The story of Ethan's birth continues ...
As the story left off yesterday, I went to bed in pain and thinking I wasn't going to get any kind of rest! I was right. I was able to sleep maybe about 4 hours total that night. Every time I would drift off, the pain would be right back! At about 5 AM, I was literally on all fours on the bed and gripping on to Chris with every bit of strength that I had. He got out the stopwatch and started timing the contractions and they were now every 4 minutes apart. Poor Abbey was pacing the floor with me. It was like she knew something was happening. After about half an hour we decided to head to the hospital. It was time! I woke up my mom and sister and Chris woke up his mom to tell them that we were heading to the hospital. Even though they were sleepy, you could see the excitement on their faces. It was dark outside when we were leaving and I remember thinking that the next time we would be home would be with a little baby boy.
We got to the hospital around 7 AM. I was so excited to see who our nurse was because it was the same nurse that taught our childbirth class. She remembered us and to this day we remember her name, Marilyn. The OB nurse that I was on the phone with the night before was still there but was just finishing her shift. She talked to us for a while and felt my belly as I was having a contraction and said, "Yep - that's real labor darling! Looks like you're going to have a Christmas baby!" She had an English accent which always makes me smile! Marilyn checked my cervix and it was at 4 1/2 cm! I remember thinking that is when you can get an epidural!
She got us in a room at about 10 AM and ordered the anesthesiologist to come administer the epidural and also called Dr. Revel. By 11 AM, the anesthesiologist as well as Dr. Revel had arrived. Dr. Revel told Marylin to call when I was very close to delivery and the anesthesiologist was ready to get started. I was a little nervous about getting a needle poked into my spine but he talked me though every single step. The IV was the most painful part but the epidural was a piece of cake! After about 30 minutes, I was in heaven. At this point, my water still hadn't been broken but Marilyn couldn't do it herself. The doctor is the only person who can break water, but he was no where to be found. When she was checking my cervix , she "accidentally" broke it! Both she and Chris jumped with surprise then started laughing. Since the epidural had kicked in, I couldn't feel anything, so they had to fill me in on the big news!
By then my family showed up to say hello and see how I was doing. They hung out for a bit and decided to go get lunch at the only place that was open, Waffle House! The nurse told them we probably wouldn't have the baby until well into the evening so they could take their time. After the epidural had been given and my water had broken, I dilated very quickly. I basically had dilated from 4 1/2 cm to a full 10 in 45 minutes! By the time my family showed back up after lunch, they were shocked to know that I was about to start pushing at any minute! We were going to have a baby very soon! Dr. Revel showed up around 2:30 and I started to push at 3 and he was born at 3:59 PM!
The first thing I said was that he had Chris' nose! I don't really remember him crying, probably because I was so loopy from the oxygen they had to give me. They laid him on my tummy so Chris could cut the cord, then they wrapped him up and handed him to me. He was so small and warm and was looking right at me, like he was trying to put a voice with a face. It seemed so surreal that I was actually holding this tiny little baby that had been baking inside me for the past 10 months. To this day, I still cannot believe that he came from Chris and I! That just shows how incredible God is!
He immediately showed signs of being hungry, which still is true to this day, so I started to nurse him. That was interesting. I didn't know what the heck I was doing, but neither did he. I think we did pretty good for the first session together. Then our family came in to see the little man. Our poor family had been hanging out in the waiting room ALL DAY! From at least 1 or 2 until 5 or 6! They were ready to see him! Ethan was passed from person to person and about a million pictures were taken and then we were ready to call it a day! We were EXHAUSTED! No sleep the night before and no rest from the time we got to the hospital to after the delivery.
That is our birth story and we hope you enjoyed it! I don't think I'll ever forget that day as long as I live. Today we're going to celebrate Jesus' birth as well as Ethan's and thank God for both of their births. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy this time with your families and be thankful for the relationships you have and cherish them. We love you all!
By then my family showed up to say hello and see how I was doing. They hung out for a bit and decided to go get lunch at the only place that was open, Waffle House! The nurse told them we probably wouldn't have the baby until well into the evening so they could take their time. After the epidural had been given and my water had broken, I dilated very quickly. I basically had dilated from 4 1/2 cm to a full 10 in 45 minutes! By the time my family showed back up after lunch, they were shocked to know that I was about to start pushing at any minute! We were going to have a baby very soon! Dr. Revel showed up around 2:30 and I started to push at 3 and he was born at 3:59 PM!
The first thing I said was that he had Chris' nose! I don't really remember him crying, probably because I was so loopy from the oxygen they had to give me. They laid him on my tummy so Chris could cut the cord, then they wrapped him up and handed him to me. He was so small and warm and was looking right at me, like he was trying to put a voice with a face. It seemed so surreal that I was actually holding this tiny little baby that had been baking inside me for the past 10 months. To this day, I still cannot believe that he came from Chris and I! That just shows how incredible God is!
He immediately showed signs of being hungry, which still is true to this day, so I started to nurse him. That was interesting. I didn't know what the heck I was doing, but neither did he. I think we did pretty good for the first session together. Then our family came in to see the little man. Our poor family had been hanging out in the waiting room ALL DAY! From at least 1 or 2 until 5 or 6! They were ready to see him! Ethan was passed from person to person and about a million pictures were taken and then we were ready to call it a day! We were EXHAUSTED! No sleep the night before and no rest from the time we got to the hospital to after the delivery.
That is our birth story and we hope you enjoyed it! I don't think I'll ever forget that day as long as I live. Today we're going to celebrate Jesus' birth as well as Ethan's and thank God for both of their births. We hope you all have a very Merry Christmas! Enjoy this time with your families and be thankful for the relationships you have and cherish them. We love you all!
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