Jen's biggie boy's birth! Jaxson-September 17th 2010

This is the birth story of Jaxson Lee Forrest Willis born September 17, 2010 6lbs 7oz.

I will start off by saying that MacKenzie (my 8 year old daughter) wished for a baby brother for Christmas.  She wrote Santa many letters asking for him!

January 22, 2010

First off I must say it was a total shock and surprise to find out I was pregnant.  I remember the day plain as can be. I was going to lunch with one of my girlfriends (MaryEllen).  She picked me up and I told her, I though that I needed to take a pregnancy test ASAP!!!  We had plans to go to subway in Rock Island for lunch, so we decided to stop at Walgreens across the street and get a test.  We rushed over to subway… she got in line (a really long line) and I ran to the bathroom with the test shoved in my purse.  I was shaking and nervous… I was almost 40, I couldn’t possibly be pregnant I thought.  But the test came back positive within seconds (same thing when I found out I was pregnant with MacKenzie).  I rushed out of the bathroom and was shaking and freaking out… we had to leave because I couldn’t stand in that long line, I needed out of there!  We drove through MacDonalds, as I was searching for the courage to call my boyfriend and share the news with him.  He was super excited and worried, because I was worried about my age being a huge factor.  So I called the doctor to get my first appointment set up.

First appointment was actually pretty scary for me.  I guess I forgotten about all the questions, since almost 9 years had passed since I given birth and all the different tests that were available.  The question was… did I really need all of these scary tests?  Would I love this baby less if there was something wrong?   I was seriously freaking out, eventually I decided against it… but still questioned myself daily if I should have done it or not.  I felt because of my age it was the best thing to do… but then I thought I don’t want to put the baby at risk.  I was about 6 weeks along when I had my first sonogram.  My husband, daughter and step daughter were all there for me for support.  We all got to see the first picture of the bean together which is always so exciting and was given a due date of September 28, 2010!  I thought to myself, I have to have this baby before September 23 (my birthday, my 40^th birthday).  No way was I going to be 40 and have a baby, lol! We got our pictures of baby bean and we headed home.  The next day, I received a call from my doctor stating they had some concerns about the sonogram.  The sonogram showed another mass on the outside of the uterus. They though that maybe I was carrying twins and that one attached itself in the wrong spot. This was all so hazy for me to remember because I was super panicked!  They scheduled another sonogram, and another one a month or so later, to see if it was growing.  They wanted to keep a close eye on it because they really had no idea what it was.  They were afraid that this mass could possibly grow and burst.  I was told that if I had any sort of pain or cramping, I was to get to the Emergency Room ASAP!  In the mean time, they kept a close eye on me. They scheduled an appointment in Iowa City, to look at this mass and hopefully be able to tell me the sex of the little bean I was carrying.  All of the months of worrying and being watched closely… and all the what if’s!  Finally, the day came for our trip to Iowa City.  I was so nervous and so excited at the same time.  People were so nice there.  Everything went perfect and we found out we were having a boy!!!!!  Didn’t take long to figure out a name for him!!!   And I was relieved to find out that the mass was nothing.  So time went on… the summer was hot, I could hardly stand to be outside and if I was, I was in a pool floating around.  The heat made me so sick to my stomach.  I hated the summer of 2010.  I am normally a summer kind of girl, but not this year… I wanted it over with, pronto!!!! The hotter it got, the worse I felt.  As the months slowly went by and September was creeping up on us…the bigger and more miserable I got.  I got nothing done around the house, the weather was killing me, I didn’t feel good at all and all I wanted to really do was sleep.  I thought if my stomach stretched anymore I would just split in half.  I wanted to have this baby, now!!!  My feet were starting to swell… and I wondered if I actually had any bones left in my feet since I hadn’t seen them for awhile. Doctors weren’t concerned yet about the swelling but were concerned because Jaxson hadn’t flipped yet, she talked to me about c-sections and what not but because everything was still looking good she told me to keep my feet up as much as possible and pray that he flipped.  Thank goodness it was flip flop weather because that’s really the only thing I could fit these fat sausages into.  Finally September was here, had my last real doctors appointment on September 16, 2010. I got asked all the same questions as every other appointment.  They were concerned with the swelling of my feet, legs and high blood pressure.  I’ve never had high blood pressure.  They had me lay down for a few minutes and took my blood pressure again, and it was down.  That didn’t stop their concern though, and I was scheduled another appointment the next day at 10am. I was sent to Trinity in Moline to have a stress test done, ugggh!!  I was once again freaking out!   I was told to go home, lay down and that they would see me in the morning.  They said if my blood pressure was up that I was going to be having a baby!

September 17, 2010 10am

Went to my doctors appointment, they sent me directly to Trinity, no going home, no nothing… get to hospital now!  I was super scared, because it wasn’t natural labor… I was scared because it was going to happen right now…. And I was starving because I hadn’t eaten anything since the night before.  I cried on the way to the hospital as we made calls to family and friends.  I called my daughters school and told them my mother would be picking her up early so she could be there with me.  I think that may have been a mistake, lol!  She doesn’t want to birth her own children… she wants to adopt!!  Anyhow, I got to the hospital and I got gowned up and begged them for food, coarse they said no, they got the IV in and started the pitocin around 11:30am-12pm and it wasn’t long before I was having contractions. The contractions weren’t to bad and I managed to breath through them with no problems. As time went and the contractions seemed back to back and it seemed I hardly had time to breath let alone focus on anything… it hit me… I don’t know what it was or where it came from.  It HURT!  It HURT BAD!!!  It felt like Jaxson was trying to push his way out of my side with his feet coming first.  I really thought I was going to pass out and thought to myself, this is it.  I can’t do this any longer, I wanted to cry and just give up.  That’s when I asked for something.  They asked if I wanted the stuff to relax me, and I politely said no I don’t like that stuff, and that I wanted an epidural as soon as possible.  Thank goodness I was far enough along, except that now I was going to have to wait for two bags of fluid to go into my body.  I thought they would never be empty.  Forty five minutes is a long time to wait for something you know is going to take away the pain.  Finally, I got my wish and got my epidural.  It was VERY different than the one I had with my daughter.  Apparently with her, they gave me to much and I could feel nothing at all (which was awesome).  I could feel something, a very weird feeling, and I thought I have to go to the bathroom NOW!!!!  I pushed the button for the nurse and she came in and said you don’t have to go to the bathroom, and the doctor came in and checked me and said we are having a baby tonight.  Jason decided to take the girls out for a bit and walk them around the pond.  I layed there a bit long and felt the need to go to the bathroom again and called the nurse.  She came in and checked me once again, and said we are having a baby.  I was freaking out a little bit, and told my mom to call Jason to get back to the room ASAP.  Lights were coming out of the ceiling, bed was coming apart, people were scattering all around the room and the doctor made it into the room and gowned up and we were on our way to having a baby.  I don’t remember exactly how many pushes… maybe 4 at the most, and baby boy Willis was born at (6lbs 7oz 18 inches long at 5:34pm!  Whewww, that was fast!  Healthy, happy, sleepy little boy!!!!

