welcoming Carter
One week ago, I had a to-do list that seemed fairly average.
- clean the kitchen/clean out the frig
- tell Mom about the car's gas gauge
- put car seat in truck
- pack hospital bag
- make sure Mom remembers how to set the alarm
- pay bills online
All things in preparation to head to the hospital bright and early the next morning for induction day.
The day started out as it should've. But then it hit me: who knew when my next chance would be to get my hair cut? Might as well fit that in. We left a little early before my 11:00 appointment for Reagan to spend some of her own money on a journal with rainbow zebra fur and an "R" on the front at Justice (because who doesn't need one of those?). That meant walking around the outdoor mall for a good half hour before the haircut. Oh well. Walking does a pregnant body good, right? After the hair was cut (and looking good, might I add), we headed home. The girls were complaining of how hungry they were. Mac and cheese cooked quickly, and I heated up taco leftovers from the night before. Yet The List loomed in front of me. Not only did I need to prepare for my 2-day hospital stay and for my Mom who was staying with the girls, but while I was out getting prettied up, I got texts for TWO showings on the next day. Baby Day and showing day. Why not? So add in the pressure of trying to get the house ready ahead of time as much as possible, giving less to my Mom to have to do.
I was upstairs, trying to fit some baby clothes and extra wipes and other infant paraphernalia info two small drawers when I felt it. A little pop, almost like something tearing, and then the unfavorable sensation that I had peed my pants. Was that my water that just broke? With my other three, they broke my water in the hospital, and that always led to some intense contractions. I wasn't sure.....and then it happened again....and again. I called the doctor, not afraid to sound dumb. The nurse told me she'd get a message to the doctor, and that they'd call back soon. Just in case.....I called Aaron at work. No answer on the cell (either time I tried). I couldn't for the life of me remember the land line to his desk station. I texted him "call me asap I think my water just broke". Still no answer. Mild panic started to set in.
By this time, Kennedy had found me. "Mom, did you yell for me? I heard you yell for me." I hadn't....but how ironic was that? I needed her at exactly that time. I gave her directions of "take this here", "go grab this", "have your sisters ______". In the midst of that, the phone rang. I told him my water definitely did break (I didn't know what else it would be) and that I needed him to leave work asap.
"Seriously?" he asked.
Um....would I joke about this?
The doctor then called back, saying that I probably should head in (duh). I reminded the nurse of how quick of labors I tend to have (K was born in 4 hours, R in 3, and McK in 2). She said to instead head straight to the hospital (again....duh).
Yes, my water had broken. Yes, I was 39 weeks pregnant. Yes, I already had 3 kids and driving myself to the hospital probably wasn't ideal. But ideal doesn't know my birthing history. I did not want this last baby to arrive anywhere but in a hospital. So off we went. I called Pops on the way, telling him to meet us there; I did not want the girls in the room with me.
3:00 the water broke. 3:40, on the way, the first contraction hit. We arrived at 4:00, I told the girls I'd see them again in a little bit, and away I went. There were monitors strapped on, 99 questions asked of me, and contractions that kept coming quicker and harder. Breathe, Heidi....breathe. And in the midst of it all, there was a new discovery. This baby, who had been head down for months, decided to flip around. No, I was not supposed to have a breech baby. Two ultrasounds confirmed it for the doctor. Breech she was. Almost all my fluid was out, which ruled out baby flipping (which I didn't want, anyways....have you heard how much that hurts?). A C-section was nowhere on my radar. Yet I didn't have a choice. Like it or not, that's how this baby was going to arrive. When she wanted and how. Wonder if that will be tied to her personality later on....
4:30 I finally got the epidural. It's the best purchase one can make, quite honestly. Things seemed to be a rush around me....doctors, nurses, more questions, and then my husband in scrubs. He brought the girls in for quick hugs and kisses, explaining to them the change in plans. There was a glimpse of fear in their eyes, the same that was echoed in mine.
5:30, before I knew it, I was wheeled out the door and down the hall. OR....the sign loomed ominously above me. I had no idea what to expect here, with the same way that I entered the world. The anesthesiologist discovered that only one side of my body had numbed with the epidural, so she had to do a spinal as well. There was a lot of prep going on around me. Aaron was finally allowed in and chose NOT to sit in the chair beside my head. This same man who gets squeamish at the sight of a needle (and we're talking a regular hypodermic, not even the monster responsible for the epidural) wanted to stand and see all that he could see. Seriously? The doctors even looked at him like he was out of his mind.
The next thing I remember, I heard Dr. K say, "Well, there she is, still butt first!"
Aaron said, "I see her!"
Then, I heard her.
And the tears started....
5:55 pm, just barely two hours after my first contraction.
The worst thing ever was not being able to hold my baby for the first 15 minutes or so while the nurses did all the mandatory baby-out-of-the-womb stuff. Aaron was with her, and occasionally she'd cry out. Talk about torture for this momma.
Finally, as I was all back together and wheeled to the door, someone placed my baby in my arms. More tears, and a slight taste of Heaven on earth....
Meet Carter Jacqueline.
Yes, another President-named daughter (part of me wanted to name her something plain and non-descript like Sarah, just to throw people off).
We only had 3 choices left....Madison (too common nowadays), Taylor (confession - I didn't like to write the name. It was out.). And Carter....unique, cute.
Jacqueline? For 10 years, we'd had our boy name picked out -- Jackson. Mostly after Aaron great-uncle and WWII veteran Uncle Jack. But since we only do X chromosomes around here, Jackson would never get used. Aaron suggested Jacqueline for the same reason. We both fell in love with it (and the added Presidential tie there is a bonus).
