Carson's birth story

Sunday, August 1

We had dinner with all four of our parents and both of our sisters! What a treat it was to spend one last evening together with our family of eight, all anxiously awaiting the miracle the next day would bring! Knowing it would be a while until I would be able to eat again, and since it was my last guilt-free pregnancy meal;), Mama cooked my favorite meal, homemade chicken strips, and they were yummy! We all had a wonderful time visiting! As the night went on, I got really silly and excited about meeting my sweet son the next day! Finally everyone convinced me to calm down and try and get some rest for a couple of hours before it was time to get up and head to the hospital.

Monday, August 2

3:00 am We woke up, showered, loaded the car with way too much stuff, and headed to Columbia

4:00 am I had good conversation with my sweet husband! Our hearts were full of so many emotions!

5:00 am We checked in at the hospital, too bad I didn’t get a picture of Keith carrying all of our stuff and me and my big belly waddling in beside him! What a sight we must have been! We settled into our labor and delivery room, and they made Keith go to the waiting room while I answered questions and got hooked up to an IV.

6:00 am I was still only dilated to a one, but I was fully effaced. Dr. Pelletier came in and broke my water and they started my potocin to induce labor. Breaking the water was painful, but only for a second. Lots of water poured out!

7:00 am-10 am Keith and I enjoyed visiting. He read me encouraging texts and facebook notes throughout the morning. Our sweet families were in the waiting room and took turns coming in the room to say hello. Each time I got up and went to the restroom, more water flowed onto the floor! I was feeling contractions, but they were bearable.

11:00 am The contractions intensified. After experiencing some of the pain, I decided to request the epidural, and it was a good thing I did, because just before they gave it to me, I was dilated up to a six. The anesthesiologist was very nice and informative. The injection hurt, but only for a moment, and that tiny pain was worth it, because I could no longer feel the contractions!! Very nice! During the injection, Keith got a little bit woozy, and realized it was time for him to get something on his stomach, so his dad brought him a burger and fries from McDonalds, and he felt better.

11:30 am The dilation increased to nine centimeters soon after the epidural. Our parents and sisters came in for a quick hello and hug before it was time to push!

12:00 pm It was time to push! Keith and the nurses were really sweet and encouraging. Pushing was intense. I can only imagine what it would have been like without the epidural.

12:30 pm It wasn’t long until they started telling me that they could see a head full of dark hair!! Wow!!! This was really happening! How crazy and exciting! I continued to push as Keith and the nurses continued to encourage and coach me through it. After about an hour of pushing, I heard the nurses whispering to each other that the baby was not going to fit and that it was time to call in the doctor.

1:15 pm Dr. Pelletier arrived and did an episiotomy so that Carson could fit! With one more big push, I felt a blub blub, and there he was!!!!

1:43 pm My baby boy was born!! Wow!!!!! I cannot put into words how amazing it was to see him! Keith cut the umbilical cord. Dr. Pelletier was trying to lay Carson on my chest, but Carson grabbed the tie on his surgical robe and would not let go! Finally, Dr. Pelletier just cut the tie and laid him on me!! Wow, wow, wow!!! It was the most amazing miracle I’ve ever experienced!

2:00 pm After a couple of minutes, the nursery nurse got Carson cleaned up and weighed. Keith took lots of pictures of our sweet baby while Dr. Pelletier got me all stitched up. Keith was so sweet and excited. Carson weighed in at 8 pounds 11.8 ounces, and he was 21 inches long! Keith got to hold Carson for a few minutes and then handed him back to me. What a special time it was for our family of three. After a few minutes together, Carson’s sweet grandparents and aunts came in to celebrate with us! They were all so happy, too! Kaye and Lloyd were in the waiting room, and they came in to see us next! When everyone left, I was able to nurse Carson for the first time! It was such a sweet moment that I’ll never forget.

3:00 pm They took Carson to the nursery for his bath and shots, while Keith and I were moved to another room. Our parents and sisters had fun watching everything through the nursery windows. Keith and I had a chance to visit and settle into what would become our home for the next few days. I had some water and crackers. All of the nurses that cared for Carson and me were wonderful! I could not have imagined them being any sweeter or more helpful. We were so thankful for that.

4:00 pm The nurses brought Carson to our room and our families took turns coming to see him and hold him. He was our precious miracle, and we all loved him so much already!

Carson spent the nights in the nursery and the days in the room with us. During our time at the hospital, we rested and snuggled with our baby. Carson and I had to figure out breastfeeding and Keith was so sweet and supportive. The nurses and lactation consultants were outstanding.

Because of the positive results of the beta strip test, we were supposed to stay in the hospital for 48 hours. On Wednesday morning, they discovered that Carson’s left clavicle was broken, so we ended up staying until Wednesday evening. Thankfully, the broken bone did not seem to bother our sweet boy. We just had to be careful picking him up and changing his clothes. We were a little nervous to leave all of the support at the hospital. The last three days had gone by quickly, but we were looking forward to taking our baby boy home!

Before heading home, we stopped at Sonic to grab some dinner. We were greeted at home by Granny, Pops, and Aunt Misty. Aunt Misty even made a welcome home sign for the front door. Just after we got home, Kaye brought over some posters they made for us at church! It was good to be home!