The Juicy Details

Okay, here's the scoop on Jay Alvin's birth day. (I'll try and keep it short. )

Monday morning I had my membranes stripped (again). My hopes were high since the doctor who did it was the one who sent me into labor with Leo. I started having contractions shortly after that, but they were short and very, very far apart. They eventually started getting closer together so when Ty got home I told him to get the spreadsheet ready. (He's a nerd and likes to make spreadsheets. We had one with Leo that would calculate length of contractions and frequency. He was going to make another one like that for Jay Alvin.) So Ty got the spreadsheet ready and told me to tell him when my next contraction began. Of course, I didn't have another one after that. I was (slightly) depressed and decided to go to bed early. I started having contractions again and I thought they were getting closer together, but I was mostly asleep so I wasn't really sure. I got up around 1:30 to move to the couch and told Ty that we might be having a baby that night. Then as soon as I got to the couch the contractions stopped again. (I seriously almost screamed.) I finally lost all hope around 2 and got up to go to the bathroom before I went back to sleep. As soon as I got to the bathroom I started having really strong, long and fast contractions. I entered 2 contractions into the spreadsheet and then woke Ty up and told him it was time. We called Krystal (Ty's sister) to come and stay with Leo and got everything ready while we waited for her to get to our house. In the time it took her to show up my contractions got really painful and I started thinking that I really didn't want to have a baby. I practically dragged Ty out the door and spent the entire drive to the hospital telling him that he was going too slow and accusing him of intentionally taking as long as he could to get there so that I would be in more pain. At one point I even made him run a red light because there was no one coming the other way. By the time we got to the hospital parking lot I told Ty that we were never going to have sex again (just in case) and by the time I was in my room and changing into my gown I informed him that I absolutely was not going to deliver this baby vaginally. (Me: "Get out there right now and tell them that they have to stop this and do a c-section instead!!!" Ty: "Um, she says she's ready.") So the nurse came in and said, "You had a c-section before, right? But you wanted to try for a VBAC?" Me: "Yeah, I did. But I don't any more. Just make it stop." Nurse: "What if we got the anesthesiologist in here and got your epidural started? Do you want to do that before you decide?" Me: "If you can do it fast. Just do it fast." So she got me on the bed and started getting me hooked up to the IV and everything. (Nurse: "We have to do all of this either way so just keep breathing." Me: "I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. Just do a c-section. Make it stop. Make it stop.") As soon as they were finished with all the preliminary stuff they informed me that the anesthesiologist was waiting just outside the door if I wanted to give it a try. I agreed and he came in and just stood there by my bed smiling at me. Anesthesiologist: "You've done this before, right? (eternal pause) Just so you know the risks. . ." Me: "Yeah, I know. I consent. Just do it!" Then while I was waiting for him to get the dumb thing in. . . "Ty, I am seriously never doing this again. If you want a little girl we're going to have to adopt." And then the drugs kicked in and life was good. Ty asked me a little hesitantly if I wanted to go ahead and try the VBAC and I said, "Oh yeah. Lets do it." And then, "Well, that was kind of fun. I got to be a crazy pregnant lady."

The rest was pretty boring. I dozed in bed and Ty read a book for 3 hours while I finished dilating. Then the doctor came in, I pushed for 8 minutes and out he came. The recovery was really, really easy and life is good.