You can read the most accurate birth story in my white temple journal... This one will be shortened for readers sake.
I had gone to the doctor Thursday and had not progressed at all.... no dilation and no effacement. I felt I would be pregnant forever... I was always progressing at least a little bit with all my other babies by this point... but I was still 2 weeks out.
Sunday, the night before we had Wyatt we were at a Superbowl party at the Kelstrom's with the Peterson's. Wyatt must have been so excited by the game that at 5:30 am the following morning he KICKED his way out!
Mason and I were both sleeping. Mason had woken up a bit before and was thinking about his day when he says that I suddenly screamed. I had felt the hardest kick ever and I knew that if I moved even an inch all my water would come rushing out. I told Mason, "I think my water just broke... hurry grab some towels!" Sure enough as I moved to get the towels underneath me, my water came rushing out. I began to shake and cry with the excitement and nerves of what was coming. I was sad that my mom wasn't there yet as she was suppose to arrive 3 days later. We said a prayer together and then Mason went into 'full nesting mode' as we called it. He began to make breakfast and try to get ahold of his parents. I wasn't having contractions yet so I just lay in bed. Mason couldn't get a hold of his parents. He ended up having to call Bobby to go over and wake them up. He then started cleaning bathrooms and other odds and ends (including filling up the bird feeder) being we were planning on finishing getting the house ready that day. We finally got a hold of Laura and she planned to arrive around 10:30. My mom changed her plane ticket and was planning to arrive around 7:30 pm.
I was having small contractions here and there. I took a shower. The kids got up... we told them they were going to meet their brother that day. I think they were a little confused as to why all of the sudden they were going to meet him THAT day when nothing seemed that different. My contractions weren't strong but they were getting closer together and I knew that I had to have the antibiotics at least 2 hours before he was born. We called Lorna O'Born from the ward and had her come over around 8:30 and we headed to the hospital. We took our traditional 'last picture as a family of 5' picture and headed out the door giving each of our babies a squeeze one last time - especially Addie.
While driving I had brought a small towel because I thought FOR SURE that all my water had already drained out... there couldn't possibly have been more... but as we hit some bumps in the truck and were driving a lot more came out making it look like I had fully wet my pants. You can't really see in the picture but my pants are SOAKED. I walked into the hospital a little bull legged because it was so soggy and uncomfortable.
We arrived and they set us up in the birthing room. I had planned to go natural and we had everything we could have possibly needed. They set us up across the hall from the jetted bathtub in case we wanted to use that. The nurse checked me and I hadn't progressed AT ALL. Nothing. Ummm... okay. So I get the antibiotics with the most painful IV ever that actually burst my vein and had to be moved to the other side after a couple hours, and then we started to walk the halls in hopes of getting things to progress.
Long story short... I labored for a long time. We started petocin and a level 2, then upped to a 4, then upped to a 6 to get things progressing. After 13 hours of labor and the petocin just making things too hard and contractions back to back I decided to get an epidural. I felt I had done all I could possibly do and my body wasn't progressing as fast as it needed to to have him before 24 hours was going to pass. I was worried that my body was going to cause problems and if we just upped the petocin he could come faster and safely. So I ordered the epidural and got excited at the thought of relief because now the contractions were the real deal.
Our nurses were so sweet. Another long story short... the epidural did not work. I got a second epidural - it did not work. I ended up getting fentanyl and that FINALLY gave me relief. Somewhere in all the insanity Mason gave me a blessing. About 40 minutes later our sweet little baby boy was born at 8:55 pm. I got to watch him being born in a mirror. It was beautiful and sacred. I'm thankful that I had the medication because the birth was calm and I was able to see the beauty of it all - I'm not sure I would have been able to do that the way things were going before.
They placed him on my chest and I fell immediately in love. He was beautiful, perfect, squishy, and I couldn't get enough. It's amazing how that bond happens. I remember him feeling so foreign in my belly and I had worried (even though I know it was a silly worry) that I wouldn't love him as much. It was instant.
My midwife D'Anne Moon was amazing. She was so patient, calming, and with us from 1:00 pm on.
Wyatt weighed 8 pounds even and was 20 inches long. He had lots of dark hair and such a cutie pie. All the nurses said so - and they all justified by saying that they see lots of ugly babies and he was definitely NOT an ugly baby. Of course not. Both grandmothers at home sighed a sigh of relief and we all settled in for the night.
Laura came early the next morning to snuggle her last (probably) new grandbaby. He makes grandbaby number 20 for the Lefler's.
We had a wonderful stay in the hospital. It was so special and beautiful even though non of us were getting much sleep. Mason and I really enjoyed our time getting to know our new baby. It was a mini vacation. He had a little snort and a crease between his eyes when he'd get angry that we just adored.
My mom came after Laura. She had to get those newborn snuggles in. I'm so glad that she changed her plane ticket. Even though I didn't see her before the birth... knowing that she was there comforted me so much.
Here he is getting his first bath - which he did not like - at all - except for when they washed his hair.
Isn't he handsome!? I felt like he looked like a little gentleman with his handsome hair combed.
The next day my mom brought the kids over. They were all so sick we decided not to bring them in the hospital room and risk it. They came into the waiting room and got to look at him through the window. It wasn't what I had always dreamed of, you know, them quietly coming in and seeing their new brother... but I called on speaker phone and we made it work. Boonie seemed the most interested. Adelyn just ran around like a crazy person.
There they are... my crew.
We enjoyed our last night in the hospital with our free dinners and snuggling our precious boy. We had a job to do... choose a name. I always love seeing Mason hold my tiny babies... he makes them look even tinier.
I love this picture below of Mason sleeping and my little cutie.
I found myself wishing I could freeze time with this little one in that hospital room in our little corner of the world. Everything was so right and he was so precious and new. I loved every second of it.
Grandma gave him his first Valentine.
The following morning we packed up, dressed him in his new outfit and headed back out into the crazy world.
I snapped this picture below in an attempt to freeze time. It's always so hard for me to leave - even though I love my other kids... I just never want that moment to end. It only means he'll just continue to get older and I'll never have my newborn again. Our little corner of heaven.
