Saturday, June 13, 2015
For it being Carter Cole's due date I was extremely patient. Yes, at 40 weeks pregnant I was being patient. I was anxious to meet Carter Cole but I was okay with the thought of not inducing labor and being patient a little while longer. I just kept telling myself over & over that Carter Cole would make his arrival when he & my body were ready to begin labor. Earlier that week at my 39 week doctor's appointment I hadn't began to dilate. I was having very minor irregular contractions & some aches and pains in my hips and lower back. With no major labor activity we spent the day out in Perdido Key at the beach front pool swimming & soaking up some sun. Carter Cole's due date came & went so we continued waiting.
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Our 40 week doctor's appointment was scheduled week's earlier when I started being seen on a weekly basis in the last weeks of pregnancy & as I wrote this appointment in my planner I laughed thinking I wasn't going to need this appointment. Carter Cole was due the 13th .. I was surely going to have a baby by then but I was wrong to laugh. That appointment meant that we had no baby & I was 4 days past due. Long story short I still hadn't began to dilate. I was having very minor irregular contractions & some aches and pains in my hips and lower back but my doctor was not letting Carter Cole & I reach 42 weeks. We scheduled our induction for Sunday, June 21st at 7:30 pm and we crossed our fingers & prayed that we wouldn't make it to our scheduled induction and that labor would begin on it's own before that Sunday.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
Here we were 1 week past due, no signs of labor and we were still waiting.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Our scheduled induction day.. Most of the details from during this day are still a blur in my mind. I remember feeling so many different emotions. Our check in time at the hospital was 7:30 pm & my patience had been thrown out the window the day before when I was a week past due! My last month of pregnancy had gone on for what felt like forever.. I spent my entire pregnancy looking forward to a "due date" and when that date came and went I felt like I was living the longest days ever. That was exactly it, my induction day was the longest day EVER. With no labor activity we spent another day out in Perdido Key at the beach front pool swimming & soaking up some sun. I can't exactly say that it was a relaxing day since I spent it counting down the hours to our hospital check in. I was looking forward to one thing & one thing only and that was meeting our baby boy!
At 7:30 pm we arrived at the hospital & started the paperwork & check in process. Since labor didn't happen naturally for us like I had wanted we started the induction process. I was hooked up to the contraction and baby heart beat monitors and was given my first dose of Cytotec (medication used to induce labor and soften the cervix) at 8:30 pm. During the next 4 hours I began having contractions. My contractions were uncomfortable but nothing I couldn't breathe through at this point. Bo (my Husband) & my Mama were with me in our room to help pass the time.. both of them will tell you a very funny & dramatic story about how my room felt like Antarctica since I had the air set to 55 degrees. I had maybe slept for an hour and a half at this point, I was so anxious for results that it was hard for me to relax.
Monday, June 22, 2015
I was checked at 12:30 am and had dilated to a 1. Just a 1? I was so disappointed to hear that in 4 hours my cervix had only dilated a small amount. To begin Pitocin (medication used to induce labor and speed up labor process) I needed to be dilated to a 4 so I was given another dose of Cytotec.
I was checked again at 4:30 am and had only dilated to a 2. During those 4 hours my contractions increased in strength. We had progress.. it may have been small progress but I was thrilled & at that time I decided we would go ahead and get my epidural started so that we could stay ahead of labor pain. At 4:30 am I was given a third dose of Cytotec so that I could continue dilating.
At 5:30 am I was greeted by the anesthesiologist and boy, was I happy to see him! Relief came within minutes of my epidural. Bo & my Mama will tell you that I thanked him more times than I should have in the short time that he was in our room. What can I say he made the next hour and a half enjoyable. So enjoyable I was able to relax. Time went by quickly, my contractions were manageable and they were able to watch and keep time on the monitor.
* Let me add that throughout our stay at the hospital and during the labor & delivery process we were blessed with amazing care! Our nurses were so sweet and will hold a special place in my heart. I had made our Labor & Delivery Nurses Thank-You Bags (see previous post) to thank them for their hard work. Even though I felt like those Thank You Bags weren't enough to truly show them how appreciative we were it was the least we could do!
