Monday April 7th I had my 39 week appointment, and my doctor told me that I was 2.5 cm dilated, but that I had a good chance of being pregnant at least another week. At this point Dillon and I took his words with a grain of salt because 2 years ago my doctor in Dallas told me almost the exact same prediction and was proven wrong 2 days later.
Well, early Wednesday morning April 9th I had some contractions. They went away but I still felt a little anxious and 'off'. I had originally planned to go to the park with Reese but we ended up watching movies all morning and then playing out back on the swing set (photo below), as I think my body was telling me to just stay home and take it easy. I had been texting with my parents all morning and let them know I had had some minor contractions and so Mimi decided to hop on the earliest flight she could, 'just in case'. She had originally been planning to come Thursday the 10th and stay until baby was born, so that she could watch Reese while we were at the hospital.
3pm rolled around and my contractions came back. They were coming intermittently, so I texted Dillon just to let him know. He texted me shortly after that he was headed home. After about an hour, my contractions were consistent enough that I realized I was, in fact, in labor. The pain remained bearable for the next couple of hours and I labored at home- initially I did not want to speed things up because I wanted Mimi to arrive before we went to the hospital so I just sat around while Reese and Dillon played. Around 5 or 6 pm the pain began to increase and I walked around a bit and Dillon got Reese fed and bathed. My plan had been to labor at home until my contractions were 2 to 3 minutes apart for an hour. Dillon informed me that he would prefer to go to the hospital when they were closer to 3 or 4 minutes apart. Our back up sitter for Reese was our friend Tina and she was having a wine party that evening, but had been texting with Dillon and made it clear that she would come over as soon as needed.
Around 630 I decided we better have Tina come over, since Mimi wouldn't be landing til 8 and my pain was intensifying. She arrived within 15 minutes and before she came Dillon and I took Reese into our room and explained that we were going to be going away but would be right back, and that Miss Tina and Mimi were coming to spend time with her. When Tina arrived Reese cried and clung to Dillon and I quickly went to the car as another contraction was coming. Tina texted right away that as soon as we left Reese was fine and we both felt better. On the way to the hospital my contractions were super painful- it seemed that every bump made my contractions last longer and stronger. Dillon, in rare form, ran a light since no one was around, and as soon as he did we saw a sheriff but apparently he didnt see us!
We parked and scurried into the ER where it took what seemed like sweet forever for the receptionist to get us checked in. Eventually, a nurse came and wheeled me back to Labor and Delivery. The nurse got me situated with the monitors and checked me- only to inform me that I was dilated to a mere 4 cm! I was so discouraged at this point. She called my doctor and they decided to admit me, to my relief, and took me to the delivery room. It was around this time (730ish-8ish) that I really felt confused and anxious. Based on my last labor, I knew that there was a chance that if I got the epidural it would not be effective. With Reese, I got the epidural around 5 cm and then labored painfully in bed for the next 22 hours, unable to walk. I didn't want that to happen this time around, and yet I did not feel I could handle much more pain. Dr. Diehl came in briefly and expressed that he thought I should try for the epidural. He also offered to break my water but I declined. Shortly after, the on-call doctor, Dr. Fredrickson, came in and explained that in many cases the epidural can actually speed up labor and encouraged me to get it. So, we went ahead and called for the anesthesiologist.
He arrived and requested to look at my back. As soon as he did he exclaimed "Oh no!" He went on to explain that my scar might make it impossible to give me the epidural. At this point Dillon interjected "Well, they were able to give her one in Dallas." The anesthesiologist decided to give it a go, and within a few minutes, to my sheer delight, the epidural took and I felt nothing! This was around 930 pm. Dillon and I decided to get comfy and try to get a little rest. Unfortunately, little Lee was moving around so much that the nurse came in about every 15 minutes over the next couple of hours to reposition the monitors so our sleep was minimal.
Close to midnight, the nurse informed us that my water had broken. I was really encouraged at this point and feeling a little euphoric that I was progressing so well and not feeling any pain. Around this time there was a nurse switch. When the new nurse came in, Dillon asked if they were going to check me, since I hadnt been checked since being admitted. At first the nurse seemed hesitant but decided to go ahead... and then she looked at me with big eyes and said I was fully dilated! We coulnd't believe it. She got the room ready for delivery. She then explained that she wanted me to give a push to see how close I was to delivering, so I gave a little push and she screamed 'STOP!' and hurried to call the doctor, explaining that this baby was about to come out. The doctor arrived shortly after and literally 3 pushes later, at exactly 2 a.m on Thursday April 10th, baby Lee was born. He immediately had a strong cry and was clinging tightly to his umbilical cord.
The rest is history! Lee has been eating well, sleeping well (or as expected for a newborn) and Reese has assumed her role as big sister with more love than we could have hoped for. My parents left today after a week long stay that was such a blessing to us. More on that later! Here are a few pictures that we snapped yesterday.
