Last pregnant picture. 37 weeks. 3 in the morning.
For the last couple of months Ryan and I have both had a feeling that Cameron would be born on Labor Day weekend. I don't know if it was intuition or just wishful thinking. Maybe it was a little bit of both since I knew that I would be 37 weeks that week and it was the earliest he could be safely born.
I knew for sure that I didn't want him to be born that Friday b/c it was Sunny's special star day at school and I had to go watch her give a presentation. On Thursday I had a doctor's appointment and found out that I was 4 centimeters and 90%. I had a little moment of deja vu b/c that was how much I was the day Griffin was born when I had an appointment. My doctor and I laughed and he said this weekend would be perfect b/c he was on call, and to make sure I made it to the hospital.
On Friday morning I woke up at 6:30. My Mom came over at 7 and we walked a few miles in hopes we could get the baby down lower and get labor started. I felt great (which I was a little bummed about) and started to doubt that I would have the baby soon. That all changed a few hours later. By mid-morning I started feeling awful. Just really crappy, tired, sick. I dragged the kids and myself over to the school and watched Sunny give her presentation and then came home and laid on the couch until Ryan got home.
Around 7 that night I started having contractions. Out of nowhere they were 2 minutes apart and for the first 20 minutes or so they were pretty painful. Ryan was a bit panicked and wanted to go to the hospital, but I didn't feel like it was time yet (isn't that the reasoning that led to G being born in the car?). Sure enough the contractions continued to come 2 minutes apart but they didn't hurt much at all. I decided a hot bath would either stop them, or let me know they were real. They didn't stop, they just stayed the same, so I tried to go to sleep.
I was hurting too bad to sleep, but not bad enough that I felt labor was imminent. It was really frustrating. I talked to my Mom and she and Ryan both felt we should head over to her house to be closer the the hospital just in case this was the real thing. I didn't want to, but they finally convinced me and so we loaded up sleeping kids and headed to Mom's.
Once we got to Mom's house I tried to sleep again and I had the same problem. I couldn't sleep b/c the contractions got worse when I laid down. When I walked around the stopped. It was really bizarre. Ryan ended up going to sleep and Mom and I stayed up talking and waiting. Finally around 2:30 she told me to just go to the hospital. I didn't want to go b/c the contractions were still not strong, but I figured I might as well.
Ryan and I headed over and got checked into triage. They checked and I was still about 4 centimeters. After telling the nurse about Griffin's fast birth and having a couple of high blood pressure readings she said she would try to get me to be able to stay. Usually they monitor you for an hour and see if you have made progress. She said they would keep me at least 3 hours so I didn't deliver on the side of the road. Then she said she would call my doctor and see what he wanted.
Five minutes later she came back and said Dr. Watabe wanted to admit me and break my water. I was shocked. I totally thought I was going to get sent home. His reasoning was that I had made it to 37 weeks, which is when my babies usually come, and again, he didn't want the baby born on the side of the road. At this point I had been at the hospital about 15 minutes, and we walked over to my room to get an iv and have him come break my water. When the doctor got there he checked me again and I was already 5 centimeters. I was super excited b/c that meant this was the real thing and I was progressing on my own, which was what I really wanted.
I think we all expected that my water would break and the baby would be here super fast. That was not the case. Instead we all twiddled our thumbs for the next three hours. My contractions weren't very strong and were 5 minutes apart. It seemed like such a long time compared to Griffin's birth. I had a wonderful nurse. She was so wonderful and supportive and really let Cameron's birth be about me and all the things I wanted. I did have an iv, but just hep-loc, meaning I had it ready just in case. They didn't push pitocin on me or try to hurry things up. I didn't have to have the stupid contraction monitor on and the nurse just checked his heart rate every so often.
I was able to get up and walk around a little, but mostly I just stayed in bed because at that point I had been awake 24 hours straight and I was very tired.
Finally at about 6, the contractions started to hurt pretty bad. The nurse wanted me to get up and get on the birthing ball. I knew I should, but I was really hurting and just so tired. We were thinking that Cameron might be in a bad position and that was what was slowing things down. So, I mustered up some strength and got on the ball. At this point, I was hurting and wanting an epidural, but my awesome nurse told me I could do it and I was almost done. Between contractions I was talking and felt great. We were all laughing and joking. Finally I had 2 contractions about a minute apart and I felt Cameron finally slide down to where he needed to be.
The nurse ran into the hallway screaming for the doctor and Ryan grabbed me by the arm and slung me up on the bed. Sweet baby Cam was here 2 minutes later just after 6 in the morning. In retrospect 3 hours of real labor is pretty quick, but it seriously felt like years.
That was my 3rd natural birth, and it was definitely the roughest. I think mostly because I was so tired. It was definitely worth it though. I felt amazing after and actually got to hold Cameron for awhile. He is only the 2nd baby (Sunny being the other one) that I've gotten to hold and keep after birth. Jack and Lila were whisked away pretty quickly. Jack for all his heart and breathing issues, and Lila for breathing. Griff was also taken away b/c we had been outside the hospital, and he also had breathing issues. I loved getting to cuddle little newborn Cameron.
Cameron John
September 3, 2011
7 pounds 6 ounces
20 inches
I stayed in the hospital for just over 24 hours and then headed home to my family. I am so glad to not be pregnant anymore, but I am more glad to have little Cameron in our family. He is such a sweet and calm baby. He is just precious.
Edited to Add: I forgot the most important detail. BYU football. Cam was born at 6 in the morning, so we had plenty of time to eat, get cleaned up, visit with the kids, and drop the kids off at Mom's before the game started. Ryan actually came and watched it at the hospital with me. I'm pretty sure he thought it worked out perfectly. And no, even though it might have been perfect timing, my baby does not share his name with Bronco or Jake Heaps, or anyone else on the team. Good thing too. Imagine how embarrassed he'd be after the way they played this week :)
