Thursday, February 10, 2005

Remember when? Look who's Ten!

A little over ten years I didn't think that Taylor was ever going to come out. We knew we were having a girl from an ultrasound done at 34 weeks. I was 9 days overdue at my last appt before Taylor was born. At my last appt, my Dr. had said it would induce the next day if I made it to the next appt. Rachel had been almost 9.5 lbs at 7 days late and I didn't want to Taylor to get to big to come out on her own.

My Dr. agreed to induce me next the morning, the 10th. I had to go to the hospital that night to get gel put on my cervix to help make it ready for the induction. I had to wait two hours just in case the putting on the gel made me go into labor. I left the hospital only a fingertip dialated. I got home around 8:00pm and ate the leftover mac & cheese Joe had made the dinner. Joe and I went to bed around 10:00pm. I got up again around 11:00pm because I kept having a contraction about every 10 minutes, that would wake me up. I decided to let Joe sleep and went downstairs to sit in the recliner and watch TV and time contractions. With both Mallory and Rachel, I went to the hospital because my water had broken and I sat around for hours with no contractions, until I was finally induced. I had decided that I wasn't going to call my Dr. tonight until the contractions were less than 5 minutes apart. I did not want to get to the hospital too early this time and spent so much time waiting around. Between 11:00pm and midnight the contractions were coming every 7-8 minutes. Between midnight and 1:00am they were every 5 minutes and double peaking, but my criteria had been less than 5 minutes, remember? By 1:20am, the contractions were coming at least every 4 minutes. It was time to get moving or I was going to have Taylor in that recliner. I got up and got the phone from the kitchen. I called the Dr.'s answering service and waited for someone to call me back. I very calmly told the Dr. on call that I was supposed to be induced in the morning, but had been told to come in earlier if I went into labor before then. She said she would meet me there. Next I called my neighbor and waited for her to arrive so I could let her in. Did I mention running to the bathroom every 10 minutes too? Then I went upstairs to wake Joe up, he says it was 1:27am. Joe had to help me get dressed, because I was having contractions everytime I moved at this point, as I was still in my PJs from when we went to bed. I ended up wearing my slippers because Joe could not get my shoes on. We left for the hospital at 1:45am. I yelled at Joe to run a red light because I didn't want to have Taylor in the van. We got to the hospital in about 10 minutes. Joe went into the ER to get a wheel chair because I could not walk. Once in the ER we were stopped by a drunk who wanted to help, LOL. I was made to switch wheel chairs to one that had been brought down from laboe & delivery. I was not happy about having to move, but did so reluctantly. From that point on was a blur, it felt like the nurse was running down the hallway and into the elevator. She asked me if I felt like I had to push. Not yet. We banged though a set of double doors into L&D. There were 4-5 nurses sitting around the nurses station. I think most of them followed us into our room, it was 2:05am. Joe left to move the van as it was parked in a 15 minute only ER parking spot. The nurses had to change me into a gown as I was contracting too close together to be of much help. One nurse kept asking me not to move so she could put in an IV. She finally gave up. Another, very short nurse, climbed up onto the bed to check me. She gave me a very strange look. I asked her if I was dilated at all, because I was not going to be happy if I was only 3-4 cms dialated. She said "Honey, you are ready to go!" I was already 10 cms and felt the urge to push with the next contraction. Mind you, there are only nurses with me at this time, my Dr. is no where to be found. The nurse told me not to push. I told her I could not not push, this baby was ready to come out. She said "At least wait until your husband gets back". Joe came back during the next contraction in time to see her crown. He put down a cup of coffee he had stopped to get from an ER vending machine and said "Already"? Taylor's head was born with the next contraction, but she was blue because the cord was wrapped around her neck. The cord was cut and the rest of her slipped out. She was rushed over to a warming table and I didn't see her at all for several hours. I didn't know until the next morning that she had been born blue. I don't remember thinking that it was weird not to see her right away. I must have been in shock from her coming so fast. Taylor Jo Stratton was born 10 days late on Feb. 10th at 2:15am. She weighed 9 lbs. 7 ozs. and was 21" long.

Today she weighs 90 lbs and is 4'10" tall. She is a very smart, very athletic preteen. She gets A's and B's and competes on a local gymnatics team. I can't believe that she is 10 already.

No comments: