William Noel Taylor

Well, our little angel has arrived. I should probably be sleeping right now, but I want to write down the birth story while it's still kind of fresh in my mind, something I failed to do with Joe.

So Monday I had an appointment. My mom was coming in town Wednesday, and staying for only a week, so I told the Dr. I would like to be induced Friday if he hadn't been born by then. He said that was fine. I really wanted to go into labor on my own, but I would rather be induced and have my mom there for a couple of days than wait, and have her only be there the day he was born, or miss him completely. The Dr. stripped my membranes. I was hoping it would do something, but was skeptical, because I had that done with Joe, and he still wasn't born until more than a week later. So I was convinced that he wasn't going to get here until Friday.

Monday afternoon I had some contractions that were a little more uncomfortable than normal, but I didn't think anything of it. Dinner came around and I jokingly told Zach maybe we would be going to the hospital that night. The contractions were getting more painful, but I was convinced it was a fluke. We put Joe down, I went to the grocery store and bought some things to fix dinner for the week. We went to bed around eleven. I was trying to sleep but by midnight I had had at least four more contractions. I got up several times after that. Finally, I thought, if I can't sleep I might as well pack a hospital bag so we're ready. I also filled out our hospital pre-registration that should have been done ages ago, but I thought I had until the end of the week. I was trying to time the contractions, but some were as many as ten minutes apart, so I was convincing myself there was no way this could be it. The pain was also much more in my abdomen than it was when I had Joe. When I had Joe I felt it in my back.

Finally, at 2:30 am I told Zach I thought we needed to go to the hospital. He asked if I was sure, which I wasn't so he suggested I time for a little bit longer. 3:00 am, I tell him I really think we should go. So we finish getting ready, call our neighbor to listen for Joe and head out the door.

We get to the hospital at 3:45 am and try and find where we register. I'm feeling very glad we made the decision to go to the hospital at this point. They ask me if I want an epidural. I let them know I wasn't planning on it. I get checked around 4am. The bag of waters is bulging and very much in the way, so a second nurse checks me around 4:15. She thinks I'm 7cm dilated. Ten minutes later I say that I know someone just checked me, but could you please check again, I'm feeling like I need to push. The resident checks me. Yep. Complete. They wheel in a delivery cart. My Dr. isn't here yet, so they tell me to breathe through the contractions. "You are in control" they say. So I try to breathe through the contractions. Let me tell you, when your body wants to push it is near impossible not to. So I give in on one contraction, just little bit and pushed (really it was just me allowing my body to push) and my water broke. Relief for a brief second. They are still telling me not to push. I keep telling them I can't. This was by far the hardest part. This is also the only time I yelled. Just once. Trying not to push when you are having pushing contractions is insane. If I am ever in this situation again I am telling them, no thank you, I am pushing. Zach was awesome through all of it. He helped me stay calm and breathe when what I really wanted to do was push. Finally, the resident gives me the okay to push (I think they realized at this point there was no way the Dr. was going to make it in time). She tells me to push once. I push, and look up and the baby's head is out! Half a push later he is born and laying on my tummy.

William Noel Taylor. Born at 4:50 am. 7 lbs 5 oz. It was amazing. The human body is incredible. And having a baby is a miracle.

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