A Baby Story

Dear Colin,

I considered giving up this blog after you were born.  I'm (justifiably) weary of putting too much information about you out onto the word wide web.  But I'm amazed out how fast time is flying and how much you're growing every day.  I want a way to document EVERYTHING, and this blog still seems like the best way to do that for now.  So...here we go!  This is your birth story.

I always knew that you would go past your due date and that we would have to evict you.  Dr. Sayeed does not let her patients go more than a week past their due dates, so at my last doctor's appointment, I asked if she could schedule the induction to give you a St. Patrick's Day birthday.  Sure enough, March 14 came and went and you showed no desire to leave your cocoon (that would be me). So, on March 16 at 10 p.m., your dad and I drove up to the hospital as scheduled and announced that we were there "to have a kid."  After filling out paperwork and getting settled in, we were ready to get the party started at 11 p.m.

When we got to the hospital, I was not dialated at all, so the nurses came in about every three hours to administer cytotech misoprostil to ripen the cervix.  My contractions became pretty intense in my lower  back around 4 a.m., so the nurse (Bree) put Demerol in my I.V., which completely knocked me out and allowed me to get some much-needed rest.  When I woke up a few hours later, your Nana, Daddy Ben, and Uncle Joey had all arrived to welcome you into the world!  Nana was allowed to stay in the delivery room.  Daddy Ben and Uncle Joey were relegated to the waiting room ;)

At about 10 a.m., I was two cenimeters dialated, and Dr. Sayeed decided she could break my water.  After that, labor progressed rapidly enough that they decided not to use the Pitocin.  Just one hour later, I already was six cenimeters dialated and had my epidural.  (Prior to the epidural, all of the labor pain was in my lower back, and the pain was constant.  I threw up three times, including when I got the epidural).  

The nurses continued to monitor your heart rate and were worried that it kept fluctuating drastically and that you may be in distress.  Finally, my nurse (Kara) said, "I think he's ready to come out!  It's time to start pushing!"  I told her I didn't know how!  I literally could not feel anything from the waist down and only knew when to push when coached by Kara or when I looked at the monitor meauring the contractions.  

After about one hour of active pushing, you arrived to much fan fare at 1:22 p.m.  You were 8 lbs., 6 oz., and 20 inches long, with a head of dark hair and grey/blue eyes.  I wish I could write down exactly what I felt when I first saw you, but I can't.  There are some moments in life so extraordinary that even the written word cannot serve them justice.  

    

 Your dad and I will never be the same, and we never want to go back to life without you.

Love,

Mom