So, we walk into the hospital and make our way upstairs to the labor and delivery area. It still feels surreal, like they aren't going to let us stay and that I will have to carry Z for 9 more months. We get there and they take me back fairly quickly. Being in labor is pretty intense especially when people are asking you questions like "Whats your address?" "How tall are you?" "What did you weigh pre-pregnancy?" Its like, "What does it matter what I weighed then? I am fat and in pain now, so just let me lay down!" You kind of just want to go Incredible Hulk on them and start smashing things until they just submit you to a room and stop asking questions. But you gather yourself and press on.
I must say though, I definitely prayed throughout pregnancy that if I were to make it through a natural delivery that I would want to be dignified. Someone left a comment on my blog when I was talking about wanting to go natural and she talked about how she acted a fool the whole time. I thought it was hilarious and then I thought "Oh, Lord please let me keep my cool." Because, that's OK, for someone else, but I have no medium button, just calm or full out crazy. I didn't want to embarrass myself, my husband, my baby or cuss anyone out. Not very becoming. I will say in advance that He was very faithful.
So they take me back to triage and make Adam wait in the lobby. I get into that confusing hospital gown and all of the questions about height, weight and what I want on my tombstone begin. I was having awful contractions. It was around 6:15pm or so and the contractions were still every couple of minutes. After all the paperwork the nurse tells me that she is about to check my cervix and I start thinking of a number in my head that would be pleasing to me. Well, before I pick one, she tells me that I am dilated to 1 and 1/2 centimeters. I almost start crying. I ask her if she's kidding, she says she isn't. She tells me that she will allow me to stay about an hour and check me at that point to see if I can stay. Can stay?? I had no clue what I would do if they sent me home. Being in pain is all the same, but having to get dressed and drive back home and then do it all over again if I became further along just sounded so awful. But I said "OK" and she said she would go get my husband...35-40 minutes later she returns to check on the beeping monitor for Z's heart rate that they had painfully strapped to my stomach (someone please invent another method for the two monitors they strap on you when you are trying to labor but those things don't give you freedom to move freely and they are tied so tightly that they hurt!) and still no Adam. I said "Mam, where is my husband? I am in alot of pain and need him." She says, "Oh, I told the people up front...they must have forgot."
5 minutes later my very sad/angry looking husband shows up. He was so upset that they forgot about him. An hour and some change had passed since I'd left him and he had no clue what was going on. The ladies at the front desk were laughing and chilling and when they finally realized "Oh, yeah you could have gone back there awhile ago!" Adam says very sternly, "I know this is old hat to you guys, but this is my first child and I would appreciate it if you would treat it that way." They sincerely apologized. Intense.
So, he gets back there and I tell him how many centimeters I am dilated to and he knows I am defeated and that the lady is coming back at 8:00 to decide if I go home. So he starts praying aloud for God to work a miracle and literally open my cervix to a 3. He sent text messages to friends and asked them to pray as well. It was such an intense time, but Adam labored with me like a champ. Though we hadn't practiced ANYTHING, he started helping me breathe when the hard contractions kicked in, rub my back, got me the trash can while I threw up several times, it was crazy, but he was such a help, not sure I could have made it. THEN IT HAPPENED:) I started throwing up that awful Popsicle when SPLAT! something came out of me...I said, "Adam, something just happened! I might have gone to the bathroom!" He looked at me and said, "Um, I am going to go get help."
Funny side note...Adam is afraid of all things "bathroom." His biggest fear is that he would see me "go" on the delivery bed. And when that "splat" happened he was sure that I had "gone" (the long kind) on the bed.
So in Memphis fashion it was past 8:00 and no nurse had shown back up like they said they would so he just grabbed any nurse out of the hallway. In a full circle God moment, in this huge over staffed hospital the nurse he randomly grabbed was the same nurse that took care of me last September when Adam was in China and I miscarried our first child. It was a sweet moment, that I couldn't focus on because of the drama of whether or not I had pooped on the table. :) But in my heart I knew God had done that on purpose. But she came in and gave us full attention and told me that my water had broken and that I would definitely be staying. The reason it looked so funny was because Z was in a bit of distress and had a bowel movement and it came out when my water broke. Adam was relieved, although we weren't happy Z was in distress.
We were thankful the Lord had come through again. (as always) I was staying and our long awaited pumpkin head would be there at some point:) Then she checked my cervix again and within that hour I had dilated to a 5! It was such a blessing, even though in my laboring mind I was thinking, "Holy, crap! This is awful and I gotta get to a 10." But I was thankful nonetheless.