Taylor McNicol-11-7-2010

• Taylor
  For no real reason at all, one day I decided that I might need to take a pregnancy test. This wasn’t one of those terrifying moments where your afraid you might be pregnant and screw up your whole life. It also was not one of those excited moments that you’ve worked so hard to get to. I was emotionless. Mostly because I was POSITIVE there was no way I could be pregnant. I was using the pill, how could I REALLY BE PREGNANT. I’m not even sure why I really took that test, or should I say TESTS. Derek and I were home on a Sunday afternoon in the end of March and I slipped into the bathroom while he waited in the living room. All of a sudden I screamed some very loud profanities directed at Derek and all hell broke loose. We had a 6 month old baby. We weren’t married, we had just moved into our tiny apartment and life was upside down once again. That’s how Taylor is though Always full of surprises, he was the day he was discovered and he was the day it was decided he would come into this world.
  I was induced with Taylor. I regret this whole heartedly and it still remains a regret I am holding onto 6 months later. There were several friends of mine that had issues with their pregnancies with low amniotic fluid or ruptured sacs. The more I read the more terrified I got. Taylor had always been a very very active little fetus. He kicked me every chance he got and he rolled from one side to the next. There came a point where he stopped being so active. I felt stretched beyond my limits and he just wasn’t moving. I had an appointment Thursday when I was 3 weeks pregnant, I expressed my concerns to the Ob and they hooked me to the monitors to check on him. He was silent for about 15 mins and then they had me chug some juice which in turn gave him the hiccups and they counted that as the number of movements they needed. Two days later on Saturday I woke up and swung my legs off the bed with a gush of liquid from between my legs. I went to the bathroom and cleaned myself up and went pee, all the while contemplating if this was normal leakage or something more.(It was just normal by the way, side note but when your pregnant you have a lot more liquids in “that area” lol and if you sit down it pools until you stand up and then it comes out) Finally I made the decision that I wouldn’t stop stressing until I had it checked so I called the Dr and my mom and Mom and I took Rylan and went to the hospital for a fluid test to see if it was amniotic fluid. At the hospital I got hooked up to the monitor and they swabbed me and sent the test away. They came back what seemed like forever later (really only about 30 mins) and said that my fluid wasn’t low but in the 30-40 mins I had been there the baby hadn’t moved once and was this normal. I explained again that he used to be really active but over the last 2 weeks he had stopped and only kicked every once in awhile. This must have spiked an alarm because the nurse left the room to call the Dr. She came back and said we were inducing and my heart fell in to my stomach alarmed. I had a million questions, why? is something wrong? is the Dr. Her? Finally I insisted on and ultra sound first to double check. In the ultra sound room I was asking a million questions of the Tech who wasn’t really qualified to answer them. All she could tell me was that they need to watch for 20 mins and they needed to see 3 movements. After some convincing and some urging from momma we were able to get a few movements out of him. Back upstairs the nurse said we were still inducing and I began to cry. I asked her over and over again why what is wrong. Finally she stepped out of the room as I panicked weighing my options with my mother. My sister Becky (pregnant at the same time and attempting a VBAC) had done so much research and we had discussed it so many times and I had always thought that in no way did I want to be induced. Pitocin leads to really painful labor
  which leads to an epidural which leads to more pitocin it’s a never ending cycle until a c-section is the only option (at least thats the scenario in my head).I called her crying and told her the situation and she very strongly said that this was my choice in the end and I could say yes or I could say no. She voiced her opinion and told me that it was again my decision and she couldn’t make it for me she could only give me incite. The Dr. finally came in to see me. I’m pretty sure he was frustrated and annoyed with the emotional crying pregnant lady that wasn’t listening to his worldly advice but I was terrified and it was his job to explain the situation. He explained that they use a scale to determine when things are ok or not. He said that my baby had met the criteria by just a hair and he could send me home knowing that if something happened they would not be medically liable, however the baby was at the very bottom of the safe zone. I remember his words so well “I would rather induce you and get him out safe and healthy now than send you home and not have a living baby by Monday.” This made my mind up. He was talking about the life of my baby and though I didn’t understand I was afraid, I was 38 weeks and I knew he was full term. They admitted me and started with something called cervadil. They insert it into your cervix and it s supposed to help thin out your cervix. This was a better way in my opinion than just starting pitocin. They told me that this would come out in the morning and then they would break my water and pitocin would start. There was also a chance that this drug alone would start contractions. About 3 hours after it was inserted sure enough contractions came. They were very spaced apart and timid at first. I labored through the night while Derek slept and I got no sleep. Every time I would get comfortable the monitor would slip and they would have to come in and adjust it.Finally around 4 in the morning I gave up. I got up and began pacing my room. My contraction weren’t very strong and still far apart and I knew that last time, walking helped. By the time morning came around I was exhausted. I could barely keep my eyes open but there was no way I was sleeping, so into the tub I went hoping for some relaxation. Derek woke up around 7 am and didn’t even know where the hell I was. The nurse came in to check on me and gave me the unfortunate news. While the cervadil had certainly thinned me out my contractions never really hit a strong point I was only at a 3 and my contractions were actually starting to slow and stop. I was too tired to even care at that point. The nurse told me that the Dr wanted to start pitocin and break my water. I fought with that saying give me a bit more time please. Around 9:30 or 10:00 am they came in and said that they needed to get things going. So I fought the pitocin and debated with my Dr. and nurse about breaking my water. Finally the nurse got firm and said I have been delivering babies for 15 years trust me to do what is right to get this baby out of you healthy and alive. Being threatened with the life of my baby again I agreed. They broke my water and then came the pain. I was dilated to a six. I at one point was screaming my head off begging for an epidural and the nurse kept trying to persuade me differently because I had said I wanted to do it naturally. Finally I went for some nubain instead and again I was stoned. The nurse left the room and everyone else cleared out as well thinking this would be awhile. Derek went to walk his dad to the waiting room and the nurse had other patients. I was alone in this room and all of a sudden things were UNBEARABLE!!!!! Derek came back through the door and I screamed I NEED TO PUSH, so his first reaction was to go get his dad, ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME. The nurse came in to see what was the matter and I told her I HAD TO PUSH. She did not believe me. She said we’llShe said we’ll check you just calm down. Sure enough I was there. The team came rushing in and then the Dr. all the while telling me not to push taking his sweet time putting things together for this I WAS PUSHING ANYWAYS. 15 mins of pushing and Taylor was out screaming his head off because I dilated to fast after they broke my water and he came flying into my pelvis bruising his face. We were a pair to be seen. Him screaming and I myself crying and frustrated with how different this time had been from the last. In that moment things were hectic and that’s the way my life has been ever since. With two boys 14 months apart things don’t quiet down very often. Someone always wants something. But I wouldn’t change my family for the world. Taylor belongs right here in my arms and I’m glad that God sometimes likes to play jokes
  .

