"But I'm tired, my contractions are already every three to five minutes and getting stronger, and I'm tired."
"Keep going!"
My younger sister was trying to encourage me to not give up because she was bound determined to meet her newest niece or nephew.
"Mom, call and see if they think I can come in."
So as I continued power walking around my mom's kitchen table and her island, she called the hospital for me. (Yes, I was 22 and I made my mom call for me. ☺) My doctor called back shortly afterwards, being as how it was a Sunday. He told me to come on in and we would see where we were at.
The previous Friday:
"I really hope he will tell me we are dilated, or bulging, or strip my membranes."
"Me too, I'm so excited to meet the baby."
My doctor walks into the exam room with a woman, who politely introduces herself as another doctor.
"I have some bad news," says my doctor.
I hate when he says that. He knows me well and knows I'm not good with change. He delivered me when I was born, and delivered my older daughter. He has been my doctor my whole life, so if anyone knows me in the medical field, it's him.
"As you know I am going out of town next Wednesday and you are due this coming Sunday. I planned on inducing you Monday if you haven't gone on your own yet, but the hospital won't allow me to. Even though according to your period your due date should be July 16, according to your ultrasound you should be due July 30. They won't let me induce you until closer to your due date. That being said, there is a chance I may not be around when you go into labor. If that is the case, I wanted you to meet the doctor who would be delivering you."
This is a nightmare! What is going on?! We had a plan! My doctor moved his vacation thinking if at all necessary to induce I would already be delivered by the time he went on his vacation! Now you're telling me that because of an ultrasound saying my due date is off, I may not get the doctor I've had my entire life, but some stranger who I met for ten minutes during my 40 week check? How would your OB supervisor feel if that happened to her? What if my period was right and the ultrasound was off? Wouldn't it be just as dangerous -if not more- to hold my baby in longer than it needed to be in there to begin with?!
The tears started streaming down my face. I was furious, hurt, and holding it in wouldn't have helped a bit. He gave me a few minutes to collect myself, and then we continued with the appointment. I was only one centimeter dilated and maybe half way effaced. No water bulging. No signs indicating I would be going into labor sooner than later. I left the office with my heart crushed.
We got into the hospital around three in the afternoon and they took us to the labor room.
"We are going to have to get a urine sample and get you changed into a gown. If you present a significant change in your cervix as compared to how it was Friday, we will have reason to admit you."
I got changed, gave the sample and walked over to the hospital bed to hold Justin's hand.
"Hopefully this is it. Hopefully we won't get sent home."
"Hopefully," he replied.
My doctor came in shortly after to check me. I was dilated to three now, and almost the quarters of the way effaced with steady increasingly painful contractions.
"Looks like we are going to admit you, I knew if I scared you enough the baby would come out before I left," he joked.
The next couple hours were us walking around the hospital trying to keep things going, laying in bed to get checked, and lots of paperwork for my nurses and I. I got my epidural around eight at night and about ten they said I wasn't progressing efficiently. They had me get up on my hands and knees and stick my butt straight up in the air. My family was getting tired and most of them came in around 10:30 to let me know they would be back the next morning. Justin and I had agreed that my mother and his mother (if she were here from Arizona) would be allowed in the labor room, but seeing as how our bundle waited until his mom went back to Arizona, we had discussed letting my best friend Taylar stay in her place. (Taylar has been my best friend for eight years and was supposed to be in the room when I had Kiannah, but the school wouldn't let her leave for the birth.)
Ten till eleven they had me roll back onto my back to check me and told me it was time. I was feeling pretty good, all numbed up, no pain. As they were setting up, I asked for the mirror, and oh my gosh I am so happy I did. I pushed about six to eight times. I got to watch my second beautiful daughter come into this world.
Maddox Emmersyn. Seven pounds, eleven ounces. Nineteen and three quarter inches. Perfection, again.
Once again, I wish I could say her name has some extravagent meaning, but honestly Maddox was the only name Justin and I could agree on. Originally, boy or girl, we were going to name the baby Maddox. Then Justin decided that he didn't care for it as a boy name and we agreed on Lynnox for a boy. I picked Emmersyn. I love the name. I don't have a good reason for it, but I do, and I wanted to keep the middle initial an "E".
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