The doctor told me to go on over the hospital, which is only about 10-15 min (depends on traffic) from the office. I decided that on the way I needed a drink because I knew once I checked in the hospital it was nothing but jello, ice water and ice chips, so we stopped at Steak N Shake, the closest place. We go to the hospital about 10. Since I wasn't in any pain at all I sat around and waited for them to get ready for me to do the admitting paper work cuz I never preregistered. The lady at the front desk was really nice. I talked to her for a few min. She was about 5 months pregnant and was asking me all kinds of questions because she was getting scared about labor and all that stuff. Then I got called down the hall, so I did all the paper work while my dad stood around and my mom and Travis called relatives and friends. Got up to the room around 10:30. My bracelet says I was admitted at 10:25. Hung out watching TV and stuff and got my IV. Moron that put it in gave me a HUGE bruise. Then I started to lose track of time. Dr came somewhere between 11 and 12 to break my water. A lot of people says it hurts, but it was just a little uncomfortable. And kinda gross feeling. Esp having to sit there for the next few hours with it leaking. Dr came back a little while later (he was there because he was delivering that other girl's baby in the room next to mine). Said I was weird because I was still only 5cm but I went up to 7 when I had a contraction. Said Ethan was at a +1 station and I think he said 80% effaced. I forget. After he broke my water I started actually feeling the contractions. Then around 1 or so, they started to hurt. Then they started to hurt bad. And they made me sick. Travis was really sweet. He held the bucket thing while I threw up and one time when a contraction hurt so bad I cried, he did too.

My mom was fanning me with a magazine. Got a little hot during labor. LOL

After about an hour or 2 of that the nurse came in and asked me if I wanted pain meds. She said I had been in labor for a while and I was doing good so I could have something to take the edge off if I wanted. I went for it. She gave me a shot of nubaine and said it would sting a little going in. Sure, lady, whatever. They never said anything about an epi and I didn't ask for one. Hollow tubes in my back just don't appeal to me. The nubaine took some pain away, but not too much. Mostly it made me tired but I couldn't sleep cuz people were in and out and the contractions hurt so much. Before I had the pain meds, all I did was whine to Travis that it hurt and I didn't want it to hurt anymore and I asked him to make it stop. He was really sweet and supportive the whole day, kept telling me how much he loved me and everything. When I was thristy, he held the cup for me or fed me ice. When I was hot, he put a washcloth in icy water and wiped my face and held it on my forehead. When I had to hurl, he held the bucket for me. :-)

Travis thought it would be fun to take a pic mid-contraction. CUTE huh?

Time went on and I got another shot of nubaine around 5 I guess. I wasn't dilating anymore, I had been at 6-7 cm for half past forever so the nice nurse lady (I loved the L&D nurse) had me lay on my left side to see what would happen. I think that was around 5:30. I'm not real sure. She came back a little while later and asked what I felt. I said pressure and he moved down some  and she said good, but I was still only at 7 cm and she would come back at 6:15. She moved it up to 6 cuz she came back one time and I told her I felt like I had to push. She told me not to, to breathe slower through the contractions and act like I was blowing out birthday candles. When she came back at 6, I was 9 cm and I REALLY felt like I had to push. Everyone kept telling me not to (especially Travis, I think he was freaked out I would have the baby before the dr got there) and to blow out those stupid candles. They started to set everything up in the room and then the dr came in. I decided I had to pee because I hadn't done that all day. They wouldn't let me, so the dr gave me a shot to numb everything, not that it really did and put a catheter in. They FINALLY let me start pushing at about 6:30. They told me to breathe and push thru contractions, but the heck with that. I pushed until I couldn't anymore, then I took a breath and did it again. I screamed twice. Said it hurt. Nurse said I know it hurts, now push. I only pushed for 14 minutes. While just his head was out, the dr was suctioning him and everything and he asked if I wanted him on my chest or if I wanted them to clean him up first. I said I didn't care, I wanted him out. The dr and nurse looked at each other and decided he could be cleaned up and weighed first. At that point, I didn't really care.  The whole time I was pregnant, Travis said he didn't really wanna be there and I told him he had to be and if he didn't wanna watch (he says it looks like something out of Aliens), he could hang out by my head. But he ended up standing right next to the dr the whole time and he even cut the cord!! :-)

While the dr was checking me out and delivering the placenta or whatever it was he was doing down there, I asked the nurse how long I was pushing and she said 45 min. I must have had a weird look on my face cuz she started laughing and said it had only been 14 min. She said I did fantasically awesome or something like that. Then when the placenta came out I said something about how it felt gross and the dr laughed and said I was cool.

Travis told me later that when I was delivering all the blood shot out like "water out of a hose" and that there was a lot. Gee thanx Trav. He was great tho. Kept telling me how good I did and how proud he was of me. He was way more emotional than me and sure as heck cried a lot more. LOL

Anyway, what you've been waiting for through this whole story . . . Ethan William was born at 6:43 pm on Tuesday, September 5, 2000. He weighed 7 lbs 13 oz and was 20 inches long. He had a little bit of medium to dark blonde hair and blue eyes. And his apgar scores were 8/9.

the view from our room

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