Robin's Birth Story-April 21, 1988 (1month and 1day overdue)

Robin's birth

Part III: Robin’s birth

In August of 1987 I learned I was expecting our third child. This one was due in March, and the pregnancy was very different from the first two. I could only eat a few bites of something and would feel full. I craved chocolate like crazy! I often had aqueasy stomach, almost like a flu bug, and I was really tired all the time. In late February 1988 the doctor ordered a sonogram because he wasn’t positive of my due date. Results came back that he believed I was due around March 20th. Yet March came and went with no indication of labor. Baby was still moving very well, and nothing seemed wrong.

Here’s the funny part about this birth. I think it was April 19th, and I had a check up. The doc told me that baby was right there, everything was ready, and he thought that because of his “exam” that I would probably start labor that evening. So he told me to eat very lightly that evening, and that if I hadn’t gone into labor by morning to come in for another exam. I drove home, and that day I ate a bit of buttered toast and some tea, and nothing else.
April 20th, early morning, and no labor pains! Soooo, off to the doc I go again. He checks me and tells me to eat lightly , because again, he is nearly positive I’ll go into labor that evening. I drove home, and again ate lightly of just a bit of buttered toast and tea. Next morning, STILL no baby!

April 21st, early Wednesday afternoon, again I’ve driven to the doc’s for a checkup. Third day of “eating lightly” and I am ravenous! Again, doc checks me, and this time he tells me he is getting ready to go on vacation that Friday for two weeks. He wants me to have this baby before he leaves, and everything is ready and ripe for that to happen. He informed me he wanted to break, or rupture, my bag of waters, as he thinks that will do the trick. I consent, and he does it and sends me home. He figures I’ll be back in that evening.

I didn’t even make it 10 minutes away from the doctor’s office and had my first contraction and it was HARD! With 15 more minutes to drive home, I figured I’d have plenty of time allowing my husband to get home from work.

IN that 15 minutes I had three more contractions! While I was driving! Once home I called the dispatched and told them to send my husband home. I went upstairs to change my clothes and had contraction on the stairs! Had a couple while changing, and another on the way down! This was too close for my comfort. They were now barely 4 minutes apart, and strong. I called dispatcher again, and a few minutes later the back door opened. IN walked my husband’s boss, bless his heart, and at the sight of help I broke down and cried! Well he walked me out and by that time my husband was there. Contractions came hard and fast all the way to hospital, and we really seriously thought I was going to have that baby in the cab of the little Ford Ranger! At the hospital they checked me and put me on a table and immediately started for delivery. I panicked a bit because of the severe intensity of the contractions, and my breathing became too rapid. My fingers go stiff and started to curl like claws! IT WAS THE WIERDEST THING! All I could think of was that I would never be able to hold my baby with claws like that! Then the nurse leaned down and said “breathe slowly and deeply, honey, you are hyperventilating”. When I started breathing slower and deeper my hands relaxed and became my own again.

She was born at 4:20 p.m., barely three hours from first pain to delivery! When she slid out the doctor worked frantically to twist her around and around, as the umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck a couple of times, probably because her arrival was sped up by breaking my water. She weighed 7 pd 10 oz, and again, God blessed me with a perfect little girl.

I am flabbergasted that there are so many options for birthing now…. Drug options for less pain…. C-sections are becoming much more common …. Induction dates for convenience. If I had to do it all over again, I’d make sure I did my research first. I’d ask a lot of questions before I let anyone tell me how I was going to deliver my child. I’d skip the enema! Who needs it! I’m of noble Native American heritage and I am proud that my mighty ancestors could birth a baby in the morning and cook the corn cakes for dinner! I am a woman… a gentle warrior … a compassionate rock of strength!

Becky's (Yes, thats me!) Birth Story-September 12, 1984

Becky's birthing story

Part II: Becky’s birth

In February 1984 I learned I was pregnant again, and this second child was due early September, just two weeks prior to my first child’s birthday! Irish twins, born less than 12 months apart. I began preparations for another precious child. But this time I was bound and determined in my stubbornness that it was going to be MY way!

Again, no prenatal testings or sonograms, etc. I carried my firstborn a lot until I began experiencing some nerve issues and my legs would go numb and I would fall, so she learned quickly to walk with the aid of a hand or a finger for balance. On September 11, 1984 I began having contractions about 9:00 p.m., but I kept quiet and didn’t say anything because I didn’t want to go to the hospital and lay there for 12 hours like the first time. My husband and I went to bed, and I didn’t sleep because I was counting contractions. About midnight I woke my husband and we went to the hospital. My labor was, again, drug free and controlled, and THIS time I had my wits about me! When they wheeled me in the delivery room they asked if there was anything I needed and I told them to make sure they had that tub or warm water ready for my baby to be placed in following delivery, and I asked them to move the mirrors until they were just right so I could watch this child’s entrance into the world. After 6 hours total of labor, on September 12, 1984 at 3:03 a.m. my second daughter was born, and I watched every inch of her sweet little body spin into the doctor’s hands. Immediately the basin of warm water was rolled up to my bedside and a nurse placed her in the tub so only her little head was out of the water. She opened her great big beautiful eyes and blinked and started turning her little head to scan the lights and movement she was catching. I had accomplished what I originally set out to do, and this was a most satisfying moment of motherhood! She was 7 pd 10.5 oz and absolutely perfect. 

I got three days in the hospital with this one, and wanted to go home so she could meet her big sister. When the two little girls met the bond was formed. No matter how I tried to stop her, I still often found the oldest IN the baby’s bassinet cuddling her head or body! These two were best of friends growing up, always each others playmates and confidantes. I tried to do too much when I first went home, remembering not long ago how wonderful I’d felt after first birth. Again, we walked our little town in the beautiful fall, but I tired more quickly and cramped more often. I nursed again, but this little gal was trying to eat every hour it seemed! 

Looking back, I probably should have given her a pacifier because in retrospect I know she was seeking comfort, and the suckling helped her. I only lasted a couple of months, because I was chasing a toddler around and got frustrated nursing constantly. It wasn’t probably what was best for her, but only what was more convenient for me.

Kadie's Birth Story-September 24, 1983 (Drug Free)

Birthing Story Part I: Kadie's birth

Part I: Kadie’s birth

I want to share my birthing stories because I was fortunate to give birth to all three of my daughters what I consider to be entirely “drug free”.

