Labor and Delivery

I wanted to write my experience with the labor and delivery and post pictures from it.

We arrived at the hospital at 6 am, I was started on the pitocin by 7:05 am, the epidural followed.

I couldn't feel my legs for most of the labor and delivery. It was awful! I don't remember hating this feeling as much as I did this time around. To see people moving your legs and you not being able to because they feel so heavy is unreal. I really felt like I needed to move around to help things along, but I couldn't. I could feel my contractions twice.

The first time I felt my contractions, I tried to breathe through them but then felt like if my legs were completely numb, I might as well be numb everywhere, so they called in the doctor and he gave me an extra dose that helped.

After that extra dose, I started feeling really sick. I wasn't feeling well at all. SO they took my blood pressure and it was super low. It was like 70s/30s. They rolled me over to see if that would help, but it didn't. They called the doctor back in and he gave me something right in my IV to bring my blood pressure up. It took three different shots to help.

I started feeling my contractions again and tried to just breathe through them because I wanted to feel the contractions when I needed to push. But it got too difficult so I was pushing the button as much as I could.

I was at a 9+ for about 3-4 hours. It was awful! Even though I had the epidural, I felt miserable and hated that I could only lay there. I started to cry because I was just done. This labor was supposed to be faster than Ryan's and easier. Brady was just so high up. He started at a -3 station and by the time I was crying, he was still high up at a 0 station.

The nurse was waiting for the doctor to come before she checked me again. I was sad that she wouldn't do it when she walked in. So she left and waiting those 15 minutes felt like waiting years. Just when I felt like I couldn't do it any more, Brady's heart rate went down. The nurse came in and said that he was done too and we needed to start pushing without the doctor. I was SO happy!

Unfortunately, I still couldn't feel anything. I could feel my stomach when it contracted, but I couldn't feel the pressure. Not good for pushing! I mentioned it to the doctor and he said, "well the only way to feel it is to turn off the epidural." I had requested that be done, but apparently no one did it. So I said that I did want it off so I could push. They turned it off and I started feeling it better. I also had a lot of nausea while pushing. It was SO bad that I threw up in between pushing/contractions. But it ended up working okay because while I was throwing up, I was making progress in pushing.

He was born after 40 minutes of pushing. He was face down. I had a 2nd degree tear, which was what I was expecting. I was NOT expecting him to be 9 POUNDS 7 OUNCES! Wow!

I really feel like this labor was more difficult than Ryan's even though it was a little shorter. The nurse said it was because I delivered a much bigger baby. I was so exhausted after he was born that I couldn't even hold him to breastfeed. I felt like my arms were dead. I was so swollen that I had to keep the catheter in for an extra 7 hours. It was crazy. With Ryan, I delivered him in the morning and didn't sleep until 11 that night. I could never have done that with this labor and delivery. Hopefully, the next one goes much better!

My mom and my aunt, Cynthia, were at my labor and delivery and it was so nice! Cynthia recorded the delivery for me, and I'm so glad she was able to come and do that! Jared and my mom were on either side of me and were so supportive. I just love my family so much. I love Jared so much. He is such a wonderful husband and father and gives so much of himself to make me happy. My mom is also amazing. She is so helpful and gives so much of her time to be with me. I couldn't imagine delivering without either one of them.

I am sure I am forgetting something... it's much easier to tell everything in a conversation because people ask questions. :) But I will post some pictures and hope that I covered it all.

The view from my delivery room. The mountains were gorgeous!

Relaxing... this was before my blood pressure went down. I didn't even get through half that magazine. (Did you know there is a nine and a half pound baby in my belly! ;)

We called Ryan and talked to him for like 15 minutes. He NEVER talks on the phone that long, but he was very happy to talk to us about all the things he was doing with Grandma Richards.

This is when we thought we were getting close... I was probably at an 8, but little did we know I still had 4 hours left.

Brady makes his entrance!

Proud Daddy

Dr. Skinner and our nurse. I was with another one for 12 hours, but her shift ended. Hopefully the next labor I have, I only have one L&D nurse! :)


He has enough hair to part! :)

Welcome to the world, Sweet Baby Boy!