Labor and Delivery

Me 5 days before Tucker arrived!

I was scheduled to be induced on Monday morning, to ensure Jared would be there. I had been walking a few miles a day and continuously running up and down the stairs of my parents' house for about a week trying to get things going. I got my membranes stripped on Thursday, but nothing seemed to change so Friday night we went to dinner around 6.

While we were there, Jared teased me that I just needed a little blast from the past to get labor going (we were eating at Sizzler, where I worked for a couple years). About 10 minutes later, I had a tiny tiny contraction. I had 2 more before we left around 7. When we got home I started doing stairs again. I had a few contractions that were soooo mild I assumed they were nothing. A little after 9 I went to put Kerrigan down for bed, and had a slightly harder contraction. By 9:30 they were getting more frequent, but not very painful.

I had one goal for this time around. I looked HORRIBLE after having Kerrigan, so I wanted to shower, do my hair and makeup before going to the hospital this time. I hopped in the shower and Jared came in to see what he needed to do to get stuff ready to leave, and he realized my contractions were REALLY close together and told me we needed to get to the hospital. I said I needed to finish getting ready but we could go in a half hour. So he tattled on me...literally. My mom came in the bathroom, ordered me out of the shower and told me I was going to the hospital NOW!

We got to the hospital at 10:15 or 10:30. My contractions were every 2 minutes, but still not hurting. I talked to the staff and filled out some paperwork before they took me back. I was between a 5 and 6. I was so excited that I wasn't in pain, and asked for my epidural....thinking how sweet it would be to get it before it started hurting.

Around 11:15 the contractions started getting very painful. I asked where my epidural was, and the lady taking my blood said she needed to send it down to the lab and get the results before I could get it. I wasn't thrilled they waited so long to take the blood since I asked for the epidural an hour before, but what can you do?

By the time the guy came to give it, it was 11:45 I was between 7 and 8 and my contractions were right on top of another. That was the worst part. I get scared when getting the epidural, and I think that combined with all the stress of moving, the moving truck wreck and guilt I had for making Kerrigan a big sister when she is so young. I sat there hunched over, buried my head in the pillow and sobbed. Jared said he has never heard me cry like that, it really shook him up (I kind of think that helped with my winning the name "battle" : )

After the epidural kicked in, we just sat and joked around. I got put on oxygen since his heart rate dropped during the time the contractions were painful. Around midnight I felt pressure so they called the doctor. For some reason he didn't get there for a half hour, so I couldn't push.

As he walked in the door, my water broke and it was time to push. 3 pushes later he was here.

Waiting for my epidural. I was having a contraction during the picture....thanks Jared for snapping this so I remember how minor they were!

My cheerleaders...I love that they were able to be there.

And the beautiful end result: