I don't know how I was so calm and patient when waiting for Max to come. But I did
not feel the same way this time around. I made a whiney comment to my midwife about just wanting him to be here and she said, "we have ways of making that happen." I hadn't really considered being induced but after talking with her I decided it was what I was going to do. So, after speaking with my midwife we scheduled the induction for April 22nd just three days before my due date according to her. I had actually been going by the original due date of May 1st so that I wouldn't get discouraged when the date given by the ultrasounds came and went. But she felt that it was a more accurate due date and I was not going to argue with her.
Thursday afternoon we went to Kate's house and let Max play for a bit, settled him into bed and then went home to try and sleep. Friday morning we arrived at the hospital at 7:45 and began to wait...
Around 9:30 my midwife broke my water and we proceeded to wait some more. I intended to get up and get moving but ended up in the bed being monitored for an hour and a half while they did all the checking in. As soon as I could I got up and started to walk but there wasn't much happening. Then I had to get back in bed to be monitored again. As soon as I could I got up, walked and took a bath. I was starting to have contractions but nothing like I knew I needed to be having. By this time it was 1:00 and I was feeling discouraged and indecisive. Not sure why in those circumstances I seem to lose all ability to think clearly and make decisions. I talked it through with James and with his encouragement that we had come there to be induced and have a baby I had them put me on PIT. They said they could up the dose every half an hour but while monitoring the baby noticed he was having a rough time adjusting so were only able to increase the dosage about every hour and a half.
By 7:00 I was feeling very frustrating at the lack of progress...I was only dilated to a 5. But once I was able to talk to Kate and find out that Max was having a blast and she could keep him for another night I felt better about just letting things happen without watching the clock.
That is to say I felt better once I got the epidural. The nurses had expected to be giving the epidural as soon as they started the PIT and seemed a bit surprised at my request to wait. I guess I wanted to remember what it felt like and be able to actually feel things progressing. However, I admit it didn't take much to remind me and I don't know how I spent all night long last time feeling that. So, I decided I had toughed it out long enough and was SO grateful for the relief from the contractions.
At 9:00 I was still only dilated to 5 but the nurses were jokingly placing bets on what time and were preparing everything in the room as if it were going to happen any minute. I felt like they knew something I didn't and maybe because of all there experience they did. At 10:00 I called the nurse because something just felt different and she had said to let them know if anything changed. She checked me and I almost didn't believe her when she said, "You are ready." By the time they got my midwife and all the nurses ready it was about 10:10.
He was born at 10:16. It was really quite surreal...and hilarious. I pushed through one contraction and his head was out. Then my midwife started cracking jokes and I started laughing. I can't even remember what any of the jokes were other than they really weren't that funny but under the circumstances it was just hilarious. One more push and he was born. I honestly thought I had hours more of waiting before a long process of pushing. After a full day of waiting it was just so unreal AND AWESOME that he was there so quickly.
During the forever long process of checking in the nurse sat down to tell me about this new "discovery" that scientists have made about all the benefits to the baby of having immediate skin to skin contact with the mother. Well, DUH! She told me all this as if she was going to have to convince me. Whatever there reasoning....it meant I got to immediately hold my new little boy and they left us alone for an hour before taking him to weigh, measure and clean him.
We had a few names that we liked and just from looking at him eliminated the other choices...and decided Zane fit him very well.
He weighed 6 pounds and 12 ounces and was 19 inches long, had a full head of dark hair and the cutest little nose. He didn't look like Max to me although they have similar features. He very quickly latched on and started nursing right away! I had prepared myself to have the same problems nursing as before so was excited that he seemed to know just what to do.
By the time we got to our room and got settled it was almost 1:00 and James went home to get some sleep. I of course didn't get much sleep in the hospital but was glad to be there to have help getting to the bathroom, getting back on my feet and to have someone bring me food regularly.
I called Kate that morning to find out she had fun Easter plans for the boys so she would bring Max by later that afternoon. When they arrived Max came running in, climbed in bed with me and said, "I love my mommy." He was just as excited (if not more) to see his Dad.
When we asked if he wanted to see his baby brother he tried to look at my belly.
A few days after Zane was born James asked me how I was feeling and then said, "You know, you could still be pregnant." What a perspective change...it was entirely possible that I could have still been waiting and whining but instead the delivery was over and I and my little boy were home. I am so grateful to not be pregnant anymore and so excited to have our little Zane home with us!
