in the beginning...

Our first family pic

I am officially one of those people... I am beginning a blog after having our first child. The future blogposts will be filled with cute stories and pictures of the newest Shelton family. Today's will be his story of his amazing birth.

August 8, 2008

9:15- dr's appt Spence and I went to the dr. my blood pressure was a little high, but went back down when they checked it again. The dr checked me and I was 2 cm and 50% effaced. I asked the dr what was going to happen Monday (my due date) and he said that he thought we shoudl go ahead and set up an induction for Monday. We were a little freaked, but knew we had time to get used to the idea. This was until the dr came back from checking with the hospital and finding out they don't have an induction bed available for Monday, but have one available right then. We are sent to the hospital to have a baby. (at this point I am wondering if we are ready for this, but I guess it is a little late to be thinking about that...)

10:00-3:00- hospital The bed that was available didn't get available for hours. We could have gone home and gotten the things we needed: my cellphone, my bag, Zeke's bag, lunch, something to read or movies to watch... Basically, I get to hang out in the waiting area of the OR in a curtained off area hooked up to a monitor and and iv of fluids. They do not start my pitocin until I get in a real room. My friend Sarah drove to the hospital, got the key to our house, drove to our house, and then back to the hospital to get all the things we needed. That's a great friend.

3:30-hospital room We finally get in a room. I get started on the meds. I am checked again and am now 3 cm and 80% effaced. I am starting to feel the contractions that I have been having all day. The nurse predicts that it will be the next morning before I actually have Zeke. I am not super excited about laboring all through the night, but I am excited to have a time frame in my head.

3:45- My water breaks, but not all the way so the dr has to finish breaking it (that hurt!) I am checked again and I am at 6 cm, and a plus 3.

4:00- I am really starting to hurt. The contractions are coming much more often and are much stronger. My nurse starts talking about the epidural. She said that if I wanted one, I should go ahead because I had to go through more fluids before I could get one. I told her to get the process started. The nurse tells me to be sure I am not breathing to crazily during contractions because she does not want me to hyperventilate.

5:15-epidural time The anesthesiologist comes in with the nurse. Spencer has to sit down (it's the rules), the anesthesiologist preps me and the nurses helps me get through the contractions. The anesthesiologist and nurse talk over my head about me being further along than 6cm and that the epidural may not take before I have to start pushing. The epidural does not take on my left side. They have me lay on my left side and give me more drugs and move around the thread. While I am on that side, Zeke's heartrate drops. I am numb from my armpit down on the right side and only up to my knee on the left. Finally the drugs take more of an effect and I am now numb from the armpits down on both sides.

6:00- babytime The nurse checks me again and I ready to go. I push through a few contractions. Zeke's heartrate drops each time I push. I am having to use oxygen in between pushes. The dr. suggests they use the vacuum. He vacuum's him on two contractions and Zeke is here at 6:48 pm weighing 6lbs 13 oz and 19 inches long.

Zeke's umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck and that is why his heartrate kept dropping. They also see that Zeke has a "true" knot in his cord. Some other nurses come in to see the knot because this is apparantly a big deal. Most babies who have knots in the cords when they are born are not living. We now understand why we were supposed to deliver on that day at that time. It wasn't the way we would have planned it, but obviously we aren't the ones in charge.

Ezekiel Jones Shelton