Jackson's Arrival

When I went to my doctor's appointment on Wednesday, July 3rd, my doctor told me that I still hadn't progressed.  She said she wanted to see me the following Wednesday for my 40th week appointment and stated if Jackson hadn't arrived by then, she would schedule for me to be induced before July 17th.  However, Jackson had plans of his own!  Friday, July 5th, started off like every other day.  I got up and went to work as normal, feeling completely fine!  Around 10:30 that morning, I began feeling what I thought to be my amniotic fluid slowly leaking, but being a first time mom, I wasn't completely sure as it was very little rather than that huge rupture that comes to mind when thinking about your water breaking.  I waited a little while, but when this feeling continued, I decided to call Baptist's L&D department.  They advised me to go ahead and come in to get checked.  I, of course, went home first to get my bag, knowing they wouldn't let me leave once I got to the hospital if it was indeed my water leaking.  I let Zoe out to potty and grabbed a quick snack (who knew how long it would be before I got to eat again!).  I called Eric, my sister, and my parents, letting everyone know to wait until I was sure it was my water breaking before heading to the hospital.  I got to Baptist and was put in a triage room around 1:20 pm.  Shortly after being checked by a nurse, my water broke fully and I was admitted.  One of the things I have dreaded most throughout my pregnancy, for some reason, was the possibility that my doctor wouldn't deliver Jackson.  I knew that if I went into labor and delivered at night or on the weekend, I would be dealing with whichever doctor was on call.  Luckily, I was informed after being admitted that my doctor just happened to be on call that weekend.  It was just meant to be!  I called Eric and my family and gave them the go ahead to come to the hospital!  Even though my water broke, I still hadn't progressed.  My doctor started Pitocin around 3:00 pm and I was slow to progress throughout the afternoon.  The staff discussed the need to increase my Pitocin at frequent intervals, about every 15 minutes, as my doctor stated she would like me to deliver within 12 hours of my water breaking.  Needless to say, with the frequent Pitocin increases, my contractions quickly became extremely painful.  I must say I have a whole new respect for women who deliver babies naturally!  I got my epidural around 7:30 pm and, thankfully, quickly got relief!  I slowly, but gradually, progressed throughout the evening, but around 9:30 pm, the nurses talked to me about how I was approaching the 12 hour mark and explained that my doctor typically likes to move forward with a C-section at this point to avoid the risk of infection.  Luckily, I was assured I had a say in this, as I wanted to avoid a C-section if possible.  We decided to give it a few more hours, as I was progressing well  (at this point I was fully effaced and dilated to 6).  Continued Pitocin increases started affecting Jackson's heartbeat so several adjustments were made over the next few hours.  Thankfully, they managed to keep Jackson's heart rate where it should be and I continued to progress.  About 3:00 am, the nurses said I was ready to start pushing and called for the doctor.   Jackson arrived at 3:23 am, weighing 7 lbs 15.9 ounces and measuring 20 1/2 inches long, with Eric, Hayley, and my parents present!!  Eric cut the umbilical cord and Jackson was put on my chest for some skin-to-skin time.  He had some problems catching his breath so he was taken to NICU to get his lungs completely cleared.  He was quickly returned to our room and we spent the next several hours admiring our sweet boy!   I'm so grateful for all of our family, including my sister, my parents, Eric's parents, and Eric's brother, for their support during my labor and delivery and throughout my stay at the hospital!  I'm also extremely thankful for such a smooth labor and delivery and for the birth of a healthy baby boy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look at that hair!!