Wow...it was a long journey, too! He's GORGEOUS! Anyway, today started out just like Thursday and Friday...pitocin, nothing, contractions that Erin thought she had beat...Dr. Jackson (who is fabulous, of course) came in and examined her and told her that she had 2 choices...unplug and try to make it 8-10 days, or break her water. She understood that if her water broke, she WOULD have a baby in 24 hours, vaginally or C-section. She was horribly upset. She told me not to say a word...that I exuded my opinion from every pore of my being, and she didn't need to hear it. She asked Marc and he refused to tell her anything...said his body wasn't getting cut. So the ONE person that she asked for an opinion and who gave it was my
14 year old niece, Jenell. After serious consideration (2 hours or so) they decided to go for it. About 10 minutes after they broke her water, she realized that the contractions she'd been having were a walk in the park. 45 minutes later, she kicked everyone out, and we STAYED out. She was upset because she "wimped out" and got a Nubain snot. Please...this was the THIRD day??? About an hour later, Marc came out and said she was getting an epidural, she was going to sleep, and NOBODY was coming in. 15 minutes later, I got invited in so that I could watch her sleep so that Marc could have a break, eat something, etc. Their friends Erin and Bert had brought him a superb assortment of sushi, which was extremely caring of them. All his favorites. Grossed out my whole family!! So I was in with her for a couple hours, then "something happened"...turned out it was the urge to push. EVERYONE OUT...and we stood in the hall (there were like 15 of us with our ears pressed to the doors of the suite. We can't even lie about it, because we're on videotape!) We all were talking about how we were going to convince Erin that she hadn't disappointed us by not allowing us in, because there was no way she'd know how she'd feel at the moment...all that, and we'd been hearing Marc and Irma (the midwife) coaching her, and her grunting (she never screamed ONCE! and his head is 14.5" around!) when they called Dr. Jackson...we knew birth was pretty imminent. All of a sudden, Marc stuck his head out the door, yelled Mommies and Jenell get IN HERE! and we went! The list, in order of precedence, was Marc, Me, Jenell...which probably sounds funny, but Jenell and Erin are very close, and Erin was 14 when she watched my sister give birth to Jenell's little sister, and it was one of the pivotal moments of her life. I had "practiced" once before watching a birth, but I was at a VERY oblique angle, and sitting down. I don't DO blood. I also don't do people I love in pain. But Jenell and I hugged each other and held each other up and were 2 feet away and we saw EVERYTHING... it was fabulous. And I didn't pass out. The worst part of it was that Erin had epidural nausea, and (if you'll remember) I'm a sympathetic vomiter. She didn't throw up that last bit, though... She did deliver vaginally. She did NOT have an episiotomy, and only had a small tear. She's in fantastic shape. Marc is too. Beck is PERFECT and gorgeous and wonderful and we've waited a LONG time for him...So cheers to Beckhem Patrick Haney! He's 7 lbs 12 oz, 21 inches long, and had an APGAR of 9!!
Jeanne - in love, again, with a younger man!!
Three weeks, two days, 7 hours, 24 minutes and 32 seconds. 932 cigarettes not smoked, saving $171.55. Life saved: 3 days, 5 hours, 40 minutes.