I think it is only appropriate to make my first real post on this blog about Max's arrival. For those of you who already know the story, you can skip this posting and move onto the next one!
A lot of things were going on this past summer that were making me more then a little stressed. The travel agency I work for changed ownership, and my new bosses took the revenue from my department into heavy consideration when they decided to purchase Bokoff Kaplan Travel. So, I knew that I had to do well for them to keep them impressed. Easier said then done when you are just about to have your first baby and your co-worker's second child is due to arrive 2 weeks after! But, I vowed that I would do my best, and that's exactly what I did. With that in mind, I decided to work as long as I possibly could up until Max was born.
My original due date was the 22nd of July, but due to the gestational diabetes I wound up with, the doctors decided to induce me on the 15th of July. With this date in mind, I decided that my last day in the office would be Saturday, July 12th, but on the 10th I was just exhausted and, well, fat, so I left the office around 1pm and resigned myself to the fact that I would not be back in. I had a doctor's appointment the morning before and they really weren't happy about me working anymore and seriously suggested that I stay home until they induced me, anyway, so I figured that I would follow doctor's orders and try to relax a little.
I was so ready for Max to arrive, and I told Ted that we should do everything possible to get him out. So, I added a little crushed red pepper to my Boboli pizza we had for dinner, and Ted and I went for a short walk after we finished up. When we arrived back home, I got to the top of the stairs and felt a small push of liquid come out and the thought crossed my mind that my water may have broken. But, it really wasn't much, so I dismissed it, and spent some time relaxing on the couch with Ted before he had to go to bed. He had to be asleep early to cover the early morning shift for work, and I guess I had a feeling that something was up, so around 8pm I told him to get to bed just in case we had to head to the hospital. Sure enough, around 830 I got up from the couch and felt a much larger gush of water come out so I called the doctor, explained what was going on, and was told to head to the hospital so they could check to see if my water broke.
During the drive to the hospital which takes all of 5 minutes, my heart was racing. I knew deep down that this was it, and I would be seeing my boy soon. I wasn't in any pain, but as I waddled to the birthing center, I was feeling water come out in small pushes, and the baby seemed settled, like he was resting up before making his debut. The emotions were wonderful; I didn't know what to expect and I was scared but so excited and happy that I felt like I could jump out of my skin.
Sure enough, the doctor found that my water broke, and they got me set up in the hospital room with my gown and the fetal monitor and IV saline drip and I was settled in by 10pm. Ted went to get my bag from the car and call his parents, I called my Dad and texted some friends, and then I rested and waited for the contractions to come. And boy, did they come.....
Me, resting thanks to drugs.....I wish I could tell you exactly what contractions felt like to me, but I just can't remember, other then they hurt. Bad. For the record, they do NOT feel like menstrual cramps "magnified". I had some kind of pain med given to me around 1 or 2 am, and then the epidural around 430am. The epidural did NOT hurt as much as I thought it would, quite honestly. After it was in, I told the anesthetiologist that he was my new best friend. I wasn't kidding!!!!! Thanks to the drugs, I slept a lot, and around 10 am I was ready to start pushing. I pushed and pushed for 2 hours before they realized that due to the epidural, I wasn't getting far enough along with getting the baby out. They sent Ted to go get lunch (hey....no fair!!!!!) and they "turned down" my epidural. Let's be serious here....they turned OFF that epidural!!!!! That's when the real pain started.
My siatic nerve was killing me, so the midwife Tyann suggested that I get on my hands and knees on the bed, which I did. Let me tell you something....you have NO shame after you've had your bare ass sticking up in the air while strangers are walking in and out of the room and you're trying to push a baby out of you.....
Ted got back from his lunch (he seemed annoyed and a little nervous that they had sent him away; it seemed as though he would have been happier staying with me) and they had me start pushing again. Ted was awesome; the best coach a girl could have. He was holding one of my legs and counting down each push evenly and calmly and he was so encouraging and loving that I really feel lucky to have him as a husband.
After a while, the midwife and nurse started practically yelling that they could see Max's head and it was full of the blondest blond hair. We had a mirror set up at the end of the bed so Ted and I could watch the delivery, and I couldn't see anything yet so I was getting frustrated. When I could finally see his head, the pain seriously kicked in and I wanted him out of me. I said to Ted, "I can't do it. Just tell them to get him out! Tell them to do whatever they have to do, but get him out. I can't do it." Of course, no one took me seriously, and they encouraged me to keep going and to push through the pain. Finally, at 2:34Pm, Max Keenan Lorson was born at 7 pounds and 9 ounces and was measured at 21 1/4 inches. He was beautiful, and MY!!! All that blond hair really was amazing!!!!
My little "bun" fresh out of the "oven"....Wow. I couldn't believe I was someone's mother. ME!!! It was amazing, and frightening and wonderful all at the same time. Max slept most of that day and Ted and I just sat and looked at him for hours. Some friends from work came to see Max, and of course his grandparents ran up to hold him and love him.
We slept and ate well that night (Ted went out to get me a Big Mac...yum!), and then the following day we had more visitors. Ted's sister Kathleen, more friends from work, and my best friend Karen and her family, and my dear friend Matt all came to wish us well. He was a lucky little boy to have all that attention and affection!!!
Karen and Michelle
Matt
Theresa
Sabrina
Kathleen
On Sunday, we put Max in his going-home outfit and took the 5-minute trip back to our place. He looked so tiny in his car seat and I was really worried about how the cats would react to the new addition. They didn't seem bothered at all, really, so all was well. For the first few days being home, he seemed to have day and night confused, so he would sleep all day and then be awake and a little cranky at night. That eventually wore off, and Max and I settled into a good, although frequent and sometimes frustrating, schedule. I felt the pressure of being his only source of nourishment a lot, but Ted was great at encouraging me and convincing me to stay strong and not give him formula yet. We eventually did, but I breast fed exclusively for a good 3 or 4 weeks, so I was happy.
Anyway, now my boy is three months old and doing well. From here on in, I will give updates often about him and his milestones, so check back in!!!
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