On Wednesday evening, Mommy told Daddy and Mamaw Jean how she was wondering about if leaking water throughout the day. Daddy said we should call the labor hall, and he was right! The nurse said that we should come into the hospital. We packed a bag for Waverly and gave her big kisses and hugs before leaving her with Mamaw and Papaw. And then we were off for the hospital!
Since we hadn't been in a hurry all day, we stopped for Chik-fil-A on the way! I really enjoyed that strawberry milkshake. Once we did arrive at the hospital, we determined that my water hadn't broke or anything. Mom wasn't thrilled that we would be going back home again, since the weeks of contractions hadn't been much fun. However, we got set up on the fetal monitors to watch Harlan for a bit before being sent home. He was being very active, really moving and shaking around! It was the most active he had ever been.
Harlan's heart rate was consistently just-a-bit higher than the doctor's liked to see. He was staying around the 170's, and then during a contraction, his heart rate would dip down. We watched the monitors and waited. At 3:21 am, the doctor and nurse came in and told us that the plan was to begin inducing labor. The nurse set up another line to my IV that would add a very small dosage of pictossin to see how the baby tolerated the medication.
It wasn't long before Mommy was having very strong contractions! The nurse came in and said that Harlan must have known we were in the early stages of labor. She said that she didn't give enough pictossin to even qualify at spitting at us! Already Harlan is a smart baby!
At 5 AM, Mommy was dilated at 5 cm and contractions were at least every 8 minutes apart. The nurse called for the anesthesiologist, who is now near the top of Mommy's list of heroes. The doctor sent Daddy out of the room during the epidural. Mommy sat on the edge of the bed, high in the air, trying to focus during contractions. The epidural was much different this time, compared to my labor with Waverly. This time, my right side went numb first! The doctor worked his magic and soon Mommy wasn't in any pain anymore.
By 7, Mommy was dilated to 8 and 9 cm! It was getting close to show time. The doctor came in sometime after 7:30 and broke my water. Nurse Jennifer and Nurse Amy had me all ready to start pushing. Daddy helped calm me down and focus. It wasn't hard to remember how to push once the nurse gave some instructions. After just a few pushes, Nurse Jennifer said to stop and they called for the doctor to come in. I only pushed through 5 contractions, and it was less than 10 minutes!
Since Dr. Looff hadn't yet come onto his shift, Dr. Voss was in charge of our care. He strolled into our room, calmly taking off his doctor's lab coat. Peeking around to see how we were, Dr. Voss immediately hurried into his place. It was time! He said not to move, not to even laugh for a second! Then, one quick moment later, Harlan was born!
Harlan gave his Mommy a little scare, as he was out before the doctor had cleared his mouth and nose so he wasn't immediately crying. It was just a few seconds that seemed like an eternity, and then he was pronounced fine and thrown into my arms!
After a quick look at him, Harlan was whisked away to be cleaned up. Daddy went to supervise and take pictures, of course. Dr. Voss worked on Mommy to deliver the placenta, which was slightly stuck, and then tidy me up. The epidural this time was so well that Mommy didn't even need local anesthetic or extra medication. It all happened so fast!
Harlan was born at 7:49 AM. He weighed in at 9 pounds 8 ounces and measured 20 1/2 inches long. His gorgeous little face shows much of his father's characteristics. He is a handsome little man, who didn't bother with crying much on his birthday. He is healthy and happy. Our little family has grown!
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