Early February 1983 I went to work at 6:00 a.m. as usual, but this day I had a swollen upper lip for no apparent reason. Within the hour the swelling had spread to the rest of my face, and I could barely breath because my lip was over my nostrils, and could barely see as my eyes were slits. My boss (also a dear old friend) referred me to her family doctor as I was new in town and didn’t have a doc yet. They got me in immediately, and the first test they did was a pregnancy test. Lo and behold, I was pregnant and the swelling was most likely from hormone overload! LIFE ADJUSTMENT! I felt as if I’d grown up emotionally overnight! Priorities changed, and I welcomed the life inside me. This pregnancy progressed with no complications. The thing I like about my doctor was that he was a family practitioner who cared for your family from birth to death, and he believes strongly in noninvasive medicine if possible. So there were no sonograms, no ultrasounds, no prenatal screenings, etc. My husband and I attend natural childbirth classes of the Lamaze method. Lamaze was a French OB who advocated controlled breathing techniques to help mothers cope with labor. The Lamaze philosophy of birth stipulates that "birth is normal, natural, and healthy" and that "women have a right to give birth free from routine medical interventions." This was what I wanted… a drug free labor and delivery achieve by using controlled breathing techniques, and I wanted to watch the baby’s delivery through the use of mirrors in the delivery room, and I wanted my newborn to be immediately cradled in a tub of warm water after her birth to simulate the womb for peace and comfort.
On September 24th at 7:00 a.m. I had my first contraction in the bathtub. My husband was gone somewhere, so I called my big sis, and she came to get me and take me to the hospital. I walked to a labor room, and my sis stayed with me. Someone got the message to my husband, and he arrived shortly after I did. Sometime early afternoon we sent my husband out to get a bite to eat and some fresh air because he was just sitting in a chair against the wall and his face was nearly as white as the paint behind him! He went to a nearby bar and ate a bite, had a couple of beers and watched the beloved Illini play! I did have back labor for a while, and the nurse had me get on my hands and knees and rock. They did give me an enema, and an IV port was placed in my hand as a precaution, but I think that happened a lot in the 80’s. Somewhere during all this my husband came back. By the way, my older sister had three children, and she coached me through my entire labor. She was awesome, and she was my DOULA in every sense of the word, helping focus me to breath, offering suggestions for comfort, rubbing my back, giving me ice chips, trying to make my husband comfortable by talking to him, etc.. When I had the urge to push they checked and found the baby ready to be delivered, so they wheeled me into the delivery room. I was so nervous being the first time, and I forgot everything I wanted for the baby and myself during delivery! I just laid there and did exactly what they told me to do, and she was born after just a few pushes. My fluid bag broke as her head crowned, and she slipped out without a problem completely clean except for a bit of bloody color on the crown of her little head because she had been in the bag of waters the entire time traveling through the birth canal, I guess. First contraction to delivery was 12 hours, as she was born September 24, 7:24 p.m., 6 pd. 10 oz., 19 in. long

I went home with this little gal two days later, and on the fourth day I was walking around in the beautiful fall weather with her in a front pack! I felt wonderful! And I had this sweet little baby girl to attend to. I nursed and we both got along well with that. I did not take birth control as I was nursing and had been told it was very unlikely I would bet pregnant when nursing. LIE! That is an old wive’s tale. In February 1984 I learned I was pregnant again, and this second child was due early September, just two weeks prior to my first child’s birthday! Irish twins, born less than 12 months apart. I began preparations for another precious child. But this time I was bound and determined in my stubbornness that it was going to be MY way!

McKenna's Birth Story: 8-8-8

Birth of McKenna (2008):
As scary as McKenzie's birth was, McKenna's was the complete opposite! Scott was deployed the whole time I was pregnant, so I came back to IL to stay with my parents. I was put on weekly progesterone shots to help avoid pre-term labor again, and had no complications at all! Since I stalled during my first labor and would likely need pitocin to jumpstart my labor this time, my OB didn't feel comfortable trying a VBAC, and we went ahead and scheduled a repeat c-section. Scott was still in Afghanistan, so my mom was in the delivery room with me and got to cut McKenna's cord and stay with her the whole time. The delivery was so amazing compared to the last one, and McKenna was delivered at 40 weeks 2 days (8-8-8!) weighing a healthy 8lbs. She was able to stay in the room with me and come home the same day I did-- I couldn't have asked for more! :-) To top it all off, Scott came home from his deployment 2 weeks later and got to meet his new baby. 

McKenzie's Birth Story (Born in Germany!)

Birth of McKenzie (2007):
McKenzie's birth was kind of crazy, and not at all what I had expected! My husband and I were stationed in Germany, and I had to deliver in a German hospital. At 30 weeks I was put on bedrest for pre-term labor. At 34 weeks, I developed an infection in my amniotic fluid, and at 34 weeks 5 days, my water broke. We went to the hospital, and not knowing much German, it was hard to understand what they were telling me. I labored for 32 hours and got stuck at 4cm.( They offered me tylenol for the pain, and I actually laughed out loud.) At that point, McKenzie's heart-rate was 200 bpm and I had a fever, so they rushed me into the operating room and put me under general anesthesia. McKenzie was born at 35 weeks weighing 5lbs 3oz, and spent 3 weeks in the NICU for infection/breathing/feeding issues. While I have nothing nice to say about the nurses in the OB department there , I have to say that the staff in the NICU was absolutely amazing!

Paige Rebecca-February 15, 2011 (momma Cat) :)

Paige Rebecca due Feb 22, 2011
Born Feb 15, 2011

This was my 3rd pregnancy and it was a complete shock. I was supposed to have my period when we were on vacation in FL the week after my son Lucas' 1st birthday. But on the day of his 1st birthday party I spotted a little and thought yes! no period on vacation! Two weeks later though I had a feeling so I took 3 tests and finally realized that it was true and the answer wasn't going to change. I was indeed pregnant. Yes, after selling all of my baby things a month earlier at a garage sale and being on the pill I was indeed going to have another baby. The pain of the last LD was still fresh in my mind. I dreaded this the entire pregnancy. But after a few weeks I realized that I needed to suck it up and deal with it. I got excited and thought maybe we'd get a girl this time. Low and behold at 20 weeks sure enough it was a little girl! 
This pregnancy was completely different from the boys, no HBP or anything. My doctor did decide though that she didn't want me going past 39 weeks again so we again scheduled an induction date. So Mon Feb 14, 2011 we showed up at the hospital and started cervadil thinking that like last time we would have a baby in a few hours. But no, this little girl had a mind of her own. Nothing happened. No cramps, no contraction, no nothing. They decided to have me stay and decided that since there were 2 other mommies to be there that they would start pitocin in the morning and that I should just get a good nights sleep. So on Feb 15th I woke up and took a shower and started pitocin at 7:30. Around 10:30 I started to feel my contractions, they weren't too bad so I asked them to up the pitocin. I knew what was coming and just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. At 11:30 they were getting harder so they checked me and I was only a 3. In my mind I was thinking you have to be kidding me!!! A 3?!? A 3?!? But I just kept breathing through it thinking soon enough. They got harder and harder and finally at 12 pm I couldn't take it, I had to push and sure enough I was at a 10 100%. After pushing for what seemed like forever and having her get stuck and the doctor having to push her around and then having the cord around her neck, Miss Paige Rebecca was born at 12:10pm 8 lbs 5 oz 22 inches long. I couldn't believe how quickly she came! It felt like forever.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have had 3 natural births, two of which were medication free. Each woman has there own way of doing things and I think to each there own.

