Dodge's birth story

**This entry is peppered with photos for those of you who don't wish to read the story...it's long.**

 Brigg's birth coming 6 days early established an expectation in my mind that this baby would come at least that early again.  I hope for this. But, Luke's birthday is 5 days before this due date.  I  worry throughout the pregnancy that this baby will come on his birthday. But I only worry mildly because I am also certain that this baby will come before Luke's birthday and it won't even be an issue.  Days pass and still no baby. I begin to worry more. September 28th comes and I pass the day holding my breath and praying that today is not the day.  By the time I hit about 8:00pm, I feel that I am in the clear and exhale.

Now that Luke's birthday has passed, I am again ready for this baby to come.  I am big and achey and tired...So. Tired.  I have a check up at the doctor tomorrow and know that he will start the labor if I tell him that I would like him to.  I'm tempted. But then I think about Brigg's birth and how much I love having had that experience.  I'd like to do it that way again.  Induction doesn't fit into that plan, so I make the decision to have patience at least until the due date has passed.

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September 30, 2010. 39 weeks, 4 days.  I'm grateful to my friend for taking Luke on the field trip this morning. I just don't think I could make it on the hike. Especially with Brigg who would surely want to be held or go on my shoulders.  Sam gets home from Kindergarten, Luke from his field trip up to the Nature Center and then Kendall pulls up to watch them while I go to my appointment.  I haven't had lunch, but I'll get it when I get back. The doctor's office is a bit behind schedule and I get through almost an entire Good Housekeeping before they call me back.  No weight gain this week...thank goodness! How much bigger can I get?  The doctor comes to check me... 3 cm, 70% effaced....progress! 

The doctor pointed out the great sunset outside just as Dodge was born.

He asks me what I want to do and I tell him my decision to be patient.  He asks about the baby's movement and I tell him that I feel like it has decreased in the last few days, but I still counted out 10 in an hour last night.  He wants to put me on the monitors just to check.  The monitors show  a dip in baby's heart rate.  He says to stay on 20 more minutes to see if it happens again.  Sure enough, there are several dips in his heart rate, especially in correlation with the little contractions I'm having.  The doctor says he thinks we should go get me delivered. Really?  I'm a little emotional about this because it throws a glitch in my plan. I'm not sure what to do about my decision to go sans epidural when you throw pitocin into the mix. 

He's here!

Phone calls are made.  Kendall cleans the house while he waits for his Mom to show up to take care of the boys.  He finishes packing our hospital bags and meets me at the hospital as soon as the kids are taken care of. I've gone upstairs and been admitted. I feel hopeful because I'm having contractions on my own every 3 minutes while they are doing all my patient history stuff.  Maybe I'll be able to avoid the pitocin after all? The doctor breaks my water and we wait on the Pitocin to see if my contractions will continue on their own.  It's looking good for about an hour and a half and then.....they just stop. No more contractions. Dang it. I don't know what to do about an epidural. I don't know what to expect from this labor.  How long will it be? How hard and fast will these contractions come?  A pitocin fueled labor is one that I've experienced before, but only muted behind the wall of an epidural. 

Kendall felt the need to show off his long toes.

Warming him up after his bath.

They start the pitocin.  I'm hooked up to the contraction monitor and the fetal heart rate monitor.  I have to stay in bed....they need to be monitoring the fetal heart rate and the IV in the back of my hand would make moving around hard anyway. The contractions begin.  They are manageable.  I'm breathing through them and gaining confidence that I will be able to do this.  Then, they check me and I've not even dilated another whole centimeter.  They turn the pitocin up.  The contractions get harder, stronger, closer together.  I wish I knew how quickly this baby will come.  It's much harder dealing with these contractions while I'm stuck in bed.  They check me again and I haven't progressed as much as they'd like, so they tunr up the pitocin yet again.  Now they are even stronger and even closer together.  At this point, I'm really about ready for an epidural.  This is hard. I decide to wait through the next time they check me. If there's progress, it will surely be very fast and I'll be able to make it through.  Poor Kendall is at a loss for how to help this time around.  I squeeze his hand sometimes.  He gives me encouragement.  He pulls his chair up right beside my bed

He found his thumb!

