A No Pain, No Gain Monday

Monday, August 3 started out like every other work day for me - up at 5:30AM, out the door at 6AM, at work at 6:40AM. As I drove to work, I actually felt a little back labor coming into play which got me a little nervous that the delivery was getting close (little did I know). Seeing that I never felt contractions with Brody I didn't really know what to expect, so where does one go to get info - the internet. I did some research and I realized I was indeed having contractions as my belly would tighten. However, the contractions were so sporadic throughout the day, I didn't think too much about it. I just did a lot of work from my chair. My goal for the day was to get one last payroll done just in case something happened that night. I worked until 4:30 that day and had 3 contractions on my 40 min drive home - nothing too painful.

About 6:00 as I was hanging over the arm rest and Brody was rubbing my leg saying "It's otay momma", Jason thought we should start tracking the contractions. I thought I just needed to go to the bathroom (no one told me before this that this is what labor feels like). We tracked for about 30 minutes and I decided to get a shower just in case we headed to the hospital. That shower felt so good, but of course once again no one told me that a warm shower speeds the labor process up. Jason rushed me through the shower so I could hurry up and call the doctor and of course they said to come on in since the contractions were about 6-8 min apart by now - every 3 or so lasted about a minute but other than that they lasted only about 30 sec. My dad came over to get Brody - it's amazing how God works because usually around 6:30 if Brody hadn't had supper he would be screaming - "I want somfin" - he never once said it. He was so calm.

One last picture as we walked out the door.

Jason and I headed to St. Luke's around 7pm. I was calm and the contractions weren't that bad so I really thought they would send us home so when Jason called to tell people we were on our way, he just said we would call them back once we got there and they checked me. I made my call to Judy Rogers, who is in charge at St Luke's Birth Place to let her know we were on our way. Judy taught me piano for about 4 years when I was young so it was nice to know someone in high places. She called back a little later and said we were in luck because Holly Bowie was in charge that night and she had me a room ready. Holly goes to our church and Jason plays basketball and softball with her husband. It was their 14th wedding anniversary that night, so it was unusual for her to be working, but once again isn't it amazing how God works EVERYTHING out!!

They put me in triage at 7:51, but Holly quickly said no need for triage since I had Brody so quickly. On the way to the room, I had a contraction and had to stop. I climbed on the bed at 8:07 and while they were hooking up the monitors I had another contraction. Needless to say these were less than 3 min apart. Holly checked me and i was 7cm - WHAT!!!! I couldn't believe it, and of course my first comment/fear was NO EPIDURAL - are you crazy? Holly "tried" to convince me that I could still get one and the anestheologist had been paged. I even signed a consent form but as I was initialling something a contraction happend and the pen went flying. Right after she checked me, my water burst and I was in shock that this was going SO FAST!!

Holly and Jacquelyn (my labor and delivery nurse) weren't quite prepared for that and as they were trying to get all the necessary supplies and people in the room for this QUICK delivery, Jason had a heart to heart with me as tears came down my face over the fact that I was about to give birth with NO PAIN medicine. He kept telling me that I could do this - it was very sweet (it may have been his way of trying to protect himself for what was about to happen). I've been such an advocate of the epidural and I've never wanted to try and prove myself by doing it natural because for goodness sakes I just carried the baby for 9 months.

Holly checked me again and I was 9 cm - I couldn't believe how fast this was going. Oh yeah, have I mentioned my doctor yet or any doctor for that matter? - no that's because mine hadn't made it and the on call doctor couldn't be reached (his cell phone was dead to find out later). As it looked, Holly would be delivering our baby :) There was no holding this baby back and I didn't push - it just came. However, it HURT and I SCREAMED a couple of times pretty loud as Holly was telling me to CALM down. Who tries to tell a screaming delivering mom with NO pain medicine to calm down? In one of the last screams, I pulled Jason so close to my face, I think he saw a part of me that he doesn't care to see again.

With all of this said, at 8:19PM (12 minutes after I sat down on the bed), Trevor Mason was born. He weighed 7 lbs, 2 oz and was 20 1/2 in long. My doctor did finally arrive in time to stich me up a little. She hung her head as she walked in because she missed Brody's birth for being out of town and she knew she had better be here for this one. I told her she needed a faster car - but she does have a Porsche so how much faster can you get? I am very thankful for Holly being there. We were so happy that she was just working that night - who would have thought that she would actually deliver our baby.

We had no camera in the room for delivery because the plan was for Jason to go back out to the car and bring everything in later once they checked me out - no time for that though. This would be one of the first pictures around 9:00.

One proud Big Brother.



Dr. McLanahan who didn't actually make it for the delivery, but I still love her!! She says if we decide for #3 then I'll have to stay at her house so she'll be sure to not miss that one.

Since this was so fast, no one was in the waiting room when the actual birth occurred, they all arrived shortly after. Jason went out to the waiting room around 9:00 or so to tell them it was a boy, but of course we hadn't come up with a name. Coming up with a name was a BIG ordeal. We had our list of names out but I couldn't think straight seeing that I had just given birth the natural way (so not how I had planned). About 10:00 or so, we finally decided on Trevor Mason. Trevor we just liked and Mason is my Aunt Yvonne's married last name (she is my grandmother's sister).

Finally everyone was able to come back and see little Trevor. This is a great thing about St Luke's, that it really doesn't matter what the time or how many visitors you have because the room is so big and they don't take the baby out to do any tests. Brody, both grandparents, Bryan and Tara, Cruce's, Walsky's and Sherri, Jenny Beth and Tyler Ard were all there. Brody did great. He was pretty excited about his little brother and being the big brother. They stayed for about an hour or so and then it was time for Trevor's bath. Of course, Holly gave him his bath (she did the same for Brody). One good thing about no epidural is that I could feel my legs afterwards and was able to get up and take a shower and watch the first bath. I'm not sure if all that out weighs the benefits of getting an epidural :)

Holly giving Trevor his first bath.

As I look back at the whole scenario, I am amazed to see God's hand at work in every aspect. He will take care of everything if we will only trust Him.