Delivery

I LOVED being pregnant. I had some sciatic pain and I was always tired, but overall it wasn’t bad at all. I loved knowing I was never alone and I was keeping my baby safe. I came home from work on February 5^th, 2025 exhausted and my back was really bothering me. I had lost my mucous plug the previous week, but I had read that labor could still be weeks away. Zach was making manicotti, and I was starving. It was taking SO long to get to temperature. Finally, Zach tried the thermometer again and realized he had been looking at Celsius so it had been fully cooked for quite a while. We laughed and sat down at the table and ate our dinner. I was so tired we decided to shower early and go to bed. While Zach showered, I laid on the bed about to fall asleep already. Zach yelled out that he was done so I could go next. As soon as I stood up, I felt my water break. It poured onto the floor. I yelled for Zach and told him we needed to go to the hospital. He came out of the bathroom frantic. We immediately called CMH and let them know my water broke and we would be in soon. I asked Zach to grab me clothes to change into. He went to the wrong closet looking for clothes because he was so frazzled but finally found a t-shirt dress. Luckily, I had already packed my hospital go-bag, so we grabbed that and headed out. I then called my mom and told her we were on our way to the hospital and she and my dad immediately dropped everything to come. The whole ride to the hospital, I kept having more and more fluid. By the time we got there, I was soaked and so was my car. Thank goodness for leather seats.

We checked in and walked up to labor and delivery. I went straight back to my first room and changed into a gown. I was scared but even more excited. My first check I was 3cm dilated. They took my vitals and told me they were prepping a different room for me to go into. We didn’t stay very long and then took our load of things to the next room. My contractions were getting stronger, but definitely still manageable. I wanted to try everything to avoid an epidural. I knew our son would immediately go to the NICU, and if I didn’t get an epidural I would have been able to walk over to see him sooner. In the beginning, this was easy to avoid. But once I got to my new room, they started an IV and ran Pitocin. Gradually my contractions started getting unbearably strong with no breaks. I moved from laying down, sitting, leaning over the bed, and using the yoga ball but eventually nothing was helping. I was having non-stop painful contractions. My dilation started to slow and I was at 7-8cm and not progressing very fast. I finally asked the nurse “how late is too late for the epidural?” She told me I could still get it up until actively pushing. About 10 minutes later I caved and asked for the epidural. Anesthesia came in and sat everything up. I leaned over into Zach and as soon as he started to place the needle a contraction started. I tried so hard to not move and thankfully he got it in quickly. Minutes after he placed the epidural, my pain was comparable to menstrual cramps. It was about 4 am and I turned on Shrek and was finally able to get about an hour of sleep.

I woke up feeling more rested than expected and the last bit of Shrek to watch. Shortly before shift change, my nurse said we were moving to the delivery room. I was rolled over to the delivery room and getting pretty excited. The room was connected to another large room for the NICU team. As soon as our baby was born, he would have to be intubated and put on the ventilator, so the rooms are connected for quick access. My new day nurse came in and asked if we could do a check. She was very impressed by how well I was able to move around in bed and lift my legs, but everything was numb. As soon as she looked, she knew it was almost time. My dad decided to step out since things were starting to progress. Then she said, “let’s do three practice pushes.” I did the three pushes and then took a break for a minute or so. During the second round of practice pushes, she immediately said “STOP, I need to get the doctor.” It made me a little nervous thinking something was wrong, but then the doctor came in and said, “it’s time to have a baby!” The delivery team was ready and the NICU team was waiting to step in. I pushed one more time and at exactly 8 am, he flew out! Immediately, the NICU team took hold of him and did a few quick wipes and suction so I could see him, and then took him to the next room.

I cried at how perfect he was and I cried because he didn’t make a noise. I was so scared. The nurse then said it was good he didn’t cry because we didn’t want any air in his stomach that could smush his lungs more. I was relieved but still so anxious. Zach was able to go to his room and watch what was going on. He took pictures and video called me so I didn’t feel left out. It was also a really good distraction while being sewn up. We waited for what felt like eternity but was really only an hour or so. They had gotten our baby stabilized on the ventilator and IV medications, so it was time to take him to the NICU. They brought his radiant warmer to my bedside so I could get my first good look at him before he had to go. I was in awe. It was so crazy feeling so much love for him in such short time. It was a feeling like no other and one of the best feelings I have every experienced. We took some quick pictures, and then he was taken away. As soon as he was out of our room, I was asking how long until I could go see him.

I was moved back to my regular room. My nurse told me I just had to urinate before going to see our boy. I wasn’t sure I even had to go but told her I was ready so things would go quicker. Luckily, I was able to go just a little. But I got very dizzy. I stayed sitting in the bathroom for a few minutes until I started feeling more steady. Then I got in the wheelchair and my nurse okayed for me to go to the NICU. During all of this, I had been asked many times what his name was. But I just couldn’t name him without seeing him first. We definitely had our list of contenders, but I wanted to make sure it fit HIM. I was wheeled into his room with Zach and wearing my bright pink gown. I went to the side of his bed and cried so many happy tears. He was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. He filled me with so much warmth and emotion that I have never felt before. Zach and I whispered for a few seconds, but we both knew what name fit him best. Charlie.