He’s here!
So we did a pretty awful job at keeping up with the website on the big day! We did most of our updates via facebook. If you follow our blog and would like to get more up-to-date information - friend us on facebook! Just pop us a message and we’ll do the rest.
So, here’s the story that started the morning of December 26th and ended with the birth of our little man, Keane Mercer.
We were told to check into the hospital at 7am. So we dropped the girls off at L&L’s. It was somewhat sad that they couldn’t be there with us but we knew it was really going to be a long day and really for the best.
We dropped off videos at the gas station and filled up the van. We walked into the hospital around 7am and checked in.
We were directed to Labor and Delivery. They had us down for an aversion. Which is basically when the doctor tries to flip a baby. Uh….NOT US!? So, they finally figured it out and discovered that was another patient that was to be checking in! *gulp*
The doctor strolled in at around 9:30am. He asked what we were doing there? He did a quick bio-physical of the boy. He wanted to make sure that there was plenty of fluid, that he was moving around, and that he was breathing. He said if we wanted him to start the gel he would do it but really only gave it a 10% chance of working since I was ZERO cm’s dilated. Closed up like Fort Knox!
So he inserted the gel which was like a gigantic tampon with thorns all around it. It hurt going in. Once it was in I didn’t feel anything. I expected things to work pretty instantly. So by 2pm when I wasn’t experiencing a thing I thought we might be going home that evening.
The gel has to stay in for 12 hours and typically, they pull it out if it hasn’t worked and you come back to the hospital another day. When your body is ready or if you’ve started dilating the gel works best and pushes you into labor.
At 3:20pm Margot and Jason asked if they could go geocaching. Since nothing was going on I said “sure”. I took a little nap. Then I woke up to contractions. I texted Jason and Margot and told them I was having contractions so they came back.
5:30pm the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart.
I went in and out of the tub a few times. The only thing that felt good was hot water around my body. I even ate my dinner in the tub.
By 8:30pm I was pretty sure I was going to be checked in and having a baby. I spoke with our midwife friend on the phone and she thought I’d be 5cms when they checked.
By 9pm I told the nurse I couldn’t have the gel in anymore that it hurt too bad. She gave me the choice that she could take it out and check me. I took her up on it. I waddled back to the room from the tub room.
When she checked she said I was 3-4cm and that she would call the doctor. She came back to the room and said that the doctor was NOT going to admit me and just wanted to see how things progressed.
At that point I asked for drugs. Basically, something to take the edge off. She couldn’t get the IV in so she had to get the other nurse. At this point my contractions were AWFUL and unbearable. I still didn’t have meds and they were coming 1-2 minutes apart. The nurse called the doctor again and said he was on his way.
Doctor got there at 9:45pm. He checked me and I was 6. The baby’s heartrate kept going down with each contraction. We were worried but he reassured us that he would take care of it and to let him be the one to handle it.
I really wanted an intrathecal but the doctor said that it could affect the baby especially since the heartrate was dipping with contractions. So he suggested doing a shot of nubain to take the edge off. Within minutes I was a bit more calm. I still felt all of the pain but the anxiety was a bit better.
By 10:55pm the doctor checked and asked if I felt the need to push. I did, however, I waited for a contraction.
It took ONE push — and the boy came flying out!
It was so fast Margot missed it and Jason was barely able to get out the video camera to tape it!
Keane came out with the cord wrapped twice around his neck and poo all over him! He cried and cried.
He was perfect.
The doctor put him right on my belly and I just couldn’t believe he was here. He was healthy. He was my son.
The doctor kept checking his cord to see if it had pumped all of the blood. After about 3 minutes he clamped the cord and let Margot cut it.
We held our son for around an hour before they took him to clean him up. It was amazing. He looked at us and was so alert. We put him on the breast and he latched on.
I birthed the placenta and I required a single stitch on my bits. Really not much damage considering.
It’s been a long, long journey to get our family….but I can honestly say it was all worth it. I love this little man more than anything. The way the girls interact with him makes my heart melt.
