Happy 2nd Birthday Ben !!!

Two years ago today, I gave bith to my precious Benjamin James, what better way to remember that day than to share his birth story.

At my last ob/gyn appointment at 39 weeks I showed NO signs to go on labor on my own so I was scheduled for an induction a week later. The scheduled date for Ben to be born was February 7th. I told my boss that for the last week of my pregnancy I would be working from home since I was so swollen and uncomfortable (and miserable), he agreed to it and that's what I did on Monday the 4th. Come Tuesday I woke up and started working on the lap top in the living room, I had several cushions on my back and my feet up on the coffee table, the question that comes to mind: Why was I still working?... the asnwer is because it was month end and we needed to be done with the financials that very day. I had it all planned perfectly: I would be working Tuesday and then get my bag and everything ready on Wednesday so I could be induced on Thursday. Ben had other plans for me.

So on Tuesday, as I was working I started having little contractions, not even enough strong to make me uncomfortable, so I kept working... the contractions lasted all morning and afternoon, in the beginning they were about 30 mins apart so I didn't pay much attention, I was more concentrated in getting the financials done. LOL. At around noon I got up and got something to eat, then got back to the computer... contractions were still about 30 mins apart but they did wouldn't go away. I started wondering. I called Zach to let him know but I told him, don't rush home, I'm fine.

But I'm HUNGRY!

At around 4pm the contractions started being about 15 mins apart but still not strong enough, at this point I was pretty sure I was going to head to the Hospital that night, so I started typing an email to my boss with the things that still needed to be done in order for them to close the books. I called Zach who was on his way home after picking up Ryan from daycare, and asked him to get KFC for dinner, at this point my breathing changed and I noticed the contractions were coming stronger and closer in time, about 10 minutes between each one.

When Zach got home I was still typing that email, he asked me to get off the computer and eat something, I told him we would have to head to the hospital that night and that we had to find somebody to take care of Ryan, his parents were coming down to Jax from GA to take care of him but they were working the polls that night and weren't scheduled to leave until the following morning. Zach was able to get one of our neighbors to come and spend a few hrs with Ryan while his parents were on the way, he had to call them and ask them to please drive to Jax as soon as they were done in the polls. While all this was happening I was sitting on the dining table with Ryan eating KFC, contractions were 5 mins apart getting stronger, I had to stop chewing so I could breathe in between contractions, Zach askend me to please hurry and get ready and I said "But I'm hungry, if I don't eat now it will be hrs before I can eat again"...

Once I was done eating I started putting my hospital bag together... but then I had to stop and lay down on the bed, my breathing had changed tremendously and the contractions were getting stronger and stronger, out of the corner of my eye I saw Zach take his pants off and say "I'm going to take a quick shower"... then another contraction came and I started screaming... Zach heard me and put his pants back on and said: "We have to go NOW". I told him my bag was not ready yet, so he finished it for me, in between contractions I'd tell him: "Bras, panties, my bathrobe, this.. that"... when he finally finished the neighbor was already in the house, I remember I never clicked SEND on that email to my boss so I went back to the computer, finally I kissed Ryan good bye and off to the Hospital we were.

Just give me something, damn it!

We got to the NAS Jax base, thankfully only after a 10 minute drive, I won't be able to forget the look on the guard at the gate when he asked for our ID's, I was screaming... LOL

I was admitted immediately and put in a delivery room, contractions were now 3-4 minutes apart and still strong, once the Dr came to check on me he said I was only 4cm dialated and that I had "ways to go"... what the hell did that mean? I was ticked, I needed something for that pain NOW.. so I told him (more than ask  him)... "can you give  me something for the pain".. he said he would be back.

I told Zach, "go find somebody and tell them I need something for the pain, just give me something damn it". Zach went and found out that they were getting ready to do it. OH, the relief I experienced once I got that shot is something unexplainable... it was around 9pm. I spent the night just waiting for my labor to progress, in the morning when they came to break my water the Dr said he wasn't expecting to see so much amniotic fluid and that it had fecal matter, that meant Baby could have swallowed some of that.. I got really scared and started praying for my baby to be ok.

Ben is here!

Once they broke my water labor progressed really fast in a matter of less than 2 hrs I was fully dialated, the only problem is that Ben's head was not positioned right, he had not tucked in his chin, instead he was facing up, my Dr. asked me to start pushing so she could position Ben's head correctly with her hand, that seemed to work because one or two minutes later I saw this crowd of people coming in and getting things ready... this was it!

I have to give credit to my husband, he is such a great coach, he would hold my hand and count with me 1-10 on every contraction and give me advise on how to breath, he was truly amazing!

I pushed about 4 or 5 times and Ben was out... I could only hear things like "Wow".. "At least 9lbs".. "Big boy"... then I finally looked and saw this chunky baby starting to cry... that was the best sound in the world. After I was told that he was perfectly fine, 10 fingers and 10 toes, I could finally get some rest.

Scary night!

After I was taken to my room and allowed to eat something, they brought baby to me and let me try breastfeeding, he did great for his first time. He was allowed to sleep in my room that night, Zach stayed with us too.

Around 1am I had to get up to go to the bathroom, I told Zach I was ok and could do it on my own, after I finished I was working on changing my panties, etc and I feel this HUGE blood clot coming out, I don't quite make it to the toilet when it does... it was so HUGE and so heavy that when it hit the floor it splatter blood all over me, the walls, the shower curtain and the bathroom floor, not only that, I kept seeing gushes of blood coming out, it was so bad that the bathroom floor was covered in blood in just a matter of seconds... I knew Zach would panic if I did so I tried to stay calm and told him: "Babe, can you please go get a nurse and please DO NOT open that door"... when the nurse came in, she immediately helped me to the bed, I had to walk all over the blood in the floor being careful not to slip. The nurse cleaned me up and as I was laying in the bed where I could feel blood coming out in gushes, she had to change the diaper under me twice in a matter of 5 minutes... she called the Dr. immediately and I was taken to another room downstairs, the Dr. on watch came to examine me and after she did her exact words were: "You have a hemorrage that we will try to control by doing a D&C, at this moment we don't know what is causing it, if the D&C doesn't work, in the last attempt to save your life we will have to remove your uterus".... WOW,  I started crying and so did Zach, we were so scared, I don't think  I've ever been that scared in my life.

I was taken to the pre-op room and given something to relax, Zach was there holding my hand all the time and telling me everything was going to be ok, he wasn't even supposed to be there but the Dr. allowed it because she said he "kept me calm".

I had the D&C (worst thing in my life I can remember) and when I woke up Zach was next to me... I was shaking as if I was freezing but it was just the effect of the medication. I went back to sleep. When I woke up again I was in my room, the Dr. came in to examine me and told me that the D&C worked and the  bleeding had stopped. All my prayers and all of our families prayers were heard indeed.

We left the Hospital a couple of days later and brought home another beautiful baby boy who, along with his older brother Ryan, is the light of our lives!