the blissed life: happening: and then there were three

…plus little allie.

if i’ve learned anything with carson’s unexpectedly early arrival it’s that all babies have a birth story that is uniquely their own. here’s carson’s:

the weekend before carson made his debut two of my closest girlfriends hosted an intimate shower for me and a pistol and pampers shower for cody. this would be insignificant really to the story except that for fun, we asked everyone who attended to submit a guess for when they thought the baby might arrive. the guesses ranged from november 18^th to december 6^th. not a single person guessed october 26th! but that’s when our miracle baby wanted to come.

after feeling a little lethargic and nesting all afternoon (our fridge and freezer look like new again) i remember wanting nothing more than to go to bed early sunday night. cody was scheduled to leave for a business trip that next afternoon for the rest of the week. since i had been experiencing some new pregnancy symptoms, apparently indications of pre-term labor according to mary sue who was my first call with questions, i asked him to drive his own vehicle just in case. he assured me he’d have a vehicle and be only a few hours away. teary-eyed i accepted the fact that he would likely go and he made sure to comfort me until we went to bed.

sometime early in the morning on the 26^th i let allie out and felt what i would later learn to be my water breaking. not noticing a significant amount of leakage or terrible abdominal pain i made myself quit worrying, quit googling, and go back to bed. after waking for work and still feeling like i was experiencing either braxton hicks contractions or the real deal i called an on-call nurse prior to leaving the house. i filled her in on all of the details and she suggested i pack a bag and have someone drive me to labor and delivery. cody seemed surprised and at about the same time shared that his trip was getting pushed back a few days. i felt instantly relieved!

it’s a good thing that i am a very organized person. for weeks i had been collecting items for a hospital bag (nursing tanks & supplies, hair product minis and travel toiletries, cozy socks, feminine products, etc.) and they were nicely sitting in carson’s room. that morning they haphazardly made it into a bag with the thought that we’d be coming back home at some point to do it all over again later. we also gathered up some baby things and hurried off. that is, after we finally got allie to her kennel. she knew we were leaving for awhile and she was stubborn about leaving the garage and missing out.

at the hospital i was quickly admitted and tests were run. initially i asked cody what he thought of all the commotion and he said ‘i don’t think he’s ready to come.’ after the monitors were hooked up indicating consistent contractions and a possible water break he said ‘i think he does want to come.’ all of this in a matter of minutes cracked me up. the tests indicated what i thought to be true, my water had broke and preterm labor was emanate.

for some women this can be scary but i was honestly cool, calm, and collected. i figured God would take care of me and the baby and what needed to happen would. i was right. the doctor warned me of all the concerns with delaying labor as well as with moving forward then she said ‘today is labor day.’ there was no time to be anxious or nervous. i was going to have a baby!!!

now, despite all the planning one thing i did not create (and personally don’t ever plan to for any of my babies) is a birth plan. i’m the type of person who has always wanted to follow rules and achieve any type of goal that i set for myself. in creating a plan i knew i’d hold myself to that same standard and with the birth of a child that type of pressure seemed pointless. at 10:30 AM i was moved to a delivery room and petocin was injected to start the labor induction process. that’s when we called the parents and siblings and i called worked. people’s reactions made us giggle; yes even during contractions. grandpa gar’s was my favorite, ‘she’s what?!?!!’ and then ‘did you call your mother?’

after the calls were made i sent cody out to get the rest of our things and by the time he returned my contractions were off the charts and sporadic. there was no pattern and they continued intensely for minutes on end. cody quickly stepped in and coached me through each one; rubbing my back and holding my hand. at 11:37 AM i was checked. the doctor had indicated that the induction process could take hours so i had no expectation. the nurse indicated i was in active labor and dilated to a four. at 1 PM i requested an epidural and was at a 7. within minutes the moms had arrived and for the epidural i am thankful. i was able to carry on full conversations with hardly a wince while i contracted. then i was checked again. according to my incredibly supportive nurse, eileen, i was at a 10+2 and it was time. at approximately 2:15 PM i started to push.

laboring a baby is definitely a unique experience and not one that they prepare you for; even in the birthing class. cody counted and everyone in the room cheered me on. it was truly an out of body experience. on the final try, prior to moving over to surgery for an emergency c-section, carson taylor was born.

he arrived at 2:44 PM weighing only 4 pounds and 12 ounces. he was 17.25” long and surprised all of the medical staff by breathing on his own. dad cut the cord and followed him everywhere in the room and then down to the newborn intensive care unit (NICU). i have never loved my husband more than i did in those few minutes after giving birth. while i was allowed some skin-to-skin time with my little man i had to wait almost two hours before seeing my son again. i am not a very patient person and the wait was excruciating. while most women have rooms full of family, their new babies, husbands and medical staff mine was empty, except for eileen for part of those two hours that i waited. nothing can ever prepare you for that kind of feeling of emptiness after such a trying, eventful and celebratory experience. sometime later everyone returned and they helped me down to the NICU to see my baby.

he’s perfect in every way. i cannot imagine loving him any more than i already do. i can’t wait for all of the adventures life with bring him and for allie to meet her brother. :) if his arrival is any indication of what type of baby, child, and adult he will be we better get ready.