Jackson's Birth Story

 Anna's wedding and weeks preceding it were exhausting for me and took a toll on my pregnant body.  I never did recover from those weeks, and the last 5 or 6 weeks were hard.  I was so uncomfortable, I could not sit for any length of time, and sleep was almost non existent.  I was so ready to have this baby.

I only had one ultrasound this entire pregnancy, unheard of for me.  I usually have at least 5 or more because I am so high risk.  That one ultrasound told me two things: that he was a boy and that he was measuring 16 days ahead of schedule.  That put his due date on July 29, but the doc would not change his due date, so the c/s was scheduled for August 6th, a week before his original due date of August 14.  I kept telling the doc that I felt much further along than I was, but he kept assuring me it was ok.

I went in for a routine check up on July 24th.  I had been having "practice" contractions for several weeks, but they had picked up considerably.  Some even took my breath away.  When I arrived at the doctor, they took my blood pressure, and it was very high.  I wasn't very surprised, but the doctor sure was.  He put me on another medicine and set me over to the hospital to be monitored and told me I would be coming back on Monday to check my bp again.  Ok.  I went to the hospital for a few hours and was monitored.  The nurse was surprised I was having contractions that were showing up on the monitor.  I wasn't suprised at all.   They let me go, and I went home.  The contractions were coming closer and stronger and I wondered if I would make it till Monday.

Monday I went back for another check up and my blood pressure was still up.  The doc said OK.  Time to have the baby.  He called the OR and scheduled the c/s for the next night at 7:00, after he got done in his office for the day.  Ironically, the  next day was July 29th, the due date from the ultrasound.  With the amount and frequency of the contractions I know I would have gone into labor on my own in the next day or so.  I KNEW I was further along!

It was weird having the c/s in the evening.  All the others were in the morning.  I slept ok the night before, and took most of the next day to pack bags and get ready for his birth.

Finally, it was time to go.  This whole experience was surreal.  I had waited for this day for 9 long months and it was finally here.  Paul and I left for the hospital and arrived around 5.

We were taken to the recovery room to be prepped for surgery.  I was well acquainted with this room.  I put on the gown and got hooked up to the monitors. All the while the contractions were getting closer and harder.  Most now took my breath away and the nurse was shocked to see how strong they were when they hooked me up to the monitors.  I remember thinking how unfair it was to have such strong contractions when I was getting ready for a c/s!

They finally took me back around 7:30 to start the epidural.  I was nervous, but I was determined not to be in a panic.  I know this sounds silly, but a phrase from a song kept running through my head over and over and made such a difference in how I viewed getting this epidural.  The phrase was, "Don't pay no mind to the demons that fill you with fear".  I realized that I had a choice and I didn't have to be fearful or panicky, and I wasn't going to be.

And I was fine!  I prayed along, quoted Scripture and talked with the nurse while getting the epidural.  It was the easiest, smoothest epidural I've ever had.  I was so thrilled when they told me to lay down! They brought

Paul in and it was time to begin.  It took a little longer to get to the baby, because of the scar tissue from the previous c sections. I was watching the reflection of the surgery in the big light above me. I wanted to see the baby, and, all the sudden, there he was!

I was very interested in his hair, and as soon as I saw him I said to Paul, he has alot of black hair.  Our oldest four had jet black hair at birth and Sam and Ben both had considerable lighter hair, and then Emma had the black hair again.  So we were very interested in what color hair Jackson had.  They pulled him out and then ran him out of the cold OR.  We waited what seemed like a long time until they called Paul back into the other room and within a minute, out he came holding Jackson.  Ah.  The satisfaction of finally putting eyes on that baby you have dreamed about for months is amazing.  I wanted to hold him and touch him and kiss him all over, but alas, it wasn't too be.  I took a quick look, gave him a quick kiss and all too soon, Paul took him out. 

I laid back down, and tried to relax as they finished the c/s.  Soon after Jackson's birth, I began feeling some pain, which gradually increased to the point that I told the anestheologist that there was a problem.  It was become unbearable.  But they quickly gave me something through the IV line that took care of the pain.  Now I just had to wait.  And wait.  And wait.
Finally, I was wheeled back into the recovery room.  It was 10:45.  I was only in there a minute or two before I saw the door open and Paul coming in with the baby.  "Someone wants to meet you" he said rather excitedly.  Finally.  I could put hands on my baby.  He was beautiful, and looked like everyone of my children.  I enjoyed holding him and kissing him and just looking at him.  I didn't enjoy when the nurses came in and pressed on my very sore tummy.

It had gotten so late that the kids went home.  It was almost Midnight by the time I got to my room.  It seemed we got settled and then the nurses came in and out and in and out.  Some for me, some for Jackson.  He actually had his first bath right in my room at the very early hour of 4AM.  There was very little sleep that night for any of us.