Get ready... this is a long one.
If you're a regular reader on our blog, you know that this pregnancy was... well...
tough (and see
HERE, too). And, you also know that we've been on edge for the last few months worrying about preterm labor. Then when it became much safer to actually deliver baby 3 a couple of weeks ago, the
false labor starting kicking into high gear. I even took several trips to the hospital where my contractions were stopped via shots, and IV, or a combination of tactics (see
HERE,
HERE,
HERE, or
HERE). Well, we thought that this past Monday was just another one of those false labor days. It wasn't. So here's the story. Paxton's birth story.
On Monday (May 21st) morning, Wes and I were working on tiring out the twins so that they would take an early nap in order to go to their 3-year doctor's appointment at 2pm. Everything was normal and the kids were totally cooperating with our plans for the day. We had the twins play inside and outside and help clean the living room and playroom. During their nap, Wes and I relaxed and got ready for the doctor's appointment.
We arrived at the doctor's office around 2pm, the twins followed all of the directions and were very well behaved. I started having a few contractions during their visit, but I didn't think much of it. On the drive home, the contractions started getting a little stronger (I was having to "breathe through" them). But again, I didn't think much of it (you have to remember that I had experienced 3 or 4 false contraction episodes in the last 3 weeks, so I wasn't going to over-react).
When we got home, I laid down on the couch and starting timing them. For the first hour, they were consistently 3-5 minutes apart and they were rather painful. Then during the second hour, they were consistently 2-4 minutes apart. And, they were even more painful (at this point, I had never felt contractions this painful). But we still weren't convinced. I decided to see if activity or drinking a ton of water changed them. I did the dishes. I drank some water. I tidied up the toys in the playroom. I drank more water. The contractions changed to 2-3 minutes apart and started hurting even more.
We called my colleague (Thanks, Sharlene!) to come over to watch the kiddos. We headed over to the hospital for what we hoped was the last time. I kept saying to Wes, "This better be it. I don't know if I can handle being sent back home with contractions that hurt this bad."
When we arrived, the nurse checked my cervix and it was only 4cm dilated. I say "only" because my cervix had already been 4cm for the few weeks prior to this hospital visit. Wes and I were a totally deflated. I thought I would have progressed for sure after contractions like that.
Then I was told that I needed to be monitored for the next hour. After that hour, I was checked again and I was still 4cm. What the hell! Wes and I texted our moms telling them that we were probably going to be sent home. The doctor was called and I was given a choice: go home or wait another hour. We decided to wait.
About an hour and a half later, I was checked and I had dilated to 5cm! Joy! The doctor was told about the change around 10:45pm and he ordered a c-section (it was already in my birth plan to go straight to a repeat c-section once it was determined that I was really in labor).
Everything moved very quickly after that. My blood was taken, an IV was started, and I was escorted down to the operating room while Wes waited in the waiting area.
I sat on the operating table, nervous as all hell, awaiting my spinal tap. It was one of the most painful experiences of my life, but it was also one of the shortest. I laid on the table and was given some nitrous oxide (you know, the stuff you get at the dentist). If any of you EVER have to have a c-section, request some nitrous! It made the entire experience bearable for me. And if you know me, getting me to calm down during conscious surgery is no small feat. A few minutes later, Wes was able to come in and a few minutes after that, baby #3 was out (at 11:56pm)! The doctor let Wes look over the curtain and call out the gender. "It's a boy!" Wes said. And then our little boy was taken over to a table where Wes met him, snapped a few shots, cut the umbilical cord, and wrapped him up.
Wes got to carry him over to me and the nurse took some pics of the three of us.
Wes then was able to carry Paxton to the nursery where he was bathed, weighed (6lbs 14.5oz), and his vitals were taken.
I was stitched up and taken to my recovery room. Wes was waiting for me. We got to call our moms and share the good news (in the middle of the night... again-- the twins were born at 1:52 & 1:53am). Paxton was brought in about an hour later. Wes and I cuddled him for the next couple of hours before we sent him back to the nursery so we could get a few hours of sleep.
And that's the birth story of our third child,
Paxton Marshall Rosier.
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