I know, almost 4 weeks late.
Kate's birth story is really similar to Natalie's, I'll just start out with that. Also, may be a little bit TMI for some people... consider yourself warned. Oh, and it's long, cause I ramble like that.
So, there I was, almost a week overdue. My parents had come into town for the arrival of our little lady, and I was getting kinda antsy to have the baby. No one was pressuring me(expect Matt) to get induced, but I felt bad just sitting there like a maternity bomb. Matt wanted me to just schedule an induction and have an epidural. He wasn't the biggest fan of watching me in pain with Natalie, but I held my ground. This girl was coming when she wanted to. And she decided she wanted to start coming midnight Saturday night, when my water broke.
I woke Matt up, changed my clothes and put on some trusty depends. We told my parents we were leaving and headed for the hospital, which is 40 minutes away. When we pulled into the birthing center around 1 am I thought it would be funny if I walked in and asked the admitting nurse if they could just induce me, I was done being pregnant. It wasn't all that funny.
I put on the gown of birthing glory and hopped into bed while they asked me all sorts of questions. The nurse seemed really nice, but she had a really glittery headband on and I kinda sorta didn't trust her all that much. Then she attempted put my IV in and I REALLY didn't trust her. She was having a hard time positioning the needle, and then she was struggling to get the thing attached to the IV bag, and somehow something broke and I started spurting blood everywhere. So... that wasn't super fun and we had to delay the IV insertion until my queasiness passed. I spent that time wondering if there was a nice way to ask for another nurse, but then I decided to give her another chance and she nailed the second attempt on my other hand.
Then for the wait. My nurse redeemed herself by encouraging me to walk around instead of tethering me to my bed. I switched off walking the hall and watching Gladiator on tv while they put the fetal monitor back on. Let me tell you, HUGE difference to be up. I think something about being stuck in bed just makes you feel like an invalid and mentally makes it worse. At first I didn't really want to get up(I was tired man, it was the middle of the night) but I'm really glad I did. I dilated normally and didn't ever get stuck.
At about 6 am contractions were getting pretty intense and I was at an 8. I asked the nurse how much longer she thought I had, and she guessed probably about three hours. That's when I started to think that two was plenty of kids. I didn't want to do this ever again. Three more hours? Luckily, she was wrong.
Pretty soon after that my contractions started to change and I felt like I was getting close. I told my nurse that and she said she would go call the doctor and get the room set up. When she came back she said the dr was going to shower and come in. Uhhh, not sure she understood the gravity of the situation. I was like, ready to push now. I told her this and people real quick got the room set up and she and another nurse stood sentry duty watching the window to see when the doctor pulled up. I think she realized she had waited too long. They kept telling me how calm and in control I was... but at that point I didn't really have much of a choice:) It was super uncomfortable feeling like I needed to push and not doing it!
Finally the doctor got there. He literally walked in the room, introduced himself to Matt, put on his gown and gloves while they took apart the bed and told me to push. He was the on call doctor that night but I had seen him at one of my other appointments. I liked him because when they were taking apart the bed he asked if I had an epidural and Matt told him no, and he asked if I had anything with my first and Matt told him I had fentanyl and he said 'that doesn't count, it doesn't do anything' (which made me feel better cause I totally didn't think it did either).
Anyways. Since I was apparently so 'calm and in control' (I didn't really feel that way, I just like to suffer in silence) Matt wasn't really too worried about me. I tell you, he was looking at me like I was dying when I started pushing Natalie out. I started pushing and this doctor let me scream and grunt and yell all I wanted... and so I did. Luckily, I only had to push through one contraction and a little bit before they put my 'little', beautiful new girl on my tummy. It was so amazing to get to hold her right away that I didn't even care or notice them punching my stomach down or any of the other good things that happen right after labor. I was a big weepy mess cuddling that sweet little one. I wanted to feed her right away because for some reason all her crying was stressing me out a little. She latched like a pro... and it didn't even hurt AT ALL. I was super amazed, I guess a good latch makes all the difference.
She was born at 7:12 am (a mere hour after the nurse estimated three), 9 lbs 13 oz, 22.5 inches long(the nurse measuring her said she had only measured one other baby longer, and it was the baby of a Sacramento Kings player), so I guess she was pretty long. She looked (and still does) so long and skinny and she had such long fingers and toes(she grips your finger with her toes like a little monkey) and I remember thinking how cute her tiny fingernails were. She had a bunch of dark hair and was just perfect. Matt said she looked like a little Dale (my dad). We named her Katherine Ludine Carter, there are lots of Katherines in my family tree and Ludine is Matt's grandma's name, as well as his mom's and sister's middle name. I call her Kate, Matt and Natalie call her Katie.
I felt pretty darn good after I had her. I was alert and catching my second wind and didn't have any problems getting up and walking around. It was fantastic! Totally a product of staying up as long as possible during labor I think. A lot of people told me that my second would be so much easier than my first and in some ways I think that's true, but I think it was mostly easier because it was faster. It hurt just as bad, but for not for as long.
Kate's birth story is really similar to Natalie's, I'll just start out with that. Also, may be a little bit TMI for some people... consider yourself warned. Oh, and it's long, cause I ramble like that.
