My due date was November 9th. On Tuesday, November 8th I saw my OBGYN for a check up. He told me that I was dilated to a 2 and that Jet still had to drop and turn a little bit more before I would be ready to deliver. I was concerned about being overdue and having a huge baby but he said, based on my ultrasound the previous week, that Jet was just under or over 7 pounds and not to worry. He told me he would be out of town over the weekend and let me know about the doctor on call for him. We scheduled an appointment for the following Monday so we could do some monitoring after my due date.
Daniel really wanted to have the baby on Friday, November 11th (11/11/11, Veteran's Day) but I could tell early on in the day that it wasn't in the cards for us. But after we had gone to bed that night I woke up several times with strong contractions. They weren't painful but they were strong enough to wake me up. I just went back to sleep each time thinking it was nothing. So when we woke up in the morning (about 5:30) I started having mild contractions about 2-3 minutes apart. Regular, mild contractions aren't exactly a big deal when you're 9 months pregnant but Daniel decided to start keeping track on my phone app. He knew I had contractions through the night and was convinced that I was going into active labor. We kept track for about 2 hours and they were still the same, only getting stronger. Again, no pain, just uncomfortable. Then they started to shift. They were becoming a tiny bit painful and 4-5 minutes apart.We called my parents and let them know I would probably have the baby that day and that they might want to start thinking about when they were coming down.
We didnt' tell Daniel's parents until about 10 am. We were on our way to our water store to put a sign up letting people know we were going to be closed that day. We called his parents on the way there to ask if we could hang out at their house during the day (they live closer to our hospital). My mother in law offered to take Kailyn to our water store and work it for us so we could stay open. We all agreed to meet at the hospital since it was in between our homes. I'm not exactly sure who made the official decision but it was decided for me that I would go into triage and see how close I was. I knew I wasn't ready and really didn't want to get undressed, hooked up, lay around for a couple hours, and then have them tell me to go home but that's exactly what happened. We got to the hospital at 10:30 and we left at about 12:30. I was dilated to a 3 and wasn't "progressing". My contractions seemed to be less regular at that point, but they were definitely becoming more painful.
We got to the Wray home (just the 2 of us), had lunch, and watched T.V. while my contractions continued to get stronger and more painful. I used my breathing technique and sometimes moaning to get through them. And then, just as I lay myself down on Danny's lap to try and sleep, Daniel's dad came home. I thought that I would be super irritated by anyone else's company but he actually lightened the mood. He made jokes and kept conversations going. He even made me a dessert. Eventually my contractions became so uncomfortably strong that I had to get up and walk around and THAT was amazing. I labored with Kailyn in the hospital bed but walking around a house I'm comfortable in was so much easier. I was able to rock around, sway my hips, brace myself against the wall...it was SO much better than being in the hospital. Just before 4 pm and started feeling like I needed to have a BM. I told Daniel that it was time to start thinking about heading to the hospital. 3 contractions later I got the impulse to push. I told Daniel it was time to go.
We got in the car and headed over to the hospital. Danny is such a trooper when it comes to being supportive. On the way to the hospital, while I was moaning and groaning through the intensity, he was saying things like "Look. Warm Springs (street the hospital is on) goes all the way through. That's convenient, right?" and "I'm so proud of you for laboring at home" and "Good job breathing". I know he was consciously thinking of things to say, but they were all heartfelt and that's what made it perfect.
When we got to the hospital Danny signed me in while I went to triage and changed into the hospital gown. I went to the bathroom and lost my plug. The nurse waited for Danny and then checked to see how far I was dilated...8-9! WOOHOO! That was so good to hear. It was time and I was ready for it! So they move me down a couple rooms and I continued my labor there.
My water broke and the pushing sensation came fairly quickly after that. I was having a hard time controlling my breathing so they got me an oxygen mask. The lead nurse was AWESOME! The doctor was in the parking lot, but I was already about to crown so the nurse just gave me directions that were surprisingly helpful. With Kailyn they just kept telling me to hold back on the pushing and wait for my doctor. And when the doctor got there is was just "Push! Push! Push!" This time my nurse did the exact opposite. She told me she knew it was natural to push when my body was ready and to let it happen, but she also, very calmly, told me when to "hold it" so I didn't tear as much. Also, we had discussed having Danny help assist in the delivery but since my doctor wasn't there we were afraid he wasn't going to be able to be involved. But our Super Nurse came to the rescue again and let him participate. Not as much as he would have liked to, but he was still able to help receive Jet.
A few pushes later he was out at 5:05 (about an hour after getting to the hospital). He had the umbilical cord pulled across his neck but nothing life threatening. They cut the cord and whisked him away because he lost his coloring really fast and they wanted to make sure he was ok. It seemed like forever until I was able to hold him. Finally they brought him. I didn't get to have any skin on skin contact because they wrapped him up to try and bring his color back in. After holding him for a bit they took Jet to the nursery to, again, do some tests and to try to get his coloring back. GRRR! So frustrating. They were gone for about 45 minutes. But when he came back he was healthy and had his color. He was such a beautiful newborn and he has the cutest hair color I've ever seen.
Well, the rest is history. We went home the next day and started the real work. He's very healthy and happy and his sister loves him to bits! He cries more than Kailyn did and he always wants to be held but for the most part he's an angel. We love you, Jet! I'm so happy you decided to stick with us for eternity!
