As most of you know, I dread labor and delivery. I love being pregnant and have pretty good pregnancies but my labors are typically long and pushing is always a nightmare for me. I always get an epidural (heavenly!) but that never helps with the pain of pushing. I pushed for 3 hours with Ethan, 10 minutes with Gracelyn (awesome but still horrific pain) and 2 hours with Lincoln.
With that little intro being said, I have one word to describe Hudson's birth story. Amazing!! Ok, and all God! Let me take you back to Thursday the 13th.
I went in to see Jeanne (the most amazing midwife around) that morning for my check up. I was 3 days past due. All was well with baby. She asked how I felt about being induced and I said, "Let's do it!" Seeing as she is a midwife, being induced looks a lot different than it would with a doctor. A doctor immediately induces with pitocin for the most part and a high dose of it at that, my midwife induces with a more natural gel. I had the gel with Lincoln and it took 6 hours to put me into active labor. It went really smooth for being an induction.
So, we decided I would go into the hospital that night to be induced. She had another patient due the same day as me that was also going in at 10pm that night to be induced. I really wanted to get the "big room" for once (a full size bed to recover in....SO much better than the hospital beds!) so I said to her, "Ok so if I get to the hospital at let's say 8pm, then I'll get the big room?" She smiled and said, "Yup,".
There you have it folks....I did something selfish and decided I would get there before her other patient so I could get the big room. Honestly, I felt no guilt. After this being my 3rd delivery with Jeanne, I felt the big room was mine for once ;)
We went home, I cleaned up the house, made sure I had everything, said goodbye to the kids and off we went to have a baby! I was excited and nervous all at the same time. Excited to meet our little boy or girl, nervous to go through labor and delivery once again. We got settled into our room around 9pm, I got my IV and my first round of the gel at 11pm. My first nurse (who shall remain nameless) I thought was ok...but everything she did went wrong. She went back and forth for the longest time on where to put the IV, asking ME what I thought. Umm, what? I have no clue, I'm not a nurse :) She put it in the more "risky" spot....and within 45 minutes it was hurting me so much I had to ask her to re-do it and move it to the other spot. Oh well. She then struggled inserting the gel as well. A few other things happened also but whatever, I don't want to focus on that!
Nothing much was going on, I was not in labor yet....so when 5am rolled around, they decided to do a 2nd dose of the gel. I slept all of an hour that night so I was pretty tired already at this point and I wasn't even in labor yet! Sigh. I got the gel at 5am, was checked at 6:30am and I was barely a 2. (The story of my life I tell ya!) I was feeling anxious at times with all the waiting around...trying to keep my mind off the end (pushing) but it wasn't easy. I went all day and was checked again at 4pm. So, 9.5 hours later. I was now an "easy 2". Sigh. So, at this point I had been at the hospital close to 24 hours, 2 IV pokes, 2 rounds of gel and no sleep. At that time, my midwife said to me, "Ok, we have two options. One, we can get pitocin going or two, you can go home and come back on Monday and try again." I sighed. She looked at me and said, "You're not getting discouraged are you?" I said, "Well, it's just hard for me with all the waiting around because I just feel anxious."
Plus, a little while before this, I turned on the TV to find out what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary and I was a mess. I was crying, I wanted to go home and see my babies and I just could not get that horrific situation out of my head. 20 precious little ones, murdered. I knew I had to shut the TV off and get my mind clear and in a better place and focus on the baby. So, I did just that. I shut it off, put on some worship music and just prayed.
So, after talking with my hubby and then Jeanne for awhile, we decided we would go ahead with the pitocin. At 6:30 pm, a low dose of the pitocin started in my IV, and Jeanne thought with this being my 4th baby, it would really get things going. I was checked again at 9:30pm and was a 3, so I was ready for my epidural...which I had at 10pm. I laugh when I think about the anesthesiologist. She comes in, gets everything ready and says, "Oh shoot, I left my glasses downstairs." Umm, that isn't really what you want to hear when someone is about to poke you with a gigantic needle in your spine! My husband very seriously said, "Well, we will wait...you can go get them." HA! She was like, "Oh no, I don't need them, I'm fine." Great - how comforting :)
Jeremy left the room (as he always does when I get my epi) and she began. This would be my 4th epidural and they've never really been painful for me. Well, when she gave me the first numbing shot, I had horrible horrible stinging throughout my back. Apparently this is normal but I have never had that in the past and I thought something was seriously wrong. It hurt so bad I couldn't help but be vocal about it to her and the nurse. It happened a few times but then it stopped and I was ok. She then did the big needle which really is no big deal once you are numb...and within not long I wasn't feeling contractions and all was good!
