I went to check in with Dr. Stafford on Monday, Dec. 8th. What was supposed to be a routine checkup turned out to be anything but...my bloodpressure was high and had been inching up over the last month of my pregnancy. Dr. Stafford said that she wanted me to go home, get what I needed, and check in to the hospital that afternoon. It was only 1 1/2 days early, but I fell apart for a minute. I was ruining everyone's plans...Austin had poetry projects to finish grading before we went in, my parents were hosting a holiday party Tuesday night, Austin's mom was flying in Tuesday morning. Basically, our spot on planning was a day off-not to mention the fear I felt knowing that there was something going on that alerted Dr. Stafford enough to have me go into the hospital right away.
Austin and I checked in at 1:00 p.m. Pitocin, used to induce labor, was started through an IV soon after because the moniters indicated I was already having contractions. Who knew? I thought it was just Braxton Hix contractions. Every time the nurse came in to crank up the pitocin, I wanted to die-nothing like dialing up the pain!
By midnight, I had finally recieved an epidural and all was well again...except that I had been dilated 4 cm for the past two hours and I needed to progress to 10 cm before Reid could be born. Then, Reid's heartrate fell. When Dr. Stafford did an exam, she said that his head was swelling and that she thought our best option was a Caesarian section. My heart dropped. That was one thing I hadn't counted on. We waited another 30 minutes to make sure there were no changes, and then I was wheeled into surgery with Austin in tow. My mom was with us but had to stay in the labor room.
All went well after that. Dr. Stafford delivered our baby boy (kicking and screaming) at 3:26 a.m. He was 21 inches and weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces. There is nothing in the world that can compare to that first cry, especially when you can't see what is happening. Well...dad got to see the birth, at least, even though he had no intention of watching. One of the nurses told him to stand up and see his son being born. After he said something to the effect of, "No thanks," the nurse grabbed his elbow and helped him to his feet. He said it was an amazing experience and was so thankful that he had been forced into watching.
Reid was brought to me already swaddled in blankets. All I could see was his beautiful face. Austin and I were in awe. Two things struck both of us: first, he had a ton of hair! We had pegged him for a baldy since Austin and I both have such thin hair. The second thing we noticed immediately was how much he resembled his daddy. Neither of us expected to see such striking similarities. I had to ask Daddy if he had all of his fingers and toes since I couldn't see his tiny body. Austin reassured me that he was absolutely perfect-and he was right!
I had to stay on the operating table, so Austin accompanied the nurses to the nursery with our bundle. When I was wheeled back into my room, Mom was waiting, but she soon joined Austin in the nursery and I found myself talking to Vanessa, a sweet nurse, and trying not to watch the minutes tick away. It was an HOUR before I got to see my sweet baby again!
We stayed in the hospital until Thursday. Apparantly, there was a baby boom and that meant lots of mommies needing rooms. We were actually moved out of the postpardum wing of the hospital and into our own private room in another nearby wing of the hospital. The timeline went something like this: 10:30 a.m. leave labor and delivery room, 12:00 p.m. leave postpardum recovery room, and 12:30 p.m. get sick in new private room from all of the anesthesia and movement. I was so happy to be left alone after that final move!
It is hard to imagine the love your heart will feel when you bring a baby into the world. Friends and family have told me that time and time again, but it truly has to be experienced.
Austin and I are proud to present:
William "Reid" Clarkson
Born: December 9, 2008