Lucas Tyler-June 8, 2009 (momma Cat) :)

Lucas Tyler due June 16, 2009
Born June 8, 2009

This was my second pregnancy and besides having high blood pressure again and being on meds it was pretty easy. I barely had any swelling this time around, but my doctor didn't want me to go past 39 weeks so we set an induction date. June 7, 2009 we showed up at the hospital hoping to have a baby by June 9th. We started cervadil at 7pm thinking that like the last pregancy it would take some time to get things going. So at around 9pm my husband and I thought we would try to get some sleep. We were in the family room where you go after you have the baby since we wouldn't need the delivery room yet, and they thought I should atleast sleep where it was comfortable. At around 10:30 I started to get the most excruciating pain in my lower back and cramps that I had ever felt. I called the nurse but she explained that it was just cramps from the cervadil and that no contractions were showing up on the monitor. She gave me 2 tylenol and a benadryl and told me to try to get some sleep. I tried to go to bed but couldn't the pain was just too much. I called the nurse again and she brought me a rice sock to help with the cramps and back pain and told me that there were still no contractions on the monitor. At this point I was thinking to myself, "you're such an f-ing wimp! If you can't stand these cramps, how the hell are you going to have a baby!"
Finally at 12:30am I called the nurse and said I'm done, you have to take it out, I can't handle the pain anymore. She couldn't get it out so she left to have the other nurse see if she could get it out. By the time they got back I was dilated to a 6.  They still couldn't get it out so they left the room to get something to try to get it out. Still in horrible pain but my husband's snoring away. LOL Well, now I am but I wasn't then, I was kinda pissed he was sleeping and I wasn't. When they got back it was after one in the morning, when they went to check me to get the cervadil out, I just remember the nurse saying, "Holy Crap! You're crowning! Call the Dr." I pushed a few times with just Dusty and the nurse. My doctor got there with just enough time to throw her coat on the chair put on gloves and catch Lucas, I never did make it to the delivery room. He was born at 1:45 am 8lbs 9 oz 21 inches long. Needless to say, I didn't feel like such a wimp after that. But I had made up in my mind that I didn't want to ever do that again. If I didn't remeber my first LD I sure as hell remembered the 2nd.

But...if you know me you know that didn't happen.

Carter Michael-November 27th 2005 (momma Cat) :)

Carter Michael due Dec. 18th, 2005
Born Nov. 27, 2005

My first pregnancy was NOT expected at all. I was planning my wedding and was super stressed so when I missed my period I blamed that for the cause. A month later still nothing, so I took a test, it came back negative. So on with my life I went, I got married and went on my honeymoon. When I got back though the next month there was still no period, and sure enough I was preggers. I had so many "more important" things that I wanted to do with my life. I was only 22 and felt like my youth was about to be taken away from me. Needless to say it took me awhile to come around but soon enough I realized that this child would be one of the most important things I ever did in my life and yes my life would change, but only for the better. 
I always thought that I would have an easy pregnancy. Wrong. From the very beginning I had high blood pressure and was put on medication. I had to have ultrasounds once a month and towards the end I was having Non Stress Test twice a week. I had horribe swelling in my legs and face but chalked it up to just being pregnant. But when I went to my 36 week check up, I was informed that I had preeclampsia and that I would not be going home, but straight to the maternity ward. I immediately started crying hysterically. I didn't have a bag packed for either me or the baby, my husband was working 8 hours away, and I was just plain scared to death. 
Finally on the 25th after almost a week in the hospital they started me on cervadil to try and start labor. They did this two days straight, but it didn't work. So finally on Nov 27th they started me on pitocin in the morning. I was dilated to a 3 and at 1pm they broke my water. Soon after my contractions became unbearable so I asked for some IV meds, after that I don't remember much, except sleeping and being sick a few times.  At 3pm I felt the urge to push and at 3:50pm I met the most beautiful baby I'd ever seen. Carter Michael 6 lbs 9 oz 19 inches long.

Jen's birth of MacKenzie LeLynn-October 30, 2001

So my pregnancy and delivery weren't to bad really... I mean, I found out I was pregnant... and instead of getting morning sickness... I got it in the evening... which was fine with me... cause then I would just go to bed and sleep it off. I had a couple issues... but I won't get into that... besides Becky you may already know. Anyways... birth day was upon me... I woke up monday morning after a long weekend of halloween partys feeling super exhausted and just not feeling right. I called into work, then called my sister Kris. She kept telling me I was in labor... but I didn't believe it cause I wasn't having any contractions or anything... until about 3 hours into our conversation. They really weren't to bad and I thought I can handle this... I will stay home until it gets really bad... as the afternoon went on and the pain got worse, I had heard that hot showers would help to relax me. So that's what I did... lots of showers. By the time 3pm rolled around I was pretty much miserable... but decided to wait until my mom got off of work. She got off round 6-6:30pm. She called when she got home and I said I thought it was time to go to the hospital and that I was pretty sure I was in labor. She panicked...and out the door we raced! I don't remember much about the hospital.. I was scared... I was in pain! I was having front labor and back labor and couldn't do ANYTHING to get halfway comfortable. The nurses had me in all kinds of positions, rubbing my back, etc. Finally, I said... I want drugs now... I have no recollection what it was called... but do remember how it made me feel... I HATED IT! As soon as it was given to me... for a few split seconds there... I felt like I was melting... like I was going to fall onto the floor. And instead of it easing the pain... and making me relax... the pain was way more intense. I thought I was going to loose my mind. I was on the verge of tears... everyone was saying what a good job I was doing, and I wanted to punch them. I said I want an epidural... and I want it now... so off the nurse goes to talk to my doctor to see if I was far enough along. I was!!! The man came in... gave me my epidural and said he would be back in 5 minutes to make sure it took... in those 5 minutes... I thought about how bad this epidural sucked because it isn't taking any of the pain away. He was back in 5 and asked how I felt, I said I hurt... he's said I didn't think it took... we are going to have to do it again... UUUGGHHH!! So another epidural.... and minutes later... I was sleeping, lol!! The next morning around 6am my doctor came in and said "IT'S TIME TO HAVE A BABY!" I was like OMG, I said I can't feel anything... she says... you can't feel that? (pointing to the monitor, showing the intense contraction) I said I can feel NOTHING... I said how am I going to know when to push... and how am I going to know where I'm pushing from ( I had heard horror stories about giving birth) She told me when to push... and I did what I could and at 6:45am October 30, 2001 I had my baby girl MacKenzie LeLynn Noppe 6lbs 10oz. They laid her on me right after delivery and had me feed her. After the epidural it was smooth sailing... lol!!! I recommend it highly... no pain is an awesome thing. She was an easy baby.... always content..." 

