Baby Evan has arrived!

The story of Evan’s birth is nothing like had expected it would be. It was truly an original experience for me. I have never experienced anything like it.

Monday, January 7, I had been having mild contractions all day. I wasn’t too concerned, as this was not an uncommon occurrence. I did all my usual errands – went to the grocery store, took Dan to and from Preschool and the like. When we came home we ate lunch and I let the boys play while I worked on the computer for a while. My contractions were increasing in intensity some, so I convinced myself to try some castor oil to see if it would help things along. Around 5 pm I wasn’t feeling well & by the time Gary got home around 6 I was to lie down on the couch. Gary fixed the boys dinner and we did our usual nighttime routine. About the time we were reading the boys their story, 8 pm, I started timing the contractions. They weren’t terribly painful but seemed fairly regular. They were coming every 3 minutes but since they weren’t hurting much Gary & I sat down to go through a couple lessons in our online Financial Peace University course. After two lessons the contractions were coming stronger, so I called my doctor and she told me to come into Labor & Delivery. I had been waiting until my water broke to go in, but I knew that doesn’t always happen so we decided to go in. We called my Mom to come watch the boys & finished packing the hospital bag. We left around 10 p.m. and made out way to the IMC. We joked about how we were going to get a cop to pull us over this time. As we made it to the hospital without getting pulled over Gary said it must be a false alarm since we didn’t. We checked in and the nurses took us to triage to be checked. I was dilated to a 2 and 70-80% effaced. The nurse gave us the option of taking a walk or sitting in triage for an hour so we took a walk. My contractions were getting stronger as we walked around but I hadn’t progressed any when we got back to triage. The nurse told us we could stay another hour or go home & come back when the contractions got stronger. We waited for the resident to come do a fluid level check, then the nurse gave me a Lortab for pain, thinking it might stop the contractions if they weren’t real, and sent us home. That was around 1 a.m.

When we got home we told Mom what had happened and she decided to stay on the couch in case we had to go back. My water still hadn’t broken, so we laid down to try and get some sleep around 1:30. I laid in bed hugging my body pillow as the contractions got stronger and stronger. I was determined to stay in bed until 3 a.m. so Gary could get some sleep but by 2:20 I was in such pain and shaking so badly that I got him up & we were off to the hospital again. We arrived at around 2:40 and by that time the contractions were almost on top of one another. I could barely walk into the building. The second time I had Gary drop me off at the door. I knew I couldn’t walk in from the parking lot that time. I made it into the front desk doubled over in pain. The nurses checked us into a delivery room this time & had me undress and put on a gown. I laid down on the bed & had Gary go get the nurse because I couldn’t stand the pain any more. I needed the epidural NOW! The nurse came in at 2:56 & checked me and says “You’re ready to go!” I was like “No! I need an epidural!” She said it would be better for the baby to just have him, since his heart rate was decelerating. At that point I agreed and the resident doctor that had done my fluid check earlier came in & got ready to deliver. They called my doctor to come in and got to work preparing for the delivery. The whole time I was in such pain I could barely move. I was shaking and had no strength in my arms or legs. I still wanted an epidural, but it was, of course, too late. My water hadn’t broken so the doctor broke it right before I started to push. They got me into position to push and even though I knew I had to, I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to have this baby naturally! Well, I did and it was completely different than the births of Dan and Jack. Feeling everything was quite an experience. As soon as his head was out the pain stopped & was relaxed. Evan Jacob Jones was born at 3:09 a.m. on January 8 weighing in at 5 lbs. 13 oz. and measuring 20 inches long. My OB arrived right after he was born - she had run a couple of red lights on her way in and still didn't make it on time! He came so fast that not only did I not get my epidural, I didn't even get an IV! That means no pain meds!! I only had a small tear that required one or two stitches. I had dilated from a 2 to a 10 in less than 2 hours. That is amazing to me because the previous two times it had taken roughly 8 hours. Also amazing to me is the fact that it only took me three or four pushes to get the baby out. I guess when it hurts that bad your body does everything in its power to make it stop! I was in such pain and so weak that I thought my pushes weren’t doing much good. It was an experience that I am glad I have had, because now I can say that I know for sure the women who do that on purpose are nuts! Hopefully it will be a once in a lifetime event.

Evan is beautiful. He has lots of dark brown hair. He has a couple of little quirks. His chin is a little asymmetrical. The pediatrician said it was probably from the way he was positioned in the womb – with his chin against his shoulder most likely. He said it will most likely fix itself. Another quirk is genetic – an extra thumb on each hand. It’s not too noticeable if you aren’t looking for it. The doctor said we can have them removed when he is a year old. It is sometimes related to kidney problems so we will need to go have an ultrasound of his kidneys done soon. I think it just makes him extra special.

It was an unexpected experience that I am glad is over & I am happy to have him home and healthy.