Jackson Bradley

Well, Aaron is with Cade outside and Jackson is asleep.  I figured I have time to write down his birth story and I'd like to before I forget everything.

I went to bed on Monday night (June 6th) feeling some contractions (nothing new) and wondering if tomorrow would actually FINALLY be the day that the baby came.  I woke up around 12:30 am with more contractions, and feeling them in my lower back.  I started timing them, and they were really irregular. 

darn it.

I figured since I was awake, there was no harm in being prepared in case they did start becoming regular.  I got up, packed my bag, showered, and got everything ready in case we did need to go to the hospital.  My contractions would come every 3 minutes, and then every 7, then every 20, then every 10, then we'd go to 5 minutes, and then 8...like I said, really irregular, and I did not want to go to the hospital and get sent home.  I would have felt like an absolute retard since this is my second and I STILL can't tell what real labor is.

Aaron leaves for work at 6:00 am, and when his alarm rang at 5:30, I told him that I'd been having contractions all night but they weren't regular and that he might as well go to work.  He left, and I went to sleep. 

I had a doctor's appointment that morning at 8:45 in Bountiful, so Cade and I loaded up and off we went.  I was still have a few contractions, but they would come ever half an hour or 15 minutes, so I chalked them up to Braxton Hicks. 

At the doctor's, I told the nurse I'd been having contractions all night but they'd been really irregular, but that my hope was the doctor would come in, check me, and say, "Holy COW!  You're at a 5!  Go to the hospital."

She laughed.

The doctor came in, and told me that if I hadn't had the baby by Saturday, they would induce me, because he was leaving town the next week.  Then he asked me if I'd been having contractions and I told him the same thing I'd told the nurse, that I had, but they'd been really irregular. 

When he started the pelvic exam, he said, that I was really thinned out and wouldn't make it until Saturday (HURRAY!).  Then the nurse told him that I wanted him to tell me I was 5 cm dilated and to go to the hospital.  He kind of smiled, and I told him he was free to lie to me all he wanted.  Then he went to check to see how far I was dilated, and went, "Wow, you called it.  You're at least 5 1/2 to 6 cm dilated.  We're having a baby today."

Me: (in my head) Really?  Man, with Cade I barely made it to 3 cm dilated before I wanted the epidural.  Now you're telling me I've been in labor this whole time and I haven't even known it?

I called Aaron and told him to meet me at the hospital, and then drove Cade home.  My mother-in-law drove us to the hospital (Cade and I) and we met Aaron at the entrance.  I like when your doctor has already called the hospital to tell them you're on your way.   The paperwork was all ready and they all believed me when I told them I was in labor.

My labor and delivery nurse was 8 months pregnant (what a horrible job to be pregnant in.  To watch all these other women give birth and know that you still have to wait), and when she went to check me, she told me that I was at least 7 cm dilated.  She asked me if I was going to get an epidural, because if I was, I needed to get it soon, because there were several C-sections scheduled for that day and the anesthesiologist wouldn't be available after about half an hour. 

I'm thinking, I'm already at a 7, and I haven't had a hard time at all.  Wouldn't that be cool if I could do it natural?

Then the nurse said, "I really think you could do it without."

So I did.

Aaron had his iPad (a gift from mom and dad for graduating) and we watched "Lost" on Netflix the entire time I was in labor (I recommend it.  Keeps your mind off the pain).  The only bad thing was, right when I dilated to 10 cm, Sawyer had a needle punched through his sternum.  This made dear hubby slightly queasy, okay...really queasy, and he had to lay down on the couch the entire time I was pushing and didn't get to help or see Jackson born. 

Pushing was hard.  I felt just like how it was in the movies, sweat popping up, the yelling thing.  But the worst part?  I almost had his head out and the nurse told me to stop pushing so that I wouldn't tear.  Oh the agony.  I was SOoo close and then I had to wait.  But I did it, and I'm so glad I did, because recovering from stitches sucks worse than giving birth.

Jackson was 6 lbs 13 oz and 19 inches long.  I got to hold him right after he was born, unlike Cade who was rushed off to NICU, which was really nice.  And then I got wheeled off to my room by my 8 month pregnant nurse...how awful about that did I feel?

So, after having had one child with an epidural, and one natural, I really can't decide what I'll do with my third.  I'll probably go into labor, and go as long as I can without pain meds (that was my original plan for both Cade & Jackson).  If I end up needing an epidural, I'll get it.  If I don't, great, I won't.