Elijah's Birth-told by mom (Erin)

My pregnancy was far from enjoyable and the delivery didn't get any better. I had early contractions on a couple occasions and had some kidney issues, plus I was terribly sick until the day I delivered. My water broke about 345 am and I was only working on about 3 hours or so of sleep. I had gotten up to go to the bathroom and when I jumped up in bed to go back to sleep there was a small gush. My thought was "oh come on I just went pee...oh my gosh that wasn't pee!" i laugh at that now but it was a mixture of emotions when it was happening. I was excited and terrified all at the same time. We got to the hospital about 5 am and my contractions were a steady 7 minutes apart. When they checked me, I was only dilated to a 1 but 90% effaced. They encouraged me to take walks around the hospital and get in the shower and tub. The contractions were getting worse but by 9, I was fully effaced but not dilating so I heard that dreaded word, pitocin! I was put on pitocin and by noon I was having contractions that were 2 minutes apart lasting a minute long (like i was dilated to a 10 but no pushing for relief) and I finally couldn't take it. I requested some pain meds to take the edge off but they upped the pitocin at the same time totally counteracting it. That was it for me. I was only dilated to a 3, in terrible pain and kept tensing up making the contractions worse. I asked for the epidural and when it kicked in, I was so exhausted I went in and out of consciousness. Everything was kind of a blur after that, but I do remember them saying they needed to roll me from 1 side to the other and vice versa. I remember saying she needed to put an internal monitor in and then I heard them tell Trevor to tell the nurses they needed help in my room. I opened my eyes to see he didn't move fast enough because a nurse ran to the door and said "we need help in here" and every available nurse on the floor ran into my room. I didn't see anyone I knew (my gma sent my mom to get her some food because she didn't feel comfortable going to get it herself) and my gma was on her way to tell my mom there were problems. They started wheeling me down to the OR and I was crying I was so scared and YES I WANTED MY MOMMY! They were taking me to do an emergency c section so nobody was allowed in with me. I later found out Elijah's heartbeat dropped to around 80 for over 10 minutes causing them concern. I also found out that after my epidural, I dilated from a 3 to a 6 in 5 minutes which could have caused his heartbeat to drop because of the shock of such a move. In the c section 1 of my awake moments was when they said they needed to do a scalpel test and said "Erin can you feel that?" ok what I said was a really shaky and scared "no" but i was thinking "oh my gosh they are cutting me open!!!!" I tell ya what, a c section isn't without pain and discomfort. The pressure down there still feels as if you are pushing the baby out vaginally. Elijah was born screaming so loud they could hear him down in my room. He was healthy with no problems and could go to the normal nursery until I was taken to my room. I remember looking at him and seeing them hold him up for me and they brought him over right in my face so I could see him before they took him. He was born at 114 pm. I didnt get to hold him for about 2 hours after that. They had some problems with the xray machine and I ended up having to have an xray upstairs which sucked because it hurt my belly where my incision was to lay flat on that metal slab. The worst part afterwards was that there was constantly people in my room visiting and I got no rest and no time to bond with my son until I went home. I'm definitely hoping for a better pregnancy, delivery, and hospital stay this time around. This pregnancy already is having it's bad moments. I will say I loved the hospital (Trinity 7th street moline birthing center) and the nurses there were great! The nurses sent me a card congratulating me on having Elijah and were just so sweet to me." 

Robin's Story of Rylan Lee's Birth-September 11th, 2009

Precious Rylan
When I first found out I was pregnant I thought "no way in hell am I shoving a baby out of me" Of course I was just panicked. I was young and careless and never thought life would be enjoyable after this. Boy was I wrong. Over the next 9 months I quickly began to realize that there was nothing more important in this world than the little life growing inside of me. In the first trimester I was a crazy hormonal mess. Mostly I went with the flow. I didn't research much and every once in awhile I would hear things from my sisters (also pregnant at the same time) and think..... “What the heck that is not happening to me or my body". Being pregnant was like one giant crash course in growing up, and pass or fail all came down to labor.

I'm sure that every mother can relate to the feeling when you first realize that yes those are "real" contractions!!!!!! It's an excitement that cannot be completely explained. I had been having Braxton’s for a few weeks and was just annoyed and frustrated with them. I was an angry pregnant woman by this point (even though I wasn't due for a few more days). Every day people would ask me how much longer 4 wks 3 days, 3 wks 2 days, 1 wk 4 days, etc. how annoying.(I almost went out and bought a pack of plain white t's and a sharpie to just start a countdown and wear the shirt so people would stop freaking asking me). So finally on Thursday I woke up with Derek and said this is it these are real. We timed them for awhile, playing Halo on the XBOX (haha) and I decided to call the Dr. When they were about every 8 mins just to check in. They asked me to come in to the office to check me. I decided that this was it, there was no way that I would let these stop and I was having this baby so I called work and started my maternity leave. When I got to the office I was hooked to the monitors and my contractions actually slowed, and then stopped. Talk about complete disappointment. The dr. sent me home with a sorry not today. I’m not sure if it was stress or complete desperation and will power but on the ride home, my contractions began to slowly come back. We got home and I sat on the couch (once again playing halo). After awhile we decided to go for a walk to try and make my contractions come stronger and closer together. I walked and walked and walked as fast as my pregnant belly would let me, Derek all the while trailing behind me out of breath. At this point I was contracting and I was determined to keep it up. I was having regular contractions about every 6 mins but they weren't very painful. Back in the house, waiting on my parents to come home from an out of town trip I kept my will power going walking laps around the Island in my mother’s kitchen. I walked and walked and walked and walked until finally I was contracting every 4 mins and they were an accomplished painful. Finally around 9:30 I was contracting about every 4 mins still but they were getting longer and strong, and living 45 mins from the hospital we decided it was time to go. That was the longest ride of my life. Feelings of doubt, and fear all the while excited. Getting to the hospital they put me into triage and I went to the bathroom to change. Slipping out of my pants to use the restroom I felt something pop out of me, panicking I called for my mom. She calmly explained that this was something called a mucus plug (one of those things I swore was not and would not happen to me or my body haha). I was admitted and excited because the midwife I liked best was on call. My plan was for natural birth, no meds, no ivs just me and my baby and the pain, so I was disappointed when the first thing they said to me was " let’s get the anesthesiologist in here and get your epidural because he's about to go home then we can break your water"..." WHAT???" (they basically said trust us you will come to want one in the end and the guy will not be happy about being called at 3 in the morning to come give you an epidural he could have done now. Who were these people and why did they show no faith when they didn't even know me). After what I’m sure was not a very calm talk with my mother in the hallway the midwife came back and said that we would try it my way and see what happens. As the night wore on my contractions became stronger and closer together. The bathtub was my savior. I do not think I would have been able maintain what little calm I had without that tub. Around6 in the morning getting out of the tub to be checked AGAIN I was feeling pressure and the urge to pee. I sat on the toilet... nothing..... I stood up and POP my water broke everywhere. This is the point where labor becomes a nightmare. It's just your pelvic bones and your baby’s head and contractions slamming them together... OUCH. I got back in the tub being told I was only at a 6. About an hour and a half later they took me out of the tub. The midwife and my mother hauling me out explaining that water births are not legal in that hospital so I HAD to get out of the tub. Back in bed on my back they checked me and I was 9 cm. Thank god not much longer. At this point all of my shyness was gone. I was naked as a bird on all fours butt in the air rocking, trying anything to make the pain go away. There is a point where the pain is so unbearable that you go into your own world. Things from here are a little foggy. Blurry around the edges and fading in and out. After over an hour at 9 cm in the bed I was stalled and they kept making me change positions to try and get the baby through and my cervix to dilate. Angry as hell that they kept making me move I begged for something. So they started an Iv and gave me something called nubain. I was stoned. I couldn't move my fingers even if I wanted too but the pain was still there. They checked and in less than 40 mins I was 10 and ready to push but by this point I had no will to push. They asked if I wanted to try and I not so politely said NO. After about 10 mins I sat up and said "I HAVE TO PUSH". 20 mins is all it took from there. Do not ask me where I found the energy or strength to push at that point. All I was focused on was ending this pain. I remember seeing Derek crying holding my leg as his son emerged into this world. I remember the midwife stopping me for a second to pull my hand between my legs and touch that little miracle of life that was happening as his head came out. There is a moment, when the rest of the baby's body comes out, shoulders, ribs, butt and legs where you can breathe again. (It's a feeling of relief that will later be replaced shortly with depression that you no longer have you baby in your tummy.) My son was born into this world on September 11th 2009. He came out eyes open, ten fingers ten toes and perfect in every way. He was healthy and I was more in love than ever before. He was a miracle that was sent to show me that there were important things in life to live for, things in life more important than myself. He is a reminder everyday that life still has miracles left to show us.


