The Story of Tyler

Since it is terribly hard to respond to every email I've received with the details of Tyler's birth, I thought I would write something here to update you. So... here we go.

On the morning of Thursday, October 29th, we had a doctor appointment. I was two days overdue and more than ready to have the baby. Dr. M said the baby was really low, but my body just wasn't ready for him to arrive yet. I wasn't experiencing bad contractions or anything painful... some cramps here and there was all. She stripped my membranes (Ouch!!)and ordered a gel treatment to be done starting that night at the hospital. I would go back Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get it done again (keep in mind, it would take 2 hours every time! yuck.). If that didn't work, I would be induced Monday morning. The absolute last thing I wanted was to be induced, so I was counting on the gel treatments working. We went to work after the morning appointment and I decided that I would take Friday off. If I was going to spend 2 hours at the hospital anyway during the day, why not just take the day off, right?! I knew that day was my last day of work since I'd be induced Monday no matter what. I packed up my stuff (ok, I got excited and packed up the week before so my cube was already empty and the only way you knew who sat there was by the name plate on the wall). I said my goodbyes and was done... for 3 months!!!

That night, I made spaghetti for dinner around 6. The hospital gave me about 30 minutes warning and wanted me there for the treatment at 7. We ate quickly and headed to United Hospital. They got me all set up for the treatment, but monitored the baby and myself for 20 minutes first. The nurse came back in and said I was having contractions 3-4 minutes apart. She was stunned I couldn't feel them, but thought it was my body reacting to the membrane trama from earlier in the day. Unfortunately, they don't give the gel treatments if you are contracting that much, so I was told to come back and try again the next day. We stopped by Trader Joe's on our way home to grab some treats since I was disappointed. I got some awesome chocolate ice cream and Brian got apple juice and vanilla cookies. Weird combo. At home, I ate some ice cream and just relaxed before heading to bed... still feeling disappointed.

1:27 AM: Hellooooo contractions!!!! I woke up out of a dead sleep with painful contractions. The first one I timed was 8 minutes, then 7 minutes, then a couple at 6 and within that hour, I was having them at 5 minutes apart. At that point, I woke up Brian. We waited through a few more to see if they kept up at 5 minutes apart. They sure did. We took showers just in case it was the real deal... yes, I was still in denial. I called the hospital and they suggested we come down. Brian drove so fast. He is typically a drive-the-speed-limit kind of guy, so driving down the Montreal Ave hill at super speed felt like we were riding a roller coaster when I'm used to driving it at 35 mph.

4:00 AM: Admitted to hospital. I put on that beautiful gown, got in bed and had no idea what to expect. I was scared, excited, anxious and still a little bit in denial. My contractions were getting stronger, longer and closer together. It was pretty much the worst thing ever. I wasn't sure if I was going to throw up, cry, or pass out. Thankfully, I only cried out of those three :)

The next few hours are a blurr. I took a pill that was supposed to make me feel drowsy and that did not work at all. At about 7, I think, the nurses changed over and Nicole was my new nurse. She was so amazing. I was very much ready for the epidural at this point and she was on top of it. Dr. Lee showed up quickly, got that huge needle in my back and relief was on its way. Oh how I love Dr. Lee. They started me on some Pitocin to keep my contractions strong since the epidural weakened them a bit, but hey, I couldn't feel them, so bring on the Pitocin! I slept a bit, tried to smile while Brian took some pictures and talked to my mom on the phone once. Brian curled up on a tiny chair and slept a bit himself.

1:18 PM: 10 centimeters and here we go! I did not expect to be to 10 already, but I was and now the show was really going to start. My fear returned, but I was also really excited because I knew within a couple hours, we would FINALLY meet our son! Pushing the baby out was pretty much the most awkward moments of my life. I'm not even going to say why. It was just so weird. I'm sure many of you can relate. About a half hour in, I didn't think I could take it any longer. I was tired and I felt like my head was going to explode. Brian motivated me and kept encouraging me. I am SO thankful for a husband like him. I literally could not have done this without him next to me... holding my hand, holding my head, and talking me through it. He is such a great man. Still pushing. Pushing some more. It was nearing the end and I started getting an awful pain in my left hip. It was almost intolerable. I didn't know what was going on. How was it my hip was hurting when everything else was happening? The nurse thought the baby came down crooked or else he was coming with a hand next to his head. When she could clearly see that I couldn't take it any longer, she went to find the doctor. Dr. O came in within a minute from another delivery, saw what was going on and in two more pushes, baby Tyler was born. I'm not sure what she did, but what a relief.

2:39 PM: Tyler made his entrance... screaming!!!!! He was warm and slippery and completely full of energy. But I loved it. I held him close, we cried, Brian took some pictures and we were just in awe of what had happened. They let me hold him for a while before taking him out of my arms to be checked on, which I loved. Our son was born.

Tyler weighed 8 pounds, 1.3 ounces and was 21 1/4 inches long. His head circumfrance was 14 inches, which they said was normal for his weight. Now, I was expecting a 9+ pounder since Brian was almost 10 and I was 8 1/2 or so, so I was totally happy with an 8 lb 1 ounce baby if you must know. We took more pictures, held him and then Brian called our parents. Mine had been in the waiting room since 1 PM and were just itching to see him and us.

At 4:30, we moved into the room that we'd use the remainder of our stay. It felt like a dream. This baby was ours. He is absolutely beautiful and we are so happy. We learned so much about parenting so early on. Brian changed his first diaper and held a newborn for the first time. It is so precious to watch him interact with Tyler. He is truly in love.

We were sent home Sunday afternoon and the time at home has been wonderful. Our first night was a little on the rough side. Tyler did not want to sleep unless he was sleeping in our arms. He is adorable, so how could I resist holding him? I was up most of the night and watched an episode of Little House on the Prairie to stay awake. Trust me, it was the ONLY thing on TV besides paid programming and it never occurred to me to put a movie in until right now. Ha ha. The second and third night were great. He slept in his pack 'n play right next to me and only needed to eat twice during the night. What a good baby... so far! We are learning to be flexible and patient and we are relying on each other more than we ever have. I loved my husband so much before this, but I love him on a much deeper level now. I cherish him.

So, that is the story of how Tyler entered the world. I said before and I'll say it again, we were and still are in awe of the miracle he is. God gave us a beautiful gift in Tyler and we can't wait to see how he grows and who he becomes. We are so thankful for answered prayers that he is healthy and that everything went safely for me and him. Those gel treatments and induction never had to happen. Way to go body for doing it on your own! I'm not sure I can do childbirth again, but I'm sure someday I'll forget about how awful it was and want another tiny baby to curl up on my chest and fall asleep. Precious.