Jesse Robert

I've never written down a birth story before, but there's a first for everything! I promise not to get too graphic!

my labors have always been pretty easy in comparison to others I've heard of. Lila was my easiest ever, we attribute this to her being such a perfect kid that she didn't want to be a burden even during delivery lol.

So I ended up going into labor on wed oct 14 2015 at exactly 37 weeks. I had been 2cm dilated and 50% effaced for about a week so I was extremely nervous that once labor started it was going to go very fast. Previous labors for me have been between 8-12hours. My Tuesday check up revealed I was dilated to 3cm and my doctor said I would probably deliver before the following week. The days leading up to Wednesday were terrible. I could tell it was coming soon just based on the fact that I felt tired, achy, sick to my stomach and over it. I kept telling robbie in the morning, I really thought last night was the night.

Early wed morning around 3am I woke up to go pee for the 100th time that night and started to feel contractions. By 5 am they had died down and I just felt crampy and tired. I woke up around 8 and tried to relax but felt super uncomfortable. Finally I called my mom and told her how worried I was that I might be dilating more and not realizing it. She suggested I call the doctor. They told me they could get me in to check around 2pm and would then decide if I should go to labor and delivery. Being the procastinater I am when it comes to packing (and nothing else) I showered and finished packing the girls bags and mine and off we went in 1/2hour. My doctors office confirmed I was still at 3cm and was welcome to go home. My doctor pointed out that I was having contractions and even though she wasn't on call that night to call her if I started to notice them getting consistent.

I decided to do my weekly grocery shopping a day early since I knew I wasn't going to be making it much longer. The girls and I filled up the cart and my contractions started to become more consistent. By time I made it home they were coming anywhere between 3-8min. Robbie had come home from work so we called the doctor, they ate some pizza and we called Robbie's mom to let her know the girls were coming over.

We dropped the girls off at Robbie's moms house and stayed for a little while so we wouldn't have to sit in the hospital instead. Finally around 7pm we arrived at the hospital and were checked in to triage. After the nurse checked me over she decided to send me walking for 2 hours to see if I would progress at all or if I should go home. So we walked for an hour and came back and then walked another hour and came back. In between she monitored my contractions and checked my cervix. Basically it felt like I was carrying a bowling ball between my legs for 2 hours while robbie distracted me. Towards the end of hour 2 I was on my hands and knees in the snack room while robbie kept saying just get your water to break, jokingly of course. Being in so much pain I couldn't stand up I told robbie I wasn't going home to sleep it off. A funny side note that evening we were signed up to take a tour of the birthing center. We made it for the tour, just not with the rest of the group. Surprisingly it worked. My contractions were closer together and I had dilated further so I was admitted. At this point I was pretty crabby and wanted an epidural. It was 11:30 when we got into labor and delivery and the anthestiologist was busy in a c section so I had to wait, and wait. My doctor showed up and wanted to break my water but the nurse quickly stepped in and begged her to wait until after I got my epidural. She must have seen the panic in my face. Finally they came in to place the epidural and robbie was allowed to stay in and watch for the first time. He said it made him sick and he felt extremely tingly. I've gotten an epidural all three times and I've never seen the needle.

The next hour was extremely comfortable until that tell tale sign shows up. The feeling like you have to take the biggest dump of your life. I paged the nurse and they started getting the room ready. This time I felt an extreme amount of pressure and burning that I never felt with my other kids. It was really uncomfortable and I had to fight the urge to push while we waited for the doctor and nurses. By time they arrived I was full on shaking and ready to go. I pushed about 4 times. Honestly it had the most to do with the fact that it burned like hell when I was pushing. I know people talk about being able to feel it down there when they have the epidural but I've never had that before only the pressure. So between the psyching myself out and saying it hurts I got it done lol. I feel so lucky that I've had such short pushing times. My doctor said my pelvis is made for babies which is why it's so easy. I feel terrible for women who aren't as lucky, especially after being able to feel it this time!

And so he was born oct 15 2015 at 1:39am 7.2oz and 19 1/2 inches. My smallest and earliest baby. He scored 8-9 on his apgar and after some persuading started to breastfeed perfect! He's been an extremely easy baby so far. He eats, sleeps, poops and repeats. I am in love. I am recovering really well. Besides the insane hormone rush I feel pretty well given the circumstances!

Honestly sorry if this is full of spelling errors. I literally texted this entire thing on my phone haha. With a baby sleeping on my chest who just peed out of his diaper..so that's all folks!

Side note-I'm extremely grateful for robbie. He has always kept me in a good mood when things get tough. This being a perfect example of his awesomeness. I'm also thankful for my mother in law who has taken and entertained the girls so I can rest and keep going! My nursing staff and doctors were amazing throughout my hospital stay and I'm so glad for such great memories!