Happy Birthday Jeremiah!

On Thursday, April 25th we went in at 6:00am for an induction. The day before my doctor had checked me and I was dilated to 4 and 80% effaced. She said he was extremely low and my cervix was more than "ready."

We went in at 6:00am got all checked in and hooked up to an IV for fluids. 

At about 8:00am they started me on Pitocin and then we waited...with lots of family to keep us company and make the day so memorable.

I was having contractions but nothing any more major than what I had been having for weeks.

Around 11:30am my doctor came by and broke my water. 

Almost immediately my contractions got much much worse and I requested an epidural. 

I love the person who came up with the epidural. It was amazing!

The nurse checked me around 12:00 and I was 6cm and almost fully effaced. 

 By 1:30 I was feeling a lot of pressure and she checked me again and I was 10cm and ready to deliver!

 She was surprised how low his head was and hurried to get the room ready for delivery.

We did a few trial pushes before my doctor got there and that's when the drama began...

the baby's heart rate dropped and I was being flipped side to side over and over different positions trying to get it back to normal. It went all the way down to zero and I felt a slight panic in the room but finally we found a position that he liked. His heart rate came back up and I did not move from that position again until my doctor arrived. The guess was that he was laying on his cord or it was possibly wrapped around his neck. Great! 

Once my doctor arrived she took a quick look and commented that she did not even have time to change her clothes. The baby was coming too soon...she said "wow, he is going to be out in no time, he is right there, let's get pushing!"

Just before 2:00 I started pushing....

I pushed...and pushed...and pushed....

He definitely was not coming as quickly as they had predicted. 

I was exhausted...he was stuck...

I needed an episiotomy and he still was not coming.

I have never worked so hard in my life. It was absolutely the hardest thing I have ever done and I do not know what I would have done without the epidural. 

Finally at 3:35pm he came out and that's when more drama began...

They immediately put him on my chest but he didn't stay there long. 

Shaun cut the cord and they took him over to work on him because he was not crying and was barely breathing. They shook him all around, pulled on his limbs and finally he started to cry. It was so scary and hard to watch. I just remember crying and praying. That cry was the best sound I had ever heard. 

Praise the Lord he was going to be alright. 

So, the reason I pushed for so long turned out to be because his head was turned sideways. He had been banging into my pelvis with the side of his head for almost 2 hours as I pushed. He came out with a giant cone and bruise on the side of his head. Poor baby!

Bruised and cone-headed but otherwise looked perfect.
My Baby Boy
Jeremiah David
7 lbs. 6.9 ounces
20 1/4 inches long

We are in love!