Lindo Lane: The Extended Version

Well, it's taken me a month, but here I am blogging again finally post baby #2!!! I am thankful that Chris figured out how to blog and posted an amazing slideshow of pics from our first week or so with Corban. I have been trying to get a post up this whole month, and only just now have had a moment to do it! While it is all still fresh in my mind, I want to share Corban's birth story - the extended version...more for my own records than anything else (I don't think I ever did this for Hadley's now that I think about it - but hers was a little more traumatic, so I don't think I was ready to relive as soon - or will I ever forget it!). It is hard to believe it has been over a month since our sweet Corban came into this world...it seems like just yesterday I was timing contractions on my iPhone!

~JULY 30, 2010~

The evening before the 30th, my parents and I took Hadley and ate dinner at Qdoba because Chris was working and I had a craving! After dinner, we decided to walk across the large parking lot to hit up Target for a few last minute things, and that is when my contractions started coming closer together and more regular - about 5 minutes apart or so - for a couple hours or so. But then as we got home they became more sporatic again - once I stopped walking. I was timing them, as I had been doing for what seemed like WEEKS (since I was having contractions pretty much my entire pregnancy this time). Chris got home from work and we all were feeling a little anxious wondering if the time was getting closer for me to go into labor - my doc had said to go to the hospital when my contractions were 5 minutes apart for an hour...

I didn't feel like it was time to go to the hospital just yet because my contractions weren't too painful yet and didn't feel "real", and they were still a bit sporatic, so I decided to go to bed and see if could sleep through them. Chris had to work the next day (July 30) - so he needed to get some sleep as well. Through the night I did wake up a number of times, but then was able to fall back asleep and sleep through them a bit.

When I finally got up for the day around 7:00am, the contractions started coming stronger and more frequent. Chris was already at work, so I timed for an hour or so while I showered and finished packing our hospital bags and then texted him that this might be the day! After going back and forth with Chris over text for a couple of hours (while my contractions kept coming stronger and more frequent), we decided it was time to go to the hospital. Chris rushed home to pick me up and back to the hospital we went - about 11am (10:50am to be exact according to my dad's records written on the back of an envelope from that day). ;)

Right before we left for the hospital!

Of course as we were driving to the hospital (which is only about 5 minutes from my parents house) I didn't have any contractions, so I thought maybe we should't go after all (I did NOT want to get sent home without a baby!)- but right when I got out of the car, on came the contractions again! We checked walked straight into the hospital and checked in at labor/delivery front desk, which is always so weird..."Uh, Hi. I'm here because I think I'm in labor...."

They monitored Corban and I for awhile and then had me walk for an hour through the halls of the hospital before they would admit me. I was 5cm when they initially checked me (which was exciting for me because I had been 3cm for over 2 weeks!). They were super busy (had 7 babies by 11am), and this is their protocol to make sure you are in active labor and really deserve a bed!

So, about noon we started walking. I was determined to not leave that hospital without Corban in my arms. I told Chris I wanted to be a good student and pass the test to get admitted (of being in labor) - so I pushed myself and WALKED HARD. I was walking as fast as I could and the contractions were coming strong about every 3 minutes or so....I would have to stop to get through the contractions and when they would end, I would start walking again. In our walking we did manage to walk through the gift shop and get Hadley a little stuffed tiger cause she loved the baby tigers from the zoo so much. We also ran into my 2nd cousin's husband who is a resident at the hospital and a girl I grew up with who had a baby that same day there! Chris wanted to head back to the room when my contractions started getting really bad, but I wanted to keep walking my full hour - I was gonna get admitted if I had anything to do with it! A nurse stopped us at one point and asked if I was the girl dilated to 5cm - when I told her I was she said she couldn't believe I was walking like that and assured me I would get admitted. I thought to myself - I will believe you when I see/hear it!

When the hour was up they checked me again and I was dilated to 6cm....I DID IT! I was admitted by about 1pm. From that point on the contractions were coming strong and frequent. It got to a point where I was pretty much begging for an epidural and it was seeming to take FOREVER for them to get me one. Luckily the IV nurse gave me some pain relief to take the edge off before I could get my epidural.

FINALLY, the anesthesiologist came to give me the epidural and that was probably one of the hardest parts of my entire labor. She was VERY thorough and explained EVERYTHING as she was doing it - which made it take longer! I was thinking to myself - STOP TALKING AND GET THAT EPIDURAL IN! I DON'T CARE HOW YOU DO IT!!!! I had about 3 horrible contractions while she was getting the epidural in and I couldn't move through any of them because I had to remain perfectly still hunched over a pillow so my spine was perfect for her to get the epidural in. It was TORTURE!!! On a side note...like my epidural with Hadley, it didn't work on half my body again! Still better than nothing in my book!

Right after my epidural...I'm a HAPPY GIRL now!

It was so funny because after the epidural was in, my mom had gotten to the hospital, and Chris headed to our car to get our overnight bag, now that we were officially admitted. While he was gone, my nurse came in to put my catheter in and checked my cervix again and found I was fully dilated to 10 cm and basically ready to push! She had another nurse check too because she couldn't believe how fast I got there! Turns out I labored to 10cm while I was getting my epidural (I knew those contractions were bad)!!! Lovely. I had my mom call Chris right away to get back to the room!!!

I have to say here that the next period of time was strangely peaceful (especially compared to Hadley's birth). The only people in the room were Chris, my mom, and my AMAZING angel of a nurse, Julia. My doc didn't want to come over until my water broke - so I started pushing without her. Chris, my mom, and I all sort of looked at each other thinking how strange it felt to just start pushing without a doc - but we trusted my nurse completely so we just started going!

My bag of water was in Corban's way of getting out - so my first round of pushes was basically just to get my water to break. When it finally did, it burst like a balloon with a "pop" sound I will never forget! Julia told Chris and my mom to stand back because when it burst because it would explode and everyone might get drenched! She was pretty much right and we all just laughed when it happened.

After that, it wasn't much longer - my doc showed up and with a few pushes out came our handsome little guy, Corban James, at 5:13PM - peeing EVERYWHERE and all over Dr. McAllister like a little fountain! Thinking back to his birth, he really hasn't stopped peeing everywhere since! Chris calls his diapers "trick diapers" that explode as soon as they are opened. :) We were so relieved and thankful to see him and hear his cries and know that he was here safe and sound in our arms, and that this labor went so much more smoothly than Hadley's. Having a baby is such a MIRACLE!

With our AMAZING nurse, Julia - I HEART HER!!!

When he came out the tops of his ears were folded down cause his cartlidge hadn't formed completely yet - we called him our special elf...so cute! My doc said we should be happy because elves have "magical properties." ;) HA!

When my placenta came out, my doc saw that I had an infarct, which is a dead spot of tissue. She thought that was maybe why he was a little on the small side (especially compared to Hadley). He weighed 6lbs 12oz and was 20 inches long.

Now that he is here and healthy - I am thankful he wasn't any bigger cause my labor might not have been as smooth!

We feel so blessed to have 2 children - a girl and a boy - we couldn't be happier.

The first picture of us as a family of 4...CLASSIC!
Hadley is making him a tough boy already ;)

I'm not going to say it's easy to have 2 kids under 14 months...this has been one of the hardest months of my life so far, but it has also been the BEST and most rewarding months...we count ourselves EXTREMELY blessed. Our children are the most precious gifts we have ever received and I am thankful every day to the Lord to be their mommy and take my job very seriously.