It had been a pretty normal day...nothing too exciting. I was 37 weeks pregnant but feeling pretty good. I'd been busy working on getting the house ready for our baby to arrive in a couple weeks. I talked to Amy on the phone in the evening and commented that I could have a baby any day...it could even come that night. "Probably not," I said. Little did I know...
9:00 pm - Steve and I were laying on the couch watching TV when I felt a gush of water. I quickly went to the bathroom where I decided my water had broke. I went out and told Steve. I have never seen him move so fast as he jumped off the couch. I called Dr. A and he said to wait and see if contractions started on their own. Meanwhile, Steve and I finished packing our hospital bags and waited. The contractions did start. We decided to lay down in bed for awhile. By 11:15, the contractions had been 4-5 minutes apart for an hour, so we decided to head to the hospital.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
12:00 am - We arrived at the hospital and put in a room where they checked to make sure my water had broke. They hooked me up to a fetal monitor and a contractions monitor. The nurse checked and said I was about 3 cm dilated. Still a ways to go. Then I was moved to a labor/delivery room. The contractions continued but were not too bad. My plan was to have a natural birth with no epidural, if possible. Again, little did I know...
The contractions continued to increase in intensity and pain. Steve tried to get some sleep but was also very reassuring to me when I needed it. The next time they checked I was 4-5 cm dilated. They noticed that the baby's heartbeat was dropping each time I had a contraction but then would return to normal. They gave me an oxygen mask to help me and the baby. I have no idea how the time was passing here. Each time I would doze off a bit, another contraction would come and wake me up. At next check I was 6-7 cm dilated. They decided to use a different type of fetal monitor to keep better track of the heartbeat. Dr. A showed up sometime in here. They were still concerned about the drop in the heart rate. They kept telling me to take deep breaths during the contractions, but my body would tense up making that very difficult. Dr. A told me they wanted to try an epidural to see if that would help me relax which would help the baby. If that didn't work, they may have to do a C-section.
around 9:00 am - The baby's heart rate was now staying lower than it should. The anesthesiologist finally showed up to do the epidural; however, once he was done, it did not seem to be taking effect like it should. I was still trying to make it through the now constant and extremely painful contractions. I would hold Steve's hand during the contractions to help me make it through. During one, I heard him gasp. After it had passed, he said, " I didn't realize how strong you were." All of a sudden, there were a lot of people in the room and they were whisking me off to an operating room. The frantic and hurried pace of the nurses to prep me for the C-section was scary. I was worried about the health of the baby. The anesthesiologist told me to take deep breaths...
Later that morning - I slowly open my eyes and see Steve standing there. "Here's your son." Stephen Joseph was born at 9:12 am. He weighed 7 lbs, 4 oz and was 21" long. Unbelievable! It was definitely very surreal and bizarre. I felt very groggy and it was difficult to fully comprehend what had happened. I was then moved to another room. I finally got to hold Stephen and attempt to feed him for the first time.
While Stephen's birth definitely did not happen the way I had envisioned it, I am truly thankful that he is safe and healthy. We were able to leave the hospital on Friday evening. Our experience in the hospital was very positive. All of the nurses were extremely nice and helpful. We are so grateful to them for all of their help and assistance. I am also grateful for Steve. He was amazing during the entire labor and delivery and recovery. I am so blessed to have him as my husband.
My parents arrived Friday night. My dad stayed until Sunday, and my mom is still here helping out in many ways. I am very thankful for her help. Stephen is a beautiful baby boy, and Steve and I are excited to take on this new adventure in our lives.
Stephen Joseph Compton - 1 day old
November 17, 2010
7 lbs, 4 oz
21" long
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