Birth Story

I figured since the girls weren't here right now and Cole was having his hearing test done, that I would get some pictures posted and try to go into his birth story. So, as I stated in the previous post, we had to come in Monday night to have Cole delivered. The ultrasound showed that he was doing fine, but since he hadn't been moving much, he needed to come out sooner rather than later. So, after the ultrasound, we came up to the labor and delivery floor and were put in a triage-type room. Not a room to labor in, but it had a fetal monitor and one chair. We had been told that there were a ton of women that had been admitted that night due to the same thing - no fetal movement. Marc and I sat in the triage room for 3 hours before I was finally able to get into a labor and delivery room. During that time, Marc went home to pack our bags and to also pick up Emma. When he was gone, they came in to start my IV (I tested positive for group B strep - a pretty common thing among pregnant women). Now let me just go on record to say that I HATE NEEDLES - and even more so...I HATE IV'S!!! They put the IV in my left hand and everything was going fine, for a few minutes. Then the vein blew out! I didn't feel it. Just got this big puffy area on my hand where the antibiotics was collecting. So, they had to pull that line out and insert one in my right hand. O.K. Could that part get any worse? But, this one worked and everything was just fine.

Marc and Emma showed up and we had "Chatty Kathy" in our room for the longest time. All Emma did was talk. And talk non-stop! But she was so excited and we loved having her there with us to share in Cole's birth. We were admitted to our room at 11:00 pm and we still had more things to do. I had to answer a ton of questions - not a problem - I didn't mind. But it was the second time I had answered these exact questions. Hmmmm.....anyway, they gave me some meds to sleep. Ambien pills and Benadryl by IV. Now, let me tell you, Benadryl by IV is great!!!!! I was feeling so good. But it still took me a little while to fall asleep. Emma fell asleep at midnight and I feel asleep sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 am. At 3:00, they came in to start the pitocin. I didn't mind. I was contracting, but didn't feel anything. I fell back asleep and at 5:00 they came in to break my water. Again, not a problem. I still wasn't feeling anything. But at about 6:45 I woke up to some very uncomfortable back labor. The doctor came in to check me and I was 4 cm. I was able to breathe through them for awhile, but then they became really intense. I've had back labor before, but never like this! The contractions never went around to the front. They stayed completely in the back. And usually there's a little while in between contractions. But I had just a few seconds before the next contraction started. I couldn't relax or concentrate. And I definitely couldn't get on top of the contractions. So, I did something I've never done. I requested an epidural. Yes, for those of you who know me well, I've never asked for an epidural. But I needed one this time. The anesthesiologist came in at 9:00. Just before he did his thing, they checked me again and I was 6 cm. At 9:20 I told my nurse that I felt quite a bit of pressure and needed to push. She checked me and I was ready to go. I did two practice pushes with the nurse and she told me to stop. She had to get the doctor. Cole was coming. The doctor immediately came in and two contractions later, he was in my arms.

If I had to do this all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Everything went perfectly. My son is here and I love it! He's fantastic and so cute. He's a great nurser and hasn't really vocalized much. I know that will change as soon as we get home. But that's o.k. He is so loved by Marc and me and his sisters can't get enough of him.

So, now that that part is done, here are some pictures of our newest addition.

Just shortly after he was born. He's a little guy!

Emma spent most of the time holding him. She watched the whole birth and was just fascinated by the whole thing. She was fantastic! So obedient and never questioned us about anything. The only thing is, she didn't want to give him up! Hmmmm....I don't like to either!

Checking out dad.

Soooo cute!!!

Still not wanting to give him up.

Could Lily's grin get any bigger?! =)

My little mommy-in-training. She adores Cole. She's even talked to him twice on the phone already. It's so sweet to hear her talk to him.

My beautiful son - Cole Stephen Rader

My favorite picture so far! I love the bond that's between them already.