The Story of Us, Part Three (Clay's Birth Story)

If you're stopping over from Kelli's, hi! Thanks so much for visiting and please don't judge me by the fact that I'm throwing a birth story at you on your first visit!

Part One

Part Two

When I left off last time, my due date had just passed. The next day (Monday) I had an appointment with my OB scheduled for mid afternoon. I left work and headed to Liz's apartment to get her before my appointment. She had the day off so she was going to go in case I was admitted or to have one last pre-baby day if I wasn't.

Dr. Paige went through the usual song and dance and decided to do an ultrasound to check on Clay. She saw that my fluid level had dropped so she told me that she was going to send me to the hospital that afternoon but they wanted to run a test to check Clay's movement first.

I started blowing up phones with text messages at this point. Mike (he was going to stay at work because chances were that I wouldn't deliver til late), Amy (my labor partner- she was stuck at work, yikes!), and my mom (who had her bags packed two weeks before my due date and practically jumped in the car while reading my message).

After seeing the results of the test, Dr. Paige decided to wait to send me until the next morning then they would start the induction process since my fluid was low.

Time to text everybody back... Mike and Amy just decided to take the next day off completely. I got ahold of my mom and told her she could wait til the next morning...she was already on her way. Haha.

Liz and I spent the day hanging out, touring the new unopened Whole Foods, and then she treated me to a last meal before baby at Firebirds, one of my favorite restaurants and where Amy works. It was the perfect, relaxing day... until Mike called me freaking out on my way home that night.

He told me he had freaked out when he saw I was using his last name for Clay a few days before, he wasn't ready to be a dad, etc, etc.

I. Went. Off.

I can't recall exactly what I said but it was something along the lines of, "I'm the one pushing a baby out of me tomorrow so you don't get to freak out. If anybody is going to freak out, it's me. Do you understand? You aren't allowed to freak out! So, you'll be there in the morning, right?"

"Yes, I'll be there."

End of story.

My mom and I spent the rest of the night packing the last few things and sterilizing pump parts and bottles. Because my crazy pregnant self decided they had to be done. Right then.

Earlier when we were eating I had noticed faint pains coming and going in my lower back. When I finally went to bed, I was still having them but not close enough or hard enough to go on to the hospital.

***

On Tuesday, August 28th, I got up, took a shower, dried my hair, and put on a little makeup (for my eyes, I look dead otherwise). Now before you think I went all primpy girl, I didn't. Who wants to be stuck in a hospital bed with people in and out and having pictures taken looking like poo?

My mom and I drove to the hospital and Amy met us there. I went up to the desk to check in...and they had lost my preregistration paperwork. Are.you.kidding.me? At this point I was having more regular contractions and was already asking for my epidural. I was no where near getting it :(

We settled in and I remember briefly working on a blanket I was making and Amy taking over at some point. They finally gave me pain medicine since I wasn't ready for the epidural and that made me pretty funny according to everyone who saw me. Mike came, Liz came (with all three Bourne movies!). We talked. We laughed. We watched that hottie Matt Damon do his thing.

My mom and Amy decided to go grab lunch and sure enough while they were gone it was decided that I could have my epidural! WOOOOOHOOOOO! But yikes! Mike would have to be in there with me for it and he has the weakest stomach ever.

Luckily Amy got back just in time to take Mike's place! During the procedure I remember my blood pressure plummeting and Amy asking the doctor when he was going to fix it (he was texting). But finally, sweet medicine. Sweet, sweet medicine.

More time was spent talking, laughing, watching.

Finally it was time! At 7pm (nurse shift change) everyone had been kicked out except for Amy and Mike and it was go time!

The nurse lessened my epidural so I could feel to push (what is up with that???) and Amy took her place next to me and Mike took his place by the window in the corner (he seriously was so afraid he would throw up that he stared out the window the whole time). Then Amy decided to lock her knees and had to sit down. Then the doctor and nurses start rushing around. A crash cart was brought in, extra nurses came in. And nobody would tell me what the heck was going on! The doctor finally had one of the nurses put an oxygen mask on me. I'm pretty sure it was to just shut me up. Later I found out Clay had spiked a high fever and his heart rate was really high.

At this point I would just like to mention that no one turned off the Bourne movie we were on while I was pushing. So yeah, I stared at Matt Damon while I was pushing Clay out.

The doctor used the suction on Clay's head so many times I lost count and was convinced he was going to have a cone head forever. Then, a whole fifteen minutes after I started pushing, Clay Lucas was born at 7:15 pm with the most perfectly round head.

The first words my son heard me speak were, "does he have red hair?" and "does he have my big butt?" Guys, I'm weird. But he had neither!

Later I found out Mike cried when Clay was born. He really is the best dada.

Mike got to hold Clay first (after the doctor had to cover up the mess from me delivering the placenta so he could get across the room), then I got to hold my sweet, sweet baby. Guys, he was wide awake. Things haven't changed much 16 months later.

The tears are flowing over here so I'll leave you there for now. I still have a couple more parts to share with you in the upcoming weeks!