Landon's BIRTHday
Wow. I don't even know where to start. First of all, I can't believe it's already been 2 months since Landon arrived. Here's a little bit of what I remember about that incredible day...
First, let's backtrack to Monday, November 2. Blake and I went to my weekly dr. appointment where we learned that everything was the same. Once again, we heard "You're ready. Anytime." So, here's how the conversation went from there:
Blake: So at what point can we just schedule this whole thing?
Doc: Are you ready to put it on the calendar?
Me: I think so.
Doc: Let me go call the hospital. I'll be right back.
(a couple of minutes go by)
Doc: You're on the schedule for Monday.
Me: Monday?! (thinking in my head: A WEEK? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WE'RE HAVING THIS CHILD ON MONDAY? I was mentally prepared for something like Thursday, but MONDAY?) So what if I chicken out and don't show up on Monday?
Doc: I won't come find you.
So began the last week of our life as Blake & Lanissa...
Don't worry. I'm not going to go into detail about that week. There's nothing to write about. It was a perfectly normal, nothing special week. We both worked alot...like I said, normal.
So, I finally wrapped my mind around the idea of having this baby on Monday. Of course, it helped that it was perfect timing for my sister to be able to get away from California and be here (Thanks again, God). Once her flight was booked, I couldn't back out!
Sunday, I started freaking out a little: what were we thinking? why are we having a child? what are we going to do with him? what is my body going to feel like tomorrow? am i going to be able to handle the pain? am i rushing him by inducing labor? what if there's something wrong with him? will my depression come back? i feel so unprepared! Then, at some point Sunday afternoon, I decided I could do this. Good thing, 'cause I didn't have a choice!
Monday, November 9th. This was it.
(cue the dramatic music)
We were to report to Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center at 7:30 am. We got up about 5:30, took showers, took one last belly pic, read all of the well-wishing text messages & emails from our friends & family who knew we were inducing, loaded a few last things in the car, prayed together & headed off to the hospital. By the time we got to the end of our street, I was wiping tears away. I was overwhelmed with emotion. It literally felt like it had only been last week that we saw that tiny little heartbeat for the first time, and today we would meet our son.
We got to the hospital about 7:40 and checked in. I was really a little nervous that the hospital would send me home and tell me that they had no record of me. I mean, the doc just casually said to meet him at the hospital Monday morning at 7:30. It didn't seem very official!
Just the 2 of us, one last time, before going back to L&D
I had to go back to L&D by myself. Let me just take a minute to say that I'm not a fan of this whole patient privacy thing. I have nothing to hide from my husband! And, I'd much prefer to be walking back here with him! This is my first child, and I am scared to death! I meet my nurse, Emily (LOVE HER!), get hooked up to the monitors & learn that I'm already having contractions. Awesome! #1, I don't feel anything! #2, Guess maybe this was going to happen anyway, so I don't feel so bad about inducing! Next, medical history...no I've had no previous pregnancies, no i do not want any student nurses (did I mention this was my first child?), yes if i have a weird placenta the doctor can take a picture of it, yes I've had previous surgeries to remove a cyst from my butt and yes there's a scar, my last meal was last night at 8:30 & it was pei wei. Now, can I have my husband back?
Back together again! Let's get this party started!
About 9:00, the pitocin starts & the doc comes in to break my water. The stories about your water breaking and it just being a little trickle...um, no...it's freakin' Niagara Falls! I so would not want that happening anywhere but the hospital. Then the doc leaves & it's just us...waiting. The nurse pretty much immediately asked me if I wanted my epidural.
Me: I don't feel anything yet. Should I go ahead and get it? Is it going to wear off?
Nurse: It won't wear off. We keep giving it to you. You can wait. There are 2 anesthesiologists today, so you probably won't have a problem with getting it later. If you want to wait, I'll keep you posted on where you are in line.
Did I mention that I loved my nurse? Emily -- ask for her the next time you're in L&D at Hillcrest.
My parents, sister, & grandparents had all arrived at the hospital by this point & were coming in and out to see me & wish me luck. I refuse to post those pictures, because I look like a whale in every single one of them.
