Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Braden's Crazy Arrival!

I feel like I need to back up and explain Parker's arrival first...so, you get the full effect.

Parker's arrival:

After getting out of the bathtub one night, my water broke...just a trickle.  It was 8:30 pm and I was 34 weeks 4 days gestation.  I wasn't convinced it was my water breaking, and I certainly wasn't feeling contractions, so I took my time getting in touch with the doctor.  At 9:30 pm the doc called me back and told me to go to the hospital.  I thought for sure they were sending me home since I still wasn't feeling contractions.  Well, I got to the hospital at 10:30 pm and upon exam at 10:45 pm the ER doc told me that I was 5 cm dilated and 100% effaced.  He also told me I had 5 hours to go before I'd be ready to push.  So, I declined an epidural at that time...no pain, no epi, right?  Well, about 15 minutes later I was in the worst pain of my life and things were happening so fast.  My body began pushing the baby out and I yelled to the nurse that I couldn't stop pushing.  My doctor ran in, lifted the sheet...and things started coming off the walls.  I remember Justin's face.  He was in shock.  I was scared.  They coached me through the pushing, and after 4 pushes, Parker William arrived at 12:03 am on 2-13-09.  He was early, but otherwise perfect.  After testing, etc., there was no determination as to why Parker was early.  He was perfect.  a 9-day NICU stay was necessary, but he has no lasting scars.  Me, however...that's another story.

This whole pregnancy Justin and I have been worried about having another lightning fast delivery.  At the same time, we have been thinking that another delivery like that would be impossible with a full-term baby.  Hmmmmmm...

Fast forward to last Thursday, when I woke up and was convinced that I had lost the baby.  I was 37 weeks 6 days.  My belly was a lot smaller, I didn't have pain in my ribs, I poked and pushed and moved my stomach around with no response from the little person inside.  I was scared.  All I kept thinking was that over the last four days while I was losing my mucous plug, I must've been leaking fluid too and now the baby had none and could not survive.  I called my mother, my in-laws, and my husband.  My husband was on his way to work and was on the T.  He told me to go to the hospital and he's meet me there.  So, I grabbed Parker out of bed, got him dressed, let the dog out, got Parker a quick breakfast that he could eat in the car, and off we went.  I called the doctor from the car and she told me to go to the office, not the hospital, and she would meet me there.  At the office, they hooked me up to a monitor and the baby's heart rate was perfect, and the baby responded (on the monitor) to poking on the belly.  However, the nurse could not feel the baby moving either, and she sent me to the hospital for a biophysical profile.  The profile turned out great.  Baby looked beautiful, fluid was good...everything checked out.  As soon as I got up from the table, the baby decided to move right back where it was before, and suddenly responded to poking, etc.  What a relief.

The next day, I had my regular weekly appointment, and my first internal exam.  The doc calmly tells me that I am "a good 4.5 cm dilated already."  I have felt nothing in the way of contractions.  She goes over my plan to get to the hospital and she didn't like my idea that I was going to drive myself and son to the hospital and meet my family there when I went into labor.  She calmly told me, "If I were you, I'd make sure the ambulance knows how to get to your house."  Ha ha.  Real funny, doc.  She also scheduled me for an induction one week from that day...I would be 39 weeks exactly.  She thought induction would be better given how much I was dilated already.  She also scheduled me to be seen in the office on Wednesday, just to check progress.  Alrighty then.

I went about my business on Friday...Wal Mart, and I had a viewing to go to for a funeral scheduled on Saturday for my husband's great Aunt.  Everyone was amazed I was there...and everyone was worried.  I wasn't.  I don't know why.  Justin kept asking if my water broke.  ha ha  Silly boy.  We went to bed and planned to get up at 8 the next day to get ready for the funeral.  This baby had other plans.

At 7:36 am I felt "something."  I also had to use the bathroom.  Hmmm...just a digestive thing.  Back to bed.  5 minutes later...same "something" and same bathroom usage.  Yep...just digestive.  Back to bed.  5 minutes later...really?  Again?  Maybe this is contractions.  I wake up Justin and tell him I think I'm having contractions, but that I'm going to get in the shower and I'd like him to get up and make breakfast.  In the shower...after about 2 minutes, it became obvious...I was in labor.  So, I get out, get dressed and go get Parker up.  I pick him up, play with him, laugh, joke...contractions not bad at all, but close together.  I go tell Justin that there won't be time for us to eat breakfast.  We grab Parker a pop tart and chocolate milk, and off we go.  I get in the car...and O.M.G.  I get a contraction that's b.a.d.  Justin jumps in the car, we call his parents to meet us at the hospital so they can be with Parker.  We are about 5-7 minutes into the ride to the hospital and it becomes clear that we aren't going to make it (we are 45 minutes from the hospital).  Now, it's only 8:15 am...and I haven't been feeling pain long at all.  But, this was WAY too much like Parker's labor.  I call 911 from the road.  They want me to pull over.  No thanks...there's a cop right across the street in a car, I'll ask him for an escort.  "Ma'am, we don't do that.  I'll get you an ambulance."  I'm annoyed.  Wasting precious time, I thought.  2 contractions later I was getting into the ambulance.  The cop told Justin and Parker to get a move on to the hospital and meet the ambulance there.  Parker pointed to the ambulance as they pulled away and said, "Mama."  Poor kid.  :(  On the way to the hospital, Justin gets rear-ended.  Needless to say, he didn't stop.  (No damage to the car, we later found out.  Whew.)  In the ambulance, I was pretty sure I was going to deliver the baby.  So, they took off my shorts and underwear and they kept saying, "We don't see any crowning."  Ok...but, I'm telling you...  So, I'm trying not to push...trying not to push.  Instead, I just moan and scream.  They start an IV...in a moving vehicle...right in the middle of back-to-back contractions.  (My arm's a mess, by the way.)  We get to the hospital and I'm in triage in a matter of seconds.  I'm in pain...bad pain.  Doc examines me and says, "She's full, the head's right there.  Mrs. Friend, DON'T PUSH!!!!"  They throw me in an elevator and I get to an LDR room at 9:04 am.  Some doc is there...not mine...  They page mine...and he comes running in.  I tell him I'm going to push.  He says ok!  I push at 9:05 am.  At 9:06 am, Justin runs in.  He made it.  Whew!  The doc breaks my water...and...contraction...I push...at 9:08 am all of Braden Reed Friend comes flying out!  Two pushes.  Everyone is amazed and happy and laughing.  Whew...I feel much better now.  And Justin made it to see his second son born.  No pics on my belly...are you kidding...I almost delivered by myself!  :)  So, after we hung out with Braden a few minutes, they took him to clean up him...and they gave me a hospital gown.  I still had my shirt and socks on.  I looked at the pics that Justin took of Braden while they were weighing him...and being the steller cameraman that he is...I am spread eagle in the background with the doc sewing me up.  Nice.  At least we'll have a momento.  *blech*

So, there it is.  My lightning fast second birth.  I guess my first one wasn't a fluke.  Parker came out weighing 5 lbs 1 oz and was 18" long at 34 weeks 5 days gestation.  Braden came out weighing exactly 7 lbs and was 20 3/4" long at 38 weeks 1 day gestation.  Not bad, boys.  You did great.  I think I did, too.  Two very natural births...very fast...and everyone is healthy.  That's just the way I like it.  The first question out of everyone's mouth..."Do you still want three kids?  If so, you better camp out at the hospital for a month before your due date!" 

I think I still want three kids...but, honestly...these fast births are starting to scare me...

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