How We Became Three

It was six o'clock on a Wednesday evening. I sat on the couch staring at my pregnant belly while Bobby packed up the car: hospital bag, snacks, car seat... It hit me like a wave and I started to cry. Such a range of emotions a pregnant woman full of hormones should not experience all at once: fear, excitement, anticipation, nervousness, joy, thankfulness. Bobby came in and sat next to me. "You're going to be a great mom, and you're going to do so well to deliver this baby," he reassured me. I was blubbering, but I managed to eek out a pathetic "really?" A kiss on the cheek later, we were in the car headed to the hospital for our scheduled induction date.

Since I was almost 42 weeks pregnant, the doctors didn't want to wait much longer for me to have the baby. I was relatively comfortable still and there were no complications, but it was time for our little guy to make his way here. We went in the hospital Wednesday night and the induction festivities began first thing Thursday morning.

Rewind 12 weeks. Bobby and I signed up to take birthing classes for the Bradley Method. If you don't know anything about it, it basically teaches pain management techniques for a natural, unmedicated childbirth. They encourage husbands to take the classes as well so that they are trained to be the "labor coach." The classes provided a TON of information, and really helped us prepare mentally for what we were going to experience. For me, the biggest fear I had of giving birth was fear itself. I had no idea what to expect, and with the level of pain I'm normally able to handle (my pain threshold is equivalent to ripping off a band-aid), I really needed help to be able to get through the birth with no pain medication. Call me crazy, but it was really important for me to do it this way for several reasons.

After a restless night in the hospital, 7:00 am finally rolled around. The doctor came into our room to chat with us for a bit about what was going to happen. Since at this point we were going to have medical interventions (since he didn't come on his own), I wanted to be reassured that she would do her best to keep our wishes for as little intervention as possible to get this baby out. After a lovely hospital breakfast (blah), I was hooked up to the IV of pitocin (an artificial hormone of what your body naturally creates - oxytocin) and we were off! At that point, I was only 2 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced.

Three hours and one movie rental later, I wasn't feeling anything. No contractions, no cramping, nothing. We walked around the maternity ward a few times. I bounced on my birthing ball for a while. We watched some bad daytime TV. Before we knew it, it was 3:00pm, and I still felt nothing, which means I hadn't progressed at all. The doctor came in again at that point and we discussed our options. In an effort to keep us as intervention-free as possible, we decided to go home and wait out the weekend to see if the baby would come on his own. If not, we would go back to the hospital and try again on Sunday night. Walking out of that hospital that evening was like doing a Walk of Shame. Had anyone ever gone to be induced and left without a baby?! The nurses shot me some sympathetic looks as we walked out the door. I just carried my pillow out like a baby. It made me feel better that way!!

The weekend rolled by slowly. We slept in, went out to eat, and watched a lot of TV. My Facebook was blowing up, as Bobby and I were constantly giving live updates on our status in the hospital. Once we broke the news that we were going home, even more pandemonium continued. I ignored my phone all weekend. Sunday night finally arrived, but our baby had not. Back to the hospital we went, and this time... there was no way I was leaving without a real baby in my arms!

Sunday night, they placed Cervadil in order to "get things going" in the cervix before they started the induction the next morning.

Monday came and went with the Pitocin. No progress. Then came Monday night.

The doctor placed Cervadil again that evening. That night was the most painful cramping I'd ever experienced. It was constant pain and cramping, and part of me was relieved that I was feeling something...anything! I thought for sure when they checked my progress the next morning, they would say I was getting ready to deliver! The pain was so great...and all in my back. Hmm. Tuesday morning rolls in and after another wonderful hospital breakfast, they checked me again to see where I was. Get this -- NOTHING. After a completely sleepless night full of writhing pain, I had not progressed at all. Disappointed, they still started the Pitocin to get Take Two of induction going.

