let me just start by saying that this post is not easy to write.. the whole day is kind of a blur to me now but here we go! and to those who make it through this long post, you are awesome.
first off, cove's due date was february 1st. i was six days over and so very emotional and done with being pregnant. I had been having constant contractions for two weeks straight, the only problem was they weren't painful at all-just annoying. on february 7th i woke up feeling super achy-like all over. i remembered my mom saying that this was the case with her whenever she would go into labor. not trying to get my hopes up, i hoped in the shower to see if it would go away (the contractions always went away previously after showering). not today! still not wanting to get my hopes up, i started cleaning the entire house, (just in case) but my contractions actually started hurting to the point of having to stop whatever i was doing and just pause and try not to hold my breath until it stopped.
at this point i knew today was the day (really i knew the second i woke up, but tried to talk myself out of it). at about 2:00 pm i told kaden that we should probably go to the hospital. my contractions weren't even, but i called the hospital and they told us to head over since i was so overdue. we jumped in the car and called my mom and kaden's parents and they headed down to cedar so they could be there. pulling into the parking lot was almost emotional for me. i was having our son today and there was nothing i could do about it.. the nerves definitely sunk in.
funny story, once we got in there and i got changed into the hospital gown and hooked up to the monitors so they could track my contractions, a lady walked into labor and delivery literally screaming bloody murder. now, kaden and i couldn't see what was going on so we relied on what we heard. and it was terrifying. she kept screaming things like "put me out, put me out" and "give me the epidural". kaden was freaking out at this point (i had planned on him doing so, but this made it so much worse), and walked out into the hall to pace a little like he always does. bad idea. he comes back telling me that the lady was throwing up all over the hallway, as she is screaming, and that she was at an 8 when she walked in and was supposed to have a scheduled c-section.. we really don't know why she waited so long to come to the hospital? bizarre really.
anyways, i was nervous before but now all i wanted to do was get up and run back home. it was hitting me so hard. i knew it wasn't going to be all dramatic like that, but still.. scary stuff especially when it is your first and not the way i wanted to start out. at about 3:00 pm the nurse came in telling me that i was staying for sure and that i would have him that night. She got me all hooked up to my IV, but couldn't get any blood out of it so they had to poke my arm too.. blah. this was the worst part of the whole thing, no joke. my contractions didn't really bother me much (i'm super high pain tolerance) so sitting there waiting wasn't really a big deal.
at 4:30 pm the nurse came back in and told me my doctor had said to go ahead and get me my epidural and to give me some pitocin to hopefully get my contractions going. The anesthesiologist came in and was so good. he explained everything as he went along and it wasn't bad at all. the worst part was having to hold my chin to my chest because it hurt my neck haha! at this point it was go time.
shortly after, my mom and heidi, kaden's mom, walked in (HOORAY!). finally kaden, who had disappeared throughout the halls for half the time we had been there, would have someone to calm him down and keep him sane and i would have someone to talk to. i was completely numb and loving life, got my catheter put in, and was ready to go, but the nurse came in and said the baby wasn't getting enough oxygen so we had to get me into a different position. nothing worked until they put me on my hands and knees in the bed and got me hooked up to oxygen. i had really good movement for being numb, so it wasn't an issue to be in that position, but i absolutely hated it. i had this annoying pain in my back, but at least my baby could breathe, right? the nurses asked me if i wanted to push in this position and i opted out of that one.
my doctor finally arrived (she is amazing, just saying) and she put me back onto my back and said that i should try pushing. i pushed for a bit, but she then told me that cove was in a posterior position (face up) and that she had to work on trying to turn him around. after about an hour of doing that, and an emergency c-section scare, he finally turned and i could start pushing for real now.
at 8:38 pm cove was born with the cord wrapped around his neck twice and once around each of his arms, (no wonder he couldn't breathe), but was completely healthy. there is nothing in this world that can compare to seeing your baby on your chest for the first time. i will remember that moment forever.
Cove Kwin Walker: 7 pounds 9 ounces & 20 inches long. we love him more than words can describe.
