Happy 1st Birthday Gabriel!

At 8:30a.m., a year ago, the Pitocin was started. And I was invincible. I wasn't scared of that pity little drug. Nope not me....

Little did I know, my doctor had set it to be doubled to the max a lot quicker then they do most patients. He did this because of my history with pre-eclampsia, and my blood pressure--although stable, had gotten quite high at some points. Gabe, though, was doing great.

This is where things get fuzzy; I do believe it was around 2:45p.m. (ish...) that I had asked for the nurse to help me to the bathroom. It seemed like she was taking forever, but I wasn't allowed to get outta bed without her in there, due to the pitocin. She came in to unhook everything and help me to the bathroom. I then said, "Nevermind, I think I just peed myself......noooo, wait. I think my water just broker. Noooooooo, I peed myself". She then checked and indeed my water did break.

I was so, so VERY excited that my water broke...It meant they wouldn't send me home, and until it did break it was a up and down if I would be sent home the next day, if the pitocin didn't work, to wait a week and try again. I had a huge fear that this would happen.

Then the contractions got strong and hard, and hurt horribly. I was miserable...did I mention that it hurt? I begged for pain meds, they gave me some fentanyl through the IV and check to see how far I was. At a 4 still but 100% effaced. Oh did I also mention my cervix/uterus is tilted and I stayed posterior throughout labor and delivery, so getting checked hurt worse then the contractions? Well it did....a lot. I would almost jump off the bed.

I caved and asked for an epidural. Josh said he wouldn't let me get it....and I threatened to kick him out of the room and go to the nurses station and ask for it myself. He kept telling me no. You wanna know why? Because the day before, on our way to the induction-I told him he better do everything in his power to not let me get an epidural. So he was doing as I asked. But I was naive... I was superwoman remember? Yeah, right.

I got the epidural about 5p.m. (I think, like I said it's kinda fuzzy) and they checked me right after. and I was at 6cm. I was pain free, and in heaven. My blood pressure was starting to raise though, so they kept putting me on my side, but then Gabe's heartrate would drop (not extremely low, but low enough) so I would move back to my back (which is completely opposite, because usually the heart rate drops when the mother is on her back). My thinking, I would rather have a stroke from high blood pressure, then something be wrong to Gabe from his heart rate dropping. So there I laid...

After the epidural...so much happier!

Us an hour after the epidural, and I was being nice again :)

Earlier the nurse has said after she checked me that she wouldn't check me anymore unless I said I felt pressure. Pressure? What's that suppose to feel like? They said I would know. So I waited and waited and waited some more. Finally at 7p.m. I was getting anxious and I told them I "felt" something different, although I didn't. It felt exactly the same... She said I was 10 & 100 and to do a few practice pushes. I did one, and she said to stop and called in the doctor. She said I was a great pusher. At 7:29pm Gabriel Kaige was born.

Nurse having me do some practice pushes...

Josh telling his mom he's gonna be born soon..

Gabriel enters the world!

Getting his APGAR's and sized up!

All cleaned off and bundled up!

Our new family!

First time holding Gabe...

 I can't say that it was everything I hoped and wanted, mostly because I had some complications after delivery (see the pasty white ghost in the above picture). Long story short, I lost blood. A lot of blood. Luckily they got the bleeding to stop before I had to be taken to surgery. They used medical instruments that looked like they came from Mars. And because of that, I'm so glad I got the epidural. I leave the rest of the after stuff off of here, because frankly, it's not all that interesting...stitches and such.

Happy 1st Birthday Gabriel! We love you so very much! Oh and a collage from his pro pics he had this afternoon.