IT'S A BOY!
Henry Paul Wilson was born 10/8/17 at 10:53 in the morning. He was 7lbs. 2oz. and 22" long!
We were super surprised he weighed less than Jack and that he was a HE! We were both so convinced we were having a girl but as soon as they laid him on my chest we were so in love.
This birth was very different than my first but it went just as well. Him and I came out happy and healthy and that's all we were really hoping for.
It all started Saturday 10/7. I had started to lose my mucus plug a few days before but because this never happened with Jack I wasn't sure if it meant labor was imminent. And I was supposed to head out with friends that night so I called the Dr to see if I needed to stay home and close to the hospital. However they told me it didn't really mean anything and I was cleared to go out. The only thing they said was to head to the hospital if it started coming out covered in bright red blood or I started having contractions. Well Saturday morning right around 9AM I noticed some bright red blood that seemed a bit alarming. So we grabbed Jack and headed to the hospital. Sure enough it was just what they call "bloody show". I wasn't having any contractions and I was only dilated 3cm so they couldn't admit me and told me to head home, wait, and rest.
We headed home and confined me to the sofa because I was having some cramping after the exam. The news "some how" made it over to my in laws *cough* Max *cough* so around the end of nap time we got a call asking if Jack could be picked up for a grandparents play date. I spent the rest of the day lounging, cramping, and sleeping on the sofa trying to decipher if it was cramps or contractions. At only 38 weeks and 2 days I didn't want to get my hopes up yet so I convinced myself it was just mild cramps and nothing to worry about.
Well then around 5:00PM we headed over to the in laws for dinner and to pick up Jack. On the way over I had my first true blue contraction. It took my breath away and Max looked over at me with a shocked look on his face and told me I just had a contraction before I could blow it off as a cramp. He checked the time and started his internal clock. I knew at that moment I was on Max super watch and couldn't get away with downgrading my cramps anymore. Well about 30 min later I couldn't breath or move again and I saw Max start to get really excited. He also wasn't the only one to notice my obvious discomfort. My mother-in-law looked at me in panic and then I knew the whole Wilson clan was watching me, waiting...
Well every 30min or so I was having another contraction. They didn't seem as painful as the ones I remembered with Jack so I still wasn't convinced. But the in laws thought for sure we would be headed to the hospital later that night so they graciously offered to keep Jack over night just in case. I was a little upset/disappointed because if it was truly going to be my last night as a mother of one then I wanted to spend it with my only child. I wanted to cuddle him, read him a good night story, and kiss him as much as humanly possible. But I also knew that if we needed to head to the hospital late that night I didn't want to drive back to my in-laws to drop Jack off. So we stayed a little longer than usual and I cuddled my little monster a little closer. Once we got home I ate a small amount and drank some water and the contractions seemed to stop.
However a few hours later I woke up with what felt like period cramps which is identical to how Jack's birth started. I tried to stand and walk them off but it wasn't working. These were real contractions. So I broke out an app and started timing them. They were consistently 25min apart, not close enough to head to the hospital but they were so painful! After 2 hrs I finally decided to wake Max. As soon as I did the contractions sped up and they were 3-4min apart. We jumped in the car and not 24 hrs after our false alarm we were back at the hospital and positive it was go time.
They got me and the baby hooked up to all the monitors and hearing that little heart beat is always so reassuring. I was having another intense cramp and I remember asking the nurse if it was a contraction because mine never seem to feel the way other blogs and people described them. She sorta giggled and said yes and then got ready to check me. I was hoping that I was at least 4cm and could be admitted. When she told me I was 5cm I almost cried. She then continued on to say that they had rooms open and I would be admitted and transferred to labor and delivery as soon as she filled out the form....
Well...
An hour later we were still in triage and I was in excruciating pain. She came back and said there was an emergency breach C-section that came in and everyone was dealing with that before they could deal with me. Eventually I was admitted and I was now 6-7cm with contractions only 2min apart. I was in tears and begging for drugs.
But with 2 more emergency C-sections and only ONE anesthesiologist I wasn't getting my drugs any time soon. They made sure I was next on his list but they wouldn't know what time that would be. The nurses I had in labor and delivery were my gods. One sat by the door waiting to catch the anesthesiologist as he walked by while the other stayed by me and monitored my progress and gave me some much needed encouragement. I didn't want to have this baby drug free but the longer I waited the more likely it seemed.
Max was great too. He would tell me when a contraction was coming and when it was almost over. He also held my hand and didn't complain about my nails digging into him. It's one thing to
choose to give birth drug free, it's another when you don't want to. Every time Max told me a contraction was coming I would cry, shake my head and tell him I didn't want one. I breathed through them and let out what I am sure sounded like dying animal cries. With every nurse that came in I asked Max if it was who I thought it was, and every time he had to come up with a nice way to say no.
By the time the anesthesiologist got there I was 8cm. He felt terrible for making me wait so after the initial dose and placement he topped me off with a little extra pain killers. After two more contractions I didn't feel a thing. My arch nemesis became my best friend. I could watch a little tv, relax my muscles, and drink a little water.
Life was so much better.
After only a couple more hours it was time to push. But because he topped me off with extra pain killers I was completely numb. I couldn't feel a thing. With Jack I could feel pressure and slight pain but this time around you could have cut off my legs before I felt anything. This made it really hard to push. I had no sensation or feeling. I didn't know when the contractions were coming and I felt no pressure to push with. So they turned my epidural off and slowly the pressure feeling came back and I could use it. I pushed him out in a few moments. They had to use the vacuum again just like Jack because his head wasn't slipping under my pelvic bone. He was just butting up against it. So they had to pull him down while I pushed him out. After a few tugs he came slipping out and we had our second son!
Everyone was so excited to see what it was especially after we told everyone we were convinced it was a girl.
They placed him on my chest and I cried and kissed Max. As soon as they took him away to be weighed and cleaned up Max and I looked at each other and laughed. Probably not every parent's usual response after birth but we knew what the other was thinking... now we
have to have a third so we can try for a girl ;).
During the birth I did have one slight tear inside so she stitched me up and packed the area with drugs and gauze. But those drugs along with the epidural gave me the terrible shakes. So much so that when it came time for our skin to skin my muscles seized and I felt like I was crushing him. But even through this he found he way down to my boob and started to feed. He was just as good as his brother. He latched on great and sucked with such a fury. My hopes immediately were raised that we might have a good breastfeeding journey. Only time will tell.
All in all this birth went as well as you could expect. I didn't get drugs as fast as I wanted but we both came out the other side happy and healthy and that's what matters.
Once our "golden hour" was over Max went and got Jack from the waiting room with the grandparents. He came in and immediately wanted to sit with Mama. He climbed up on the bed and we sang Happy Birthday to Henry. It was a special moment with just our little family of 4. I still can't believe I have two kids.
We love you so much Henry and we couldn't imagine the crazy crazy life without you.