P.S. there are obviously still medical things that happen during labor aft er the baby comes out.... but none of that is really important, It's the Dr.'s job from there to do whatever they are doing and you won't even remember half of it because your too focused on the newest addition to the world.

Linda's Birth Stories

I was 16 years old in 1968 and pregnant. This was the cave era of birthing. I went to an OB that had some serious bias when caring for pregnant teens. During this time in life women lived in fear that they would be fired by their OB’s if they asked too many questions. OB’s had complete control over a woman’s body during her childbearing year.

During labor we were left alone in a small room with night stand and small lamp. I was alone because the rules stated “No visitors during labor”. Mom’s were checked in at the door and wheeled away to LD. Once I reached 10 CM, I was placed on a gurney and wheeled into a delivery room. It looked much like a surgical room. I was placed on a small steel table and on my back. My legs were placed in stirrups and arms stretched out at me sides on small metal slabs. Leather straps with 3 silver buckles were then used to hold my legs and arms in place.

Enter the OB. He sat on a stool at the end of the table. He decided I would not receive any medication for what he was about to do. He said “I want her to remember this”. He then did what is now, in common language, is known as a “virginal cesarean”. I liken it to “birth rape”. He did an episiotomy with 2 medial cuts and a lateral through to my rectum. Then he used high forceps to pull my baby out of my body.
Following my repair work, which took about an hour and half, he patted my shoulder and said “That will teach you not to do that again” and left the room. During my 5 days in the hospital, normal length of stay for that era, I did not see the OB again.
I didn’t talk about that experience again for many years. At that time of life we did not talk about our bodies or any thing that happened during our birth experiences. So, I thought what happened was “normal birth” and I went back to the same OB when I became pregnant again in 1969.

I was fortunate that my second labor and birth occurred without the OB in house. A nurse received my baby. Once the nurse realized I was in 2nd stage of labor she placed me on a gurney while another nurse put her hand over my baby’s head to hold her in. Another nurse tightly held my legs together. Once in the delivery room, the nurses let go of their tightly held rein on my baby and my baby’s head slid out while on the gurney. They then lifted my body while holding the baby’s head and placed me on the cold table. With ease my baby simply slid out of my body. The nurses were in fear of the OB and how I birthed. So, they then placed me on the delivery table and strapped me down. When the OB entered the room the nurses told him that my baby arrived while I was in place on the table. The OB was infuriated that I had birthed without him. While standing about 3 feet away from me and his hands in his pockets he looked at my bottom without touching me and said “put some antiseptic on that and take her to her room”. That was the last I saw of him during my 5 day PP stay. Because we politely did not speak of our bodies I thought my first birth was normal and the second birth experience was abnormal.
PPD was not a diagnostic tool during those years. I believe I suffered from PPD after being abused during both birth experiences. It is entirely possible that the first birth had caused PTSD to become a part of me as well.

By the time I became pregnant a third time I had been informed by books such as, Thank you, Dr Lamaze by Marjorie Karmel, Painless Childbirth: The Lamaze Method by Fernand Lamaze, Husband-Coached Childbirth by Robert A. Bradley, MD, and childbirth Without Fear The original Approach to Natural childbirth by Grantly Dick-Read, MD. I interview 9 physicians before I found a family practice doctor willing to treat me with respect. The other 8 physicians that I interviewed were insulted that I ask them questions about how they practiced OB. I then found an OB nurse in the area that taught organized underground childbirth classes (Childbirth Education Association) in her basement. With each book that I read and every class I attended I felt more and more empowered to trust my body to birth my baby.
When my labor and birth day arrived it seemed bitter sweet. I was happy to know that I was about to meet my little one. However I did not look forward to the ensuing PPD. Labor and birth turned out to be wonderful and life changing for me, considering the climate of obstetrics in Davenport, IA at that time. To my surprise I did not suffer with PPD during PP, a testament to the power of birthing by trusting my body to birth my baby. Healing through childbirth is always possible.

During the past 20 years I have journeyed as a strong birth doula informing women of what normal birth looks like, how to trust their bodies to birth their babies, how to choose where they might like to birth, and how to select or hire a care provider that practices with a sense of confidence and trust in a woman’s body during the childbearing year.

