I'M HERE

Mommy, daddy, and my dog Bailey have been waiting for me for a very long time so I decided to arrive two weeks early..on Friday April 18! Mommy had just worked her last day of work before her maternity leave started on Thursday so first thing Friday morning I decided it was time. Mommy went to the doctor on Thursday but the doctor told her she still wasn't dilated but that I had dropped. Throughout the day Thursday mommy was experiencing "a symptom" that she read could be a sign that labor could be getting close but she never expected to see me the next morning! Mommy and daddy went out to dinner to their favorite restaurant, Sushi Rock, Thursday night and they sure didn't think that would be their last evening out for a while. Friday morning, mommy woke up around 6 am with lower back pain or more like uncomfortableness. She thought maybe she had to go to the bathroom. She came back to bed a few minutes later and still had the uncomfortableness so decided to get up and walk around for a minute and try to go to the bathroom again. She went downstairs that time but a few minutes later she returned to bed. Daddy had decided not to wake up at his usual 4:30am to go workout before work so he was still in bed. When mommy went back upstairs, daddy asked her where she went and what was wrong and mommy said that her lower back hurt a little. Daddy must have been watching the clock because when mommy would say, okay it's a little better and then a few minutes later would say now it's hurting again, daddy said that's happening about every 5 minutes. (This is a sign of the first stage of labor). Mommy still wasn't convinced that labor was starting and stayed in bed to try to fall back asleep. Daddy got up to get dressed for work and went downstairs. A few minutes later mommy came down and said to daddy maybe you should stay home for a little longer this morning so we can if this is going to go away. Daddy got on the computer and started reading his labor facts and mommy kept going from the bathroom to the couch. Daddy was also keeping a close eye on the clock because every time mommy said it hurts, daddy said that was about 5 minutes and then they became every 3 minutes. Mommy started to get even more uncomfortable and she felt like she was going to the bathroom every couple of minutes and had not even drunk anything that morning. It finally started to hit mommy that maybe her water had broken and she was leaking fluid and not really going to the bathroom. Mommy and daddy called the doctor's 24 hour line and received a call back from the doctor on-call. (Mommy's doctor was suppose to deliver me but she was out of town and not returning until Sunday and she told me before she left that I needed to wait until she got back....my gramps and Evelyn were also out of town (in Vegas) until Sunday so mommy tried to tell me Friday morning to wait until Sunday but I just couldn't wait any longer to see my mommy and daddy). The doctor told mommy to go to the hospital or if she wanted to wait until 8:30, she could go into the office and be examined there. This was around 7. Since mommy still was not completely convinced that I was coming and didn't want to go to the hospital only to be sent home, she told the doctor she will go into the office at 8:30. Mommy and daddy put the last few things in the suitcase (just in case) and Mommy laid on the couch and daddy sat next to her watching the clock waiting for it to be 8:15 so they could go to the doctor. With each lower back pain/contraction that mommy had she would tell daddy maybe we should just go to the hospital....then it would go away for a few minutes and she would say well what time is it...okay...let's just wait and go to the doctor's office. This went on for an hour and at 8, mommy said let's go....though she still hadn't decided where exactly they should go. Daddy was driving out of the neighborhood asking mommy where we were going and mommy again kept changing her mind...this time even more often as the contractions were getting closer and closer together. During a contraction it was to the hospital and not during a contraction it was to the doctor. They were about 3 blocks from the doctor and mommy finally decided and said go to the hospital. The road mommy and daddy needed to take to the hospital, Mayfield Rd., is not one of the best roads in Cleveland. First, it is full of potholes, second there is a light about every 50 feet, and third, it is very busy...and you definitely don't want to be on it at the 8 o'clock or 5 o'clock rush hours....and we were driving on it at 8 o'clock! With every pothole daddy ran over and every light he had to stop at, mommy's pains just worsened. Mommy and daddy finally got to the hospital and made their way to labor and delivery. They were checking in and mommy was being asked alot of questions as she stood at the desk hunched over in pain....when all she wanted was to sit down. Daddy found her a wheelchair and mommy decided she was done answering questions so daddy had to take over. A nurse finally came out and took mommy and daddy back to the triage area so mommy could be examined to see if she was really in labor....this was now around 9. The person who checked mommy said her water had ruptured and she was dilated 1cm. They hooked mommy up to monitors to monitor my heartbeat and mommy's contractions. Mommy's lower back pain was only getting worse/stronger and the pain didn't seem to be taking many, if any, breaks. Daddy was rubbing mommy's lower back...and did this for two hours without stopping. What a good daddy! Mommy was in alot of pain I think....she kept asking the nurse for an epidural and the nurse said she couldn't get one until she was put into a labor room (mommy and daddy were still in triage because all of the labor rooms were full). Mommy was clenching the arms of the bed and every now and then on really strong contractions she was pushing up against the leg of the nurse. Mommy was also asking (sometimes in a much raised voice) for someone to help her and was saying (again sometimes very loudly) ouch and owwww alot! This went on for about an hour and a half until finally the doctor who was on-call for mommy's doctor, Dr. Reider, told the nurse to give mommy something through her IV. Daddy said Dr. Reider must have heard mommy down the hall and that he didn't seem too happy that mommy hadn't been given any pain relievers and that mommy still didn't have a room. Mommy was a little delirious because of the pain so her memories of all of this are a little foggy. A room was finally ready for mommy at 11 (two hours later). Dr. Reider checked mommy right before they took her from triage into the labor room and said that she was now 7 cm. He couldn't believe mommy went from 1 to 7 in two hours....but couldn't all of these people see what kind of pain my mommy was experiencing!?!? Once mommy got to her room, the anesthesiologists were there waiting to give her an epidural. After she got the epidural, Dr. Reider checked mommy again (this was now between 11:15 and 11:30) and said she was at 10 cm and it was time to push if mommy was ready! Mommy was thinking...don't we need to give the epidural a chance to numb her a little???? But as she watched the doctor wash up and the nurse play on the machines she was hooked up to...she knew she was going to be pushing soon...numb or not. Mommy pushed through 4 or 5 contractions and then I was here…..arriving at 11:54am! Dr. Reider had to unwrap the umbilical cord from around my neck two times. He also told mommy and daddy their was a knot in the umbilical cord and held it up to show them. Mommy and daddy have been giving me so much love and sooooooo many kisses…I just love being in their arms! Mommy truly believes that bringing a new life into the world from conception throughout pregnancy and labor is a true miracle.