What a week I have had...with my new little man!

Hello ladies!

So let me tell you how is jinxed myself...
I was 37 weeks last Thursday, and I wrote on my facebook that I was excited that I was finally full term, and that this little guy could come any day. One of my friends wrote back and said "I hope he doesn't come tonight since ECU is playing VT". Of course I had to say "well if I go into labor, he will just have to wait until the game is over to come out and meet us...". Famous last words.

I came home from work and stopped by the grocery store. I picked up a 12 pack to surprise my husband so he could have some beer to watch the big game and I picked up some ice cream for myself. I made it all the way home feeling fine. I got in the house just as Joey was leaving for a run, and told him it was a pizza, beer and football kind of night. Kissed him good by and took my shoes off. About 5 minutes later I had to pee. So, I did my thing and stood up and I was like, well that has never happened before. I thought I wasn't done, which is common in pregnancy, but has never happened to me before. So anyways, I stood up again and it did it a little more after I pulled my pants up. Needless to say this happened several more times during the course of the evening. So I called my sister and said that either my water just broke or I just peed myself. Either way, I wasn't ready for either to be the case. I hadn't packed a bag, Joey is running, and if I call my mom, she would be there before I could get off the phone with the doctor.

So I laid down and waited for Joey to return. My sister said if I laid down for about 30 minutes and if I still had fluid coming out, it was my water. So Joey came home, and you should have seen the look on his face when I told him what was going on. So I called the doctor and she told me to relax, eat some dinner, take a shower and when I was ready to make my way to the hospital. So we did that, though I was too excited to eat much, and Joey was too anxious to sit still. The nursery wasn't quite ready and we needed to pack. Basically we were just too worked up. And since every time I moved I was seriously leaking we left for the the hospital just a couple of hours later. But I cannot stress how important it is to eat something before you leave. I went at least 36 hours without eating, and I was STARVING!

So I get to the hospital, and they confirm my water did break. I wasn't dilated or anything, but they admitted me and we started getting settled. I forgot to mention, I wasn't in any pain. My tummy was getting tight, but if my water had not broken, I would never had known it was time. They started me on poticin since I wasn't dilated at all and I was on the clock since my water broke. Painful contractions started about 2:30 Friday morning, and by the time 7 am rolled around I was more than ready for my epi. Unfortunately there was no progress. It took all day for me to get to 10 cm, in fact I was on poticin for about 24 hours before I was fully there.

Our parents were the only ones we wanted there while I labored, and Joey's parents started there drive from Greenville, NC early in the morning, and my mom struggled to stay at work Friday. But they all arrived around 5 pm. Around 8 something I was finally there. I never really felt the urge to push. But I tried for about 2 hours. The doctor said I could continue to push for about an hour longer, but he didn't think I was going to be able to have this baby vaginally. This little guy was just taking his time, and time was the one thing that his mommy didn't have on her side.

So at 10:30 I was prepped for a c section, and at 11:03 Andrew Smith Battle was born! He had such a little cry, but that was all that was little about him. He was 8 lbs and 20.5 inches long. I look down at my belly and do not know how he fit in there. I didn't actually get to see him very well until I went into recovery but once I did I knew he was the cutest little guy ever! I will have to go into more detail about all the stuff I have learned and what I wasn't prepared for, but I wanted to at least share my birthing story with you guys. He will be a week old tonight at 11:03 and cannot believe I have known him for so long already. Right now he is sitting in his swing enjoying some music debating on if it is time to wake up and eat.

Hope you are all doing well. And I hear congratulations is in order for Greer and her new addition! Until next time!

Mel