My midwife said she would be in shortly to break my water - that should definitely get things moving. She broke my water at 11:45pm and then we decided we would try and sleep some before everything really got going. I slept maybe an hour...but, it's almost impossible to sleep when a nurse is coming in every hour to check up on you, do your vitals, etc. Jeremy however was able to get some rest in the nice big bed ;)
I was checked again at 2:30am and was an 8! Woot woot! Backing up a bit, I had a new nurse that morning at 7am....who turned out to be my favorite nurse the whole time I was there. She worked the 7am to 7pm shift. I was hoping I would deliver with her - but this baby had other plans ;) She left that night at 7pm and said she would be back in the morning at 7am and hopefully baby would be here by then! I asked her to get me a good nurse for the next shift and she did! I loved her also and she worked 7pm to 7am so she was with me when I delivered.
So, at this point (2:30am) I was finally feeling at peace again, had the Sandy Hook thing off my mind and was feeling good mentally. Around 3am I was dilated to 8.5. Just a short time after being checked that time, we hear a girl outside our room screaming and moaning in labor. I mean, just awful. It immediately brought anxiousness in me, as I knew I was about to go through that exact pain any minute!! We tried drowning her out with the TV, putting worship music on and Jeremy even ran the shower - but nothing helped. We heard her cries and it was awful. I was sitting there praying for her and for God to help her - but feeling really really really really anxious.
This is when the beautiful part of the story happens :)
So, it was 3:15am and I texted my mom, my sister, two of my best friends and another friend, Rachel. Rachel had told me the night before she would leave her phone on that night and if for any reason I needed to text her, ask for prayer or just whatever that she would be available.
I texted them all the same text that basically said to please pray for me because I was almost a 9....another girl was screaming in pain outside my door (who I thought was my midwife's other patient and thought she wouldn't make it back in time for my delivery) and I just was feeling extremely anxious. My sister and mom texted back encouraging words and prayers and that was comforting. Rachel texted back, and didn't stop texting for a good hour. The texts just poured in - she kept texting scriptures and just prayers that were so what I needed to hear. She prayed for a supernatural delivery for me - for no pain. She prayed for one baby to wait for the other so Jeanne could be there for both deliveries. She just poured life into me and our baby for a good hour. All at 3am!! Rach, I know I've already told you, but, you just don't realize how much of a blessing you were to me during that time!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
By the way, the poor girl who was screaming in labor pains delivered not too long after hearing her cries...and I learned that was not Jeanne's patient after all but that her other patient and I were neck in neck as far as delivering our babies. Turns out that girl who was screaming walked into the hospital and delivered her baby 18 minutes later!! So, she was in the worst of the pain when she walked in. Poor thing!
So, back to me...my nurse knew how painful pushing was for me (I warned her) and she had asked me if she needed to turn down my epidural so I could feel when it was time to push. I laughed and said, oh no, the epidural does nothing for me with pushing, I always know when it's time because I have horrific pain. At the same time, I wasn't wanting to speak that as Rachel and I were both praying and believing for a different experience!
Around 4:45am, my nurse said I was a 10 and if I wanted I could start trying to push and we would see how I did and if it was bringing the baby down at all. She didn't call Jeanne in at this point as she was sleeping in the hospital and she didn't want to get her until it was time for baby to come. So, for about 20 minutes I pushed with just my nurse. In my mind I didn't think it was doing anything because it wasn't painful. I figured the pain would start at anytime. Jeremy wasn't even paying much attention because again I had no pain and we just didn't think it was really time. So I did that for about 20 minutes and my nurse said I was doing great and moving baby down. I thought to myself, "Hmm, that's great...but there's just no way it's really time. Ha!" She then said she thought it was time to call Jeanne and have a baby.
