The birth of Kendrick Nathan Crow

I know I want to remember this story but I really haven't wanted to take the time to write it... even now I hope I can remember everything that I want to add and have the time to include it all.

It all started Friday night. Nathan wanted to go and hang out with a few of his friends down in Nephi which I agreed to as long as his friend promised to bring him back if I went into labor. I was getting very excited to go into labor at any time even though I still had 2 weeks left (I even had chips and salsa for dinner). The pain in my back was making walking more and more difficult.

Saturday morning after almost no sleep (I missed my hubby) I was using the restroom and just wishing for my water to break. Then when I looked in the toilet it was filled with blood and I had two thoughts: 1. This is not what I wished for 2. This could still mean that I am going to have my baby today :)

I attempted to get a hold of Nate and after no luck I finally called his Dad who said that he would find him for me. I then called my mom and asked her if she would meet me at the hospital because Nate was at least an hour and a half away.

Once I was at the hospital I was put in a labor and delivery room to be monitored. I had to wait over an hour by myself and then another hour before my hubby and his step-mom were able to make it. After a few hours the midwife checked me and I was still only dialed to a 1 but had a lot of contractions on the monitor. They decided that they would watch me for 24 hrs and then release me as long as I didn't bleed any more in that time. They didn't want to consider inducing until I was at least 39wks or needed it for some medical reason.

I was finally able to eat after we talked to the midwife and the rest of the day was spent just waiting for anything to happen. Around 9pm they wheeled me into a postpartum room where I would be able to get a few more hours of sleep and not be bothered as often.

At 2:20am I woke up with the gush of my water breaking. I knew that it had to be my water because if I lost that much blood all at once I don't think I would have been able to be so calm about it. I paged the nurse and told her that I thought my water broke. She came in a few minutes later, confirmed that it did and then got me a wheel chair to be moved back to labor and delivery. I could hardly believe that after all the contractions I had throughout my pregnancy they were much more intense within minutes of my water breaking.

I would have to say that the worst thing about delivery was how sick I felt. I was shaking, feeling nauseous, and hating life within the hour. I couldn't get nausea medicine fast enough, let alone attempt to concentrate on things like breathing and staying calm. I finally gave into an epidural around 3:30 or 4. I knew that no sleep two nights in a row was going to kill me and I was feeling to sick to try and fight the contractions. I must say I don't regret my decision one bit because I could still feel everything. I probably could have even walked with the epidural because I could hold my own weight and move my legs.. but it did take a little of the edge off.

After the epidural they checked me and I was a 3. Then around 7am I was 4cm. They were trying to hold off checking me because they didn't want to risk me bleeding more. At 10am I had was dilated to 9cm and I would begin pushing in an hour.

The beginning of pushing was really easy. I had gotten a few more hours of sleep and I was ready for my baby to come. However, probably a half hour into it things got miserable fast. My nausea medicine had worn off and the epidural sure felt like it had too. I was much more annoyed about the nausea medicine no longer working. I could handle the contractions and pushing but I felt like I barely survived the time in-between contractions. I felt like I was falling, and I wanted to throw up but couldn't. I can't accurately describe how sick I felt but lets just say that next time I have a child I am going to make Nate watch the clock on when I can get another dose of the medicine so that I don't have to be pushing while feeling oh so very very sick. I even made Nate give me a blessing around noon or so because I really didn't see how I was going to not pass out from feeling so sick.

I had to push for 2 hours before my little guy was born at 1:01 and honestly the time really did fly by. I probably would have rather pushed for 4 and not been sick. The main reason it was so difficult getting Kendrick here was because he was face up rather than down. It is much harder to get him through the birth canal that way and his poor head was bruised really bad because of it. I have never seen a baby so coned headed and I still feel bad that he was struggling so hard to get here.

I don't think I could have asked for a more perfect baby. He cried just enough when he came out to know that he didn't have fluids in his lungs and then he was a perfect babe the second they laid him on me. He just looked around and soaked up everything. While I held him the placenta was delivered and the midwife told me that I hardly even tore. (I really really didn't want an epistemology and lucky for me I didn't need one :)  ).

I was able to feed Kendrick before they weighed and measured him and the entire time I could hardly believe he was mine. He was worth every sickness, contraction, back pain, and any other pain that I might have felt the past 9 months. I love him more and more each day and Nate and I are super proud to be his parents!!


Just a side note... My hubby and midwife were amazing along with everyone else in the delivery room. I kept my eyes closed almost the entire 2 hours of pushing because of how sick I felt but the presence of these amazing people is what helped me deliver my beautiful Kendrick Nathan Crow:

Hubby: Nathan
Midwife: Diane Huebuch
Friend: Danielle Carlisle
Sister-in-law/ friend: Jolene Rehmert
Nurse: Brittani and another that was in and out