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"Look Mom, I'm dinner!"

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Dayton

This picture was taken the day before I had Dayton. I had been having many night of false labor. I would contract hard for hours every two minutes and then after a few hours and a bath they would stop. It was super frustrating. I had already been to the hospital three times and wasn't about to go in for false labor again! Thankfully at 3 AM on July 7, my water broke. It wasn't very much water so I wasn't positive but when I checked it was bloody so we knew we needed to go in for sure. So we called Diane to come sit with the kids and headed to the hospital again! 

      When we got in they checked me and I was at a four and fully effaced and my third amnisure test this pregnancy finally said my water had indeed broke. It was go time. So they got me to a room and ordered me my epidural before they started the oxytocin. I warned the anesthesiologist that my blood pressure typically drops low when I get the epidural and I get super sick for a bit. Sure enough, it dropped and I was sick for awhile. Around then I got a new nurse. When she checked me to see how I was doing, I was at a six but she was super concerned because I was bleeding a lot more- bright red blood (before it was watery). She informed me that as long as the baby stayed good with his heart rate we were ok to try vaginally but if they came rushing in here and whisked me off to a c section that was why. She guess a placental abruption. That worried me a lot! After a few hours I was at a six still and she said she felt I needed my water broken again. So they had the on call doc come in to break it but she was concerned there was an artery in the way and I would bleed more if she broke it so she had Doctor Hales (my high risk doc) come in and do an ultrasound to make sure before she broke it. He couldn't see any arteries so they went ahead. 

     While the nurses were trying to replace my bed spread from all the water my blood pressure dipped dangerously low (it had been really low the whole time but babies heart rate had been good). I got super sick and babies heart rate dropped. It was nerve wracking. She checked me and I had progressed from a 6 to a ten in about five min. Jeff called his mom cuz he was afraid she as going to miss it. They set everything up for pushing quick and called the doc (I don't think I mentioned that Doc Stratford was out of town so Doc Chamberlain covered for him). Because the babies heart rate had dropped, it was important we get him out. So we started pushing.

      Now with my other kids I pushed for over an hour with each one. I was prepared for that. So I geared myself up for the long haul. With the first contraction I started pushing and they were super encouraging saying I was doing well. With the second contraction I pushed once and they said- "There's the head!" Doc asked for one more small push and he was here. It was crazy how quick it happened once I started pushing.

     The emotions hit when he came out. I was definitely the most emotional with this babe. It was a really difficult, scary pregnancy for me. Especially compared to my other pregnancies. I was SO glad he was finally here and safe and perfect! I was worried about his club feet but I was instantly in love with his beautiful feet and every inch of him!

      When Doc Chamberlain delivered the placenta he said that sometime in the last 24 hours my placenta had started to detach which is what caused the bleeding and most likely what caused my water to break. Thankfully everything worked out and I was able to deliver without a c-section. 

      Dayton and I stayed one night in the hospital and then we were able to go home. We are scheduled for Aug 4th to start the casting for his feet (I'm a little sad to say goodbye to his beautiful feet even tho I know it's for his good). Overall hardest pregnancy by far but easiest delivery (minus the scares).