A Long Day Waiting For Daniel

I went downstairs, the doctor's office is in the Women's Hospital--convenient huh? So we went downstairs to labor & delivery. Fear was gripping me. I had delivered all my others without a c-section and I didn't want to ruin a perfect run. I checked in, got an IV, monitors hooked up, blood clot stockings on my legs and it all became very real. I was terrified.

I gave birth to Makiah and Sam, no meds, completely natural. I did it mostly because with Nathaniel I had an epidural and I was so afraid of the needle, had back pain for 4 months and epi headaches for months afterward, that I had decided never again. Here I was, no choice, a shot in the spine was my only way out. I was more afraid of the spinal block than the actual incision! I went through the day with Hubs keeping my smiling and trying to keep my mind off of 4:30.

As the time approached, you could tell things were picking up and that I was getting ready to go. Good thing too, my contractions had started again. They did one more final ultrasound to make sure we still needed to do the c-section. He was apparently very comfortable, he hadn't moved. Hubs put on his very special jump suit. It was time.

I walked into the operating room. I was terrified. There was the anesthesiologist that I had met earlier. He was ready, but I wasn't. At this point I figured I really couldn't back out. I bravely allowed him to inject me with numbing medication that I wasn't sure I would ever recover from. I kept thinking, what if I never feel my feet again? Or what if I can never walk again because of this shot? Drama was coming into play. Things were moving fast now. I wanted Hubs. Where was he anyway?

Finally after everything else, they let Hubs in. Tears flowed freely at that point. It was safe to cry now. I wasn't sure what I was crying about. It could have been because all the fear off all day finally burst forth, or that my precious baby was finally coming or that they were about to cut me open. I am thinking it was a combination of all the above.

Pressure, lots of pressure and then a little meowy cry. Then it got louder and louder and boy does that boy have some lungs! He was here. Right there, long, skinny and screaming his head off. I kissed his little nose, and they took him to clean him up. Daddy followed the baby at more request. They gave me some relaxing meds and I think I actually went to sleep. Daddy stayed with baby, mama woke up in recovery.

I can't say that the c-section recovery was joyful, because it wasn't. Daniel was great! I was so happy to have him here. All 6 pounds 11 ounces of him. So much for their theory that he was big!

This year with him has been joyous. He was a good baby, rarely cried, peaceful and happy. We've had some issues with his development that caused mama some fear, but on the whole, it's been a lovely year. Developmentally he has made huge strides. I believe God is healing him. What can he do??

~~Crawl everywhere and fast
~~Go up the steps, much to my surprise
~~Pull up and cruise around stuff
~~Finally signs the work "more" (we use a lot of signing with him)
~~Drinks from a sippy cup
~~Self feeds finger foods (pincer grasp gets better everyday)
~~Says ma ma, da da (he also says ga ga ga, which Grams insists that he is calling for her)
~~Walks the walking toy around the room

I am excited to see him change, but I already miss babyhood!

And Daniel Eli Is His Name

One year ago today I was not feeling the best. I was 38 weeks pregnant and was ready to have the peanut on the outside rather than inside. I had mentioned to my doctor that Samuel had been breech right up until the end and then he made a u-turn and everything was fine. I had also told her that I knew his head was in my lungs, I KNEW it. Being the smart doctor she is, she ordered an ultrasound, because everyone knows that mama's are usually right about these things. So as I was driving to the ultrasound I began thinking. . .

On the phone with the Pastor in early March: "I don't think I'll make it to the 24th of April, I have a strange feeling that this boy is coming on the 11th of April."

Pastor: "No, you can't do that we are out of town that weekend. (Laughing) Don't you think you should wait."

Me: "I don't know why, but that's when he is coming."

As I was driving along (on April 10th), this conversation comes back to my head. I think of the fact that I don't have my suitcase packed and all the things I still needed to do in preparation of a peanut. Looking back, except for the suitcase not being packed, everything else was ready, but my nesting insisted it wasn't! I wasn't feeling right, I just felt ICK and I KNEW the baby was breech. I also knew labor was near, I could feel it.

I called Hubs and said "WE NEED A NAME NOW!!" No more waiting. And we decided right then that his name would be Daniel Eli Lovelock. I needed to know his name before the ultrasound, so that if he was breech I could give him a good talking too!

I was right, Daniel was diagonal. Head up on the right and feet down over to the left. Turkey. I was going to have a long talk with him on the way home. I did not want a c-section. At that moment I wanted to wait as long as possible for this baby to be born. However long it took for him to make turn was fine with me. I went home. I did all the crazy positions to get the baby to turn. I prayed. I told Daniel to turn around!

We had a nice evening, just relaxing with my feet up, and I packed that suitcase. About 7:30 that evening, I felt a contraction. I ignored it, drank some more water (to stave off dehydration), and continued watching the movie. Not saying anything to anyone about the contraction. About 8, I had another one. 8:20, another one. By this time, I had to tell Hubs. See my contractions don't need to be close to be effective and I knew that from Sam's birth. So I told him and he says "Are you serious?" Well yeah, I don't really tease about these things. We piddled around and waited for more. 8:40, 9:05 and then 9:20. At this point I see a bad trend developing. I call my parents to come and stay with Makiah and Sam. I didn't even call the doctor, I just went straight to labor and delivery triage. They would call for me.

Hubs and I arrive at Labor and Delivery Triage and I check in. Confirmation on those contractions (yeah, I knew that) and I was dialated to three! I told them he was breech and so a portable ultrasound was brought in to confirm that he hadn't moved. He hadn't. So labor stopping medicine was given. It stopped the contractions until I could get to see a different doctor--one who can do the c-section. Ugh! After two hours of monitoring they felt I could go home (it was now 12:30 a.m.), with an appointment with the new doctor at 8 a.m. I went home and fell (gently) into bed. Around 4:30, contraction. I ignored it. I had little ones inconsistently through the night.

I went to the doctor that morning and he confirmed (again) that Daniel had NOT turned and he scheduled my c-section for that afternoon. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. I wasn't leaving. I was going downstairs to L & D triage to wait until my 4:30 c-section. April 11th. He was coming on April 11th.

Why did I have to be right????



~~~~~Read the conclusion tomorrow~~~~~