Mason's Birth Story

The last time it will ever be just the 2 of us:)

My little angel!

Walking the hallways of the hospital:-)

On September 6 at 11:00 AM, I went to my 39 week doctor's appointment.  At this point in the pregnancy, I was swollen everywhere, barely sleeping at night, and having regular false labor contractions.  After my exam, my doctor explained that I was dilated to 2 centimeters, but it was very tight and Mason was still sitting up high.  She decided to strip my membranes, but she did not seem hopeful that it would bring on labor and she gave me a 50/50 chance.  My doctor suggested that I leave the office and go to the mall and walk for 2 hours and if I get consistent contractions, she wanted me to go to the hospital.  My sister came and picked me up and we went to the mall.  After walking, eating, and some shopping, my contractions were about 4 minutes apart.  They weren't too painful and I did not think much of them, but we decided to go to the hospital just to see if I made any progress.  At the hospital, they hooked me up to the monitors and gave me a pelvic exam.  The nurse wanted me to walk on the hospital floor for an hour.  Jaime, Brooke, my mom and I walked through the halls of the labor and delivery area.  After that first hour, I was now dilated to 3 centimeters and the nurse wanted me to walk for another hour.  I was exhausted after walking at the mall, and now I had to do another hour of walking through the same boring hallway.  So, my entourage, now including Marc, and I set out for another hour.  My contractions started to get more painful and I was getting really excited because I thought this was it!  Unfortunately when the nurse checked me again, I did not make any progress.  She suggested that I go home and relax to see if the contractions get stronger.  At 10:00 PM, Marc drove us back home.  In the car, I felt my first real contraction and it was painful.  At home, the contractions got worse.  I was having really bad back labor, but I was still hesitant and I thought it might be gas.  LOL!  I remembered some of the coping techniques from the class that Marc and I took and tried them at home.  Marc would massage my back, I would get down on all fours, I would breathe a lot, and I took four hot twenty minutes showers.  Now thinking back, I must have looked ridiculous:-)  The showers worked the best and that was the only time I had relief.  When my sanctuary of the shower stopped working, that was when I knew it was time.  We packed our bags and at 2 AM, we headed back to the hospital.  That was the longest drive EVER!  During that drive, my idea of having a natural birth went out the window.  I was counting down the minutes for that epidural!  The nurses were surprised to see me back, but when she checked me, I was dilated to 6 centimeters!  I was finally getting admitted to the hospital to have my little man!  Before I could get the epidural, they had to hook up my IV and ask me a million questions.  It took the nurse 4 times before she could hook up the IV because my veins were so dehydrated.  Jamming my arms and both hands with a needle was more painful then the contractions!  I did not receive the epidural until 4 AM!  After a few hours of relaxation, drama set in.  Mason's heartbeat went very low and twenty nurses ran into the room.  They put an oxygen mask on me, gave me a shot in my arm, broke my water, and placed a monitor on Mason inside the womb.  It was the scariest moment of my life!  After moving my position, Mason's heartbeat was back to normal.  When the doctor came in again, he was concerned that I had been dilated to 7 cm for 4 hours and Mason still did not drop into position.  He explained that if things did not change in one hour, then he would have to perform a c-section.  After 20 minutes, he came back in the room and made the decision to have a c-section because things were not getting any better and Mason's heartbeat was going down.  I was terrified and wanted so badly to have a regular birth, but the health of my son was more important than anything.  The nurses and doctors were amazing and really made me feel relaxed.  At 9:17 AM on September 7, I heard the beautiful cries of my little Mason.  He was born at 8 pounds 9 ounces and 21 inches long.  He was born on his grandma's birthday!  This was the most amazing day of our lives and I couldn't be happier!!!!