The Crafty Nest

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Zachary's birth story!

Zachary Bryant was born on Thanksgiving morning at 12:02 am! 7 lbs, 6 oz and 19 inches long. I was really hoping he'd wait a little longer since we had house guests coming for Thanksgiving, but he's like his Daddy....doesn't listen to Mama LOL.

I woke up at 5:15am on Wednesday morning with contractions that didn't feel worse then cramps, and they were about 20 minutes apart. I had a doctor appointment at 9:45am anyway that morning so I thought I'd just wait until then and see what happens....and I continued to have contractions around 20 minutes apart the whole time. I made sure I was packed for the hospital because I just assumed he'd send me there after the appointment. The doctor checked me and said I wasn't dilated or anything....that he even expected me at my appointment next week. He must of thought I was just having Braxton Hicks or something....but there was no way I was lasting another week with that pain. We went to Target after that to pick up some groceries, just in case I did have to go to the hospital and I was having contractions about every 10-15 minutes. Even while I was looking at the spices (stupid Target didn't have whole cloves or allspice....but I could of missed them since I wasn't fully concentrating lol) I started to have a contraction and the woman next to me was like "are you all right?". After about 30 minutes we left and drove around for a bit, Craig was showing me a new park to take Ethan to, but I wasn't really paying attention at the time so I'm not 100% on where it is heh. By now the contractions were getting worse each hour and getting closer together, so I basically laid on the couch the rest of the day timing contractions and trying to "breathe" (haha like that could happen in the pain) through them and stay calm.

At around 7:00 Craig made me call the doctor because the contractions had been 8 minutes apart for 2 hours and they were getting horribly painful. The nurse I spoke to said to hurry to the ER because with second babies the labor can come on quickly, and to not listen to the doctor who said I'm not in labor lol. The house was a disaster since I was on the couch all day and Craig was at my side almost the whole time, so Ethan had created a hurricane of toys/mess because he was bored. So I'm trying to clean up a bit while having contractions and even in between them I just am feeling sore.....but we left for the hospital by 7:30. That's after waddling to the car going the speed of a snail. I called my Mom and let my parents know that I was on the way to the hospital, and my poor Mom had already started cooking Thanksgiving dinner so she had to stop so they could "run" (we're about an hour away!") up here to get Ethan. On the way to the hospital I started to feel a lot of pressure down there and I just kept thinking of all the TV shows where the woman delivers in the car so I started praying that it didint' happen that way!

We get checked in and I'm in the labor room by 8pm. Ethan of course gets some stickers and a coloring page from the ER check in nurse....how does he manage to always get stickers wherever he goes? The nurse checks me and said I'm about 3cm dilated so they will come back and check me in an hour, and if I haven't progressed I can go home if I want. After the hour has passed she checks and I'm at 5cm! Needless to say, she said I needed to stay and we get me all hooked up and she asks if I want an epidural. I told her I wanted to wait just a little bit to see how I can handle it while we get everything else all hooked up. Well about 2 hours later I was more then ready, but of course it takes a little while for the anesthesiologist to come, so I think he was there by like maybe 10:30pm. The whole time I felt like such a baby because I'd be moaning so much during contractions, I even had some tears on some of them.

After I get my epidural (after having the worst contraction ever while he's inserting it....I was trying so hard to stay still, I kept thinking "don't move, you don't want to be paralyzed!" lol) I started to feel some relief even after about 5 minutes. By 20 minutes I was aaaalllll gooooood. I was calm and relaxed, but yet I wasn't dead weight like I was with Ethan. I could actually move my legs and body, even though they felt tingly....yet I couldn't feel the contractions!! The anesthesiologist did it perfectly. Well....almost perfectly. The epidural was PAINFUL, it wasn't with Ethan....but man it hurt this time. The nurse later told me that that anesthesiologist tends not to numb it as much as he should. Here I am over a week later and when I move a certain way I can still feel slight pain where it was.

When the nurse came in to insert the catheter, she also checked to see how I was progressing at the same time. I was 10 cm dilated!!!! I was shocked. Like, very shocked that it had happened that fast. The nurse estimated that I was probably 8cm-barely 9am dilated when I got the epidural, and if I had waited any longer I would of missed my chance.

whew. I made it! *wipes sweat off brow*

So I started pushing, and I pushed through I think 2 contractions before they had me stop and wait for the doctor. I hate waiting for the doctor to get there because I can FEEL the baby in the birth canal and it's a very uncomfortable feeling. I never wanted to watch the birth, but I did reach down during this time to feel what was going on.....and I don't know what I felt but what I pictured was a big swollen mess so I'm glad I didn't see it haha. We waited 20-30 minutes for the doctor to get there, and I pushed through 2 more contractions and I hear Craig say "There he is! Your almost there!, I can see him!" and I'm shocked that it's been that fast (I pushed for an hour with Ethan, and I ended up with an episiotomy and forceps)  and then out he came! I only tore slightly and needed just a few stitches and geez...the recovery is a billion times better then it was with the episiotomy.

I immediately got to hold him for about 5 minutes before they cleaned/weighed/measured all that good stuff, then after that he nursed for AN HOUR! It took Ethan 8 days to latch on. Zack hasn't unlatched since haha.

I think some of the times are off because I know I had the epidural for less then an hour. This labor was a billion times easier then Ethan's, even if it was more painful. I'm not sure how long I was in labor for, since I wasn't dilated even at 10:30 that morning....but it was quick!

Ethan is adjusting okay, he goes from giving Zack lot's of kisses to hitting him and throwing a ton of tantrums, but the tantrums could also be because he's just about 20 months old now and is getting to that age. It's hard for me because I have to nurse Zack 70% of the day and I can tell Ethan is bored, so I feel very guilty but I figure it's just a phase and if it's not raining we could go for walks or something. But still...that Mom guilt sucks :P

I'm just glad we didint wait for the contractions to be 5 minutes apart for an hour (like the doctor said to do), or wait any later because I would of had the baby at home!