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The next time they check me,I'm at a 7 and fully effaced.  I'm hopeful that the last 3 cm will come fast and so I continue on.   But it hurts. Bad.  The contractions are painful and practically on top on one another and I'm stuck in this bed.  Now, I'm at 8 cm and feel relief because they've brought the delivery stuff in the room and the doctor is kinda hanging around....ready for this baby any second.  Me too.  With Brigg, those last few centimeters came in a matter of minutes and then he was born.  No such luck this time.  My doctor waits as long as he can, but has family commitments and has to go. I'm still at an 8 almost an hour later and I want to cry.  They turn the pitocin off so at least the contractions are coming a little less frequently.  Being able to recover in between them helps. 


I'm about ready to just quit and go home when I finally start feeling pressure...it's time!  The nurse calls in the doctor on call, who has to come in from home (de ja vu).  In the meantime, each contraction brings on massive amounts of pain and pressure, because I need. to. push.  The nurse tells me to wait (de ja vu).  I then inform her that I will be pushing on the next contraction.  I don't care if the nurse delivers my baby. I just need it delivered....now.  I'm relieved to see the doctor walk in, however, and so the nurse is saved.  I have a couple more contractions while the doctor comes in, chatting with the nurses and slowly getting all her gear on.  She seems completely unaffected by my moans and intense pain and pressure.  Finally, she's ready and I can push.  Just a couple of pushes later and I feel the slippery little guy come right out.

Relief.

It's amazing how complete and instantaneous that relief comes when the baby is born.  Wonderful! 

He's adorable.  He looks like one of our boys...fits right in.  He's 7lbs 7 oz. 20 inches. Pink, crying, healthy. The world has calmed down now and I feel the need to be chatty and friendly with the nurse that stood by me through that delivery.   Things were intense and I can't guarantee I was 100% kind to her, though I don't totally remember. Thanks, Audrey.

For the next hour or so, we just get to hang out in the room and hold the baby. I eat a sandwich. The baby nurses...super great sucker.  After a bit, we get transferred to our recovery room and settle in.  My mom comes...barely missed the delivery again.  We make some calls.  At the end of the night, I open the pack of papers we're supposed to be working on and make my way to the Birth Certificate info.  I fill it all out....except his name.  Kendall and I buckle down and realize we've got to decide on a name.  We've never come to the hospital without a name chosen before.  After some more deliberation, Dodge Morgan Andersen is written in the lines of the form.  Then, we cozy up and head to bed.

What a day! 

This birth was not the experience that I had planned and hoped for.  Unfortunately, things like that happen sometimes.  I am just happy that Dodge is here and healthy and well.  For future reference, if I have any more kids....and I have to be induced....I will be getting an epidural before they even start the pitocin.  The experience is different.  It's harder. 

He LOVED getting his hair washed.

Dodge is 6 days old now. Yesterday, we took him in for a weight check at he's already back up to his birth weight.  The boys all love him.  They want to hold him all the time.  They also call him Phinn all the time. :) That was a name that we were fairly sold on at one point and the boys are having a hard time switching over to "Dodge". 

My mom stayed for 4 or 5 days and it was so nice! She made all the meals and cleaned up all the messes.  It's amazing how nice it is to have that part of life taken care of.  Kendall is taking half days the rest of this week.  I have friends bringing meals and treats and calling to check in and taking care of carpool.  I'm feeling so happy and blessed to have this little family that we have.  I adore having 4 boys and can't imagine it any differently!  Sam informed me yesterday that our table is full now, so we can't have any more babies. :)  We'll have to see, but I think he may be right.