6 years ago today.....

...I went to my doctors appointment.  I was 38 weeks and 6 days pregnant.  The appointment was at 10am.  I was tired, sick of going to the doctor every 3-4 days since the beginning of August.  Tired of all the tests...liver enzyme tests, non-stress tests, blood platelet tests...tired of being on bed rest.  I was huge, no like HUGE, I had retained so much fluid that I could stick my finger down to the second knuckle into the flesh of my ankle, I was 75lbs bigger than when I started this journey 9 months before. 

I get called back, the nurse checks my blood pressure 220/110, she checks my urine....positive for protein (again)  I go into the exam room, and wait (I seemed to do a lot of that with this doctor)    The doctor comes in, looks at my chart, looks at me, looks at the nurses notes of my blood pressure, and then leaves the room without saying a word to me.  A few minuets later he comes back in with a cordless phone in his hands.  He is talking to Labor and Delivery at UVRMC, reading them my chart.  He gets off the phone and then starts to talk with me.  He explains to me the risks of being induced.  He explains to me my chances of having to have a c-section.  He tells me that I will be started right away.  I am to go straight from his office to Labor and Delivery, they will put some medicine up into me to soften my cervix, 6 hrs later I am to go back to repeat the process, 6 hrs after that I am to come back to be hooked to a pitocin drip.  So I left, and did as I was told.

On the way home from the hospital I called Trent.  You see, his National Guard Unit (144th ASMC) had been deployed a month earlier Aug. 13 2005 (which also happened to be our 1st anniversary).  We hadn't picked a name for this baby yet.  Only talked about it.  I couldn't reach him at their mob station, he had really shoddy reception, but I left a message "Trent, you'd better decide on a name, cuz we're having a baby now, today, well maybe tomorrow.."  Lame I know.  I was a little in shock that it was all happening, now, not at all like how I had envisioned having a baby would go.  Oh well.


At 6pm I headed back to the hospital for yet another round of drugs.  I had dinner with my family, went and got ice cream, then tried to get some rest.  At midnight my mom and I headed to the hospital.  About 1am things started happening, the pitocin was dripping, the contractions were coming, but I was okay.  2am, in walks my doctor, he sits at the edge of my bed, checks my progress, and the next thing I knew there was a gush of fluid going everywhere.  I was shocked!  Maybe a little confused, did I just pee everywhere?!  He didn't tell me he was going to break my water, I didn't know what to expect, in fact I had no idea what was even going on.  When it was all done and over with he told me he had broken my water and that things should start to speed up.  And that they did!  I got an epidural not too long after that as I was hurting SO bad. 

4am:  baby is stressed out, heart rate keeps dropping.  They put more fluid up around him and turn off my pitocin.  They put the probe up on his head (twice, she knocked one of them off). And for 4 hrs I made no progress.  At 8am the new nurse come in and turns in back on.  I tell her that I cannot wiggle my toes, I've never done this before, but I keep thinking maybe I should have a little more feeling than I've got.  She assured me I didn't want to feel anything and left the room.  10am dilated to a 5, the doctor comes back around.  He turns my epidural off, tells me I'm too numb.  (I was thinking so...) Tells me he'll see me later.  10:30, I'm DYING, I hurt, no epidural, I'm shaking/shivering, my nurse is no where to be found.  11:30 still no nurse, but someone did come check me, I'm at a 10.  12:00 anesthesiologist comes in and gives me a shot of something in my epidural line...I feel much better in about 3 mins.  Nurse comes back in (where has she been!) We start pushing.  12:20 Doctor comes in and says "I don't know, that baby is still pretty high, you may have to have a c-section."  I. am. angry!  If he had asked me at 2am when I was in all sorts of pain if I just wanted to have a c-section and just get it over with I might have said yes, but now, oh no!  I've worked too hard to stop now!  I tell him I'll push till my eyes pop out, but this baby is going to come down!  He leaves to back to the office, tells me he'll see me in a couple hours.  And I said, no you won't give me 20 mins!  It only took 10.  The nurse told me to stop pushing, she had to get the doctor back in here.  In the middle of all that Trent called, my mom kindly told him I was busy and I'd call him in a bit.

At 1:05 they handed me my baby boy, with the biggest cone head I've EVER seen.  I'm convinced that is why they put that little hat on new babies, it's not to keep them warm but to keep new moms from freaking out about the size of their babies head :)  I called Trent's cell phone, he didn't answer, but I held the phone out so he could hear his baby screaming on his voice mail.

(Seriously, that head was huge!)

Carter James Lyman came into this world weighing 8lbs 6ozs and was 20ins long (but only because of that cone head)  He has brought a smile to my face everyday since! 

Carter is such a blessing to me!  He loves to play with his sister.  Loves to help his baby brother.  He is kind.  His teachers tell me he is very polite (which makes my heart smile!)  He tells me all the time I'm the greatest mom ever.  What a special blessing he is in our lives!!  Happy Birthday Handsome!