The morning moved so slowly. I still had emense pain in my lower back, which I knew meant that the baby was facing the wrong direction - not breech - rather, "sunny side up." The baby should be facing my tailbone, but instead the back of his head was facing my tailbone, which creates "back labor," which is much more painful. Thanks to the Bradley classes, Bobby and I whipped out some exercises we'd learned to try and get the baby to turn around. 30 minutes of one exercise and 30 minutes in the jacuzzi tub helped a ton. I felt a million times better. However, it was now 2:00pm, and I still wasn't feeling any contractions. Not again. The doctor came in to check on us and at that point, I'd had it. It was time to make a move since this baby was not responding to the pitocin. The two options were to break my water or just to do a C-Section. C-Section was clearly out of the picture since there were still no complications. We were trusting God alone at that point and decided to have the doctor break my water. They did so at about 3:00pm, and I was preparing myself for a slow ride into labor. I called my Mom to let her know what was going on, then called another one of my sisters. After I hung up with her, I couldn't even make another phone call because the contractions came on so strong and so quickly that I couldn't talk through them!

From there, it was 0-60 in a snap. It happened so fast!!! I was half thankful that I was feeling something! And after a few weeks of second-guessing myself as to what a real contraction felt like, there wasn't a doubt in my mind that I was feeling contractions! Everything we had learned in Bradley class went through the window. We still used some of the techniques for coping with the pain, but none of the exercises that we practiced! All I could do was count. And count I did. I was probably teaching the infants on the other side of the maternity ward their numbers because I was counting so loud! I knew that when I got to the number 5, that would be the worst pain. As soon as I got to 13 or 15, I could feel the contraction subsiding and I was thankful. Bobby was my biggest cheerleader. Encouragement through each contraction: one hand pressed into my lower back (counter-pressure), one hand pressing down on my hip, and sweet words of encouragement in my ear. I could not have gotten through it without him.

I'd like to take a second and say how amazing our bodies are. God really knew what he was doing when he made us. Our bodies know exactly what to do in labor, and He designed us not to break under this intense pain, but to give us rest in between the hard parts. I could not have carried on like I did had there not been a 2-3 minute break in between each contraction. It was just amazing to me.

Anyway, we carried on like that with those intense contractions for about 3 hours. At that time, I asked the nurse politely if I could use the bathroom YESTERDAY because I really had to go! She told me to stay in bed and that they would check my progress. Perhaps you don't understand nurse, you're going to have to clean this up if you don't let me go now! I thought it and really wanted to tell her that, but I didn't. They checked me and I was already at 8cm dilated and getting ready to push once I reached 10cm! The heavens could have broke open and sang, but I was busy. You know, trying to get this stubborn baby out. I finally reached 10 cm and started pushing! Bobby sent the text messages out to our family - hope that our baby would be here within the hour!!!

Go ahead and tap your foot for the next 4 hours. Because that's how long I was pushing. After changing positions and using the birthing bar, I was completely wiped. Finally, the doctor came back in and gave us two options. Normal people don't try to push for 4 hours. This baby did NOT want to come out. Our options? Forecepts or C-Section. I knew the risks of both, and after the doctors reassurance of her use of forecepts, we decided to go that route. Once the decision was made, it was 5 minutes, a quick stick of local anesthesia and that baby was sitting on my chest looking up at me!! It was surreal and such a relief all at once. My heart was singing!!! Glory to God in the Highest!!! That was the only thing I could think of at that moment.

I spent about an hour holding our sweet baby before they took him to clean him off. Bobby and I sat there just looking at him. Camden's eyes just blinking and looking all around. Can you imagine seeing anything for the first time? It was a beautiful time and an experience unlike any other. He is perfect.

After being stitched up and cleaned off (I had a 3rd degree tear), I was able to walk to our recovery room. We unloaded our things and the nurses left for the night after rattling off lots of directions, blah blah blah.

Bobby and I looked around, then looked at each other and smiled. No longer was it just the two of us. Now we are Three.