like " assume I'll be touching you and doing stuff back here, and don't startle when I do things"... luckily my nurse understood that I wanted to know when he was going to do something and what and she was very supportive and helpful. (It was the same nurse we'd had all night - Dana - very nice and encouraging.) It was stressful trying not to move when the contractions would come but soon enough it was over.
I numbed up pretty quick but the back labor was still strong on the lower left side and I was still having to breathe through contractions. They decided to up my dose a little more. After the anesthesiologist upped the dose, I had only slight back pain and was comfortable. The nurse checked me again and looked over the contractions/baby heart beat (which all along she said was looking fantastic!) It was about 5:45 by this point and she said I was fully dialated and ready! And right as she checked me, my water broke! She called Dr. Moore (my doctor was home sleeping through the whole thing... getting updates every few hours. she said she was just 5 minutes away) and told her I was ready. Dr. Moore said to go ahead and start laboring down and she was on her way. Dana and another nurse sat me up (my legs were completely numb and I couldn't even help sit up) and then they called the anesthesiologist to cut down my dosage so that I could feel a little bit more to be able to push. He cut my dose in half.
As we were waiting for the doctor, Dana and the other nurses were getting things in the room ready. Dr. Moore arrived (looking like she JUST got out of bed!) about 20 minutes later at 6:20ish. She said she was going to go ahead and check me and we'd get the show on the road! When she went to check me, she didn't even have to finish checking becuase she saw our baby's head! She was like, wow, you're ready!! About then, the nurse accidently knocked all of the doctor's tools off the cart and they had to get all new stuff! It made me a little nervous everyone rushing around the room... several nurses were in there doing stuff at this point and Dr. Moore was getting things ready.
So everything was ready and it was time to push (the hardest part of my delivery with Alex - 3 long hours of pushing before they used forceps to get him out... I was so sore and exhausted - so I was geared up for a long process...) -- well, ONE push and Nathaniel was out!! Gary cut the cord and they handed Nathan to me. He looked perfect - he was absolutely beautiful and all I could think was "thank you, thank you, thank you for this precious gift!!"
Nathaniel Karl Friske was born at 6:37 am on April 30th. He weighed in at 6.74 lbs and was 19 inches long. (Weighing 1.1 ounce more than Alex and looking just like his big brother did!)
Nathan took to nursing right away... he latched right on when they gave him to me to try for the first time - I was nervous after the stressful process that it was with Alex at first! But Nathan is a pro for sure! He's been doing great with it ever since :) Such a huge blessing!
The first 24 hours were kind of a blur... after being in labor all night (and the night before) Gary and I were both exhausted and hungry (Gary had his heart set on donuts ever since the nurse mentioned them around 4 am... he had been to check for them MANY times haha and couldn't stop talking about them! We DID finally get our donuts around 8:30!) We spent most of the day just staring and snuggling with our new little boy... such a surreal time as a parent! Nathan slept most of the day of course and barely cried at all... the only thing that would really make him upset was when people would check things on him or if he had to change his diaper... but he calmed down quickly and easily each time :)
Gary went to get Alex from the Bowman's around 4:30 to feed him and bring him to the hospital to meet his new brother. I was so nervous about this! Alex was excited from the minute Gary told him that he was going to meet his baby brother though :) My mom got to the hospital around 6pm to meet Nathan and Gary and Alex showed up about 30 minutes later. Alex walked right in and came over to see his brother and give mommy hugs! He was all grins and kept saying "baby brother" and pointing at Nathan. He gave him a kiss and touched him and giggled. He was so happy and excited! He sat up on the bed with me and snuggled with both of us - what a precious moment as a mom... it was a perfect introduction and I couldn't have imagined it going any more smoothly!
We gave Alex a present from Nathan (a truck that makes noises and has a little trailer it pulls) and told him it was for being such a good big brother. He was SO proud and excited for the truck! He told Nathan thank you several time and gave him kisses! We spent the next hour playing in the room with Alex and eating some dinner - Alex couldn't understand why Nathan couldn't have french fries and ketchup though!
I slept off and on that night... Gary snored away most of the night, not waking up even when the nurses came in! I think I was still running on adrenaline though, I really didn't even feel that tired. The next morning we waited on person after person who had to come in and do something or check something... we were so ready to be discharged and go home! Finally we were able to leave around 3:30 on Saturday afternoon!!
I really can't imagine things going any more smoothly, I am so thankful for how everything went and am so happy to be a mommy to our two boys! Praise God and to Him be the glory!! We are truly blessed!
"We prayed for this child and the Lord has granted us what we asked of him." 1 Samuel 1:27
oh my gosh! Great story! Love the pics! Of course I have to comment on the scary IV nurse....ummm "she's messy!" eew! Why is she ever let to do IVs then! :-)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to meet your little guy!
Of COURSE I wanted to read every detail! :) Reminds me that I don't want to spend all those long hours in the hospital with them saying "oh, you're only ____ cm dilated, go walk around." haha. I want to stay home as long as possible (watch Ben end up delivering our baby, haha). You are so brave and so positive -- the epidural thing would've made me a wreck and same with the doctor's tools getting knocked over. You're so calm! Nathan is ADORABLE, really does look just like Alex, and is sooooo tiny! So sweet about Alex meeting him for the first time. :) Yay for Nathan nursing so well, and for just one push! I hope you are feeling well and recovering nicely! Big hugs all around! Love and miss you guys! (PS. Love the bible verse! And the name Nathan/Nathaniel!! :))
ReplyDeleteI read it all! Such a good story :) Nathaniel is perfect. Great job hope to get together with you over the summer
ReplyDeleteLoved reading your story of Nathan's birth and your daily accounts. I was feeling your pain with the IV story. Pictures are great and so happy he is nursing and Alex was so excited.
ReplyDeleteAnxious to see him in person. Lot to be thankful to the Lord
Love & hugs, Aunt Jackie
I love the story! Its so fun to read everything that you guys went through and what a great way to keep everything fresh in your memory as well!!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see you all soon!