Jeanne came in around 5am and she said, "Ok Keri, try and get a few good pushes in with each contraction and we'll have ourselves a baby in no time." The first contraction came along and I gave 3-4 good pushes. She was encouraging me along the way, saying I was doing great. The second contraction came along - same thing. The third contraction came along...I gave 2 pushes and I hear, "The head is out." Umm, WHAT?!?!?! Did I just hear her correctly?! The head is out? I had NO PAIN!!!!" It was at that moment I knew I would have no pain pushing the baby out....and that God truly answered our prayers in such an amazing way! I pushed once more and out slid baby Harrison!
Jeremy looked and quickly said, "It's a BOY!" Ahhh!!!! Another boy! I knew it! I then looked at Jeremy and I think we were both puzzled and shocked it was over and I had no pain! I couldn't stop smiling and I could not wait to text Rachel!! But wait, it gets better!
Hudson was born and Jeanne then says, "You have no tears!" First time in 4 deliveries I did not have tears...no stitches whatsoever were needed!" Another amazing miracle! And to top off the story, 5 minutes after delivering Hudson a nurse ran into our room to say that the other girl was about to deliver her baby and they needed Jeanne! I mean, WOW God, you are so cool!!
Jeanne's other patient had a baby girl, and since I had both a girl and boy outfit with me at the hospital I decided to walk down to her room and give her my adorable girl Gymboree outfit :) It was Christmasy and all :) Her little girl was just 6 lbs and had loads of hair so it was funny seeing her next to my chubby bald headed baby boy :) We talked for a few and she told me how she kept telling her baby to hold out until mine arrived! Ha, too cute :)
So, no pain in pushing...no tearing...and the timing literally worked out perfectly for both of us to deliver and still have Jeanne with us. It was all such an amazing testimony of God's love for me, it truly was. I still cannot get over how everything went - it was just amazing! I was even able to get up and shower within an hour of delivery - I felt that good!!
To top off my birth story, my friend Rachel lost her very best friend, Jessie, years ago in a tragic car accident. After I texted Rachel once Hudson was born (12/15/12 at 5:15am) telling her of what God had done, she rejoiced with me and went on to tell me something that gave me the chills. Jessie's birthday was the same as Hudson's. Wow. It gave me the chills. I told her it was such a supernatural divine appt. and that was just confirmation. I thought how beautiful....that through the loss of her dear friend, on her birthday, God used her in such a big way on my little guy's arrival into this world. I pray that brings some sort of healing to you Rach because I thought it was pretty amazing.
So there you have it! Hudson's birth story. Absolutely amazing and totally God in every way. Jeanne knew how much I dreaded pushing and she told me afterwards how she prayed pushing would be better for me this time. How cool is that! The two nurses I loved both worked all weekend so I had them both 3 times while I was at the hospital - they were fantastic! I've already bought them both a thank you card and gift card to Target to mail out soon!
Also, I have to say, not knowing the gender (even though I thought I knew it was a boy!) was the best surprise ever! I absolutely loved it and would do it again if we had another. Yes yes you read that right, I said "another". Hudson is most likely our last, but, I'm not gonna say he is 100%. I said that after Lincoln was born and all my friends gave me the "I told you so!" once we announced our pregnancy with Hudson.
Our sweet Hudson will be 2 weeks old tomorrow and is doing wonderful. He is a pretty easy baby so far, sleeps, eats and pees and poops and doesn't really fuss in between. I thought he looked a lot like his big brother Lincoln when he was just brand new - but Jeremy and I both feel he looks different than our other kids. It will be interesting to see who he looks like as he grows older. Regardless, his looks are quite charming like the other Harrison babies!!
Here's my very favorite photo from his newborn session. I mean seriously when I saw this my jaw dropped!!! Can a child be more gorgeous than this?! I really do not think so!! So thankful to God for 4 healthy and beautiful children. I'm one blessed momma!
Momma Keri