At 7:00 am it was shift change for the nurses.. our nurse Jackie that we had started the induction process with was leaving us and now we said hello to nurse Megan. At this point both of them were in our room to "report", check my contraction monitor & Carter Cole's heart beat monitor and check my dilation. Unfortunately, there was more disappointment.. I was still only at a 3. Another contraction came and went this time we could no longer hear Carter Cole's heart beat. I immediately felt an unexplainable amount of anxiety and worry for both myself and for Carter. The two of them immediately rolled me onto my side & gave me an oxygen mask for Carter Cole. His heart beat became louder and louder over the monitor. I felt a small amount of relief. Within the next hour this continued to happen with each contraction. At one point Bo, my Mama and all of the nurses on shift were in our room. Each time I would have a contraction Carter's heart beat would drop causing distress. Even though no one was saying much I could tell something was wrong as each contraction passed the nurses would flood into our room.. check the monitors, check my blood pressure & roll me on my side. I began to stress not for me but for Carter. I remember looking over at Bo & my Mama who had been standing at my bedside the entire time. I felt so much support from the two of them by my side, they both kept reassuring me that we were going to be okay. I wanted to cry. I needed to be strong though for Carter. All I wanted was to hear him cry. I loved being able to hear Carter Cole's heart beat on the monitor until now.
At 8:00 am my Doctor came into our room during his morning rounds. In the few minutes that he was in our room he explained our delivery choices either continue having contractions & start a dose of Pitocin to speed up labor and risk Carter's heart beat dropping each time or we could opt for a caesarean section. I wish I could say that Bo & I discussed this decision in those minutes my Doctor was in the room, we didn't even make eye contact there was no time for that.. C-section it was! All of my reasons for not wanting to have a C-section flew out the window. All I wanted was to hear him cry! (A couple days later Bo & I talked about the decision for a C-section. He supported my decision & we agreed that we wanted whatever it took to ensure having a healthy baby.) Keep in mind that my doctor made it clear that this wasn't an "emergency" C-section but what he called a "rush". Not that I was feeling any better by that statement I was still worried & apprehensive.. I had never had a major surgery until now. The questions & thoughts going through my head were a whirlwind. The next half hour can be described as a shuffle of scrubs, surgery preparations & what felt like organized chaos. Before I knew it, all of the nurses & Bo were wearing scrubs, the anesthesiologist came back into our room to discuss pain medication, I was being prepped for surgery & unhooked from the machines in our room to be wheeled down the hallway to the Operating Room. During all of this both my Mama & our nurse Megan were saying everything that I needed to hear! My Mama reassuring me that this C-section would all be worth it in just a short time & nurse Megan talking me through the procedure process.
I remember being wheeled down the hallway & into the Operating Room. I had to be prepped for surgery. This was the first time I had seen my Doctor since he was in our room earlier he began to talk me through the caesarean section process. I couldn't focus on what he was saying. The room was so white & bright. Both of my arms were being strapped down to the table. The room was so cold I could see myself shivering. I kept asking for Bo & where he was since he couldn't be in the Operating Room until I was completely prepped. Nurse Megan held my hand until Bo was allowed in the room. I don't know if she was supposed to be doing something else during that time but for me she was the strength I needed when all I wanted to do was burst into tears. Finally, Bo was allowed in the room. My Mama was going to be in the room for Carter's delivery to take pictures but since I was having a C-section only Bo was allowed in there with me. The first words out of his mouth were "It's okay, I have the camera" & in that moment I needed to hear that... I laughed for the first time since we had checked in at the hospital. Bo & I both laughed, smiled, said I love you & just talked. Neither one of us can recall exactly what we talked about though. In the next 10 minutes I felt so much tugging & pressure but surprisingly no pain. The anesthesiologist stood directly over my head & talked me through when to inhale & exhale as the doctor was pushing the baby out. Before I knew it we had our baby boy! I was able to breathe again there was so much going on that the rest of the procedure went by quickly. I felt so accomplished and blessed in the moments to follow.
Everything happened so quickly in that 1 hour. At 9:14 am Carter Cole NeSmith had finally made his arrival via C-section! All I wanted was to hear him cry & it was exactly what I needed to hear. Carter Cole weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces & measured 21 inches long he was healthy & perfect! What more could we have asked for. I was able to hold our sweet baby boy in the Operating Room as they finished the clean-up process & again as we were wheeled down the hallway back to our room for recovery. In those moments looking at him I fell head over heels in love. I didn't get to push for Carter Cole like I had planned to but everything that we had just been through was worth it!
I feel so blessed every time I get to share Carter Cole's birth story! It may not have been the perfect labor & delivery but it was ours & that's what makes it so special. We welcomed a healthy baby boy into the world & now we are enjoying #lifewithcartercole .
xo, Jordan
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