Caleb's birth story so I never forget it :)
When I was pregnant, Makenna decided to pick a name for her baby brother or sister. At first she wanted to call the baby Polka-dot Sparkle. I managed to talk her out of the "Little Pony" name and then on our way to preschool one morning she said "Hey Momma, I want to name our baby Carlos". Really!?!?!?! Carlos?!?!?! "Where did you get that name?" she says "In my brain" Hahahaha OK Carlos it is :) and Carlos or Carlotta it stayed until "he" was born. We had a real boys name set (because we were 98% sure we were having a boy) and a girls name just in case.
Back to his actual birth story. On Thursday I woke up at 4:00 am and had a craving for Moro's eggplant parmesan, so much of a craving I woke Chris up to tell him " I HAD to have it". Later that morning, I went to my weekly ob appointment and NST. The NST was good then the dr checked and we were 70% effaced and at 2cm dilated!!!! He said we were going to have a baby THIS week!!!!! YAY! I was so excited to hear the update.
After the appointment, I went to Chris's work to pickup Carter because he had a dental appointment and chris took him to it. I told Chris about the 70 and 2 update (he totally didn't register the information) and still thought he was going up north that weekend. I had been having regular braxton hicks contractions for the last week, so I didn't think anything was going to happen that day and the only thing that was different was that the baby dropped down low, which was normal.
That afternoon the twins and I walked to the park like we did almost every nice afternoon. Actually let me reprase that, the kids sat in the stroller and I slowly waddled to the park. On the way my contractions were getting a little painful, but I just thought it was because he was so low. I called my mom to see what she was doing and told her I think I'm too pregnant to walk anymore because I thought I pee'd my pants on the way to the park. She said "Marissa, Your water BROKE!" I didn't think so because it stopped, or so I thought.
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| At the park that afternoon. |
Chris got home late that night and I already looked up
Moro's website and hours because I HAD to have Eggplant Parmesan and had to be from Moro's!!! Chris got home and I asked him to go pick it up for us to split for dinner, and he laughed at me and said "OK you're finally THAT pregnant". IT WAS SOOOOOOO GOOOD!!!!! Just writing about it makes me want to order it right now! We went to bed and the Eggplant Parmesan worked its magic.
On Friday morning I woke up at 4:00am on the dot again and Whoa! "That sucked!" I wasn't sure what just happened so I rolled over and it happened again. I couldn't sleep with these contractions and I already woke Chris up to tell him my contractions hurt. I figured at that point I was miserably pregnant and he could share the joy with me. I got up and painted my nails to try to get my mind off of the painful contractions. Chris yelled from bed, "How are you doing? Should I get up and get ready for work?" REALLY!?!?!?!?! By now, I'm leaning on the sink with each contraction and he's asking me about going to work!!!! Anyway after a few smart a$$ comments back from me, we called my Mom to come over and watch the twins because we were going to the hospital. As I was leaving the house I already knew, "WE ARE HAVING A BABY TODAY!"
We arrived at the hospital around 6:00am, got all checked into Triage and the first Dr. checked me 80% and 2cm and sure enough my water did break!! My Mom was right. Looking back on it, I should have listened to her on that one. (She did go through three water breakings, my water never broke with the twins) Actually, I didn't even know what labor was because I never experienced it the first time. So when the nurse came back and told me my Dr was at Oakwood and had two other surgeries that morning, but I could wait and he would be here by Noon……I actually said OK. At the time the contractions were bearable. I didnt know what I was in for. I had two super nice nursing students, the triage nurse, and Chris. I was doing good, until about 9:00 am. And WOW, I remember thinking, this whole labor thing was not in the plan and I told Chris "Maybe I should have paid attention to that birthing class we took when I was pregnant with the twins". I was breathing through the contractions, squeezing Chris's hand, they gave me something to help with the pain. But it did not help the pain, it just knocked me out in-between contractions and made me go cross-eyed.
The second dose of that pain medicine, made me goofy…. Chris was talking about everyone that was there "Our nurses were Crystal, Crystal, and Calla, Then we had Dr. Stevens and Dr. Stevenson, and Carlos was actually Caleb." I couldnt stop laughing, I was trying and couldn't stop. I told the nursing students and Chris they should have some of this goofy drug too! Then a contraction came along and ruined my laughing fest. By 11:00am I was 90% effaced and at 7cm, I was crying and ready for an eppidural. I asked for one, but they didn't giving it to me. I told the nursing students to catch because I was going to push this baby out! They both ran away, and I told them to bring me a dr that will catch or cut this baby out because I was DONE!!! By the time my dr got there at 1:30 he said "I've been trying to get here all morning!" I said "So has this baby!!!!!!" Then the next thing I knew, they were wheeling us back for our C-section STAT!!!!!
1:56pm Caleb was born, and they peeked his little squishy face over the curtain, a LOVE and rush of emotions I can't explain. They called out his measurements 6lbs. 13oz and 20in long. Then we heard the Doctors talking about a knot?!?! Caleb had a "true knot" in his umbilical cord! One Dr (I'm guessing the resident) said he has never seen one before, just read about them. Dr. Stevenson assured us that it didn't harm the baby. Chris looked over the curtain at it, and said yep, its a knot, he somehow swam through his cord to form it. Google it, I did, its crazy! They let me hold Caleb once he was wrapped up and kiss his sweet face. Chris and Caleb went to the recovery room while I got stitched up.
That part feels like forever when you just want to get back to your baby. But I know Chris is such an amazing Daddy and they are together. Once I finally got to recovery, Caleb was hungry! He nursed the whole hour in recovery, latched on first try!
We moved to our room, and my Mom, Dad, Carter and Kenna finally got to meet Caleb. A few tears fell as we were finally all together as a family of five, and I watched as Carter and Kenna got to meet and hold their new little brother.
I am so very grateful for my 3 healthy children, a loving husband, my loving and supportive Mom and Dad and Chris's Mom and Dad, and for our caring family and friends.