Meet Carter.
We pretty much think she's the most adorable thing ever.
Don't you?
- clean the kitchen/clean out the frig
- tell Mom about the car's gas gauge
- put car seat in truck
- pack hospital bag
- make sure Mom remembers how to set the alarm
- pay bills online
All things in preparation to head to the hospital bright and early the next morning for induction day.
The day started out as it should've. But then it hit me: who knew when my next chance would be to get my hair cut? Might as well fit that in. We left a little early before my 11:00 appointment for Reagan to spend some of her own money on a journal with rainbow zebra fur and an "R" on the front at Justice (because who doesn't need one of those?). That meant walking around the outdoor mall for a good half hour before the haircut. Oh well. Walking does a pregnant body good, right? After the hair was cut (and looking good, might I add), we headed home. The girls were complaining of how hungry they were. Mac and cheese cooked quickly, and I heated up taco leftovers from the night before. Yet The List loomed in front of me. Not only did I need to prepare for my 2-day hospital stay and for my Mom who was staying with the girls, but while I was out getting prettied up, I got texts for TWO showings on the next day. Baby Day and showing day. Why not? So add in the pressure of trying to get the house ready ahead of time as much as possible, giving less to my Mom to have to do.
I was upstairs, trying to fit some baby clothes and extra wipes and other infant paraphernalia info two small drawers when I felt it. A little pop, almost like something tearing, and then the unfavorable sensation that I had peed my pants. Was that my water that just broke? With my other three, they broke my water in the hospital, and that always led to some intense contractions. I wasn't sure.....and then it happened again....and again. I called the doctor, not afraid to sound dumb. The nurse told me she'd get a message to the doctor, and that they'd call back soon. Just in case.....I called Aaron at work. No answer on the cell (either time I tried). I couldn't for the life of me remember the land line to his desk station. I texted him "call me asap I think my water just broke". Still no answer. Mild panic started to set in.
By this time, Kennedy had found me. "Mom, did you yell for me? I heard you yell for me." I hadn't....but how ironic was that? I needed her at exactly that time. I gave her directions of "take this here", "go grab this", "have your sisters ______". In the midst of that, the phone rang. I told him my water definitely did break (I didn't know what else it would be) and that I needed him to leave work asap.
"Seriously?" he asked.
Um....would I joke about this?
The doctor then called back, saying that I probably should head in (duh). I reminded the nurse of how quick of labors I tend to have (K was born in 4 hours, R in 3, and McK in 2). She said to instead head straight to the hospital (again....duh).
Yes, my water had broken. Yes, I was 39 weeks pregnant. Yes, I already had 3 kids and driving myself to the hospital probably wasn't ideal. But ideal doesn't know my birthing history. I did not want this last baby to arrive anywhere but in a hospital. So off we went. I called Pops on the way, telling him to meet us there; I did not want the girls in the room with me.
3:00 the water broke. 3:40, on the way, the first contraction hit. We arrived at 4:00, I told the girls I'd see them again in a little bit, and away I went. There were monitors strapped on, 99 questions asked of me, and contractions that kept coming quicker and harder. Breathe, Heidi....breathe. And in the midst of it all, there was a new discovery. This baby, who had been head down for months, decided to flip around. No, I was not supposed to have a breech baby. Two ultrasounds confirmed it for the doctor. Breech she was. Almost all my fluid was out, which ruled out baby flipping (which I didn't want, anyways....have you heard how much that hurts?). A C-section was nowhere on my radar. Yet I didn't have a choice. Like it or not, that's how this baby was going to arrive. When she wanted and how. Wonder if that will be tied to her personality later on....
4:30 I finally got the epidural. It's the best purchase one can make, quite honestly. Things seemed to be a rush around me....doctors, nurses, more questions, and then my husband in scrubs. He brought the girls in for quick hugs and kisses, explaining to them the change in plans. There was a glimpse of fear in their eyes, the same that was echoed in mine.
 |
| one last picture with just my 3 girls (do you see how swollen I was from all those fluids?) |
The next thing I remember, I heard Dr. K say, "Well, there she is, still butt first!"
Aaron said, "I see her!"
Then, I heard her.
And the tears started....
5:55 pm, just barely two hours after my first contraction.
The worst thing ever was not being able to hold my baby for the first 15 minutes or so while the nurses did all the mandatory baby-out-of-the-womb stuff. Aaron was with her, and occasionally she'd cry out. Talk about torture for this momma.
Finally, as I was all back together and wheeled to the door, someone placed my baby in my arms. More tears, and a slight taste of Heaven on earth....
Meet Carter Jacqueline.
Yes, another President-named daughter (part of me wanted to name her something plain and non-descript like Sarah, just to throw people off).
We only had 3 choices left....Madison (too common nowadays), Taylor (confession - I didn't like to write the name. It was out.). And Carter....unique, cute. Jacqueline? For 10 years, we'd had our boy name picked out -- Jackson. Mostly after Aaron great-uncle and WWII veteran Uncle Jack. But since we only do X chromosomes around here, Jackson would never get used. Aaron suggested Jacqueline for the same reason. We both fell in love with it (and the added Presidential tie there is a bonus).
Meet Carter.
We pretty much think she's the most adorable thing ever.
Don't you?
One of the most beautiful babies ever! Thanks for sharing the story and the emotions! It is something to treasure for sure!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you all!