After Much Loss Comes Faith and Healing

So, I have a minute to tell about Bruce's delivery.

I went into my doctor's office for my 38 week 3 day appointment. My doctor said I was dialated to a 3 and 80 effaced. So, she stripped my membranes. Ouch. But, within a couple of hours I was contracting pretty stongly. Around 8pm I was telling Jared that I think we were going to have a baby that night.

He started to pack my bag while I labored on the toilet. hehe. We called our neighbor, who was our designated babysitter, to come over to spend the night. By 10:30pm we were out the door. Our downstairs toilet broke earlier that day and we had spent the day running around getting supplies to fix it, so I was exhausted. I had planned an unmedicated birth, but was doubtful at this time that that was going to happen. I told the nurses that I wanted unmedicated as I'd done it with 3 of my other 4 kids. The nurse was supportive, for which I was grateful.

We get to labor and delivery and check in. The nurses were treating me like a veteran. They hardly questioned me about contractions. Then the nurse checked me and found that I was 4cm. A call was made to my OB doctor and the decision was made to break my water. I could have gone home at this point to labor more, but I was so ready to get on with this delivery that I chose the breaking of my water instead. And at 1am on Sept. 9th, the doctor broke my water. Contractions picked up and never looked back. Next came the anethesiologist. I changed my mind about going unmedicated. I was way too tired. The nurse asked me what changed my mind. I said, "I'm too tired." She kept telling me how cool it was to her that I could make that decision with so little emotion. I wondered how many unmedicated moms there are out there that are Nazis about it. That is not me. I wanted to go unmedicated, but medicine is there for good sense, and I was going to take it.

After the epidural, which worked beautifully (unlike the epidural I had with Joseph's delivery,) I got really nauseated. I almost barfed like 4 times. Once again the nurse starts commenting on how impressed she was that I was able to hold it down. With Joseph's epidural, my blood pressure dropped to 63/30, my legs were completely numb, and stopped my contractions. Not this time. My legs were movable, my blood pressure stayed fine, and I never needed pitocin to start contractions up again. It was great.

So, I labored away. I couldn't sleep. I was way too excited to meet our new little guy. And then at about 4:45am my darling doctor came in. I was 10cm's and 100% effaced and ready to push. In 4 contractions, out came little Bruce. He was gurgly, so the NICU nurse took him over to her station to take care of him. That is the first time any of my babies didn't land on my stomach before being taken away. I was sad and wanted to see my little guy. Jared went over though.

What a relief! Pregnancy is over. And we've got this adorable new member of our family. We feel so blessed. And we all are fighting over who gets to hold him.