The Godfreys: Michael Alexander Godfrey

Monday, May 2nd 2011 I had my last prenatal appointment. I went to the doctor hopeful that something had changed from the previous week.

NOTHING.

I was still 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced. We scheduled an induction for Wednesday, May 4th at 6:30 am.

Josh and I left the hospital and went home to spend the day with my mom and Dan who had come into town the Thursday prior. We went out to dinner, went to our favoriate gelato shop, and made plans to visit my Grandma and Grandpa the next day.

The next morning I wake up at 4:50 because I had, in my sleep, felt a small gush of water? Pee? I had no clue. I got up, inspected my pants and the bed and woke Josh to tell him that my water may or may not have broken. He said "hmm, ok. What do you want to do?" and went back to sleep. I wanted to wait before calling the doctor to see if anything started happening. I wasn't really contracting, no pain, so I decided I would try and sleep for a while longer. That didn't work.

A little past 8 am I called Labor and delivery to ask them what I should do. They "guessed" I should come in a get checked out. I was thoroughly disapointed that they were not rushing to get me to come in! I leisurely showered, ate breakfast and we left with hospital bag in hand "Just in case."

Seriously, Michael needed to come out! I was going to burst! I was SO swollen!

Upon arriving at the hospital, they checked me into Traige and had a doctor come and do a couple tests to see if my water really had broken. I joked with her that I really may have peed myself and may be wasting her time. She came back with the results and said "Lady, you are having a baby today!" We were ecstatic. Josh texted his family right away and they admitted me to the room where Michael would come into the world!

When they admitted me, the doctor let me know that I was NOT in active labor but because my water had broken it was important to have this baby within 24 hours. They started me on pitocin about 11. I was not feeling contractions for the most part. Josh and I played cards, watched movies, and surfed Youtube.

My parents brought Josh food and me popsicles around 5 pm. My contractions had started getting stronger but an hour before the nurse had checked me and I was still only 2 cm and 75% effaced. She had said that if I wasn't progressing by the time the night shift started (7 pm) then they would probably let me off the pitocin so I could eat.

By 6 pm my contractions were so strong I could not really talk through them so the nurse checked me again. I was FINALLY a 4, 100% effaced and IN labor! I was so happy I cried.

My nurse said that would be a good time to get the epidural, so i did :) It was the best. I don't think I will ever not have one. It was amazing to be able to have contractions and not feel any of the pain AT ALL! The only downside to the epidural was that they put Fentinel in it, which apparently makes me sick. Everytime I would lay down flat or even almost flat, I would throw up. It was pretty unpleasant, but I didn't have to do it often and the nurses and doctors were very accomodating!

Josh and I tried to get as much sleep as possible, while waiting for Michael to arrive.

At around 3 am, my nurse came in and said they needed to up my pitocin because we were getting so close to the 24 hour time frame they were hoping I'd have my baby in. She also told me that I would start feeling contractions as pressure and the need to poop.

Around 5 am I started feeling lots of pressure and a very strong need to poop. I didn't want to call my nurse in because she had checked me recently and I was a 7.5 but luckily one of my machines started beeping because it needed to be refilled. My nurse came in and I told her and she asked if I wanted to be checked again. I said "well yeah, I guess so." When she checked me she said "WOW, he's right here! I see his head! You're a ten!"

I told her I really felt the need to push and she tried to get me to wait because pushing could take hours. I told her it was NOT going to take hours and that he was going to come out. She called the people to prep the room for delivery and called the doctor. We started pushing, which triggered my nausea and I threw up which essentially did most of the work pushing Michael out. After getting sick I barely had to push (well 40 minutes but compared to the 3.5 hours they were telling me that was nothing!) before my crying little guy was placed on my chest. He was so beautiful and perfect. He was 8 lbs 12 oz and 21.5 inches long. He also had a head circumference of 37 inches, which is why my nurse kept telling me over and over again that his head was "right there" and it would only be one more push. It was right there, it was just HUGE, so huge in fact that I didn't push to get his body out at all. It flew out so fast and unexpectedly that the doctor didn't even catch it, the bag under me did.

Michael is very healthy and an amazing little baby! He was so healthy and eating so well, and I was recovering so well that we only had to stay 1 day in the hospital! They apparently really like first time exclusively breast feeding moms to stay for at least 2 days but we (josh and I, Michael probably couldn't have cared less) were miserable there and couldn't wait to get home! Josh was excited for a real bed, not those awful chair beds and I was excited to have Michael close enough that I could reach him in bed and family around to help out :)