My due date was Friday, August 10. On Tuesday, August 7, I went to see the doctor for what I was hoping was the last time. At that point, I had already had several on-again, off-again days of mild contractions. (In fact, I really thought on Aubrey's birthday, July 28, that I wasn't going to make it through the day without heading to the hospital.) At that doctor's appointment, I was informed that I was already dilated 4cm. My doctor also stripped the membranes, which will often get labor started naturally without an induction. Because of my gestational diabetes (yes, this was round two), the doctors wanted Owen out by my due date so that he didn't have any extra time to keep on growing bigger and bigger. I was told to wake up at 4:00AM on Thursday, call L&D, and tell them that I was instructed to come in if there was space for me. My doctor said that either I would already be in labor by then, or they would plan on getting me started when I got there. I wasn't in labor, but they told me to come on in anyway. From this point forward, my experience was incredibly similar to my experience with Aubrey, other than the fact that my water had not yet broken.
We went in, I got put on antibiotics and IV fluids, and eventually a really slow drip of Pitocin. The plan was that the doctor (who, by the way, had just returned from the London Olympics) was going to come in around lunch time to break my water. The nurse wisely convinced me to go ahead and get my epidural before that point because, she said, labor could progress very quickly after that. (Have I mentioned lately how fantastic the L&D nursing staff is?) After a few hours of moderate contractions, the anesthesiologist came to put in the epidural. The worst part of that experience had nothing to do with the needle/injection, but rather the horribly uncomfortable position I had to sit in to have it put in. I had to lean over, curling my back out as much as possible. For the average person, this is not a big deal, but keep in mind, I was full-term pregnant with a baby who was in the larger size range. There was not much leaning and curling room! I had to hold that position, through a couple rounds of contractions, for what seemed like eternity. I felt as though my ribs were being crushed the whole time! But that experience ended, and it was smooth-sailing from then on.
Just before 4:00, the nurse kept asking me questions about the level of pressure I was feeling. I replied, telling her that I felt a little, but not a lot. When she checked me, she kept repeating, "Are you sure you're not feeling anything?!" Apparently this baby was ready to make his debut! While she was calling the doctor in, she had me start pushing a little, and basically by the time the doctor had his gloves on, we were having a baby! He was literally out in 5 minutes. My 9lb baby boy came into this world like it was nothing!
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Immediately, Aubrey became the loving big sister. She is so sweet with Owen, always hugging and kissing him. She was also such a trooper while Rob and I were at the hospital. It helped, I'm sure, that Grandma and Grandpa were here spoiling her a little! She came to visit while I was in labor, and she happily sat in my bed and ate all my ice chips. When she came back after he was born, all she wanted to do was hold him. She has learned how to be gentle with him. She talks to him and tells him he's so cute. I pray that she will always love him and take good care of him, even as they grow up.
Owen is an angel baby. As far as infants go, he is so well-behaved. He has dimples that will melt your heart, and gurgles and coos that make it impossible not to smile. I am unbelievably blessed to have such a sweet little boy who I know will grow up to be an amazing young man.
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