Sunday labor day weekend was on the calender as an "us" day. We planned on soaking up some sun, maybe a little close to home hike, and a picnic. We had a great time talking about all of the "what if's" of labor and baby. We came home took a lazy nap and I was ready for the busy week ahead, but our baby had different plans.I woke Monday morning at 7:00 to find that my water had definitely broken this time. Again could not get a hold of Adam at work waited it out again and we headed into the hospital around 3:00. Unfortunately I was only 1-2 cm dilated so we walked laps around the hospital to try and avoid pitocin. After a few laps the contractions were painful so we went back in for another check, to find that I was about the same :( My contractions however were 1-2 minutes apart and adequate in strength so they couldn't really give me pitocin if they wanted to. These contractions were getting really uncomfortable at this point so we tried out the jacuzzi tub! This helped a lot and Adam was wonderful with getting me through each painful stab. I was afraid he would be scared or bossy as a labor coach but he was perfect and I handled labor the best when he was coaching me. At 8pm they could call me a good 2cm and more thinned out so we kept plugging away. At 2am I needed that jacuzzi tub again and Adam needed a nap so while I did a soak he was going to catch a couple zzz's. I don't know if my labor got more intense or going with out my star coach made a difference but I could not relax, the contractions felt like they were right on top of each other and I opted to go for epidural. I felt like my body would never relax and dilate the way it was going and my water had now been broken for 18 hours. The nurses had started antibiotic's to prevent any chance of infection. So at 3 am I woke Adam up to help with the Epidural. The rest gets a little foggy because we had some slight trouble with the Epidural causing my Blood pressure to go down and in turn cause the babies heart rate to drop, super common with Epidural especially when they first get started. After counter acting the B.P drops with IV meds 5 times the Anesthesiologist had to be called in to give me a different med to combat the drops but also ordered my Epidural be turned off :( So lot's of pain to no pain and back to pain... not my favorite thing in the world but the most disappointing part was that by 8am I was only 3cm dilated (although I was now 100% effaced at least). My contractions had really spaced out so they decided on some pitocin and to slowly start my Epi again (thank god!). The Doc would be back at 12:00 to reevaluate. At 12:00 I was 6cm!!! Yay! I was very excited but the Dr. was getting concerned about the amount of time my water had been broken (almost 30 hours at this point) and my very slow progress. She told us she would be back to check me around 3:00 and that if there was little to no change in my cervix we would have to discuss a C-Section. I prayed for my body to do what it needed to do but mentally prepared for some OR time if need be. We just wanted the baby out and healthy and while there was a preferred method at the end of the day we just wanted this person out! So 3:00 came and my cervix was 7-8 just enough to keep me in the game. We decided to start moving me side to side as much as possible to help get this baby moving.When they restarted the Epidural again, the medicine pooled to my right side which was completely dead ,so the amazing people that had the daunting job of moving my body had their work cut out for them! Adam became a part of the nursing staff I swear, he was in on everything and was probably just as sore as I was the next day from repositioning me so much. We finally made it to complete and I was able to start pushing, there was just one more hiccup, the baby was facing the wrong way! The doc tried to rotate the baby internally twice ( Which Adam describes as gnarly) and I pushed for 2 1/2 hours before we were again at decision time. We were offered the vacuum, with that we had only 2 chances and then no more choices- C-section, or just throw in the towel now and go for C-Section. I was literally terrified about the finality of the 2 chances with the vacuum, it was a lot of pressure to be able to push hard enough with the vacuum to get him out, but I knew I had to try. I think I was the only one in the room staff included that wanted to do the vacuum. We were 37 hours in and I couldn't help but feel tears well up in fear. I had to do this and I definitely didn't know if I had it in me, I'm pretty (REALLY!) wimpy in everyday life. I had such a great team of hospital staff though, when a vacuum is used a pediatrician must attend and our baby had 2! Dr.James stayed and pushed with me and was there with me the whole way, so it was go time... with the help of the Vacuum and an Episotomy and 3 pushes our sweet baby was out. I remember the doc holding baby up and thinking I would have never guessed or pictured that was what our little person looked like! Then I heard "It's a boy!!" I had completely forgotten that we didn't know the gender, and as scared as I was to have a boy, that was my boy and he was the most perfect, incredible thing I had ever seen and the only one I ever wanted without knowing it until now. I immediately wanted him on my chest and he was crying so they let him stay with me. I sobbed. Like full blown ugly cry sob, relief and happiness overcame me in a way that it never has before. Adam and I had done it, finally we had our healthy little baby "We did it!" I said as we looked at our son. He was born September 4th at 8:32 pm he was 8lbs 7oz's, 22 in long, 14in head and 14in chest!! He was a bruiser! Ton's of black hair, Adam's eye's, my lips and the missing piece of our family.
Our picnic before baby!
The wait was starting to get to Adam, Terri and my Mom
Great Grandparents :)
Grandpa and Ryder
Loves his car seat! Thank god!
Ready or not home we go
Someone is Obsessed with Ryder...
1st bath at home :)
Ryder and Charli
So Bucker officially thinks that Ryder belongs to him
The gender surprise was so fun! I highly recommend it!
Ryder's name was picked by Adam, I remember years ago when we were dating going swimming at Lewis Creek with him and him telling me "I like the name Ryder for a kid" I never knew where that day was going to lead us but here is Ryder Keil (for my Dad and Grandpa) Cooley. The best thing we have ever been given. You'll never be short on love little man :)