Well, then Satan showed up...actually, it was just the anesthesiologist asking if I wanted an epidural. Of course, whether I got it or not I had to fill out all the paperwork just in case. Greater pain, more questions. When she asked me about the epidural I definitely said, "Maybe." But Adam interjected and said, "No, she doesn't want one." Of course all the feminism in the room flared up and my nurse reminded us that I was the one in pain and that it was my choice, but I calmed her down by telling her he was just reminding me that I really didn't want one. She said OK and told me that she had two of her children naturally and that I could do it and would be fine. Great, thanks for the encouragement, it was time to head to the delivery room.
Somehow getting into that room brought on more pain. I was feeling like I might lose it, but my sweet husband kept me calm and kept praying aloud. I just needed to be reminded that God was with me. I had been so fearful leading up to that day and needed to know that the Lord would be with me. I was inadequate to do everything that I was doing that night and I needed to remember this was all bigger than me and my pain. I was about to birth a soul and this would be just the beginning of my need for Him.
The nurse checked me and said I was at a 6 or 7. Kind of vague, but we were advancing. It started to get chaotic...I had been fairly quiet, but started to say things like, "Adam, I cant do this," to which he would reply, "Babe, you're doing it! You're so close." I didn't feel close...Then I started saying things like, "What am I trying to prove?!!" And he would say, "Nothing babe, just trust the Lord." And more things like,"Dangit Eve, what the Hell?" To which he would reply, "Okay, babe just breathe." I am proud to say that was my only "cuss word" and the nurses there would later say that I was one of the calmest and best natural patients they'd ever had. (They also told me how they had been hit and kicked and yelled at by lots of natural patients.)
At that moment I just felt the sudden urge to push like my bottom half was about to fall off. Or as a friend's sister would say, "Like your butt is stitched up and a cow's trying to come out." The nurse had left saying she would be back in a couple of hours to check on me. (What the??!?!) But she had been gone 10 minutes and I told Adam we HAD to get her. I was about to start crying and I knew if I did that I would lose it and start screaming or something. It was totally the Lord because as bad as I wanted to give up and start going crazy which would have maybe caused me to lose control of my body and start to push (which would have been BAD) I tuned back in to Adam's voice and started breathing even though there was no break in contractions and my back hurt so bad that breathing was the last thing that I thought would help, but I stayed focused on him.
We pushed the nurses button a hundred times before we realized (in Memphis fashion) that it was broken...That would mean Adam would have to leave me to go get her. What if I were single!!! I would have had to go peak in the hallway myself and look for a nurse. Luckily she wasn't far and came in and checked me and just in that 15 minute span I had reached a 9. She took her glove off, I begged her to put it right back on and check again because I swore something was falling out of my body. She did, even though I could tell she was like "Lady, nothing changed in 2 seconds," but I was at a 9 and a 1/2 and she said she would call the doctor.
He comes in and walks out because I wasn't at a 10. My doctor wasn't there. Adam says this guy smelled like he had been smoking. I tell her to check me again, I was at a 10. It was time to push, which was a relief since I had been blowing for 10 minutes (which stops you from pushing) but the doc had disappeared. I heard someone say, "I think he went to the lounge." I almost cried. He showed back up shortly and got dressed booming of cigarettes according to Adam, but I didn't care. At that point the janitor could have delivered my baby, I just wanted her out. 5 pushes later...she was:)
They didn't put her on me or anything, which was fine...they just cleaned her and gave her to me later:) Strictly business...I normally wouldn't sell myself out like this, but Adam says its apart of the experience...This is me as soon as I pushed her out. I said, "Is it over?" and then I looked evilly at Adam as he had the nerve to have a camera out. This is the result...
My mentor Joelle, who has had 5 kids at home...Adam had text her to come help me labor when it was getting intense, but by the time she showed up they wouldn't let her in because I was pushing. It went pretty fast, praise GOD! I am glad it was just Adam and I. Such a time I will cherish forever.
Just barely 7lbs and 19 inches. See those long feet?
My great friend Shannon. She and Joelle were there right after she was born (10:02pm) and stayed til after 1am getting us groceries for the night etc. So sweet! BIG BLESSINGS THEY ARE!
New parents after the hard work:)
The sign in our room...AMEN!
A.T and Z.T (He kept his promise and cut that goatee off the next day since she was born healthy and happy. Praise God!)
I have a baby...
Shout out to all the visitors:) Ben and Ashley, Danny, LeCrae and Darragh, Lara, Liz, Jeremy and Shannon, Heather and Rick, Paula and Joelle! Love y'all!
Ashley's due in Feb. with a little girl!
Veto and Shannon
Danny, Jeremy, Irene and Liz
Liz, Darragh (who had her baby 4 days later) and some chubby girl eating:)
David and Lecrae meeting Z
All the guests are gone...little lonely Z
At home with Dad
Ok, my baby is screaming for food. Better go! I will post newer pictures later! Thanks for being patient!
Til Later,
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