Adventure Is Out There: #babyweek

#babyweek started Sunday July 5th and I was so very excited and anxious for this week to finally arrive. It was also very surreal to think that in days we'd have another little one in the family. I went in to the week with a "master plan." My mother-in-law was due to arrive on Wednesday the 8th and had plans to stay through the 16th to help us out with Carson and adjusting to life as a family of four. To get the most out of her time, I secretly told baby his birthday was going to be Thursday July 9, three days before my due date. So let's see how the "master plan" unfolded...

I had my 39 week appointment scheduled for Wednesday the 8th. I went in planning to have my membranes swiped because when they did that with Carson I went in to labor the next morning. This fell exactly in to my plan to have baby's birthday on the 9th. Nonni left Kansas City after work on Tuesday the 7th and arrived to our house around noon on the 8th. I was finishing up work and taking off early to head to my doctor's appointment at 2pm. Nonni decided to tag along as I said these appointments never take too long. The doctor checked me out and I was a 4, almost 5 cm dilated. Always exciting to hear, but never a sure thing of something happening soon (side note I had my 39 week appt with Carson 2 days before my due date and was 4 cm with him then). She did the membrane swipe and I was sitting there waiting for her to give me my induction date (by water break since I was already well into dilation) and I thought I felt a contraction (I hadn't had any to date). Part of me forgot what they were like, so I thought maybe I had "missed" something and had previous ones prior to this. After my appointment, Nonni and I went to Sprouts for a few things before heading to pick up Cason from daycare. At Sprouts I got a few more contractions that were strong enough to make my walking pace slow down a bit. I mostly thought these were happening since I had my membranes stripped and when picking up Carson Nonni said to his teachers, "he could have a brother today or tomorrow." Not what was crossing my mind!

We got home around 4pm and I noticed the contractions were starting to have some consistency. So I got out my handy dandy app and started to time things. Sure enough they were 7 minutes apart lasting about 40 seconds each. I started to put some last minute things into my hospital bag and jumped in the shower. After that my mother-in-law suggested I try to rest and drink water to see if they would subside at all. So I laid down and things only started to get closer together. At about 5 she suggested I call my doctor. I think I waited another half hour before making the call. I left a message and was now down to about 4 minutes apart. I still hadn't received a call back at 5:45p so I told Reid let's go. By now the pain had definitely increased and my contractions seemed to only be occurring more frequently. We arrived at the hospital at 6:23p and I had to make a few stops on my way up to the 5th floor for labor & delivery. It was also then I learned that my doc had tried to call me back leaving me a message "call us back or just come in." Cooper must have known I really like my doctor because she was on-call that evening :) We got back to the room and started the marathon work of papers. They hadn't checked me yet before this process started but I could tell this was the real deal (I always have that fear of being sent back home) as the pain picked up pretty quickly. There was no mention of getting an epidural yet, and I even said to Reid "I don't think I ever got to this stage with Carson before wanting the magic medicine." I remember with Carson that it wasn't the pain that got to me at that point, it was just being very uncomfortable and not finding relief in any way. Well this time it WAS the pain and when the nurse finally asked if I would be getting an epidural I quickly responded YES! Well it was then that the nurse checked me and said I was dilated to a very advanced 9 and re-asked if I was still wanting it. I think I whimpered to her, yes if it's possible! And let me tell you, the only way I was "coping" with this pain was being one of those crazy ladies you see on TV screaming. Yes, I would moan (in a screamingly manner) to distract my mind as much as possible from the pain. Seriously momma's who do natural births, you guys are AWESOME!! The staff rushed around and graciously got me my epidural. I sat very still (and screamed) through 2-3 contractions while it was being inserted, but they were able to give me just enough medicine to take away that awful pain to which the nurses then remarked, "now the other patients won't be scared" (yes, I'm slightly embarrassed). About 10 minutes later I asked if I could start pushing and it only took 5-10 pushes and Cooper Thomas Jennings was born at 7:43 pm. Much different story than with Carson.

As I was thinking about writing my birth story, I was kinda ashamed I couldn't "stick out the pain" and forego the epidural. But in the end it is MY labor and this was how I wanted to do it. Unlike Carson, I was able to feel Cooper being born and it was pretty amazing (never thought I'd be one of those people). I hate to admit this, but I had an instant connection with Cooper. The doctor's laid him on my belly and I was in love! My first thoughts were, he's so tiny!! And after my skin-to-skin time with him, we found out that my little peanut came in at 6lbs 11oz. Honestly I was shocked to hear the number 6 come out of the nurses mouth! My doctors had been telling me that they thought he would be in the 7lb range, and I felt he would be smaller than Carson as well, but I heard the same thing with Carson and pushed out an 8 pounder. Oddly though, Cooper's head was a 1/4 of an inch larger than Carson's, which is what I heard is really the determining factor for tearing. All-in-all my experience was great and I'm so in love with my new family. For most of the time it was Cooper and I hanging out at the hospital and I enjoyed all of my bonding time with him (enjoyed as much as you can being stuck in a hospital room). Carson came up with Nonni and Reid for a visit and wasn't to sure about his little brother. He did like showing him a new toy he picked out. It is very surreal that this phase has come and gone, and now it's time to see what our new routine will be as a family of four.