Cayd Aaron Winters

I was due with Cayd on March 11th (Aidan's bday) but that day came and went and nothing. March 12th dawned....and nothing. We ran errands and that night around 7 I was texting a friend begging her to bring me more blue kohosh and settling in for another sleepless night. All of a sudden, (and I mean all of a sudden) I got hit with a GIGORMOUS contraction. I looked at my mom and said, "OWWWWWWWWW!" She laughed and jokingly asked where Buddy was and I told her I had no idea, possibly Tae Kwon Do. Anyway, not too much longer there came another one and I realised I had skipped all the normal first stages of labor and it was ON. I desperatly texted my 2 besties and husband telling them in not so much nice language it was time and asked where the bleep were they. I finally got ahold of Buddy and told him that I was in labor and we needed to go NOW. He came flying in a few minutes later but I had changed my mind and decided I wanted to stay home. He took one look at me and said that I didn't have a choice, that we were leaving. The drive only took 10 minutes. I hit the ground running, bolting into the delivery room (my nurse had called and prepared them, letting them know I was a quick deliver and so they skipped triage and put me in a room right away) grabbing the gown and pee cup and hit the bathroom. I stipped dwn and jumped on the bed in less than a minute. My goal was to labor naturally and I was desperatly willing my body to relax so I could get it over with and not cave to an epidural. Later my friends said that while I was in the bathroom, the nurse asked how many times I had done this before and they laughingly told her 3.

They hooked me up and my contractions were strong, consitent, at 3 min apart and almost 1 1/2 min long. I was at a 5-6 cent dilated. My friend Sarah was acting as my doula and she had brought a scented burts bees eye mask so I laid there and pretended I was somewhere else. I was doing great and my dr came in and broke my water. Then the problems started. When she broke my water, Cayd didn't come down. So they watched for a little longer and she checked me and I was at and 8. I, of course, at this point threw up. One of the lovely things I do with all my labors at 8 ctm. While she was checking me, I dilated to 9. Then my room started filling with nurses and drs. Cayd's heartrate had started dipping dangerously low. So they "encouraged me" to get an epidural. I questioned this, seeing I was at 9 and they asked me if I even felt the urge to push. I said no and relised that at 9 ctm I should have the urge. So I consented. (I will say this, if I had known I would have such an efficient anestisologist (SP) I would have had one before I walked in the door.) My dr checked again and she felt his elbow coming out. I asked if she could just push it back in and she said no. She said then that we needed to consider Plan B. I told her I didnt have a plan B and she yes I did and that was an emergency csection.

I asked if Buddy and I could have a moment and they all left. He told me it was the best thing because unbeknowst to me Cayd had been struggling with his heartrate for awhile. Icried and called my mom who prayed and then the dr was back and saying we had to go IMMEDIATLY. I was so frightened! The trip to the operating room is a blur but I will say that the staff was awesome. I just laid there staring at those lights trying to grasp what was going on. It happened so fast. By the time Buddy came in and sat down, we heard Cayd cry. He was noosed up in his cord but was healthy at 7lbs 10oz and 21 in long and was born at 1150 pm. Recovery was insanely painful.

Looking back I'm so thankful I didn't stay home any longer. I was proud of myself for laboring naturally but thankful I was not stubborn in the end. I have a healthy baby boy to show for it and my family is complete!