It's a Boy!!

nearly 1 week
nearly 1 week old
daddy and cam at birth
emom, luke, carys, cam
one week old!

mommy and cam at birth
Cameron Brian-- Oct. 30th 2009

I suppose that I should document this little freight train's birth for my blog book (if I can ever manage to make it). Do not feel the need to read, yet another labor and delivery story as it really is for me to record Cameron's birthday. I really won't be offended ;)

At 3:30 am I woke up with my normal occasional contraction and then had another big one 20 minutes later. I was used to having at least 2 a night so i didn't think anything of it. At around 4:20 I started again with contractions but they were 10 minutes apart. I woke up Rob and said that I thought it may be time. I timed two more at 10 min. apart and then got in the shower, and tried to finish packing. Of course, Rob wasn't packed or showered either...he was packed for his hunting day the next day though...ha ha! At around 5:10 they jumped to 3 minutes apart. Uh Oh! Then we called the doc and headed out. We are driving to the hospital and they are 2-3 minutes apart. As we were pulling off the exit to the hospital I got an intense urge to push...Are you kidding me?!!! I tell Rob, who barely found the hospital, and he decided driving above the speed limit would be a good idea now. Hallelujah! But wait, don't speed over that speed bump!!!! We make it in one piece and as I am checking in, Rob realized he forgot the camera. So, the kind nurse escorted me upstairs to Triage. Once in Triage, the urge to push was very intense. It seemed as if the nurses were moving in S L O W MOTION! Of course, they weren't, but they were annoying me as they kept questioning my plan for a C-Section. (Ummm, can't you see that the plan is set and I am a little busy in labor and pain now? I don't have the energy to defend myself to you people!) Anyway, the doctor came in and I was dilated to nearly an 8 and I was still dying with my need to push. That is something I have never experienced and I really could not control all that well. The IV was in and they began to discuss the fact that I may not have time for a C-section. I am beginning to panic and I was moaning stuff along the lines of, "it isn't supposed to go this way. This isn't my plan. I can't have another 4th degree tear. Please give me something." The doctor kept saying they were moving as fast as they could. Well, this little guy had another idea. I didn't even get an entire bag of fluids in me before I was dilated to a 10 and complete. The doctor calmly explained that in order to have a c-section I would need the epidural or spinal and I would have to sit up for that and I would deliver the baby before that was finished. He was coming...without drugs!!!! (Luckily we didn't hit any rush hour traffic on the way or he would have been coming in the car!) I just looked at her and said, "can't you give me anything?" She said, she could give me some local anesthetic, but it most likely won't do much except for stitching. She said the worst part are the contractions and I was finished with transition...oh, thanks, so tearing in half wouldn't hurt at all, right? Well, it was inevitable anyway and we headed to labor and delivery.

And now, my little miracle moment. I have a friend who said some of her most spiritual moments were with her babies or at birth. I now have to agree. As they were wheeling me to L&D, I was having another contraction that felt I was going to push him out on the bed and I said a little prayer. During the prayer, the contraction completely stopped cold. Not a single tightening. No pain. Just calm. We pulled next to the new bed and I literally popped up and got myself into the delivery bed with confidence and energy. It was amazing. I couldn't believe it. I got my first moment without pain in an hour and a half. The head was presenting (Rob could see him) before they broke my water and then they gave me a few shots of local. The next contraction I pushed four times (counts of 8). His head was out on the second and body on the fourth. It was over. It was quick. I barely tore. I felt very little pain. I checked into the hospital at 5:40 and Cameron was born at 6:40 am. And it was my first baby that didn't have to have forceps or vacuum help and he came out so quickly that his head was absolutely perfect! He was smaller than the ultra sound previously predicted...2 pounds lighter. My healing has been better than with the other two pregnancies as well. I had a lot of turmoil about having a c-section and I think the Lord really took the decision out of my hands and this was the best outcome we could have imagined.

Now a moment about our baby boy...he is Cameron Brian. He weighed 6 lbs 8 oz, 20 inches long. He is perfect and gorgeous. He looks just like my other two minus the gobs of dark hair. He has been a great baby so far...eating and sleeping like a champ. We just love him so much. I can't believe how big your heart grows with each child. I could just stare at him for hours.

I think I should document, too, that we (carys, luke, rob, julie) got the H1N1 flu in our home 1 week after delivery. I have been quarantined with Cameron for days and will be until we are germ free. We are still in the thick of it and are praying Cameron stays clear of it. The news of the flu was about all I could take in the midst of my hormonal plummet during the first week postpartum. I cried for nearly two days at the thought... all is well now and I am regulating my emotions much better. We are all on Tamiflu and coming out of it. Luckily, my mom has been here to help contain the kids and entertain them. She and my sister has been amazing. The ward has been great as well with meals and phone calls. We are very fortunate.