Linda Crownover-Inch

Abby's birth story of Drake William February 8, 2011

The anticipation was rising as I was 3 weeks from my due date.  I made sure everything in the babies room was ready, my bag was packed, and I even had stocked up on food for the dogs…just in case our little guy decided to arrive early.  I had been having some “discharge” that I pinpointed as my water leaking but it was not enough to cause any concern.  During the night of the 6^th/7^th of February I woke up around 1am with a very strange feeling in my lower abdomen.  It felt like menstrual cramps for about 45 seconds and then nothing.  Then 11 mins would go by and this would all start again.  I grabbed my cell phone and started timing them.  In my head I was thinking that I was pretty sure they were contractions, but having never gone through anything like this before, I still didn’t know for sure.  I told Kyle about it in the morning and went about my day. When I got to work I called the doctor to see if I needed to come in.  Of course they said yes, so I left work and headed to the doctor.  Once they checked me out and put me on the monitor, the midwife informed me that they were just Braxton Hicks contractions and no, my water was not leaking.  She said see you in a few weeks, you are no where near ready to have this baby.  I took the rest of the day off from work as I felt like crap and rested.  At 1:30am the following day I woke up to the most indescribable feeling {as if a balloon were popping} in my tummy.  I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom.  My water broke!  A few weeks my butt…we’re going to have a baby!  I calmly went back into the bedroom, tapped Kyle on the shoulder and quietly whispered “hunny, my water just broke”.  He JUMPED out of bed and was dressed and ready before I could even get a grasp on what was going to happen.  I took my time, took a shower, made sure I had everything, and was then ready to go. {Kyle took care of the dogs and got them situated}.  I called my mom and Kyle’s mom on our way to the hospital (2am) and told them we’d keep them posted.  We arrived at Methodist Medical Center {Peoria} around 2:15am and got checked in.  The on call OB told me I was not dilated and needed to walk.  After 147{so it seemed} painful laps they let me rest.  Contractions at this point were lasting around a minute and were 3 minutes apart.  My nurse Whitney (recommended to me by my friend Britni Price), was so wonderful and kept trying to make me stay positive as I still was not dilating.  They started Pitocin around 7am and the contractions grew stronger…and stronger…and stronger.  Still not dilating. Mom called and said she was on her way and would be there around 11 or so.  Around 9:30am the fun started. {kidding}.  Whitney was standing next to my bed looking at something on the monitor when all of a sudden a contraction came and never went. I was in so much pain, even crying at this point.  Contracting, contracting, contracting….no relief.  She hit the green button on the computer stand and before we knew it there were 9 nurses and 3 obstetricians in our room.  They flipped and flopped me, gave me oxygen, put internal monitors on him, and finally after 7 and a half minutes of chaos, the contraction stopped. During all of this the babies heart rate fell to 54 and was very stressed.  During this time I dilated from 1 to 7.  Unfortunately, all of this happened 3 more times throughout the day.  My mom and dad arrived and were patiently waiting … At 3pm my brother, Joe, and Jolee made it to the hospital {so good to see them!}.  I received an epidural at 4:15pm hoping to finally get some rest.  The epidural was not working and I felt worse than I had all day.  When the anesthesiologist came back in she looked at the catheter in my back and said it was broke off under my skin so she would have to redo it. Nice!  Since the pain was so bad she also gave me a spinal so I could rest better.  I have never felt my body feel like complete concreted dead weight before in my life.  When they had to flip and flop me and mess with internal monitors, it took several people to move me since I was NO help at all.  At 7pm the pain from the contractions was back and Whitney noticed my epidural had been shut off.  This can be blamed on my OB – who so kindly did this.  He  came in and told me it was time to push as I was dilated to 9 and the babies heart rate was falling so we had to get him out.  After pushing for 10 mins or so my doctor left the room and left me there with Whitney.  I asked where he went and Whitney told me he went home because he was tired {he had just gotten back from a golf tourney in Florida}.  Pissed off at this point, I asked for the on call OB to take over. They told me that the baby was stuck and I would need a C Section. {I didn’t care at this point!}.  With his heart rate falling rapidly, things started going fast.  I was wheeled into the operating room at 7:20pm and he was born at 7:28pm. {Guess who showed back up?  Yep, my doctor – they called him}  We were blessed with a beautiful baby boy. Drake William Deppert, 6 lbs 0.5 oz 19 inches long.  Our lives were changed forever, and all of the pain that lead up to this moment was nonexistent.  It was love at first sight.

Kaiden's birth- September 1, 2009 (Told by his momma!)

I was due on Aug 24.  On Aug 26, I went in and talked about being induced.  I had a stress test scheduled for Aug 31.  I went in at 9 am looking crazy and had two different colored flip flops (thanks to my big belly I couldn't see what I put on).  I got to the hospital and laid in bed being monitored for 30 mins.  They said kaiden and me were great and that we could go, but before leaving I had to have my ultrasound done.  As I laid on the table with nasty jelly on me she excused herself from the room.  When she returned she asked me to go back down to labor and delivery and told me I would be delivering today.  Thankfully I had my bag already in the car so I wasn't too stressed at this time.  I had several thoughts running through my mind as I walked down the stairs down the long hall back to labor and delivery.  I called my mom, then my sisters by the time melinda got to the hospital I was already having pitocin pumped through me so I got my calls out of the way.  My second thought was, what's wrong, I was so excited to meet my lil man that I didn't even bother to find out why I would be delivering today.  I asked and they say there was barely any fluid around kaiden.  I asked the normal questions.  Is he ok?  Should I be worried?  They said he was fine, so from 9 am to 10 pm I'm having pitocin pumped through me and only dilated to a 1 at 10 pm.  They stop it so I can eat and drink and rest at 9 am Sept 1 they break my water and contractions come by 1 pm.  Im screaming for epidural and where's my damn Dr get this baby out of me :)  I turned into the devil.  I get my epidural only to be dilated to a 2 by 10pm at night.  I start to shiver and realize I'm running a fever of 104.  The nurse keeps checking in and says by 1030 if I'm not dilated to a 10 we r throwing in the towel (fine with me).  1030 comes and still at a 6.  C section here we come.  I get ready as does my mom and by 11:45 pm kaiden is born 8 lbs 12 oz.  Before kaiden being born as I lay on the table being cut open I yelled, cried, shake so much I pass out cause I honestly felt the pain of being cut.  When they realize I could feel it they give me more meds.   I was up seeing a lady standing over me and feel so much pressure I wanted to scream.  The lady was pulling my stomach back to pull kaiden out.  I hear him cry.  I was so tired and out of it, drugged up to the max.  They ask if I want to see him and I say no.  I then pass back out and wake up in recovery room being poked pushed and prodded on in so much pain.  I bawled and was so dehydrated.  I lay there for an hour and half.  I finally get to go into my room where my family is.  I get to see my son as well, but feel nothing.  I try breastfeeding but was to tired so the nurse bottle feeds him.  I have them take him into the nursery as I sleep.  I get checked on quite a bit through the night.  The nurse finds my blood pressure to be a worry, it was 46/53 I lost lots of blood during my surgery and needed a blood transfusion.  I later find out kaiden was born with a temp of 103 and I had one of 104 due to being without water for so long, and well the rest is history.  We are great today and he's turning 2 Sep 1.