After a little while, I started to feel the contractions. I think Blake was really enjoying watching the monitors. The screen was jumping around from just my contractions to the monitors of everyone in L&D, so Blake would tell me to look at some other lady's whose were crazy & tell me how small mine were compared to hers. Not so sure that was a good idea on his part. The contractions finally got uncomfortable enough for me to ask for the epidural. It came pretty quickly & getting it was not as bad as I was afraid it might be. Blake did a wonderful job of holding my head in his chest for that part. The epidural was amazing! It only took on my right side, so I laid on my left to try to get it to flow to the left side, which it never did, but half an epidural is a heck of alot better than none at all!
About 45 minutes later, my nurse came in to put the cath in. Blake took my mom & sis (the only visitors in the room at the time) out to one of the little cubbie waiting areas so they wouldn't have to go all the way out and get buzzed back in. The nurse proceeded to put in the cath. As she's working on it, the doc comes in.
Doc: Have you checked her again?
Nurse: Not yet. I was just trying to put in the cath, but it's not going in. I think I'm hitting the head. (Note: it doesn't occur to me for a second that she's talking about the baby's head.)
Doc: Go ahead and check her.
Nurse: She's a 10. She's complete.
They both look at each other with surprise. I was a 2 to a 3 when he broke my water.
Me: I'm a 10?!?!
Nurse: Yep. It's time to push!
I just started crying. Seriously, this was it! This child was coming! I couldn't believe it.
The doc told Blake the good news when he saw him outside the room. Blake came in with a huge smile on his face & told me how awesome I was. My mom & sis came in and gave me a final hug & kiss and went back to wait with everyone else in the waiting room.
12:10 pm. Everyone in position. PUSH! I'm totally not even feeling like I need to push, so I push & then I say "Is that what I'm supposed to do?" Then I just sit there for a minute and wait for them to tell me to push again. I'm thinking this is unbelievable. This is not what I imagined at all. After a few pushes, I'm really beginning to wonder if I'm going to be able to push him out.
Me: Am I really making any progress here? I don't even feel like I need to push.
Nurse: Yep. You're doing great. He's coming.
Me: Ok
Of course, by now, the doc's vanished again. I'm starting to get the hang of this, and luckily I can feel on my left side when the contractions are coming & can tell them when I need to push because the monitor is jumping all around and they keep losing track of my monitor. And by now, it's just me & Blake, because the nurses are scurrying around getting everything ready. Then the nurse chimes in..."Whoa, no more pushing. He's almost out. I can catch this baby, but it's a whole lot more paperwork. We need to wait on the doctor."
I think this is the point that she puts the oxygen mask on me. So, we have several contractions with no pushing. Now those aren't so fun! Then I hear a nurse come in and say something about "won't be here because of a C-Section". I immediately shoot my eyes over to Blake and lift the oxygen mask away from my face.
Me: He has to do a C-Section? (Thinking: Are you kidding me? We schedule this thing, he was just right here, and now he's not even going to be here to deliver this baby?)
Blake: No, a nurse.
Nurse: No, he's on his way.
I have another contraction or 2.
Me to Blake: He better come on. It's a whole lot easier to get through these contractions when I can push.
Nurse: He's coming. I can hear him talking. (Thinking: Yeah right.)
And he comes walking through the door. Hallelujah! He gets ready & takes his position.
Doc: Push.
And I push.
Doc: Ok, stop. Look down.
And there was our little boy's head.
Doc: Ok, one more easy push.
And there was our baby boy.
12:59 pm. 7 lbs 5 oz. 20 inches long. perfect
They wiped him off and handed him to me. I cried, Blake kissed me.
This is the first picture we have of him.
A close up:
Our first family picture:
What a day! That evening, when it was just the 3 of us alone in our room, we couldn't stop talking about how blessed we were to have such a smooth pregnancy, labor & delivery, & to be given such a beautiful, healthy baby boy. It was our first sleepless night -- not because Landon kept us up, but because we couldn't stop thanking God for our precious gift.
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