So, there I was, almost a week overdue. My parents had come into town for the arrival of our little lady, and I was getting kinda antsy to have the baby. No one was pressuring me(expect Matt) to get induced, but I felt bad just sitting there like a maternity bomb. Matt wanted me to just schedule an induction and have an epidural. He wasn't the biggest fan of watching me in pain with Natalie, but I held my ground. This girl was coming when she wanted to. And she decided she wanted to start coming midnight Saturday night, when my water broke.
I woke Matt up, changed my clothes and put on some trusty depends. We told my parents we were leaving and headed for the hospital, which is 40 minutes away. When we pulled into the birthing center around 1 am I thought it would be funny if I walked in and asked the admitting nurse if they could just induce me, I was done being pregnant. It wasn't all that funny.
I put on the gown of birthing glory and hopped into bed while they asked me all sorts of questions. The nurse seemed really nice, but she had a really glittery headband on and I kinda sorta didn't trust her all that much. Then she attempted put my IV in and I REALLY didn't trust her. She was having a hard time positioning the needle, and then she was struggling to get the thing attached to the IV bag, and somehow something broke and I started spurting blood everywhere. So... that wasn't super fun and we had to delay the IV insertion until my queasiness passed. I spent that time wondering if there was a nice way to ask for another nurse, but then I decided to give her another chance and she nailed the second attempt on my other hand.
Then for the wait. My nurse redeemed herself by encouraging me to walk around instead of tethering me to my bed. I switched off walking the hall and watching Gladiator on tv while they put the fetal monitor back on. Let me tell you, HUGE difference to be up. I think something about being stuck in bed just makes you feel like an invalid and mentally makes it worse. At first I didn't really want to get up(I was tired man, it was the middle of the night) but I'm really glad I did. I dilated normally and didn't ever get stuck.
At about 6 am contractions were getting pretty intense and I was at an 8. I asked the nurse how much longer she thought I had, and she guessed probably about three hours. That's when I started to think that two was plenty of kids. I didn't want to do this ever again. Three more hours? Luckily, she was wrong.
Pretty soon after that my contractions started to change and I felt like I was getting close. I told my nurse that and she said she would go call the doctor and get the room set up. When she came back she said the dr was going to shower and come in. Uhhh, not sure she understood the gravity of the situation. I was like, ready to push now. I told her this and people real quick got the room set up and she and another nurse stood sentry duty watching the window to see when the doctor pulled up. I think she realized she had waited too long. They kept telling me how calm and in control I was... but at that point I didn't really have much of a choice:) It was super uncomfortable feeling like I needed to push and not doing it!
Finally the doctor got there. He literally walked in the room, introduced himself to Matt, put on his gown and gloves while they took apart the bed and told me to push. He was the on call doctor that night but I had seen him at one of my other appointments. I liked him because when they were taking apart the bed he asked if I had an epidural and Matt told him no, and he asked if I had anything with my first and Matt told him I had fentanyl and he said 'that doesn't count, it doesn't do anything' (which made me feel better cause I totally didn't think it did either).
Anyways. Since I was apparently so 'calm and in control' (I didn't really feel that way, I just like to suffer in silence) Matt wasn't really too worried about me. I tell you, he was looking at me like I was dying when I started pushing Natalie out. I started pushing and this doctor let me scream and grunt and yell all I wanted... and so I did. Luckily, I only had to push through one contraction and a little bit before they put my 'little', beautiful new girl on my tummy. It was so amazing to get to hold her right away that I didn't even care or notice them punching my stomach down or any of the other good things that happen right after labor. I was a big weepy mess cuddling that sweet little one. I wanted to feed her right away because for some reason all her crying was stressing me out a little. She latched like a pro... and it didn't even hurt AT ALL. I was super amazed, I guess a good latch makes all the difference.
She was born at 7:12 am (a mere hour after the nurse estimated three), 9 lbs 13 oz, 22.5 inches long(the nurse measuring her said she had only measured one other baby longer, and it was the baby of a Sacramento Kings player), so I guess she was pretty long. She looked (and still does) so long and skinny and she had such long fingers and toes(she grips your finger with her toes like a little monkey) and I remember thinking how cute her tiny fingernails were. She had a bunch of dark hair and was just perfect. Matt said she looked like a little Dale (my dad). We named her Katherine Ludine Carter, there are lots of Katherines in my family tree and Ludine is Matt's grandma's name, as well as his mom's and sister's middle name. I call her Kate, Matt and Natalie call her Katie.
I felt pretty darn good after I had her. I was alert and catching my second wind and didn't have any problems getting up and walking around. It was fantastic! Totally a product of staying up as long as possible during labor I think. A lot of people told me that my second would be so much easier than my first and in some ways I think that's true, but I think it was mostly easier because it was faster. It hurt just as bad, but for not for as long.
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| Our family of four! |
Natalie loved her right away, as seen by the lick kiss being bestowed above.
We had lots of family come and visit us on Sunday, so that was fun. Sunday night was not fun, so I had them check us out of there Monday morning. We love our new little munckin!
3 comments:
You are a warrior!..good job! ;0) Kate is so beautiful just like her momma! Glad everything went well and i hope you are adjusting well to the new addition/adventure!
"maternity bomb", "glittery headband" hahaha, you had me laughing out loud! Thanks for sharing your birth story (I like reading them too!). Wow, your water broke both times, that is cool! I agree with you about standing during labor, you can't make me sit. I'm glad it was faster! All your pictures turned out so nice, especially Natalie kissing Kate! Congrats again on your new baby girl. :)
Love birth stories! SO GREAT!
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